Arsenic & Old Lace Digital Program

Ed has been coerced into working on the wrong side of the curtain again. He sends his love to Elaine for putting up with his theatre activities. While he prefers to remain on the technical side, Ed has appeared many times on Firehall, GCP, and Lakeside Players stages. Favourite roles include Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Yertle in Seussical, and Hank Beavis in The Affections of May. Ed is a serving member of the Firehall Board. 

Chris is very excited to be making his return to Firehall Theatre as Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace. He performed in his very first Firehall show, Once Upon a Mattress, just over 20 years ago. Chris worked as an actor in Toronto on stage and on screen for many years, before settling back in Niagara. Past acting highlights include roles on Murdoch Mysteries, Workin’ Moms, and Supernatural. Chris also wrote, produced, and performed a one person play, Conway, about his grandfather’s experience serving with a military hospital in WW2 for Remembrance Day in 2019. 

Islay Burgess is honoured to be making his Firehall debut after a five-year absence from the stage. He holds a BAH in Drama from Queen’s University, and an MFA in Creative Writing and Theatre Academia from the University of British Columbia, where his thesis was (funnily enough) a full-length stage play. His first shows were mounted in Kingston, Ontario (2018, 2019, 2020), and in Bryan Wade’s Brave New Play Rites Festival (2021). He would like to thank the cast, crew, audience, and his family for enabling him to strut and fret his hour upon the stage.  

After a number of backstage roles at Firehall, including ASM and Stage Manager last season, Katherine is happy to be back on stage. She was last seen at Firehall in Calendar Girls and Les Belles-Soeurs. She has worked in various capacities for puppet and chancel drama troupes and wrote, directed and acted in Lincoln Lamplighter Tour productions for fourteen years. As a playwright, she has had a number of play readings throughout the Niagara Peninsula and was accepted into the HamilTEN Festival four years running. She is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and Playwrights Niagara.  

The theatre has been a passion for Scott for more years than he cares to admit. Over that time, he has appeared in such productions as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, December Man, Tribute, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, to name just a few. He’s also dabbled as a director of Steel Magnolias, his own creation, Billie Holiday, and has appeared in a variety of films and commercials. This is his second production for the Firehall Theatre, having played Ernie in last year’s Separate Beds. He’s looking forward to exploring his more sinister side. 

Amanda is excited to make her debut at Firehall Theatre after a return to the stage with TCT’s Blithe Spirit in 2022. Amanda became interested in acting while growing up in London Ontario as part of the Original Kids Theatre Group. While studying to become a physiotherapist, Amanda pursued her love of theatre by working as a program director, at Camp Woodeden, co-coordinating music and drama activities for kids with physical disabilities. Now that Amanda has settled in her career, she is happy to have the time to get back on the stage. Amanda would like to thank her fellow cast and crew for creating such a fun experience and an amazing show, as well as her parents for encouraging her love of acting as she was growing up. Have a great show! 

Frank Capra’s 1944 film version of Arsenic and Old Lace is one of Guy’s favourites, so when the opportunity came to audition for a role, he jumped at it. Guy’s earlier stage experience was as Juror #6 in Twelve Angry Jurors, directed by Marg Newby for the St. Thomas Community Players. In Arsenic and Old Lace he plays the Reverend Dr. Harper, a character he is quite familiar with as he is an active member of his church and close friends with several Pastors. He is grateful for another chance to be a part of a talented ensemble cast.  

Deb is excited to be on the Firehall stage for the first time, bringing the role of Abby Brewster to life. You may recognize her from Thorold Community Theatre where she started by running the sound and lighting board for Alone Together and The Murder Room, then making her way onstage in Farce of Nature, Office Hours, Sin, Sex and The CIA and in Port Colborne’s production of Mamma Mia. She was also the Technical Stage Manager in Nana’s Naughty Knickers. During the pandemic, Deb directed an audio version of And Then The Lights went Out, which was recorded completely remotely. Working with such a talented cast and crew on this production has been a highlight and one she will not forget. 

Bryan is absolutely thrilled to be back on stage in front of a live audience for the first time since everything was shut down in 2020. Bryan is a veteran of the Niagara Theatre scene having most recently played Crazy Old Maurice in the GCP Production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Bryan has appeared in a multitude of plays and musicals with Firehall, GCP, and other companies in Niagara and has also worked in film and television. Bryan is also a co-founder of Gaelstone Media which is currently pitching multiple animated projects for TV including a Panda Khan series from the TMNT universe.

Jasmine is thrilled to appear in her first Firehall production! Over the past 15 years Jasmine has been involved with several local stage and film productions, both on and off the stage. Most recently working with local theatre groups, Canalside Players (Knickers) and The Port Colborne Operatic Society (Mamma Mia, Once Upon a Mattress, Wizard of Oz). Whether acting, directing, stage managing, or in the tech booth, Jasmine loves to see theatre come alive. She is looking forward to this production, and wishes the cast and crew to ‘break legs’.