Sunshine Theatre brings its 1998 debut production back for a hilarious encore as the Tony Award-winning comedy Lend Me A Tenor, by Ken Ludwig, plays Arts Knowlton from April 20 to May 7, 2006.

     Set in 1934, Lend Me A Tenor is about an American opera company which imports an Italian star to perform a special performance of Otello. ‘Il Stupendo’ arrives with a bad case of heartburn and overdoses on phenobarbital. His hosts think he’s dead and decide to replace him for the evening with the company's talented yet nebbish gopher. The Italian star wakes, however, and soon two Otellos are running around in full costume and two lovely young ladies are throwing themselves at them. The result is an evening of non-stop laughter and music.

     "Lend Me A Tenor is one of the most perfectly constructed comedies ever written," says director Sunil Mahtani. "The pace in which the story reveals itself, the surprises, the characterizations and the wonderfully witty dialogue are just brilliant. As we say, 'you'll a-laugh a-yourself a-stupid' -- guaranteed!"

     Starring in the show are some of the Knowlton area's most talented actors, including Doug Hooper, Sunshine's artistic director, Michaela Barnes, Darleen Bell, Eugene Brotto, Nikki Moore, Rob Ossington, Warren Picken and Kate Wisdom, Sunshine partner and costume designer. The set and lighting design are by Bill Jarand and the stage manager is Terry Millard.

     "What sets Lend Me A Tenor apart from most farces is the beautiful love story in it and the wonderful opera music," says Kate Wisdom. "The costumes from the 1930s are just so glamorous! It will be a visual delight!"

     With each of its productions, Sunshine Theatre helps local community organizations raise much-needed funds through special benefit performances. During the run of Lend Me A Tenor, Mansonville's Citizen Advocacy will benefit from the April 20th performance.

     "It is important to us that we support the local community," says partner Donald Wilson. "We count on community support in many ways -- from volunteers who are doing a telephone sales blitz for us to businesses and individuals who are lending us props and set pieces. The fundraisers are our way of saying thank-you to the people of the Townships."

     Lend Me A Tenor plays Arts Knowlton, 9 Mont Echo Rd. in Knowlton, Quebec, fom April 20 to May 7, 2006. Performances take place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees on Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 regular and $10 for students. Special prices are available for group bookings. To reserve tickets, please call (450) 539-3604.

     In 1836, a teenaged Louisa Stacey left the comforts of her relatives in England forever to join her parents, George and Eliza, and their six other children in Canada. Together, despite tremendously difficult circumstances, they forged a new life for themselves in the wilderness, near what is now Ascot Corner in the Eastern Townships. Louisa brought with her just the bare necessities, including her piano!

     Sunil Mahtani, Sunshine Theatre's founding Artistic Director, and Donald Patriquin, renowned Canadian composer and Townships native, have spent four years creating the musical of Louisa's story, which will have its world premiere at Arts Knowlton April 21 to May 8, 2005. The cast and crew for this premiere are mostly Townshippers themselves, old and young, bolstered by professional actors, technicians and musicians and all are excited by the opportunity to pioneer an original work of art so close to home.

     The musical is inspired by an extraordinarily complete set of letters between Edward Stacey, Ordnance Clerk in the Tower of London, and his son George, daughter-in-law Eliza, and granddaughter Louisa trying to build a life in 19th-century Quebec. This pioneer farming family faces great hardship and sorrow before finding success and happiness. The musical illustrates the lives of these early Townships settlers after they had left their homes in England for an uncertain life in Canada. Much of what transpires is seen through the eyes of Louisa Stacey as she evolves from a schoolgirl into womanhood. It documents her hopes and dreams and sorrows and successes as she takes charge of her large family after the untimely death of her mother. Louisa faces life with spirit, determination and a positive outlook, even managing to fall in love with an ex-military officer named Henry.

     Louisa is directed by Mahtani, who is concurrently planning the summer season of Townships Stage at The Piggery Theatre in North Hatley. Musical direction is by Patriquin, who has coached the soloists and chorus for many months. Choreography by Diane Yarmush will delight lovers of dance, and the mid-1800s costumes are designed by Kate Wisdom. Both the lighting design by summer season regular Robin Paterson and set design by National Theatre School graduate Elli Bunton will meet the challenge of mounting a new work with a large cast on a small stage. The talented and diverse local cast features Lynne Hamilton as Louisa Stacey, Sheila McManus as mother Eliza, Andrew Cuk as father George, David Lambie as grandfather Edward, Tom Ransom as love interest Henry, William Matthews as brother Frederick, Mary White as schoolteacher Miss Oliver, Rob Ossington as head of the Millerites and Doug Hooper as Mr. Swords.

     The Townships are no stranger to theatrical pioneers. The theatre school and performance hall that was the Brae Manor Playhouse in Knowlton inspired Christopher Plummer in its early days. Mansonville native Lucy Peacock received early drama training at Massey-Vanier High School and went on to a long and successful career at the Stratford Festival. Emma Stevens founded the Lac Brome Theatre that now has become so much a part of Townships culture. Donald Sutherland, part-time Townships resident and an actor of world renown, had this to say: "Louisa is a unique and important projects written by a brilliant teams (and) requires our energetic supports. It will be a joy."

     Through the generous support of the Townshippers' Foundation, Sunshine Theatre is able to offer a tax receipt for donations to the production. All donations will be acknowledged in the program and in the theatre lobby. All donations of $500 or more will receive two complementary tickets to the gala world premiere of Louisa on Saturday evening, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. or a performance of the donor's choice. Checks should be sent to Townshippers'Foundation, 100-257 Queen, Lennoxville, J1M 1K7

     Performances take place at Arts Knowlton, 9 Mont Echo Road in Knowlton, Que. from April 21 to May 8, 2005, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except April 23, 7:30 p.m. show only) and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission: $15 (children 12 and under: $10). To reserve tickets, click the Buy Tickets button to your left, phone (450) 539-3604 or e-mail stonedale@sympatico.ca.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions is pleased to present the poignant Irish comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh, directed by Sunil Mahtani, at Arts Knowlton from Nov. 19 to Dec. 5, 2004.

     In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been grazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order.

     Playwright Martin McDonagh was born in London in 1971 to expatriate Irish parents. He was raised in south London, and spent his summer vacations in his parents' native Galway, Ireland.

     McDonagh wrote his first play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane at age 25. In 1996, The Beauty Queen of Leenane was staged at Galway's Druid Theare. The playwright's debut, written in only eight days, won over the audience and critics alike. The Beauty Queen of Leenane garnered four Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Actors and Best Production.

     In 1997, McDonagh had four plays running concurrently in London's West End, the only writer since Shakespeare to pull off the hat-trick plus one. The Beauty Queen of Leenane is the first in a trilogy of plays, followed by A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West. McDonagh also developed another trilogy, this time set on the Aran Islands. The first of these three plays is The Cripple of Inishmaan (1996), followed by The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the Banshees of Inisheert.

     McDonagh's wicked, electric sense of humour challenges the Irish dramatic tradition that has been central to Irish theatre for the past hundred years.

     "Tell everyone you're the best, and then prove it," is one of McDonagh's most notorious quotes. Having sold his plays in 28 countries and in 21 languages, McDonagh has proven himself a highlight is Ireland's great theatrical history.

     Sunshine Theatre's production of The Cripple of Inishmaan features an outstanding cast of local actors, including Emma Stevens (founder of Theatre Lac Brome), Doug Hooper (Sunshine Theatre's Artistic Director), Meghan Allen, Kate Wisdom, Patrick Godon, Jason Westover, Judi Gray, Robbie Putnam and Benoit Gravel as Cripple Billy.

     Sunshine Theatre partner Kate Wisdom provides the period costumes for the production, the set is designed by West Bolton artist Peter Raymond and the stage manager is Terry Millard.

     The Cripple of Inishmaan plays at Arts Knowlton from Nov. 19 to Dec. 5, 2004, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Saturdays and Sundays at 2. Admission: $15 adults, $10 students. The performance on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 pm is a benefit for Townships Stage, Sunil Mahtani's new professional theatre company in residence at The Piggery Theatre in North Hatley. For tickets, call (450) 539-3604. E-mail: stonedale@sympatico.ca.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions presents the classic London and Broadway musical Oliver! at the Arts Knowlton Playhouse from November 13 to 30, and for one night only at Massey-Vanier High School in Cowansville on December 5.

     One of the most enduring and popular musicals of our time, Oliver! tells Charles Dickens' classic story of Oliver Twist with gusto and features unforgettable songs, such as “Food, Glorious Food,” “Consider Yourself,” "I'd Do Anything," "As Long As He Needs Me” and “Who Will Buy.”

     Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, opened on July 1, 1960 in London, where it won the hearts of audiences for the next six years, playing for 2,618 performances. Broadway producer David Merrick (42nd Street) brought it to New York in 1963, and for almost four years and 774 performances, Oliver! captivated theatregoers there. It won three Tony Awards in 1963, including one for Bart’s music and lyrics.

     The musical was also made into a much-beloved movie in 1968 starring Ron Moody as Fagin and Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes, and made instant celebrities of young stars Mark Lester, who played Oliver Twist, and Jack Wild, better known as The Artful Dodger.

     After two successful musicals, The Music Man and Guys & Dolls, Sunshine Theatre presents its latest with another terrific community cast directed by Sunshine’s new Artistic Director Doug Hooper. Hooper also directed last year’s Treasure Island and starred in five other Sunshine productions, including The Music Man, The Play’s The Thing, Guys & Dolls and three productions of Art.

     The musical director of Oliver! is Susan Reininger, well-known to local audiences for her work in theatrical productions and as the musical director of the Pot-Pourri Choir. The choreographer is Diane Yarmush, a dancer who brings years of experience on stages in Montreal, New York and London to this production. Yarmush is assisted by Meghan Allen. Sunshine Theatre partner Kate Wisdom provides the period costumes for the production, and the set is designed by Peter Raymond.

     Oliver! transforms Charles Dickens’ unforgettable story of Oliver Twist into a memorable musical. When the young, pale-faced wretches who live in unspeakable conditions at a workhouse in 1800s London are served a meagre helping of a thin gruel for supper, the hapless Oliver approaches Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, with the entreaty, "Please sir, I want some more." Angry that the young boy dare ask for more food, Bumble “sells” Oliver to the undertaker Mr. Sowerberry. Oliver runs away the very next morning and is picked up hungry and tired by the streetwise young boy known as the Artful Dodger, who takes him to Fagin’s kitchen, from which a pickpocket ring is run. Oliver’s adventures are just beginning.

     A member of the Quebec Drama Federation, Sunshine Theatre Productions is a non-profit community theatre company founded in Knowlton in 1998 by Sunil Mahtani, Donald Wilson and Kate Wisdom. The company's mandate is to produce plays and musicals that have an optimistic view towards life and the human condition.

     Sunshine Theatre donates a portion of the proceeds of each show to local charitable organizations. Since 1998, the company has donated more than $14,000 to community organizations in the Eastern Townships, including Arts Knowlton, Citizen’s Advocacy, BMP Hospital, Townshippers’ Association and the Yamaska Valley Literacy Council. The opening night of Oliver! will be a fundraiser for the Peace School in Bondville.

     Oliver!, book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, adapted from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, directed by Doug Hooper with musical direction by Susan Reininger, plays at the Arts Knowlton Playhouse from November 13 to 30. Performances take place Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: $15 regular, $8 children 12 and under ($12 / $5 if prepaid by Nov. 13). All seats are reserved. A one night only performance of Oliver! will play at Massey-Vanier High School in Cowansville on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are the same price, however the special will be offered through Nov. 30 for this performance. Tel: (450) 539-3604. E-mail: stonedale@sympatico.ca.

     A boy's thrilling adventure in search of buried treasure on a distant and mysterious island is brought to life in this classic coming-of-age story produced by Sunshine Theatre Productions at the Arts Knowlton Playhouse from December 12 to 29, 2002.

     Adapted by Ara Watson, Jim Hawkins' odyssey is complete with stolen map, pirates, swashbuckling battles, betrayal, and the infamous Long John Silver, who just may be the "devil hisself."

     The show is directed by Doug Hooper in his Sunshine Theatre directorial debut. Hooper previously starred in the company's productions of Art, The Play's The Thing, Guys & Dolls and The Music Man.

     The cast is an outstanding ensemble of Eastern Townships talent, headed by Ralph Steiner as Long John Silver. Steiner most recently portrayed Hank Williams for Theatre Lac Brome and Prof. Harold Hill in The Music Man for Sunshine Theatre.

     Also starring are William Vachon as young Jim Hawkins; Donald Wilson as the adult Jim Hawkins; Bob Hennessy as Billy Bones/Ben Gunn; Dan Whitham as Captain Smollett; Patrick Godon as Dr. Livesay; Danny Dean as Squire Trelawney; Kate Wisdom as Margaret Hawkins, Jason Westover as Black Dog; and Ace McLellan as William Hawkins/Supervisor Dance.

     Portraying various roles including pirates and villagers are Richard Theriault, Jordan Hebert, Tanya Lapointe, Robbie Putnam, Hallie Seline, Eric Barkhouse, Juli Senier, Sara Holmes and Winston Mackelvie.

     Sunshine Theatre's latest show for the family sails into the Arts Knowlton Playhouse on December 12 and runs to the 29th. The performance on December 19 will be a fundraiser for Eastern Townships Citizen Advocacy.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions is taking the international hit comedy Art across the Eastern Townships of Quebec this spring.

     A six-town tour is taking place from April 19 to May 11, 2002, with stops in Mansonville, Knowlton, Bedford, Lennoxville, Richmond and Stanstead.

     Art, written by French playwright Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons), explores the eternal questions "What is art?" and "What is friendship?"

     When Serge (Donald Wilson) spends an exorbitant amount of money on an all-white painting, his best friend Marc (Doug Hooper) hits the roof. Their ensuing confrontation over this piece of art has hilarious and devastating results. While Yvan (Bob Hennessy), who rounds out the trio, doesn't comprehend what all the fuss is about, the painting and all that it uncovers puts their very friendship on the line.

     Using a difference of opinion over a painting as a starting point, Art delves deep into the friendship of its three characters. It is biting in its humour and poignant in its drama.

     Art contains some strong language and is intended for mature audiences. It is directed by Sunil Mahtani, who has been at the helm of all of Sunshine Theatre's plays and musicals, including most recently the Broadway musical The Music Man starring Ralph Steiner, who provides the set and lighting design for Art.

     It stars three of Sunshine's veteran actors. Donald Wilson, who co-founded the theatre company, and Doug Hooper, a drama professor at Massey-Vanier High School in Cowansville, have appeared most prominently in The Play's The Thing and Guys & Dolls. Bob Hennessy, a musical theatre staple with memorable roles in Guys & Dolls and The Music Man, takes his first stab at dramatic acting in a starring role in Art.

     Art has captured the hearts and minds of audiences across the globe. After playing to sold-out houses for more than two years in its original French production in Paris, it was produced in English by actor Sean Connery, who took the play to London, where it won the 1996 Olivier Award for Best Comedy and is still playing there after six years and more than 17 casts. When he brought the play to New York, it enjoyed a critically acclaimed run starring Alan Alda, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina and won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play. The 90-minute play has since been translated into 35 languages.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions first produced Art in the spring of 2001 at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton over a single weekend. The response to the play and the rewarding experience for those involved convinced the community theatre troupe to embark on its first-ever tour with this show.

     Since its formation in 1998, Sunshine Theatre has donated more than $10,000 to charitable organizations in the Eastern Townships through benefit nights during each of its shows. Community organizations receiving funding from Sunshine Theatre include Citizen's Advocacy, BMP Hospital in Cowansville, Townshippers' Association, the United Church and the Yamaska Valley Literacy Council.

     A member of the Quebec Drama Federation, Sunshine Theatre Productions is a non-profit community theatre company founded in Knowlton in the summer of 1998 by Sunil Mahtani, Donald Wilson and Kate Wisdom. Mahtani and Wisdom have helped nurture professional and non-professional theatre in the Townships for more than 10 years. Wisdom also sits on the board of directors of the professional theatre company Theatre Lac Brome and Mahtani works as its Publicity Director. Wilson brings his expertise as a government consultant to the organization, as well as occasionally treading the boards as an actor.

     Sunshine Theatre's mandate is to produce plays and musicals that have an optimistic view towards life and the human condition. The company strives to create professional-quality productions by combining the talents of theatre industry professionals and non-professionals.

     For more information about Sunshine Theatre Productions, contact us through this website.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions presents the classic Broadway musical The Music Man at the Knowlton Pub Playhouse from November 15 to December 2, 2001. Lovingly and humorously capturing the lost innocence of America at the beginning of the 20th century, The Music Man is based on composer-lyricist-book writer Meredith Willson's recollections of his childhood in a small Iowa town. After working for eight years and creating 30 drafts and 40 songs, Willson crafted his boyhood memories into one of the most accomplished works in Broadway history.

     "In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in the United States and the rise of terrorism in both the U.S. and Canada, The Music Man is turning out to be eerily timely", said Sunshine Theatre's artistic director Sunil Mahtani. "This is a happy show and audiences need to be reminded of the decent qualities of people right now, of the goodness of people".

     There could be no better place to perform this musical in than Knowlton in the Town of Brome Lake. The people in this area of the Eastern Townships have a strong sense of community, a love of the land and an inherent desire to help each other in times of trouble. In many ways, Knowlton is like River City, the sleepy town depicted in the show.

     The Music Man tells the story of Professor Harold Hill and his impact on the town of River City. The con artist arrives on July 4, 1912 with a plan to fleece the town's citizens by convincing them that their young boys are getting into trouble playing pool, using slang language and telling jokes -- he says they need guidance and discipline. He gets no argument from the preachy people of River City. Hill says he can teach their children to play in a marching band if they buy the instruments and uniforms he has for sale. He then plans on collecting the money and escaping without fulfilling his promises. Even with nothing but the lowest of intentions, he inadvertently brings joy into their lives and into his own life, as well. His best laid plans go wonderfully awry when he falls in love with the town librarian, Marian Paroo. Trapped by his love for Marian, Harold is literally forced to face the music when he is made to "conduct" his rag-tag orchestra. The "music" Harold ends up bringing into the town transforms its residents and himself.

     The music featured in the show has its roots in ragtime, soft-shoe, barbershop and marching bands. The songs and productions numbers include "76 Trombones", "Ya Got Trouble", "Goodnight, My Someone", "Till There Was You" and "Shipoopi".

     "This is a challenging score", said musical director Donald Patriquin. "Meredith Willson's ideas are brilliant -- he has taken the musical ideas of a barbershop quartet, a gaggle of gossiping ladies, a kid with a lisp, a song resembling the movement of a train, another one set to piano exercises and what can only be called early rap music and put them all in the same show!"

     Patriquin, a composer with a long and distinguished career writing both instrumental and choral compositions, leads a five-member band with himself on the keyboards, Stanley Lake on the trumpet, David Sutherland on the flute, clarinet and sax, Bertram Glover on percussion and Bevin Flanagan on keyboards.

     The choreographer is Diane Yarmush, who brings years of experience on stages in Montreal, New York and London to this production. Sunshine Theatre partner Kate Wisdom provides the period costumes for the production, the set and lights are designed by Ralph Steiner and set painting is provided by Peter Raymond.

     Heading a community cast of 36 is professional actor Ralph Steiner as Professor Harold Hill. Steiner most recently played the title role in Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave for Theatre Lac Brome this summer and starred in Sunshine Theatre¹s first musical Guys & Dolls last November. The show stars a mix of Townshippers and Montrealers, including Katherine Weldon as Marian Paroo, Bob Hennessey as Marcellus Washburn, Ace as Mayor Shinn, Helga Loverseed as Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn, Karen Muzzerall as Mrs. Paroo, James Wisdom as Winthrop, Hallie Seline as Amaryllis, Brad Picken as Tommy, Jessie Faye Lavin as Zaneeta and Doug Hooper as Charlie Cowell. Sunshine Theatre is also proud to welcome For Tonite Only, a barbershop quartet from Montreal, to the cast. Steve Wheaton, Jerry Silverberg, Mike Harkness and Andrew Wheaton bring to life the bickering School Board whom Harold Hill transforms into melodious barbershoppers.

     Rounding out the cast are Kate Wisdom, Karen Marginson, Judi Gray, Hélène Cloutier, Melody Simms Morris, Linda Carey, Margaret Spooner, Juli Senier, Winston McKelvie, Steve Trew and François Dubuc. The youngsters featured in the show include Robbie Putnam, Stuart Larochelle, Erik Lavalée, William Vachon, Jaime Webber, Eric Barkhouse, Emilie Leduc, Christine Morris, Fiona Hawthorn and Lisa Harvey.

     On November 24, 1950, Guys & Dolls opened on Broadway. It was immediately heralded as one of the greatest achievements in musical theatre. Now, 50 years later, Sunshine Theatre Productions brings the story of gamblers, dancing girls and Salvation Army-style missionaries to life in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

     Guys & Dolls, a musical fable of Broadway, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and directed by Sunil Mahtani, is playing at the Knowlton Pub Playhouse November 16 to December 3, 2000. Performances are Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. To make reservations, call (450) 539-3604.

     The musical comedy features a community cast of 25, with musical direction by Sacha Dmytruk, choreography by Joanne Watson, costumes by Kate Wisdom and set and lighting design by Ralph Steiner.

     Guys & Dolls is the first musical for the Knowlton-based community theatre company. After critical and commercial successes with the comedies Lend Me A Tenor, You Can’t Take It With You and The Play’s The Thing, artistic director Sunil Mahtani and directors Kate Wisdom and Donald Wilson decided the time was right to tackle a musical.

     “Guys & Dolls is a natural choice for us. It’s a bright, colourful show that has endearing characters, a great storyline, tuneful songs and toe-tapping production numbers,” said Mahtani.

     Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, Guys & Dolls sets two distinctive love stories against a backdrop of late 1940s New York City.

     Gambler Nathan Detroit (Ace) bets Sky Masterson (Ralph Steiner) that Sky cannot take missionary Sarah Brown (Jessie Faye Lavin) to Havana with him for a night of wining and dining. Sky, who never backs away from a challenge, sets about trying to win the heart of the idealistic Sarah. Meanwhile, Nathan, who organizes illegal crap games for the gamblers in town to take part in, is having his own problems with Adelaide (Michaela Barnes), his fiancee of 14 years. She’s the main attraction at the Hot Box nightclub and she wants to walk down the aisle... before it gets too late!

     The comedy of Nathan and Adelaide are a perfect counterpoint to the dramatic and sexual tension that builds up between Sky and Sarah. The songs and production numbers in this lively show include “Luck Be A Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat,” “A Bushel And A Peck,” “Guys & Dolls” and “I’ll Know When My Love Comes Along.”

     The singers are accompanied by a jazz trio led by musical director Sacha Dmytruk and featuring George Dmytruk and Bevin Flanagan. The cast is composed of both veterans of musical theatre and the Knowlton stage, and newcomers to both areas.

     Portraying the gamblers are Ralph Steiner, Ace, Bob Hennessy, Marty Carbonneau, Doug Hooper, Winston MacKelvie, Peter Meleg, Doug Long and Steve Trew.

     Dancing at the Hot Box nightclub are Michaela Barnes, Darleen Bell, Meghan Allen, Aldyne Kerrigan, Amanda Rocheleau, Juli Senier, Jessica Thomson and Katherine Weldon.

     Trying to Save-A-Soul as missionaries are Jessie Faye Lavin, Donald Wilson, Karen Marginson, Judith Gray, Evelyn Johnston-Main and Melody Simms Morris.

     Rounding out the cast is Jason Westover as Lieutenant Brannigan, who is out to catch the gamblers red-handed.

     Irresistible characters, finger-snapping melodies, lively choreography and candy-coloured costumes combine to make this musical comedy one of the hottest tickets of the year. It is a show not to be missed.

     Sunshine Theatre Productions presents The Play's The Thing, a comedy by Ferenc Molnar, directed by Sunil Mahtani, at the Knowlton Pub Playhouse from Nov. 17 to 28, 1999.

     Set in a castle on the Italian Riviera, the three-act comedy adapted by P.G. Wodehouse pokes fun at the theatre world as it tells the tale of two writers of operettas who take their young composer to Italy to surprise their vacationing prima donna, also the composer's fiancée. When they arrive, however, they discover the prima donna with another man. It takes all the invention the writers can muster to come up with a plan to save the day and then, as one character puts it, "We'll have a hit, a wedding and a happy ending."

     "What's remarkable about The Play's The Thing is through its wit, sophistication and glossy veneer is a storyline that ultimately reveals the basic humanity of all its characters," said Sunshine Theatre's artistic director Sunil Mahtani, who is at the helm of this production. "Ferenc Molnar also plays with what is real and what is theatre throughout the show and that provides audiences with some wonderful and exhilarating moments. You really never know what's going to happen next."

     The Play's The Thing is set in the early 1900s and speaks to audiences as much today as it did when it was written in 1926. "It's about power, sex, love, relationships and the world of the theatre," said costume designer Kate Wisdom. "It's a gorgeous show that will be a feast for the eyes as well as the soul."

     In Sunshine Theatre tradition, four community groups will benefit from fund-raising nights of The Play's The Thing.

• The opening night fund-raiser on Nov. 17 will be for the Jardins d'Enfants de Sutton pre-school, which last year was forced to move its location when the building it occupied was sold.
• On Nov. 18, the United Church's Jamaica Youth Exchange program will benefit. This program saw numerous Townships youth learning about a different culture as they traveled to Jamaica. Now, the youngsters are fund-raising to bring their Jamaican counterparts to the Townships.
• The second week will see fund-raisers on Nov. 24 for Mansonville's Citizen's Advocacy, a vital organization involved in projects for youth, seniors and the needy;
• and on Nov. 25 for the English-rights lobby group Townshippers' Association, which actively aids anglos in everything from health care to education.

     "In all, we're raising $3,000 for these Townships community groups," said Donald Wilson, producer and actor. "We're a company that is solidly based in the community and we make it a point to give back to the community through these fund-raisers each show we do."

     The Play's The Thing stars a talented cast which hails from the Townships and beyond. Local actors Donald Wilson, Doug Hooper, Terry Millard, Patrick Godon and Sunil Mahtani join Montrealers Heather Coutts and Brendan Rhodes in the show.

     The Play's The Thing, by Ferenc Molnar, adapted by P.G. Wodehouse and directed by Sunil Mahtani, runs at the Knowlton Pub Playhouse (formerly Theatre Lac Brome)

     Takes The Stage In Knowlton

     Two families from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Two young lovers caught in the middle. They're not the Capulets and the Montagues of Romeo and Juliet. They're not the Jets and the Sharks of West Side Story. They're the Sycamores and the Kirbys in the American classic 'You Can't Take It With You.'

     The Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy currently playing at the prestigious Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake, will grace the Knowlton stage June 9-20. It is presented by the upstart Sunshine Theatre Productions, whose last show - the hit comedy Lend Me A Tenor - played to packed houses at Theatre Lac Brome in November.

     'You Can't Take It With You', the 1930s comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, revolves around the eccentric, loveable Sycamores, a modest family who go about the business of living each day to the fullest. Daughter Alice Sycamore falls in love with handsome Tony Kirby, heir to the wealthy Kirby & Company. When Tony and his parents, dressed to the nines, show up at the Sycamores for dinner on the wrong night, the tension is so thick one can slice it. Then the naughty Mrs. Sycamore comes up with an idea she thinks will save the day. The hilarious results explode on stage in a play that still speaks to audiences today.

     "The philosophy of the play is in the title - you can't take it with you. Nowadays people are indicating more than ever that they need to forget about the problems of the world and enjoy a good show. This play succeeds in giving them that," said Donald Wilson, an Ottawa consultant and co-producer of the show.

     Artistic director Sunil Mahtani said this play, a labour of love for him, fulfills Sunshine Theatre's mandate of producing plays with an optimistic attitude towards life.

     "It's a warm and witty play about different kinds of love - romantic love, love of family and, ultimately, love of oneself. Rather unobtrusively, its positive philosophy works its way into the hearts and minds of audiences. And it makes me laugh every time," said Mahtani.

     In the Sunshine Theatre tradition, two organizations will benefit from special Wednesday night performances of the show. Sunshine Theatre is donating $1,000 each to the Brome-Missisquoi Perkins Hospital (June 9) and Massey-Vanier High School's Dance Program (June 16).

     "We count on so much community support for our shows, we want to put something back into the community," said marketing director and costume designer Kate Wisdom. "They're trying to take away the English hospital's trauma unit and that could have serious consequences so as a company we wanted to support them. As for Massey-Vanier High School, extra-curricular school programs continuously face funding cuts and they could always use a boost. The benefit nights are Sunshine Theatre's way of investing in the community."

     Sunshine Theatre Productions is raising $3,500 for community groups in the Townships in a series of fund-raisers to kick off their debut production, the Tony Award-winning play Lend Me A Tenor, running at Theatre Lac Brome in Knowlton from Nov. 19 to 29.

     The comedy by American playwright Ken Ludwig is Sunshine Theatre's first show since forming in the summer of '98. The new kid on the anglo theatre scene in Quebec, the Knowlton-based company was formed by partners Donald Wilson, Sunil Mahtani and Kate Wisdom, who have been collectively working in theatre for more than 10 years.

     "The time is right for our company," says Sunshine Theatre president Donald Wilson. "Interest in theatre in the Townships has never been higher and already a whirlwind of community support is swirling around our first production."

     Part of that community support comes from the fact that Sunshine Theatre is holding three fund-raising nights for local community groups, including the Eastern Townships Citizen Advocacy, the Jardin d'enfants de Sutton pre-school, local elementary school music programs and Theatre Lac Brome, which is looking to build a new space for next season. In total, $3,500 will be raised for these groups.

     "It is important to us that we support the local community," says artistic director Sunil Mahtani. "We count on community support in many ways - from volunteers who are doing a telephone sales blitz for us to businesses who are lending us props and set pieces. The fund-raisers are our way of saying thank-you to the people of the Townships."

     Sunshine Theatre's first show, Lend Me A Tenor, is a non-professional production using a 'dream cast' of Townships talent, including Danny McAuley, Theatre Lac Brome's technical director. Set in 1934, Lend Me A Tenor is about an American opera company which imports an Italian star to play the title role in a special performance of Otello. 'Il Stupendo' arrives with a bad case of heartburn and overdoses on phenobarbital. His hosts think he's dead and decide to replace him for the evening with the company's talented gopher. The Italian star wakes, however, and soon two Otellos are running around in full costume and two lovely young ladies are throwing themselves at them. The result is an evening of non-stop laughter and music.

     "What sets Lend Me A Tenor apart from most farces is there's a beautiful love story in it and lots of wonderful opera music," says marketing director Kate Wisdom. "And the play is just so glamourous with its period costumes and set. It will be a sight - definitely."