Celebrating a century of stage, song and dance

By Sarah MacDonald

It’s an hour before show time. In the hallways backstage at the Centrepointe Theatre in Nepean, performers are scurrying around preparing for the Sunday matinee performance of Guys and Dolls.

This is the fifth time the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society has put on a production of the famous Broadway musical, which includes hits like Luck Be a Lady. But this time there’s a bit more excitement in the air. After all, it’s not every year that a theatre society celebrates its 100th anniversary.

“We’re the oldest continuous musical theatre in North America,” said Walt Conrad, 77, one of the elder cast members who has been in more musicals than he can remember.

Conrad plays several small parts in the musical. “We’ve gone right through the wars and everything else.There have been so many of them. I’ve been awfully lucky,” he said.

Orpheus’s history is filled with dozens of musicals and many more friendships. Volunteers involved with the society have known each other for years, which has helped keep it strong.

“After almost 40 years, a lot of your friends are here,” said Judy Froome, Orpheus’ production co-ordinator, who has been with the society since the 1960s.

Sharron McGuirl, 70, a retired school teacher, has been performing with Orpheus since 1963. She is playing the role of Gen. Cartwright in Guys and Dolls for the third time.

“She’s almost got the lines for this one down,” teased Froome.

McGuirl estimates she has performed in about 35 musicals.

“My favourite Orpheus show was when we did The Sound of Music in 1968. I played the Mother Superior,” McGuirl said. “I’ve had a lot of good roles and a lot of fun!”

Talking backstage, McGuirl and Froome recalled past musicals. As they spoke, they both broke out in song, quickly followed by gales of laughter.

This camaraderie has been a constant feature of the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society since 1906, when it began as a glee club, said Froome.

She also said the people who work behind the scenes have kept Orpheus alive. Guys and Dolls has 42 cast members, 16 musicians and about 140 backstage and administrative volunteers.

“We’ve never had an operating grant,” said Froome. “We survive on our ticket sales and we have patrons.”

Volunteers such as Conrad also ensure that Orpheus keeps entertaining year after year. Even though he doesn’t have a prominent role in this show, Conrad said he’s happy to be involved.

“It’s the best hobby you can possibly have! It really is,” he said. “You get so much satisfaction. I have met so many nice people.”

Some of the performers are professionals in theatre or music, but Orpheus has never been a professional theatre society.

But there have been changes over the years that make it feel like a professional company. One of the biggest was a change of venue in 1994, when Orpheus began using the Centrepointe Theatre in Nepean. Before, they performed at the Ottawa Adult High School on Albert Street.

Orpheus has its own building for rehearsals, set design and costume making, but it uses the Centrepointe Theatre to stage its productions.

This provides Orpheus with proper dressing rooms, a sewing room, makeup rooms and all the other amenities that the school never had.

In June, the theatre will be put to use again when the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society stages its last show of its anniversary season, The Spirit of Orpheus. The show celebrates the history of Orpheus, from its glee club days until now.

While getting her make-up done for the show, chorus girl Gillian Savage said the shows are as good as professional productions, which has added to Orpheus’ longevity.

“It’s not a professional show, but it comes across as one,” says Savage, who grew up coming to see the Orpheus shows.

Morris Rothman, an assistant stage manager for Guys and Dolls, has been with Orpheus for three productions. He studies theatre at the University of Ottawa and said the appeal of the musical genre has helped Orpheus last for a century.

“Musical theatre is all about escapism. Escapism and drama…and it’s always entertaining,” Rothman said.

Once the last costumes were donned and the audience had taken their seats, the red velvet curtains parted and the music began.

In a performance that lived up to Orpheus’ history, McGuirl, Conrad, Savage and the rest of the cast enchanted the crowd, who were on their feet by the end.

“They’re good at what they do. That’s what’s kept them going so long,” Rothman said.