We hope you enjoyed The Exquisite Hour. THANK YOU for supporting professional live theatre in Muskoka! We hope to see you in 2023 - stay tuned for show announcements!
| Welcome Back to your Gravenhurst Opera House! |
| After a two-year hiatus, the Gravenhurst Opera House is pleased to welcome you, once again, to LIVE THEATRE. What a joy it is to see you again! Thank you for joining us and sharing this wonderful experience, a tradition that has been part of Muskoka since 1934. Our team here at the Gravenhurst Opera House is delighted in bringing you Stewart Lemoine’s comedy THE EXQUISITE HOUR for the first time in Muskoka. The play asks that age old question “Are you satisfied with what you know?” In the next hour you will be pleasantly surprised as to the answer. The best is yet to come. The Opera House Team! |
| Enjoy our enhanced Digital Program |
| NEW THIS YEAR! Check out enhanced cast & crew bios AND bonus content on this webpage. And thank you for saving paper! (Limited paper programs are still available if you'd like to keep a memento or pass it on to someone who might want to see the show!) |
| What is the Exquisite Hour about? |
| “Are you satisfied with what you know?” Stewart Lemoine’s romantic comedy THE EXQUISITE HOUR asks that very question. On a beautiful summer’s day, a very ordinary and satisfied fellow blissfully putters away in his back yard, that is until his life is upended by a not so ordinary encyclopedia salesperson. In one hour, life takes a rather unexpected turn. An ordinary, contented man’s life is changed in one extraordinary, yet whimsical hour. It’s 1962. It’s summer. Life is comfy and predictable for Zachary Teale on a lazy, hazy day. Then the lemonade takes a twist with the arrival of a Mrs. Darimont. Never has one hour changed the course of one man’s life, like the Exquisite Hour. Gravenhurst’s own Richard Peters and Jane Miller take you on a playful and imaginative journey when two rather peculiar people cross paths over, of all things, an Encyclopedia. Never has the letter H had more possibilities and laughter than in Stewart Lemoine’s THE EXQUISITE HOUR. |
| Learn more about Playwright Stewart Lemoine |
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| Introducing Director Dave Campbell |
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Dave is probably best known as a TV choreographer with well over 100 live broadcasts to his credit airing on every major Canadian Network. Canadian Idol, (six seasons) Radio Free Roscoe, Deal or no Deal, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, the 17th and 18th Gemini Awards and three Canada’s Walk of Fame Specials. He has had three opportunities to choreograph live broadcasts of The Junos! He appeared as himself on 4 seasons of YTV's top rated The Next Star. In 2012 Dave was proud to direct Toronto's revival and re-imagination of CATS! at Toronto’s Panasonic Theatre, and that year directed the 100th Anniversary Spectacular for the Elgin and Wintergarden Theatres. Previous career adventures include work on London's West End, and in the US where he has been nominated for multiple awards. A founding artistic director of both the Orillia and Gravenhurst Opera Houses, Dave was nominated for The Governor General’s Award for his excellence in direction. Covid has been particularly tough on Canada’s live theatre industry, and the easiest way to help is to go out and enjoy as much of it as you can. On behalf of everyone here at the Opera House, Welcome Back! |
| Meet the Cast & Crew! |
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Jane, a lifelong resident of Gravenhurst, lives here with her husband, Richard. She has appeared at the GOH many times; in her teenage years with The Muskoka Festival, including as Anybody’s in West Side Story, and more recently in Fly Me to the Moon, Thumbs!, SUDS, and The World Goes Round. She has earned Dora Award nominations for playing Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (YPT) and for the musical Shaking the Foundations (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) and performed with multiple companies across Canada during her career. She toured the Fringe Festival circuit with her acclaimed solo show, Disco Goalie and currently, she tours her solo micro-performance, These Are the Songs That I Sing When I'm Sad (sadsongs.ca) which will be featured in the Ryga Festival in Summerland BC this August. Jane wishes to deeply thank each and every one of YOU for coming out to experience live theatre!!
Richard Peters has worked across the country from Chemainus Theatre on Vancouver Island, Stage Polaris and Theatre Network in Edmonton, and Brookstone Theatre in Toronto, to The Orillia Opera House in Orillia. He was last seen at the Gravenhurst Opera House in Thumbs – directed by Maja Ardal. He has been seen on the small screen with such actors as Jean Smart (Hacks, Designing Women), and Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds, The Simpsons). His play, David & Jonathan premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2012. In the decade since he has dedicated himself to the study of improv, coaching his team to two bronze and two gold finishes for The Canadian Improv Games Toronto tournament over the last five years. Richard is a graduate the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Conservatory Program and is currently working towards an MA-EL from the University of Toronto, specializing in teaching improvisation.
Actor, director, writer, and theatre educator, Robin has spent most of her life in theatre. Robin’s career includes the creation and development of several new and unique comic characters, performed across Canada, and the realization of many other contemporary female characters; the foundation and development of a theatre company for young people, and new this year, for women, designed to foster and promote professional theatre experiences (PRISM Theatre In The Park); teaching theatre performance and production for Nipissing University; over 25 years as a theatre educator Primary to Adult; and award-winning improvisational theatre coaching, through Muskoka StageWorks. Winner of four awards for her work in locally developed community theatre, Robin has contributed her time and expertise to local initiatives for over 30 years. Robin extends a huge thank you to the Gravenhurst Opera House for the warm welcome back. We are so happy to have you here with us!
Tim is grateful to have led a varied career in the arts as both a scenic designer for many theatre companies in Canada and the U.S., as well as 20+ years as a commercial mural artist, having created over 400 murals (and counting) across North America and abroad. Recently Tim’s creative energies were focused on creating and operating 2 stores in Gravenhurst – The Gypsy Market Mews Antiques and The Shipyards Muskoka Marketplace. Retirement beckons, but Tim hasn’t figured that one out yet either, so he’s thrilled to be part of this season’s rebirth of summer theatre at the glorious Gravenhurst Opera House. Thank you for coming out after this difficult 2 years, and for supporting this unique and vital industry we call Live Theatre. P.S. It takes Two.
Megan has worked extensively in opera, theatre and film in England and Europe for such companies as English National Opera, Fox Films, Universal Films, and the BBC. She received her training at the London College of Fashion, University of Arts and worked and trained under noted costume designers Vin Burnham, Anna Sheppard, and Michael O’Connor for films the Dark is Rising, Fred Claus, and The Duchess. Working as assistant costume designer some of her credits include Birmingham Opera’s Idomeneo directed by Graham Vick, The Butcher Shop a commissioned art installation directed by Philip Haas for the Kimbell Art Gallery in Texas, and Evil Machines directed by Monty Python’s Terry Jones for the San Luis Theatre in Lisbon Portugal. Costume Designer credits include the award winning short film Romans 12:20 directed by the Shammasian Brothers, three seasons with the Orillia Opera House’ Laugh out Loud Festival designing Murder in Noirville, Same Time Next Year, Forever Plaid, Into the Wild, 39 Steps, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and Radio Show. Gravenhurst Opera House productions include Fly me to the Moon and Shirley Valentine. She was awarded her Masters in Dress and Textiles Histories from the University of Glasgow. Megan is excited to be returning this summer to the Gravenhurst Opera House as Costume Designer for The Exquisite Hour.
Since 2013 Martyn has been the resident Lighting and Sound Technician at Gravenhurst Opera House. He trained in the UK and is a graduate of Popular Music and Recording at Salford University. He studied Theatre at Manchester Polytechnic. He has written music for television, radio and audio/visual productions. He Lectured in Recording and Technology at Wigan & Leigh College for eight years prior to setting up his own music production company. Martyn has toured the north west of England extensively in bands playing keyboards, saxophones and flute. He has also worked in theatres around the UK as a lighting and sound engineer. He worked with “Time Dream Theatre” as musical director and composed the music for their original production of Rag Doll which won rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Martyn is looking forward to a successful summer and beyond.
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Production Credits |
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The Exquisite Hour by Stewart Lemoine |
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Thank you to our generous sponsors! |
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Cashy Lake & Associates |
| Canadian Actors' Equity Association |
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| Photography |
| Thank you Larry Carroll "The Lens Man" for photography! |
| Upcoming Shows |
| Visit our Shows & Info page to find out what's playing at your Gravenhurst Opera House this season! |
Local Offerings
Past Seasons
You can take a look at our most recent seasons by viewing brochures from years past:
2019 Summer Season Brochure
2018 Summer Season Brochure
2017 Summer Season Brochure
2016 Summer Season Brochure
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