Leaving Home (2024)
Leaving Home is a play by Canadian playwright David French, originally published in 1972. For this production, Joshua took on the role of Bill Mercer and fight captain. Having been cast by Juels Foster and under her guidance, Joshua and the rest of his wonderful cast were able to put on a very successful two-week run in London Ontario’s Palace Theatre.
Bill Mercer is the youngest brother in the Mercer household who is struggling with his upcoming wedding. Having gotten his girlfriend Kathy pregnant, he converts his faith and plans to leave school to take care of his future family. Bill plans on moving into a house with Kathy and his brother Ben, who is trying to flee their father’s abusive household. When Kathy’s family comes over to the Mercer home for dinner before the wedding, Kathy shares the news that she has had a miscarriage. This tragedy forces the question of whether the wedding comes from love or a necessity of the current time and religion.
As Fight Captain, Joshua ensured that all safety protocols were in place and that no harm came to any of the actors involved on stage. After learning from the fight choreographers, Joshua was in charge of installing the safety pad and directing the fight sequence in its run every night before doors opened and speaking with the actors to ensure that blocking was remembered.
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (2023)
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play is an American play written by Anne Washburn having premiered in 2012. For this production, Joshua was cast as Mr. Burns and fight captain. Under the director Patrick Gauthier, Joshua crafted his version of a corrupted Mr. Burns and performed violin amidst the third act.
This contemporary musical-like is about a world in which all nuclear reactors have blown across America. A group of survivors gather together and create an acting troupe where they perform old Simpsons episodes. The third act is completely separate from the rest of the play and transforms into one of the productions. Mr. Burns wants nothing less than the death of the Simpsons and will stop at nothing to have Bart fall by his hand.
Joshua was also instructed to create a strike chart for the final fight scene and was in charge of running the combat scene before each performance.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2023)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Alongside Laura Morland, Joshua helped direct the musical, with a specified lead in songs such as One More Angle in Heaven. Joshua also acted in the production with his performance of Jacob. Having used his skills in theatre and music, Joshua helped with blocking, vocalization, and dance. This successful high-school production led to Joshua being awarded the Ann MacMillian Bulger Drama Award alongside his diploma.
Under the constraint of time and ongoing studies, Joshua had to construct his planning of the play and help ensure that all songs, blocking, and script memorization were completed and polished before curtains. While Joshua lives mostly in the world of an actor, he found that his skills can be directed toward a larger role in the outer artistic scene of a production.
Jacob is the father of his 12 sons with a priority on his 11th son Joseph. Jacob shows his love for Joseph with the gift of a technicolour dreamcoat. This gift is the final straw for the rest of his sons which leads to the enslavement of Joseph.
Farrow’s Gold (2019)
Farrow’s Gold is a play directed by Rob Cairns and written by the Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts graduating class of 2019. Joshua played the roles of Clint and Jeb in differing performances of the productions and helped write the show. Joshua has specifically helped in the creation of the character Betty McGaver.
Clint is a father who gets wrapped up in the corruption that the town benefactor, Farrow unleashes. With the appearance of a monster and the disappearance of townsfolk, Clint gets wrongly accused and thrown in jail. This protagonist only gets released after the marshal clears up the mystery and shows Farrow the law.
Jeb is an oldtimer miner who used to co-own the town’s gold mine. Having lost the mine in a game of poker, he is now forced to work for the authoritarian Farrow.
Hamlet (2019)
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most influential work and magnum opus. This production was put on by Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts and directed by Rob Cairns. Joshua played the role of Hamlet and notes these performances as the start of his acting career. It is because of this that Joshua states this work as his favourite to date.
Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and heir to the throne. After the death of his father, Hamlet’s uncle marries his mother and takes claim of the crown. During his mourning, a ghost is seen roaming the castle grounds. This ghost is found to be the dead king and puts Hamlet on the path of vengeance. Hamlet, in his mission, plays the part of madness before eventually falling to it and killing Polonius. After the death of his love Ophelia, he fights Leartes and succumbs to his injuries by poison after succeeding in his uncle's demise.
This was Joshua’s first experience with stage combat and the education of the basics of safety and swordsmanship. He devoted much time to learning his blocking and his spatial surroundings so as to not injure anyone who could potentially be on stage. Even after a major mishap on closing night, Joshua was able to pick back up and finish the performance strong.