As the 33rd season of the Victoria Playhouse Festival in Prince Edward Island counts down its final performances I am compelled to write to the citizens of Prince George - to say thank you. Why you may ask? Thank you for being the supportive and fertile ground beneath the development of your wonderful theatre - Theatre North West and its founders Ted Price and Anne Laughlin. We had the good fortune to meet Ted and Anne on a recommendation from someone who speaks so fondly of your theatre and town - PEI actor Bill McFadden. We hired Ted to direct On Golden Pond for us in the summer of 2012. He did an amazing job, and Anne even stepped in at the last moment to act as rehearsal stage manager. I am sure they were both surprised by the age of our technical equipment and the constraints under which we work - however there was not one word of disparagement - only the desire to put the best possible production on the stage through hard work, generosity and respect.
In June 2013 my husband (the founding artistic director of the Victoria Playhouse) died suddenly. I was still in shock the day I met Ted and Anne on the theatre patio as they stopped to see me on their way to Nfld. Their words of comfort and genuine desire to help were a lifesaver for me. After speaking with them I could see a way forward. And that way included asking Ted to come back to direct a play in 2014. Not only would he cast, direct and look after a million details, he also agreed to spend a great deal of time reading scripts and choosing the play he felt was right for us at the time. I also asked Anne to be the rehearsal stage manager as she had done a stellar job of keeping all of us organized in 2012.
People like Ted and Anne don't come by every day. Genuine, dedicated, talented individuals - together they are dynamite! And their commitment to their hometown of Prince George is obvious. They love and care for their community. So from the other side of the country I say again thank you - for the part you and two for your best ambassadors have unknowingly played in the life of the Victoria Playhouse in Prince Edward Island.
Pat Stunden Smith
Managing Director
Victoria Playhouse
Victoria by the Sea, PEI
