The 39 Steps

2022 MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Cast

Matthew Boden* – Richard
Ellen Denny* – Annabella, Margaret, Pamela
Susie Burnett* – Clown 1
Courtenay Stevens* – Clown 2
Jeremy Lapalme* – Understudy for Richard Hannany and Clown 1 & 2

Crew

Sound Design by Michael Doherty
Lighting Design by Kimberly Purtell
Set Design by Jennifer Goodman
Costume and Properties Design by Sean Mulcahy
Assistant Costume Designer and Head of Wardrobe Ellie Koffman
Stage Manager Tracy Lynne Cann*
Assistant Stage Manager Grace Batten*
Apprentice Stage Manager Devon Vecchio
Production Assistant Elsa Orme

* “The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance•Opera•Theatre Policy.”

THE 39 STEPS

A Hitchcock Whodunit

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This Broadway and West End long-running hit is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance!

AUGUST: 6 (Preview), 7 (Preview), 8 (Preview), 10 (Preview), 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28 (Closing Night)

BUY TICKETS

MEET THE CAST


  • Richard Hannay

    Matt is happy to have the opportunity to experience the summer in beautiful Fenelon Falls, not to mention being part of this charming play! Hailing from Toronto, Matt thanks Jay, his partner extraordinaire and senior fur baby Eva for all their love and support for this project. Selected credits include; The Mousetrap (Port Hope Festival), Forever Plaid (Theatre Aquarius), Loving the Stranger (Eccehomo/Buddies), Hair (Canadian Stage), The Inspector General (Talk is Free), Fiddler on the Roof, Big River (Drayton Festival), Grease (Stage West Calgary) and a lot of restaurants! Matt would like to dedicate his performance to the memory of his Aunts’ Shelley & Kim.


  • Annabella, Margaret, Pamela

    Ellen Denny (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist based in Toronto/T’karonto. A Dora Award-nominated actor, Ellen has performed across Canada with companies such as NAC English Theatre, Mirvish, Canadian Stage, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Musical Stage, Citadel Theatre, Drayton, and the Grand Theatre. During the pandemic, Ellen co-created the critically acclaimed 'february: a love story' which premiered live at Globus Theatre and ran digitally with Stratford Festival. Her play 'Pleasureville' has been produced at Neptune Theatre (Halifax) and The Guild (Charlottetown), and she is premiering her newest play ‘Take Care’ at Here for Now Theatre (Stratford) this summer. She is delighted to commune with you all amongst the trees for laughter and live theatre!

  • Clown 1

    Susie has wanted to clown around in “The 39 Steps” for years and is thrilled to be doing so at the inaugural season of The Grove Theatre! After these last couple years, we could all use some silly, belly-laughing fun!

    Select credits include: SCREWBALL COMEDY, THERE GOES THE BRIDE (Stage West Calgary); world premiere of HURRY HARD (Lighthouse/Showboat Theatre - Playwrights Guild of Canada Award for Best New Canadian Comedy); ROMEO & JULIET (Lost & Gone Theatre); THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); HOGTOWN: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE (Dora Nominated - Hogtown Collective); BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, RUN FOR YOUR WIFE (Drayton Entertainment); A CHRISTMAS STORY, KISS THE MOON- KISS THE SUN (Theatre Orangeville); two seasons with the Stratford Festival including BLITHE SPIRIT, MARY STUART; four seasons with The Shaw Festival including CORONATION VOYAGE, THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL.

  • Clown 2

    Courtenay's pre-pandemic career involved lots of silly things and touring including the silent, Mr. Bean-meets-Chaplin solo show, The Pianist (Europe/Asia). He also played over 100 cities as a clown with Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. He's worked in theatres across the country (Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Caravan Farm, Grand Theatre, Stratford Festival) and toured with some around the world (CanStage/The Overcoat, Axis Mime/The Number 14). He's been dressed up, punched out and put down on TV shows including: Frankie Drake, Suits, Designated Survivor and The Boys. He also had a fun gig for the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy as a man with a fish tank for a head. Recently he was seen on Toronto stages in the ARC production of OIL, The Election with Common Boots Theatre and The Cherry Orchard with Modern Times. Courtenay loves outdoor theatre and silly things so he's tickled to be part of the first show at the Grove. Courtenaystevens.com

  • Understudy for Richard Hannany and Clown 1 & 2

    As a student of improv, Jeremy has always been a “yes AND” kind of performer. So when the opportunity arose to cover the entire cast of The 39 Steps, Jeremy took a deep breath and lept at the chance. Some previous credits include: Screwball Comedy, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Drinking Habits, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot (Stage West Calgary); and shows with the Rose Theatre, Magnus Theatre, Theatre Orangeville, Capitol Theatre, Orillia Opera House and many more. Some of Jeremy’s favourite shows have been the ones he has written with his dear friends and collaborators at Bain and Bernard Comedy including the Shakespearean parodies Sherlock Holmes and the Case of Hamlet, A Midsummers Nightmare (or how I learned to stop worrying and love Desdemona anyway) and Romeo and Juliet: Chainsaw Massacre. Enjoy the show!

MEET THE CREW


  • Sound Design

    Michael Doherty is a Toronto based composer, sound designer, music director and multi-instrumentalist. Recent credits include; The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre); Cabaret (Theatre St. Thomas); Shrek, Urinetown (Canadian College of Performing Arts); Matilda- the musical (An Impulse Production); Kamp (Eastern Front/Neptune Theatre); Fall Out, The Forest in my Room (Neptune Theatre);The Penelopiad, The Wedding Singer (St. Lawrence College); Goodbye Marianne, A Herman Tale, Marion Bridge, The Space Between, Vigil, You Play Beautifully, A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick); Armstrong’s War, It’s a Wonderful Life, Hockey Dreams, For Life, A Christmas Carol, Red, Miracle on 34th St. (Sudbury Theatre Centre); Rearview (Le Theatre du Nouvel-Ontario). Michael was an artist in residence at both Theatre New Brunswick and The Sudbury Theatre Centre. Michael is the composer and co-lyricist of two full length musicals; A Christmas Carol adapted with Caleb Marshall and For Life with Norm Foster and Tania Breen.


  • Lighting Design

    Kimberly is a Toronto based lighting designer for theatre, opera and dance. Her designs have been critically acclaimed across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Prague, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Moscow and Mongolia. She has designed for the Mirvish Productions, Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre, National Arts Centre and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera

    Philadelphia, Edmonton Opera, Theatre Calgary, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre, Place des Arts, Dancemakers, BoucharDanse, Toronto Dance Theatre, among many others. She has designed productions for the Pan Am Games and the Vancouver and Beijing Cultural Olympiads. Kimberly has been nominated for numerous awards for outstanding lighting design and is the recipient of three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Pauline McGibbon Award, a Montreal English Theatre Award, a Toronto Theatre Critics Award, an Ottawa Critics Circle Award and an Elizabeth Sterling Award.

    Kimberly is the Vice President of the Associated Designers of Canada.

  • Set Design

    Jennifer is a Toronto-based set, costume, and lighting designer, who also works in film. Recent theatre credits include: Unity (1918) (Two Planks), Calendar Girls (Neptune), The Horse and his Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, Wilde Tales (Shaw Festival), Hamlet (Below the Salt), Bang Bang (GCTC), 1979 (Shaw/GCTC), and Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Grand.) Next up: Every Brilliant Thing (TIP) and The Extinction Therapist (Aquarius).

  • Costume and Properties Design

    Sean is a Toronto based Designer and Stylist whose work has been seen throughout Canada, the US and Central America. Select companies include: The Stratford Festival, The Obsidian Theatre Co., Drayton Entertainment, Theatre Aquarius, Canadian Stage and Neptune Theatre. Awards include: A Guthrie and The Tom Patterson Award (Stratford Festival); 7 Merritt Nominations, 3 Awarded (Theatre Nova Scotia); Best Group Costume Design (Pride Toronto); 2020 Laureate of the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design, (OAC/OAF). Sean is a graduate of York University, MFA candidate (York University 2023), and a member of the Associated Designers of Canada IATSE 659. Sean is also a Design instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Chang School for Continuing Education.

    www.seanmulcahydesign.com

  • Stage Manager

    Tracy is thrilled to be a part of The Grove Theatre’s inaugural season, working on The 39 Steps

    alongside a stellar creative and production team, cast and administration. A graduate of the theatre program at Brock University, Tracy has worked as a Stage Manager in theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance for over 20 years. Her career has taken her across the country and beyond, working in venues throughout the Canadian provinces, the United States, Asia, and Europe. Select companies include: Banff Centre for the Arts, Buddies in Bad Times, Cabaret Theatre Company, Canadian Opera Company, Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Charlottetown Festival, GFour Productions, Globe Theatre, Joseph Patrick Presents, Loose Tea Music Theatre, Magnus Theatre, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Port Hope Festival Theatre, Red Sky Performance, Royal Conservatory of Music, ShaggyPup Productions, Showboat Festival Theatre, Stirling Festival Theatre, Stephenville Theatre Festival, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Theatre Gargantua, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, Workman Arts, and YES Theatre. You’ll most likely see her traipsing around Fenelon Falls this summer with her best friend and fellow colleague, Max.

  • Assistant Costume Designer and Head of Wardrobe

    Ellie is a Toronto-based Costume Designer and Wardrobe Manager. A BFA graduate from York University, her work has been featured in several productions in Canada and abroad. Previous theatre credits include: Ghost The Musical (Starvox Entertainment), The Cave (JMAR Electric), Wildfire (Factory Theatre), among men (Factory Theatre), Year of the Rat (Factory Theatre), Rinaldo (The Royal Conservatory of Music) Forever Plaid (Starvox Entertainment), Magic Immersive (Lighthouse Immersive), Jamie Allan’s Illusionarium (Lighthouse Immersive), rochdale (Summerworks Festival), Romeo and Juliet (Canadian Stage), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage).

  • Assistant Stage Manager

    City girl Grace is soaking up the fresh air and blue waters of cottage country while

    working at The Grove Theatre. Since graduating from the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art, she has worked at venues across North America, from Banff to Belize, on land and at sea. Credits include Matilda The Musical, The Hours That Remain, A Christmas Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Same Time, Next Year. When she isn’t backstage, she can usually be found knitting or playing with random dogs.

  • Apprentice Stage Manager

    Devon (she/her) is a recent Theatre Production & Management graduate from the University of Victoria. She is thrilled to be in lovely Fenelon Falls working her first apprenticeship with The Grove Theatre. Select production credits include Summer Bucket List (Collectivus Theatre), Comic Potential, Dead Man’s Cellphone, The Drowsy Chaperone, Shakespeare’s Women, The Wasteland, Othello, The Children’s Hour, This Is a Play, The Dumb Waiter (Phoenix Theatre), Bury the Hatchet (Culture Den Society & Belfry Theatre), Going All the Way (Theatre SKAM), and several student-produced shows with the Student Alternative Theatre Company. Along with stage management, Devon is also passionate about theatre administration and production. She would like to extend a special thank you to the following Phoenix Theatre staff: Jackie Adamthwaite, Carolyn Choo, and Tim O’Gorman for their continued advice and support in her post-graduation endeavors. All her love to her parents, family, and friends for their constant, unwavering encouragement!

  • Production Assistant

    Elsa Orme is a multidisciplinary designer and stage manager who grew up in Victoria, BC on the territories of the Lekwungen and WSÀNEĆ peoples. She moved to Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal to study Design and Theatre at Concordia University. During her degree, she enjoyed stage managing for several Concordia Theatre Department productions and Dance Department’s Year End Performance. In 2019, she had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Montreal Fringe Festival as SM for Attempts in Flight (Dai Bao Productions), as well as the Revolution They Wrote Festival as SM for ineffable (Sort Of Productions). Most recently, Elsa had the joy of stage managing Morag, You’re A Long Time Deid (Touchstone Productions).

Runtime: Two hours, including one 15-minute intermission

Sensory Warning: This production contains theatrical fog/haze and a minimum of four (4) theatrical gunshots.