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“Missing” is a passion project for Theatre Aurora director
By Brock Weir
Harry Lavigne rarely judges a book – or a play, for that matter – by its cover.
But he usually knows whether he's going to love a play within the first 10 pages, he says.
As he puts the finishing touches on “Missing”, a play by Florence Gibson, opening next Friday at Theatre
Aurora, these first 10 pages lead to what can only be described as a passion project.
“This is a play I brought to Theatre Aurora's play reading committee after I bought it seven years ago at the
Theatre Ontario festival,” says Mr. Lavigne. “From the moment I read it, I fell in love with it – the style of
writing, the creativity, and the real artsy feeling that it has. It connected with me on my first reading. When I
direct a play, I know from the first 10 pages if it is going to be a play I love.”
As the committee chose the play almost right away, evidently it leaves a lasting impression.
“Missing” follows the story of a rural Ontario town rocked by the disappearance of Evelyn MacMillan, who
has simply vanished without a trace. The case is taken on by a city slicker detective who turns the sleepy town
upside down looking for the truth.
“As Carol grows closer to Evelyn's husband and withdraws from her own, long-hidden secrets bubble to the
surface,” says Lavigne. “What you realise when you get to the end of the story is the play itself is about
relationships and making choices in your life. I have had to do that with myself in different ways in the past
few years, and the play has really connected with me. That brings out my passion for the script and makes me
really want to make this play succeed.”
While “Missing” is all about making choices, stumbling into the theatre world wasn't necessarily a choice for
Mr. Lavigne. A Newmarket native and Aurora employee now living in Georgina with his family, he describes
himself as a “dramatic kid” while a high school student.
His school held auditions for a play when he was in Grade 11 and although interested in the drama, its musical
component put him off. Whiling away the time, his younger brother, who played in the school band, asked him
to come back and hear a song they were working on and suggested Harry would not get the full effect of the
piece without lending his voice to the lyrics.
“I started carrying the tune and when I came to school the next day, all my friends were congratulating me
because I had gotten the lead in the play,” he says. “My younger brother had tricked me into auditioning. The
play was entered into the Sears Drama Festival that year and I ended up winning Best Actor. I caught the bug
from that, and I went back the next year and won Best Actor the second time.”
A love for community theatre was born. It was a career path he said he hoped to follow, attending theatre
school for four years, but after getting married young, and having children, his life took him on a different
path. The love for theatre, however, was undiminished.
After experiencing community theatres throughout York Region, he was eventually drawn to Theatre Aurora
two years ago with their ambitious production of Moises Kaufman's “The Laramie Project”, following the true
story of a rural American town upended by the murder of gay teen Mathew Shepard.
He had the sense of a community theatre trying to re-establish their identity and their voice for the year ahead,
and now he believes they have “a really solid idea of where they want to go.”
Much in the vein of “The Laramie Project” and its sequel mounted earlier this season, “Missing” is something
new for community theatre.
“It has only been done once, and that was as a professional show downtown,” says Lavigne, noting the
ensemble is almost a set piece themselves. “It is not something that is typically done in community theatre and
I was really excited at an opportunity to show not only regular community members of Aurora, but also to
show fellow members of community theatre that you can step out of the box and provide a great show for
people to see.
“My actors have given me nothing but solid commitment. They were off book the first week of rehearsals.
They were there and they want that extra energy that comes from an audience. Now it is putting the frame
around the picture.”
Excerpt: Harry Lavigne rarely judges a book – or a play, for that matter – by its cover. But he usually knows
whether he’s going to love a play within the first 10 pages.
Post date: 2013-10-09 15:07:04
Post date GMT: 2013-10-09 19:07:04
Post modified date: 2013-11-06 14:30:04
Post modified date GMT: 2013-11-06 19:30:04
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