Character And Secrets Lie At Heart Of Leamington Play

Marc Rocheleau

Tuesday January 14th, 2025, 9:00am

Photo by Penny Gil

Set in a small town, a local play is using gossip to give audiences something to talk about.

Opening on Friday January 17, Leamington’s Bank Theatre (located at 10 Erie Street South) will begin its run of Norm Foster’s Halfway There. Weaving together romance and comedy, the show delivers a character driven story through witty dialogue and relatable Personalities.

Introduced to the play by one of his actors, director Dean Valentino was excited about it from the start.

“The characters were so complete,” he said. “The simplicity of the setting allowed for this show to be entirely character driven. I could see the depth of the script. The potential for subtext and actor investigation was very high. I could see the path to a rich and full show through character development.”

Set in Stewiacke, a small maritime town famous for being halfway between the north pole and the equator, secrets are hard to keep. Close friends Vi (Melissa McLeod,) Rita (Michele Legere,) Mary Ellen (Marnie Gare) and Janine (Kristen Lamoure-Dias) are comfortable with coasting until a new arrival changes everything. When Sean (Valentino) comes to fill a temporary job, the heartbroken doctor’s decision to pursue Janine also creates a whole new chain of events.

left to right Melissa McLeod, Dean Valentino, Michele Legere, Marnie Renaud-Gare, Kristen Lamoure-Dias

Bonding over their messy love lives, it brings the object of his affection closer to her friends. As they sort through their own situations however, the question arises: Can everyone find what they’re looking for in Stewiacke?

As Windsor-Essex contains so many small towns across the county, each character archetype will most likely bare some familiarity to audiences. With elements of neighbours, family members or even themselves, it’s these aspects that allow the story to connect with theatregoers.

In addition, Halfway There showcases the difference between families we’re born into and those we choose. It also explores the nature of love for friends, family, partners and what makes a complete relationship.

Focusing on these themes, the show’s success ultimately lies in how its dialogue is approached.

“Foster’s voice is remarkably natural,” said Valentino. “He has a knack for creating dialogue that feels authentic to audiences and comfortable for actors to deliver. As a director, I can trace the maturation of his writing by observing how his ability to add depth to characters through brief snippets of dialogue has developed over time.”

Holding auditions in October, chemistry and experience were most important to the director. While 15 female actors came out, only one male performer was on hand. Being too young for the role and lacking the required experience, Valentino had to cast himself as Sean instead.

From there, the director narrowed down his remaining choices based on which actors had worked together and with him. Wanting to go with who he knew, Valentino decided it wasn’t the right time for a new voice despite the fresh talent seen at auditions.

Leaning on skills and experience, having some familiarity helped with romantic elements too,

“[It[ was easy,” said Valentino. “[Lamoure-Dias] and I have worked together in a number of shows, developing a trust on stage and a friendship off that makes our work natural and organic. Our first show together included a big smooch!”

Preparing for auditions, Valentino went deeper into the script during a second read through. This time, he focused on subtext opportunities and character interactions. Once casting was complete, the director also assigned character homework to his actors, asking them to read the script while keeping their responses and his vision in mind.

It’s an attention to character that continued as rehearsals began in November.

“The structure was character, scene, relationship, setting and text conversations before we would do a scene,” said Valentino. “This happens till the very last rehearsal before tech week. We constantly review motivations down to the presentation of individual words and how they relate to other elements of the play within our construct.”

It’s a collaborative approach that allowed cast members to have as much autonomy over their characters as possible. Asking questions, the director allowed each actor to find their complete character before workshopping a way to incorporate these elements into the story. Although some concessions were made to ensure the play is the best it can be, Valentino tried to allow for as much ownership as he could.

This was made easier by their experience, allowing the director to focus less on line interpretation and positional directing. Instead, he trusted his actors’ organic ability to know where they should be without being told. Aside for roughly a dozen positional or structural concept requests, the cast relied on their experience, script and understanding of characters to inform different movements.

Beyond this, comedic elements were then taken care of by simply following the script.

“The text jokes are obvious, so you allow them to happen naturally without forcing the comedy out of them by overdoing the bit,” said Valentino. “The great thing about both the text and the cast was the ‘implied’ humour was easy to tease out and use to further both the quality of the script and the character details.”

Outside of basic cast work, the director spent most of his time on “stage business.” While the set itself is static, its space and props are very busy. This has forced Valentino to pay close attention as he continued cleaning it up about a week before opening night.

Even so, propelling Halfway There forward ultimately came back to its dialogue.

“Tempo is the answer,” said the director. “The tempo of each period of dialogue informs what we find out about which character. I can’t really say more without spoiling how this concept speaks to each of the 4 women, but the pace of text and delivery tells much of the story.”

Sponsored by the Municipality of Leamington, Chances Gaming Lounge and Rotary Club of Leamington, performances of Halfway There will take place at the Bank Theatre on January 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26. All Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30pm while both Sunday matinees start at 2:30pm. Doors open 30 minutes before all showtimes and tickets can be purchased online for $28.25 each. Halfway There was first produced by the Foster Festival in St. Catharines, Ont. in August, 2016 and is being staged by arrangement with Pam Winter, GGA.

Enjoying his work with actors, crew, the Bank team and community volunteers, Valentino thinks everyone involved brought joy and happiness to the play.

Putting such emotion into Halfway There, he now wants audiences to experience the results first hand.

“My hope, rather our hope, is that people leave ruminating on the value of honesty, friendship and empathy as part of being a complete person,” said Valentino. ” … You will love the cast, the story is honest, funny and sad while being uplifting and warm. You will love the theatre space, how much the Bank offers in the form of a complete theatrical experience for the audience and you will see some awesome acting.”