 |
| Spotlight Theatre's " Voice Impact Project" visits a York Region community in 2009 |
 |
| Main St Newmarket |
I ran into an old friend and colleague, Merlene Samuels - Cephas, who has run
Spotlight Theatre School out of Newmarket for the past "umptine" years (which equals about 26) while attending the annual local Santa Claus parade the other day. I was actually down that way to cover
(P.A.C.C. News Report) Occupy Newmarket which was slated to meet at 11am at the Fairy Lake Park pavilions, or so I had thought, but as no one was there when I'd arrived I'd wondered over to the nearby parade, having been some mention of the group possibly joining it the week prior at the first general meeting. Turned out I was 2 hours early.
Ho, Ho, Haa! As the parade ended and people disbursed, I began to walk up the still closed Main St where the
TP supported '
Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road Hockey Challenge" was also held, and where the "Spotlight Singers" had kicked it off with "O Canada" this past
March Break, when I suddenly heard my name.
"Tom, how are you?"
It was Merlene. I can't actually recall how we first met, but I do know I had both my kids in her
theatrical school at one point - Hey! My son as Daddy Warbucks!? Who Knew! Ha - anyway I was a single dad and producing an improv show for tv and live shows then, as well as attending film school, so it was a jugglers life for me at that time!
 |
| 'Rapper TP" surrounded by Hip Hopp sensations Krhyme Syndicate perfomers at the 2011 FNY Road hockey Challenge |
Upon graduating I approached Merlene about starting a class that focused on
acting for TV & Film as well as the tech side of productions, as I pointed out that screen acting was very different than for live theatre and we'd include producing a "movie" at the end as part of the parcel, an idea which was ahead of its time with the finished version edited manually (via my fresh-out-of-film-school skills!) and shown on VHS.
Merlene and the school embraced the idea and it was a fun time for me..of course they also managed to rope me into committing to being a principal performer in Spotlight's Adult Troupe's performance ( I played Gus Schultz a big time music Producer! ha!), a musical complete with dancing which I'd never done professionally or otherwise and which gave me some apprehension but I think I pulled it off without embarrassing myself too much and the crowds seemed to love the show, so I guess we did okay. I even donned my Elvis suit some days prior, and stood on the street
"thank-you very muching" and directing traffic towards tickets while pointing to a rented registration sign between croons! Ha. One time
Reverend Elvis Baxter as he's known world-wide pulled up and asked me to do a 'thank-you, thank-you very much' for him, which I did, to his reply - " Yup that's pretty good" or something like that - Ha! As if I'd possibly soil poor Elvis' image by being road-side - meantime he's using impersonations to grow a congregation! Ha! Hey, more power to him, whatever works! Funny, he never mentioned God though!
Tom appears on TV to promote TP sponsored annual
youth road hockey event A move to ban road hockey locally was squashed in part by pressure from TP in the media~!
 |
| TP does Elvis! |
