Mending Fences tells the story of Harry Sullivan, who hasn’t seen his son Drew in thirteen years, and now Drew is coming to Harry’s Saskatchewan ranch for a visit. This poignant comedy tells the story of two men who are too stubborn to give in to feelings of the heart.

Virginia, the woman next door with her own issues, plays a major role in helping them reconcile. Flashbacks to Harry’s youth, middle age and to Drew’s teens give us insights into the lives of these characters.

 

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

Mending Fences was set to be the final play of Village Players’ 2019-20 season . . . and in mid-rehearsals along came the pandemic.  With patience all around, it’s now the final play of the 2022-23 season.

Scroll to the bottom for the exciting line up announcement for the upcoming 50th anniversary 2023/24 season!

Mending Fences April 28 to May 20, 2023 Village Playhouse – 2190E Bloor Street West, Toronto, 

Tickets 

Cast for MENDING FENCES:

Paul Bilodeau as Harry (and Harry’s father)
Julian Lee as Drew (and young Drew, young Harry)
Lynn Oldershaw as Gin (and Lori – Harry’s mother)

Norm Foster, the playwright….
Norm Foster’s plays receive an average of one hundred and fifty productions annually making him the most produced playwright in the history of Canada.

"village playhouse toronto" “village playhouse” "village players" "bloor west" theatre theater Runnymede “Mending Fences” “Norm Foster” “Nicole Arends”

Born in Newmarket and raised in Toronto, Norm attended West Hill Collegiate Institute and then went on to study Radio & Television Arts. A 25-year career in radio took him from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Kingston and finally to Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was there in 1980 that Norm acted in his first play: the part of Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey.

Foster fell in love with the theatre right then and there, and two years later he wrote his first professionally produced play, Sinners, followed by The Melville Boys. The latter would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run off-Broadway in New York – and at the Village Playhouse twice! Since then, Norm Foster has produced an astonishing output of work: over fifty plays in all.

 

Nicole Arends, the director…

"village playhouse toronto" “village playhouse” "village players" "bloor west" theatre theater Runnymede “Mending Fences” “Norm Foster” “Nicole Arends”

Nicole Arends has an extensive background in theatre directing and performance, expressive arts facilitation, and arts management. After acquiring her BA in Theatre from York University, Nicole started her own theatre company for youth in Ottawa called The Balcony Players and has since directed for many community, independent and professional theatre companies in Toronto.

This is her second time directing for Village Players (Foxfinder, 2016) and her second time directing a Norm Foster play (Louis and Dave, Toronto Fringe). Before the pandemic she directed Impressionism at Alumnae Theatre and The Taming of the Shrew at the 2019 Toronto Fringe.  More recently, Nicole has directed several online plays including The Elephant Man, The Fighting Days, Just One of the Guys, The Seagull, Eurydice and Arcadia, as well as The Do-Gooders live at the 2022 New Ideas Festival. She also recently directed and dramaturged the audio play The Departure Train for Wonderlit Productions.

Since 2005, Nicole has been working for The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) where she helmed the Living Through the Arts Program training artists to work in hospitals and social service organizations. She also ran the Artist-Educator Professional Training Certification Program as well as the ARTS-REHAB Project, an Ontario-wide research study that studied the effects of creative processes on rehab patients. Nicole has served on the Board of Directors of Theatre Columbus (now Common Boots), Clay & Paper Theatre, and Alumnae Theatre Company.

For more about Nicole’s varied theatrical pursuits, see her website at http://www.nicolearends.com

50th Anniversary 2023/24 Season Announcement 

• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Sept. 8 – 30, 2023• A Sting in the Tail by Brian Clemens & Dennis Spooner, Nov. 3 – 25, 2023• Social Security by Andrew Bergman, Jan. 12 – Feb. 3, 2024• Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison, March 1 – 23, 2024• The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, April 26 – May 18, 2024

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.