Category: TheatreAezir
That Summer by David French
Meet Anna Mintz – Our 2025 Bursary Recipient!
We’re thrilled to support Anna as she heads to the Makeup Intensive at Off the Wall Stratford!
From theatrical transformations to special effects, she’s diving deeper into the magic of backstage artistry 🧴🎨.
Anna caught our attention right away—her application was written as a script, full of humour, heart, and bold creativity.
🎭 Licensed hairstylist
🎓 B.A. in Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies
🎨 Passion for behind-the-scenes transformation
Her passion lies in the creative magic that happens offstage—using colour, texture, and imagination to turn actors into creatures, clowns, heroes, or villains. This training is an exciting next step as she builds her career in theatre design and backstage artistry.
We’re proud to be part of Anna’s journey—and we can’t wait to see what she creates next.
LONDON DRAFTS: MEET THE PLAYWRIGHTS!
Introducing Christen Shepherd, the playwright of our first London Drafts featured script, MRS. KRAY
Christen Shepherd studied Anthropology at Western University, and is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. In 2013 she co-authored The Promise: Truth from the Trenches of Adoption, which has become widely circulated among adoption professionals and adoptive parents in Canada and the US. Recently, she helped famed American art forger, Mark Landis, on his memoir, Self-Portrait of a Master Art Forger. This month she releases Broken Promises: The Battle to Find Help for Kids with Aggression, an exploration of violence in the home directed at caregivers.
You can catch Christen’s play being performed at The Poacher’s Arms on June 1st, 2025!
Reading Cast:
Violet Kray – Heather Heathcote
May – Helen Wrack-Adams
Vera – Louisa O’Keane
Charlie Kray Sr. – Charles Burnetts
Joe – Nicholas Buchanan
Introducing Jan Sims, the playwright of our second London Drafts featured script, A FORK IN THE ROAD
Jan is a performer, writer, playwright and journalist. Her short story, Girl, Lost in Thought, was published in The Humber Literary Review. Her story, Things at the Centre of Unfulfillment, appeared in Fleas On the Dog online magazine. Jan’s play, Get a Life, was the co-winner of best production at an international festival. Her plays, Gracious Living, and Weight, were performed at The Arts Project in London. Jan’s work has also been performed through the Grand Theatre’s Playwrights Cabaret. Most recently she wrote and performed Moments in Time at Alvegoroot’s This Hour Has 10 Minutes Playwriting Festival. Her play, A Day at the Beach, was also showcased at a national play festival. Jan’s career in television news includes being a reporter and anchor in London and with CTV Toronto.
You can catch Jan’s play being performed at The Poacher’s Arms on June 8th!
Reading Cast:
Maggie – Elizabeth Durand
Buck – Tim Bourgard
Elspeth – Chiedza Gondoza
Sinjin – Nicholas Buchanan
Introducing Shelley Lapkowski, the playwright of our third London Drafts featured script, GEEZ, LOUISE!
Shelley Lapkowski is a Canadian playwright whose debut comedy Geez, Louise! explores the tensions and unexpected bonds that form when generations and personalities clash in a quirky condo complex. Based in the London, Ontario area, she has acted in numerous community theatre productions and brings that performance insight to her writing. Shelley is currently dreaming up future projects—including potential sequels to Geez, Louise! featuring Amber and Louise—and somehow juggling it all while raising a spirited teenage daughter.
You can catch Shelley’s play, and the final performance of this series, at The Poacher’s Arms on June 15th!
Reading Cast:
Louise – Eve Cohen
Amber – Charlotte Emma
Sam – Charles Bernetts
Diane / Mrs. Chanel – Charlene McNabb
Betty / Nick / Dave – Ryan Memarzadeh-Qehedani
Steve – Gabriel Sizeland
📅 Sundays – June 1, 8 & 15, 2025
🕕 Doors @ 6:00 PM | Show @ 6:30 PM
📍 The Poacher’s Arms Dining Room
Calling all volunteers!
Be part of the magic behind the scenes this summer 
We’re looking for Front of House helpers for That Summer at Springbank Gardens (July 16–26)!
Roles: Ticket-taking, greeting, ushering, and seating guests
Location: Guy Lombardo Pavilion
Flexible dates, short shifts, no experience needed!
Perfect for theatre lovers, students, or anyone who wants to help bring live theatre to life 
Email eden@theatreaezir.com to get involved!
Theatre Aezir – March Updates
The Actor’s Workout
This past Wednesday, The Actor’s Workout, an acting workshop series led by The Minutes actor Colin Legge (MFA, BFA), held its first session. The classes allow actors to train several facets of their craft in a welcoming and engaging environment alongside their peers, regardless of experience level. Participants are currently focused on Suburban Motel by Canadian playwright, George F. Walker, and began with some cold reads of speeches from the collection of plays.
Theatre Aezir Artist Bursary
We are also excited to announce our second annual Theatre Aezir Artist Bursary in partnership with Off the Wall, Stratford Artists Alliance, which provides emerging technical theatre artists an opportunity to receive $1000.00 to cover the cost to attend a class with the organization this summer. From welding to costume design, there are a range of options for young technical theatre artists to select from to hone their skills under the supervision of professionals in their chosen field.
Please email elizabeth@theatreaezir.com to request an application form.
Summer 2025 production
Casting for our Summer 2025 production, That Summer by David French, is underway, and attracted over 100 applicants from the GTA, London area, and beyond. The creative team was thrilled to receive such a wealth of talent to auditions and callbacks. We are hard at work finalizing the cast, as well as the selection for our Fall production, so stay tuned for more info on what is sure to be a spectacular season!
Grant News from London Arts Council
During the run of Marion Bridge in early March, David Pasquino, my board member and treasurer and I made a visit to the London Arts Council. I had received a project grant in 2019 for Falling: A Wake. I wanted to see if we would be eligible for further funding on our next projects. I was delighted to find out that since we became a not-for-profit corporation, we would now be eligible for the CAIP Organizational stream. This is of great benefit to Theatre Aezir because this type of grant covers operational expenses that a project grant does not. We had a productive meeting with Rebekah Morrison, and we left the meeting very encouraged. The application deadline was the end of March. There was plenty of work to do in a short time. The grant came together, and I am ecstatic to say we were successful. We gratefully thank the London Arts Council and the City of London for their substantial support.
World Theatre Day
“Art, good art, manages in its wonderful way to combine the utterly unique with the universal.“
– Jon FOSSE, Norway
Norwegian writer, playwright
Join us as we celebrate March 27th, World Theatre Day 2024!! It is the perfect time to share this year’s message, brought to us by the Nobel prize winning author, Jon Fosse… Art is Peace!
Click Here to read his inspirational message
#WorldTheatreDay2024 #theatreaezir #londonontario #nonprofit
NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
Greetings, fellow theatrical art enthusiasts!
Today, let’s explore the world of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 which is a co-production by The Musical Stage Company and Crow’s Theatre in Toronto. This is a long-awaited Canadian premiere of the Broadway musical was written by Dave Malloy, directed by Chris Abraham, choreography by Ray Hogg and music direction by Ryan deSouza.
A contemporary style musical that combines indie rock, pop, folk, electronic dance, and classic Broadway music. Adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s monumental novel “War and Peace,” audiences are dropped into imperial Russia of 1812. The narrative follows Natasha, a young aristocrat engaged to Andrey, as she becomes entangled in a web of love and intrigue that mixes time and space.
The set is gorgeous and innovative. They built balconies with golden staircases, plentiful draperies and chandeliers. We have been lucky enough to have snatched one their scenic painters to work on our upcoming production of Marion Bridge. The center of the acting space is a square platform that turns. While a turning platform can indicate different scenes, I think they liked turning it because it was cool. Not every rotation was necessary.
The balconies were used for seating, walkways, and some members of the orchestra. Call me an old fogey but why does the sound have to be so loud? I have seen many plays at Crow’s Theater under the direction of Chris Abraham and if he is not the best Artistic Director around, I don’t know who is. I’m glad I saw Natasha, Pierre, et al but it was my least favourite production at Crows. Those who know me will say, but you don’t like musicals. Yes, but I loved The Musical Theatre Company’s production of Kelly vs. Kelly.
Winner of two Tony Awards, three Lucille Lortel Awards, the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical, a Special Obie Citation, and the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 is “the most innovative and the best new musical to open on Broadway since Hamilton” (The New York Times).
Don’t miss the opportunity to witness this spectacular play in the vibrant Crow’s Theatre, from Dec 5, 2023 – Feb 11, 2024, where the art of storytelling comes to life in its most enchanting form.
#theatreaezir #londonontario #marionbridge #crowstheatre
Cover Image Credit: Hailey Gillis by Colton Curtis.
New Website
Welcome to the new Theatre Aezir website! A platform that promises to be a haven for all things theatrical. From prop-making to costume and set design, this online space is where artists, practitioners, and enthusiasts can come together to celebrate and explore the world of theater production.
From behind-the-scenes stories of theatrical productions to in-depth guides on crafting the perfect props or designing stunning costumes, Theatre Aezir promises to be your go-to destination for all things theatrical. The website is the brainchild of passionate individuals who have an unwavering love for the performing arts.
So, if you’re intrigued by Theatre Aezir, go ahead and pay a visit to their website. You’ll be greeted with a rich tapestry of articles, videos, and resources that will inspire and ignite your passion for the theater. Here’s to the exciting journey ahead with Theatre Aezir, where creativity knows no bounds!