Stage Door News
Stage Door News
GANANOQUE, ON- The Thousand Islands Playhouse is delighted to announce an addition to the team – Rob Kempson has joined the company as the Associate Artistic Director for 2015.
A graduate of Queen’s University and a Kingston native, Rob was a member of the 2014 Stratford Festival Playwrights’ Retreat, and comes to the Playhouse after spending four years as the Associate Artistic Producer at Theatre Passe Muraille.
His work has been seen at HATCH (Harbourfront Centre), the Rhubarb Festival (Buddies in Bad Times), Casa Loma, Canadian Stage, and in various festivals and community-based settings across the province. He is also the past Artistic Producer of the Paprika Festival. Rob was most recently seen starring in his Dora- nominated musical The Way Back To Thursday at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Thousand Islands Playhouse audiences may recognize him from the 2014 production of She Loves Me. Originally the Assistant Director to Ashlie Corcoran, Rob showed off his multiple talents and stepped into an ensemble role on stage when an actor became injured before opening night.
Kempson will take the lead with the Playhouse’s Young Company directing this season’s production of Rose’s Clothes, including providing rigorous training to the young actors and running theatre workshops for the young audiences. The Thousand Islands Playhouse Young Company consists of emerging young professionals who travel across Eastern Ontario from April to June, performing their show to children in schools, libraries, public parks and special events. The troupe introduces youth to theatre and and offers educational workshops about their performance in order to enhance the audience experience. In addition to the Young Company initiatives, the Thousand Islands Playhouse is offering three dedicated 11am student matinees in the Springer Theatre; Closer Than Ever on May 21, Tuesdays with Morrie on September 17 and Dear Johnny Deere on October 15.
As well as providing ongoing support to Artistic Director Ashlie Corcoran, Kempson is also eager to participate in the 3rd annual Playwrights’ Unit as a part of new play development at the Thousand Islands Playhouse. In addition, he will host pre-show chats on the beautiful decks of the Springer Theatre (Wednesdays- 1:30 pm and Thursdays- 7:00 pm, June - September) and post- show Talkback Tuesdays at the Firehall Theatre. These behind-the-scene chats provide an opportunity for the audience to interact with the cast and crew of the productions and learn what it takes to put a show on stage. In the fall, he will also be the Assistant Director for Dear Johnny Deere – The Fred Eaglesmith Musical as the Playhouse wraps up the 2015 season.
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Since 1982, the Thousand Islands Playhouse has been producing live, professional theatre with talent drawn from across Canada. With two fully accessible venues housed in historic buildings and a panoramic waterfront view of the St. Lawrence River, the Playhouse has been named, “The most charming theatre in Canada.” (CBC Radio)
Photo: Rob Kempson.
2015-02-05
Gananoque: Rob Kempson becomes new Associate Artistic Director of the Thousand Islands Playhouse