First-Person: Liz Truchanowicz on The Butler Did It (Lakeshore Players)

(photo credit: Kim Doucet)

I kinda, sorta, really like theatre
From Prompting to Murder most foul
by Liz Truchanowicz

So picture little ol’14 year old me. Grade 9. First year of high school in the suburbs of Toronto. New school. Big School. Going from being a part of the oldest students in elementary school to being the youngest in high school. Not knowing where I’ll fit in, if anywhere. Only knowing I kinda, sorta, really like theatre. And then there it is – a posting for auditions for the school play. Oh! The play is The Butler Did It by Tim Kelly. Yes, this is where I belong.  After a heart-wrenching audition based on a speech from that semester’s English class reading of To Kill A Mockingbird (yes, I had cut and pasted to create my own monologue) I waited. Alas, and to no surprise, I didn’t get cast. I have only graced the stage as an actor once – in Grade 10 – such a traumatic experience (for the audience!) that it has not been repeated since. But I so wanted to be involved with the play that year, I applied to be a member of crew – and I was given, what I considered at the time, a terribly important job. I was the prompter. I went judiciously to every rehearsal, ready to prompt the older students (who were cast in the roles of course) when they forgot a line. I had the best time, and I am pretty sure I was upgraded to stage manager at some point, but not really knowing what that entailed I just did what I was told – which was hangout backstage during the show and help the actors – and since it was a high school play – prompt them during the show when they forgot a line!

So when I saw Lakeshore Players post their season and then a call for directors for Tim Kelly’s The Butler Did It I knew right away that this was the play for me. I had to direct it! I didn't think anyone else had even heard of this play, let alone had an interest in producing it. I dusted off my script and off I went. Lakeshore Players is one of the most established community theatre groups in the Montreal area – having been producing theatre for over 45 years – they continue to have a strong following and continue their support of the local community by assisting the fundraising efforts of other not-for-profit organizations through their benefit nights.

Ford's Focus: Murray Napier

Murray Napier

Pedagogue and Pioneer

In founding the John Abbott Theatre Department and sharing his zeal for the arts with his students for 35 years, Napier has contributed waves of professionals that support every facet of the performing arts in Canada and the United States.

By Barbara Ford

Where would we be without those diligent people who, driven by their vision and passion, take it upon themselves to carve out something from virtually nothing, re-shape our reality to create something we didn’t even know we needed until there it is … a bright new shiny thing? Murray Napier is one such visionary. 

Born in Halifax, Napier received his higher education in English studies at St. Mary’s University where his fascination with theatre took root, dabbling in a workshop program that by his final year, he headed up. He came to Montreal for his post-graduate studies, majoring in literary drama at McGill.  After graduation, he experimented with this and that: courted the corporate world for a spell, taught in New Brunswick and at a high school, but eventually landed a teaching job at the McDonald Campus of McGill, where he taught English to both the Agriculture and Education students. 

In 1971 when John Abbott College was formed, Napier stayed on at the campus as the first Chair of the English Department.  His first order of business was to form a Theatre Department.  Napier didn’t know anyone in the theatre world that he could approach to help him develop the new program so “when actor Stanley Mallough walked in the door to apply, I hired him on the spot!” laughs Napier.   In those first years, the two shared the teaching equally, allocating 50% of their time to English and the other 50% to theatre.