Production Year – 2012
Written by Warren Graham
The Dortmund family has just moved to the small town of Frostbite Falls and the children have settled in: Josh hitched a ride in a cattle hauler, Junior fashioned his sister’s leotards into a slingshot, and Bonnie beat up the neighbour’s daughter… who is the daughter of Mr. Dortmund’s new boss!
To make matters worse; the water heater doesn’t heat water and the plumber keeps upping the price of repair, the boxes are missing their labels, and Grandmama’s 1895 Antique tea service is missing entirely… or is it? Who knows?! It’s chaos at Christmas time. But at least the children have written their letters to Santa… edited by Mom… re-written by Uncle Don… and now the whole town is involved!
Lots of laughs for young and old with a few surprises along the way and, of course, a Happy Christmas for everyone!
CREW
Director – Carol Graham
Producer – Danna Andrade
Stage Manager – Barbara Prescot
Stage Manager (performances) – Wendy Bratanek
CAST
Jake Dortmund – Played by Pete Aarssen
Edna Dortmund – Played by Bonnie Harris
Josh Dortmund – Played by Liam Milligan
Bonnie Dortmund – Played by Shannon Searson
Tommy Dortmund – Played by Geoffrey Hawkins
Gloria Dortmund – Played by Bronwyn Wonnacott
Junior Dortmund – Played by Ronan Fulton
Uncle Don – Played by Warren Graham
Giles Millet – Played by Jimmy Plunkett
Karen Millet – Played by Teresa Ingles
Angel Millet – Played by Alyson Jagt
Millie Millet – Played by Shea Milner
Daryl Millet: Eldest son of Giles and Karen Millet
Gary Millet – Played by Kaegan Fulton
Daphne Millet:
Hank Gore, Phone Guy – Played by Derrick Fulton
Wally, Plumber – Played by Doug Wright
Delivery guy – Played by Joey Hawkins
Dilbert Parker – Played by Bert de Roo
Erma – Played by Emilie Jagt
Rosie:
Ethyl Mertzog – Played by Charlene Mumberson
Lucy Baldwin – Played by Sabrina Redick
DJ at Party – Played by David Lindemann
Bartender – Played by Joey Hawkins
Drunk Santa – Played by Derrick Fulton
Girl at party – Played by Celeste Caskanette
Girl at party – Played by Chloe Pretty
Author: Warren Graham
Petrolia resident Warren Graham, was raised in Chatham, Ontario where he developed his sense of humour by being one of the short guys in a school full of tall guys. “The best way to stay out of the inside of a locker was to be the funny guy and make everyone laugh,” said Graham. And he is still making people laugh with his theatrical writing. He has written specialized Murder Mysteries for the Brigden Fair Board, Warden’s Banquet, Optimist International and many other community groups. A retiree of Imperial Oil, Graham said he remembers as a kid going past the huge oil refinery at night with all the lights and thinking, ‘Wow, you’d have to be really smart to work there.’ He laughs and says, “Then I got a job there and realized, ‘Nah!’” After working there for 30 years, Graham finally retired and found the time to finish the script which he started 10 years ago. He had a title, “Dear Santa… We’ve Moved” and a large collection of notes and pieces of dialog. Writing and golf seemed to take his mind off the “honey do” list he had put aside for all the free time retired guys are suppose to have.
While watching early rehearsals, Graham said that he was amazed that he had written this, “I thought, hey that’s pretty good”. His goal was to create a play specific for the community theatre group and the stage at Victoria Hall. He wanted something that was “a family show and comical… just like the good old days when the whole family could sit together around the big old television set, watch the same show, and all laugh together. There tends to be a real dearth of shows for a large cast; most have 2-6 actors,” said Graham. “We needed something for a BIG cast.” Graham achieved his goal. With a 25 member cast, 68 costumes, and a heavy volume of props backstage, the show is an incredible challenge. Actors range in age from 8 to 60 and come from all areas of Lambton County.
Graham, himself, is no stranger to being on the stage. In fact, he will be playing the cameo role of ‘Uncle Don’ in this premiere production of Dear Santa… We’ve Moved. In 2002, he was also nominated for best actor by the Western Ontario Drama League for his portrayal of ‘Whiteside’ in The Man Who Came to Dinner. And, was featured in the documentary, “Offstage” which won a golden Hugo award at the Chicago International Film Festival.
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