Tag Archives: ActOUT! KW

CKMS Community Connections for 21 April 2025 with Breanna MacLeod of ActOUT! KW

Show Notes

A woman with long hair wearing a hairband and a T-shirt with the word "Marian" with headphones on smiles towards the camera. A microphone hangs on the left.
Breanna MacLeod

Breanna MacLeod of ActOUT! KW talks to co-hosts Suzanne Craig-Whytock and Bob Jonkman.

The interview starts at 2m48s.

ActOUT! KW Online:

Upcoming Events

'Act out' (Illustration of a crown)

Podcast

Download: ckms-community-connections-2025-04-21-episode193-breanna-macleod-of-actout-kw.mp3 (54 MB, 58m30s, episode 193)

Index

Time Title Album Artist
0m00s Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc CKMS Sunflower logo (yellow petals surrounding a black centre with white wavies all on a teal background)
CKMS Community Connections
Steve Todd
0m53s Calm News Audio Boffins IV (white letters on a gradient brown backgrouns)
IV
Audio Boffins
2m48s Breanna MacLeod introduces “ActOUT Kitchener Waterloo Children’s Drama Workshop”, but they tend to go by ActOUT! They do theatre by kids, for kids, and giving them experiences with live theatre that are hard to come by in a modern age. They stage full productions with kids as actors and participants. They partner with other community organizations, like KW Little Theatre, The Registry Theater, and Cambridge Arts Theatre. And they’re doing a play in Waterloo Park.
4m27s And they’ll be doing some radio theatre, live in the CKMS-FM studio this Friday, 25 April 2025 at 5:00pm. The script is based on an old Oscar Wilde story called The Canterville Ghost. The kids have added some of their own material as well.
9m25s Kids not only learn acting, but also script writing, blocking, stage management, lights and sound. Many of the people helping with assistant directing, assistant stage management are volunteers. Some are former participants in the program! And some have gone on to Stratford or Drayton. But most don’t, they leave with a better appreciation of theatre arts. In the program they’ve done musicals, plays, stage combat, drama, comedy. They’re always looking for new opportunities.
19m06s She Gone Do The Whythouse
She Gone Do
(AI illustration of a woman with long pink hair in a bikini top and jeans running away from flames)
(single)
The Whythouse
22m24s Suzanne and Breanna talk about scriptwriting, and finding appropriate and engaging material for performances. Breanna tells us about last year’s play in the park, Marian. Local scriptwriters can contact ActOUT! at info@actoutkw.com.
27m58s Getting help from the community: Breanna met Jeff Stager from Radio Waterloo at the Community Picnic. They have a lot of contacts through different theatres, like Nadia at KWLT, and also Drayton Entertainment.
30m23s Having a safe space to express yourself is important. There are participants with neurodivergence, or anxiety, kids experimenting with gender or part of the LGBTQ+ population. Theatre is a very supportive environment.
32m23s Breanna takes us through the process of setting up a new production: Finding the script, one suitable for a bigger cast (particularly the musicals!) The actors are double-cast, one as more of a major role, and a second as a background player. Then looking for staff, such as director, choreographer, musical director. These are paid positions! Some programs a Laurier University have provided directors and other people from their theatre program. A musical may start rehearsing in September to prepare for a performance in December. Kids may put in six hours a week of rehearsal for a musical! This would be three hours on a weekday, and three more hours on a weekend. Then there might be eight shows over two weeks.
43m09 Model Railroad Town Allison Brown | Stitches and Incisions (illustration of a woman sitting on grass with a guitar)
Stiches and Incisions
Allison Brown
45m24s ActOUT! KW has been around for 30 years, Breanna has been involved for about 10 years, in various roles from Board member to General Manager. Breanna reviews a number of the upcoming programs and performances. And they’ll be announcing new programs and performances in June. The Board decides what performances are mounted. Always looking for volunteers: volunteer@actoutkw.com. People working with the children will have to undergo a vulnerable sector check. You can sign up your kids through the website.
56m18s Breanna reviews all the contact information, and reviews the upcoming Radio Theatre production. Bob gives the end credits.

CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

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Bonus Video

Video: CKMS Community Connections for Monday 21 April 2025 (YouTube)

Show notes and podcast interview content is Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution Only license. Copy, re-use, and derivative works are allowed with attribution to Radio Waterloo and a link to this page. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders. The theme music is written and performed by Steven Todd.