Whit’s End by Norm Foster begins July 25 at the Foster Festival.

Whit's End by Norm Foster

World Premiere | July 25-August 4

Whit is a letter carrier a week away from retirement. He and his partner Nikki, a retired fiduciary, have plans for a fresh start in Kelowna. Nikki, retirement, and Kelowna are unknown to Whit’s children Steven, a 33-year-old pharmaceutical rep, and Erica, a keyboard player in a Montreal dining establishment, who he has invited home to share his exciting news. Steven and Erica are expecting news of an entirely different kind. A comedy of errors ensues in this delightfully funny Foster play about love and family as each character examines the meaning of commitment.

WHIT'S END ACTING COMPANY:

MELANIE JANZEN as Nikki

This is Melanie's third season with The Foster Festival and she is thrilled to be back this summer, once again, sharing the stage with Peter Krantz. They were last seen together in the Festival's world premiere production of Norm Foster's Lunenburg. Melanie Janzen has over 40 years of professional acting experience. She has been a company member with The Stratford Festival Theatre (seven seasons) and The Shaw Festival Theatre (five seasons). She recently played Doris in Doris And Ivy In The Home at Lighthouse Festival Theatre and is excited to be playing Nikki this summer in the Foster Festival production of Whit’s End.

PETER KRANTZ as Whit

Peter Krantz has been an actor for over four decades. He has most recently originated the roles of Charlie Butler in Lunenburg (in which he also shared the stage with Melanie Janzen and Catherine McGregor), Shaver Bennet in Come Down From Up River, and appeared in last year’s production of Outlaw, all for The Foster Festival. For The Foster Festival, he also assistant directed Hilda's Yard and Beside Myself. Peter has had 28 seasons at the Shaw Festival where he last performed Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion. Some of his many critically acclaimed roles have been, Elwood Dowd in Harvey, Teddy in Faith Healer, Alan in Time and the Conways, and Det. McLeod in Detective Story. He has also had leading roles in Little Foxes, Invisible Man, St Joan, Bus Stop, Devil’s Disciple, The Crucible and many, many more. He has performed across Canada for ATP, Theatre Calgary, Citadel, MTC, Theatre London, Toronto Free, Tarragon, Can Stage, Neptune, and the National Arts Centre. He can also be seen in the films Exotica and Speaking Parts for Atom Egoyan, The Ref, Mail to the Chief for Disney, and over 20 appearances on network television. Peter has a BFA in Acting from Ryerson/Metropolitan University.

DAVID ROWAN as Steven

David is an actor/writer based in Toronto and he is thrilled to be making his Foster Festival debut this summer. Select stage credits include Equus at Segal Centre, and Broadway World's 2017 Best Independent Theatre Project Thank You For Being A Friend. He's also very proud of the sketch two-hander, PRTNR, which he co-wrote and starred in. Select Film/Television credits include American Gods, Gen V, Mayday and Murdoch Mysteries. David has studied with Larry Moss, David Smukler, David Rotenberg, and continues to train with the ever-gracious Rae-Ellen Bodie. He’s currently developing both a web-series and feature screenplay and would like to thank his partner and son for their support. They are his world.

CAROLINE TOAL as Erica

Caroline Toal is an award-winning actor and an emerging playwright based in Toronto and she looks forward to her first season with The Foster Festival. She has originated numerous roles in new Canadian theatre productions and has been nominated for six awards, winning two Dora Mavor Moore awards for her work. Select Theatre: Three Sisters, Casimir & Caroline (The Howland Company), Blackbird, Spider’s Web, Steel City Gangster (Theatre Aquarius), Where You are, Early August (Lighthouse Theatre), Gloria: A Life (Harold Green Jewish Theatre), To Kill A Mockingbird, Selfie, Hana’s Suitcase (Young People’s Theatre), Stag & Doe (Theatre Orangeville), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Bash’d). You can learn more about Caroline and her work at carolinetoal.com.

IMPORTANT TICKET INFORMATION

If you are buying as a group (10 or more people), please contact the box office at 1-844-735-4832 x3 for a special rate!

If you are under 30 or an arts worker, please contact the box office at boxoffice@fosterfestival.com or 1-844-735-4832 x3 to reserve your seats.

Where?

Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College

2 Ridley Rd, St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C3

Enter through 2nd Gate off of Ridley Rd., look for Foster Festival signs

Parking is FREE

The show runs for approximately 2hrs (this includes intermission)

Visit fosterfestival.com.