June 14 - 23, 2024
Digital Program
The time is 1908. The setting is Wyndergate Manor, a decaying mansion in a remote valley. More specifically, the servants’ quarters where the staff can unwind. And there’s about to be a MURDER!
PRODUCER’S NOTE
When our name came up in the Ottawa Fringe Festival lottery, I panicked. I didn’t have a show! It was Brendan who convinced me that we’d make it work. He came up with the idea for Murder, She Read and together, we breathed life into it. The script was still a work in progress when Gabi joined us. Soon after we had fabulous actors, a stage manager, and an ASM - and suddenly, it started feeling like we had a show!
Thank you all so, so much for coming to the world premiere production of Murder, She Read. I hope you have as much fun watching this tale of mystery, melodrama, and murder as we did making it.
Valerie Cardinal, Producer
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
- Ella Hocking - the voice of Mrs. Romero
- Chris McLeod - Fight Choreographer
- Léa Crépeau - Illustrator
- Allan Mackey - Photographer, Videographer, all-around producer support system
- Dawn Fanjoy, Kay Roberts, and Nancy Hogan (Ottawa Little Theatre) - Costumes
- Sally Bellamy and Jan Rainey (Lighthouse Theatre, Port Dover) - Additional Costumes
Brenda Rowe-Anderson, Keegan Rowe, Jess Donaldson, Rosaleen Rowe, Marilyn Hawkes, Nathan Lang, Nick Lang, Luc Cardinal, Constance George, Marc Perrault, Randy Crognale, Breda Brosnan, Andrew Burr, Maggie-Mae Burr, Mina Riad, Rachel Eugster, Tania Levy, Postering Ottawa, the OttawaU theatre department, Algonquin Commons, LNS venue techs (Emily Payeur and Benji Lévesque) and staff, the amazing Ottawa Fringe Festival staff and volunteers.
We could not have done any of this without you!!
THE COMPANY
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Paris Healey as HELENA WOODS |
Richard Kaulbars as SPENCER PRESTON |
| Paris is a graduate of Atlantic Technological University, where she received a degree in Performing Arts - Acting, as well as a diploma in Music Theatre - Performance from St. Lawrence College. A few of her recent credits include Steel Magnolias (Gabriella Gadsby), Theory of Relativity (Heather Braaten), Cats (Christy Adamson), and Going Under (David Connolly). Paris also performs and releases music under the stage name "Maeley" (@maeleymusic). She released her LP Burnout in the summer of 2022. Paris is ecstatic to be a part of showcasing this wonderful new play in the Ottawa Fringe Festival. She would like to thank her family, her partner, and her friends for their constant support of her artistry. | Besides acting, Rick Kaulbars has been working as a writer for film and television for over twenty years. As co-writer on the Comedy Network’s (now on Amazon) cult TV series, Kevin Spencer (1997-2005), he wrote over 40 half-hours, making it (at that time) the longest running, situation-based comedy in Canadian television. Rick was also a voice on most episodes. He's written for such internationally respected series’ as “For Better or for Worse”, “White Fang”, and “Toad Patrol.” In digital media, Rick wrote for and appeared in the Macromedia Award winning interactive digital drama “Midnight Stranger” for Animatics Corp. and in the summer of 2013 was the voice of Fred Flintstone for a game app produced by Wave Generation of Montreal. Rick’s strength is his humour, and he worked for several years as a split middle, stand-up comic for Yuk Yuks. In 2014 he performed stand-up with “Kids in the Hall”s Kevin McDonald and also performs as his hilarious top-hat poet character, Emerson Lake. Onscreen, Rick has appeared with Colin Mochrie in the CBC series "Getting Along Famously", playing the tyrannical head of the CBC. Onstage, he starred in the 2011 Fringe Festival production “Satanic Panic” (a play written by one of his student graduates) and, more recently, played an 1800s pimp in the 2014 Fringe production “Finished Girls”, which he also wrote. In 2022, his short film script “Whatever’s Left” won the Grand Prize at the Los Angeles “FadeIn” script competition. Rick teaches, writes when he can, and tries to referee his violent, unreasonable children. |
THE CREW
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Valerie Cardinal, Producer |
Brendan Rowe, Playwright |
| Valerie has loved theatre since she first appeared onstage as a fifth grader, playing a drunk Mercury in a children’s version of Amphytrion. Since then she’s worked onstage and off in various capacities, volunteered for multiple Fringe Festivals, and reviewed theatre for the Charlebois Post and Onstage Ottawa. She also produced and wrote her own show, Happy Birthday, Claire!, at the 2019 Ottawa Fringe Festival. Her day job is working as a TV writer and researcher. She currently lives in Norfolk County but is originally from Montreal, and lived in Gatineau for years. You will most definitely find Valerie at the Ottawa Fringe karaoke event. Come say hi, she’ll probably show you pictures of her dog, Sadie! | Irish‐Canadian writer Brendan Rowe has tried it all when it comes to writing. He has penned newspaper articles, built government websites, written stories for comics anthologies, and worked on film sets. Most recently, he contributed to the game Venture to the Vile, a spooky Metroidvania now available on Steam! If Brendan's not building computers, models, and worlds inside his studio in Montréal, Québec, he's voraciously consuming vast amounts of film, television, books, games, and comics. |
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Gabriella Gadsby, Director |
Megan Cowie, Stage Manager |
| Gabriella Gadsby is a versatile and award-winning (BBC & Prix Rideau Awards) theatre creator based in Ottawa, Canada. Originally from the U.K., with a BA Hons from East 15 Acting School, her Canadian debut with Plosive Production's Blink inspired critics with comments such as "a star is born" & "Ottawa is fortunate to have attracted such a talent to our stages." Her most recent work was directing the "incredibly engaging" Steel Magnolias at The Gladstone Theatre with Three Sisters Theatre Company. She has also Directed for 9th Hour, and on Paper Picture Production's immersive pirate show Grey Ghost. Gabriella creates "fringe theatre at its purest," and her last Ottawa Fringe show, ExDEMONators, was "whimsy" and "unforgettable." She was even honoured with a Special Jury Award for physicality! | Megan is delighted to revisit the realm of the Ottawa Fringe Festival this year with OwlySprocket Productions. They are no stranger to murder and mystery, from Stage Managing several productions with Eddie May Murder Mysteries, to creating a BYOV-style setups with One World Arts Festival Ottawa. Over the last few years, their focus has been working with community-based organizations to fundraise and raise awareness for underfunded programs that support our community members. Also the proud parent of Tiny, the Adorable. |
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Thomas Burr, Assistant Stage Manager |
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| Thomas is a self-described cutie patootie who didn’t provide his producer with a bio (so she wrote this one for him). He recently worked as the ASM on Steel Magnolias at the Gladstone. He brings all-around good vibes, enthusiasm, and excellent penmanship to our team, which is absolutely essential! |