Linden House Theatre
Theatre for the joy of it!
Founded in 2007
Linden House celebrates the joy of a certain kind of comedy – the comedy of wit, language and ideas. “We like intelligent comedy,” says founder, Janet Uren. Linden House was established in 2007 by a community actor who believes in the importance of laughter. As Coward said, in responding to a criticism that his plays were “trivial”: “What, I ask you, is trivial about merriment?”
THE COMPANY 2024
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias
DIRECTOR
Angela Boychuk Throughout her thirty-year career as a theatre educator and director, Angela has viewed the arts as an integral component at all levels of education: as a means of formulating and giving shape to students’ own perceptions, ideas and creativity. Under her close mentorship of young actors, Elmwood School Theatre participated in productions at home and on the stages of the Ottawa Fringe Festival, as well as the internationally renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Prior to becoming a teacher, Angela spent fifteen years in the Canadian Performing Arts, working as both an actor and an arts administrator in the areas of theatre, dance and music, including the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, the Alberta Ballet Company and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Angela holds a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University and an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from York University. As director, she is thrilled to be invited for the first time by Linden House to collaborate with this wonderful ensemble of six strong female actors, who are as generous of spirit off-stage as they are on, and who share with her an unwavering joy in the process of ‘making’ theatre. Lindsay Laviolette
Shelby Lindsay, a high school drama teacher by profession, has a rich parallel life in theatre. She is an actor, director, set and sound designer, and is a member of the board of directors at the Ottawa Little Theatre. Her most recent directing credits include Murder on the Orient Express (2024) and the upcoming Act of Grace, which she will be co-producing at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024. At Linden House, she directed the recent production of Outside Mullingar (2022), and performed as Lady Caroline in Enchanted April (2017) and Jinx Jenkins in The Savannah Sipping Society (2019). To Lindsay, making a return to Linden House feels like coming home, and she is so thrilled to be back. |
CAST Venetia Lawless M'Lynn Venetia has a long list of credits and awards to her name, including most recently the Leonard Beaulne Memorial Trophy for Best Actress in a Major Role for Dead Accounts (2018) at the Eastern Ontario Drama League Awards. Since appearing as Marlafaye in The Savannah Sipping Society (2019) and Rosemary in Outside Mullingar (2022), Venetia has directed several shows, including most recently a production of Burn, which was taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023, and a co-direction of Murder on the Orient Express at the Ottawa Little Theatre in early 2024. As well, she is a board member at the Ottawa Little Theatre. This is her fifth role at Linden House, including Imaginary Lines (2016) and Enchanted April (2017) and she's thrilled to be back. Big love to Janet for leading this amazing company. 
Venetia Lawless (left) and Jennie Sheffield (by Maria Vartanova)
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Linda Webster
Truvy Linda Webster is an experienced actor in the community theatre world, notably appearing at the Ottawa Little Theatre where she has taken on leading roles in a dozen shows since 2007. Her range is impressive, with parts that span the horizon from a frisky wife in the farcical Move Over, Mrs. Markham to the terrifying Nurse Rached in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As for mysteries, she has appeared twice over the years in Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, once as the murderer! On a more classical note, she has interpreted such roles as Elise in Molière's The Miser. She recently appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in an OLT production of the award-winning Burn, by local playwright, John Muggleton. Linda's inaugural role at Linden House was as Janice in last year's Italian American Reconciliation. |
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Jane Morris
Ouiser Jane Morris is a veteran of the Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT), where she has appeared in 37 productions since 1978, most recently as Mrs. Dashwood in Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility (2023). She won Best Supporting Actor at the Theatre Ontario Festival for her role in the OLT production of Dead Accounts (2018). Other memorable recent roles have been in Ripcord (2019), Other Desert Cities (2017) and Calendar Girls (2016). Behind the scenes at OLT, Jane is involved in the Season Planning, Communications and Volunteer Committees. This is her first appearance at Linden House, but she has long admired and adored her fellow magnolias. |
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Jenny Sheffield
Annelle
Jenny Sheffield is returning the Linden House after previously performing for the company in Imaginary Lines (2016), Enchanted April (2017) and the Savannah Sipping Society (2019). In real life, Jennie teaches science and drama in Almonte, but she is also an accomplished puppeteer. She has a long list of credits at the Ottawa Little Theatre, having acted in 11 productions since 2000, including most recently Calendar Girls (2016), Move Over Mrs. Markham (2018) and Unnecessary Farce (2019).
Annelle
Jenny Sheffield is returning the Linden House after previously performing for the company in Imaginary Lines (2016), Enchanted April (2017) and the Savannah Sipping Society (2019). In real life, Jennie teaches science and drama in Almonte, but she is also an accomplished puppeteer. She has a long list of credits at the Ottawa Little Theatre, having acted in 11 productions since 2000, including most recently Calendar Girls (2016), Move Over Mrs. Markham (2018) and Unnecessary Farce (2019).
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Janet Uren
Clairee Since founding Linden House in 2007, Janet Uren has had the privilege of enacting such wonderful personae as Florence Foster Jenkins in Glorious! , Nana in For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, and Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit., among others. Over the past few years, Janet has also played some wonderful roles at the Ottawa Little Theatre, including her favourites, Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice and Ruth in The Calendar Girls and, most recently, Mrs. Jennings in Sense & Sensibility. Last year at Linden House, she played Aunt May in Italian American Reconciliation where she was privileged to deliver those wonderful lines, "You gotta open your heart and leave it open. Like it's your apartment and you just don't lock the door no matter how many times you get robbed." Words to live by! |
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THE PRODUCTION TEAM 2024
Director - Angela Boychuk
Assistant director - Narges Bagheri
Producer - Janet Uren
Stage manager - Barbara Merriam
Assistant stage manager - Marlene Spatuk
Costumes - Ann Marie Snell and Liza Westwood
Props - Barbara Merriam
Lighting design - David Magladry
Sound and light technician - Bob McKellar
Set design - Angela Boychuk
Set decoration - Janet Kiff-Macaluso
Prompter - Victoria Windrem
Publicity - Natalie MacLellan
Front of house - Robin Bailey
Hospitality - Jeanne Gauthier
Assistant director - Narges Bagheri
Producer - Janet Uren
Stage manager - Barbara Merriam
Assistant stage manager - Marlene Spatuk
Costumes - Ann Marie Snell and Liza Westwood
Props - Barbara Merriam
Lighting design - David Magladry
Sound and light technician - Bob McKellar
Set design - Angela Boychuk
Set decoration - Janet Kiff-Macaluso
Prompter - Victoria Windrem
Publicity - Natalie MacLellan
Front of house - Robin Bailey
Hospitality - Jeanne Gauthier
