Watermark is pleased to announce the creative team working on their new original Christmas production of The Gift of The Magi and other festive stories to warm the heart by Alan Kinsella and Robert Tsonos. The play will be directed by Alan Kinsella, Set and Costume Design by Kelly Caseley, Sound and Lighting Design by Pat Caron and will star Jacob Hemphill and Rebecca Parent. The production runs from December 13th to December 23rd at the theatre in North Rustico.
The Gift of the Magi, a story by O. Henry, is one of several holiday stories that will be adapted for the stage in this festive play for the whole family. The classic tale of a young husband and wife dealing with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money is just one of the many stories presented. Full of songs, laughter and well known tales of the season, it’s sure to delight audiences young and old.
“Playwright Alan Kinsella and I have been having a great time adapting these stories to the stage”, says co-writer and Artistic Director Robert Tsonos, “there were so many great stories to choose from we had a difficult time narrowing them down to the 6 or 7 we’ve included in the show. The songs however, were much easier. We both have our favourite Christmas Carols and were able to include all of them into the show. It’s been a lot of fun putting this show together and I think audiences are going to love it.”
Alan Kinsella has directed over one hundred productions in Ireland, notably Gary Duggan’s Dedalus Lounge and TransEuro Express and Spike Productions award winning production of Steven Berkoff’s Decadence. In 2013 he moved to Canada. Toronto credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, Chatroom, The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anne of Green Gables, Newsies and Priscilla Queen of the Dessert at Lower Ossington Theatre, Al Green Theatre and The Randolph Theatre. Alan has written many family shows that have toured China, Jamaica, Qatar, Singapore, Oman and Sharjah. In 2017 he directed productions of Aladdin and Fame at the Madinat Theatre Dubai. He is currently artistic director of the discovery program at Markham Theatre. Alan is delighted to be returning to the Watermark Theatre where he directed Blithe Spirit in 2016.
Jacob Hemphill made his Watermark Theatre debut back in 2018. He is an actor/musician/producer born and raised on Prince Edward Island. Alongside Melissa MacKenzie and Rebecca Parent, he is the co-founder of the Island theatre company, Kitbag Theatre, a company passionate about bringing as much accessible theatre to the Island as possible. Jacob is also the creator of The Songs of Johnny & June, an energetic cabaret, which folks may have seen as part of the Charlottetown Festival’s 2023 Season this past summer. Recent credits include: The Songs of Johnny & June (Charlottetown Festival); The Play That Goes Wrong (Neptune Theatre); Boeing Boeing, Crimes of The Heart, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, A Moon for the Misbegotten (Watermark Theatre); Tuesdays & Sundays and The Princess & The Handmaiden (Kitbag Theatre).
Rebecca Parent is a theatre maker from Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island). She is co-founder of PEI indie company Kitbag Theatre, and bilingual coordinator of Ontario-based social arts organization Sheatre. For the Watermark: six seasons in the acting company, including Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, Marianna Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet; director of A Christmas Carol and The Drawer Boy (Watermark Theatre). Other acting credits: W in LUNGS (Kitbag); Anne Shirley in Anne & Gilbert (Guild PEI); Alma in What A Young Wife Ought to Know (2b theatre). Other directing credits: Loin du coeur (Sheatre); The Songs of Johnny and June, Tuesdays & Sundays, Final Wave (Kitbag Theatre).