It was the first time the cast and crew of Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble, commonly called ELATE, attended the Theatre Ontario Festival in London, Ontario, and put on a winning performance.
As first-time participants at the festival, members of ELATE presented, Tempting Providence, to a full house at the Palace Theatre on Friday, May 18.
At the end of the evening, Adjudicator Maya Ardal commented on the beautiful visuals made by the simple set of table and chairs that in turn, became a boat, a back fence, a sleigh and a cradle.
In her opinion, the performance of actors Kim Arnold, Jim Graham, Fran Perkins and David Black “was genuine and heartfelt”, bringing the story of Nurse Myra Bennett to life with warmth, humour and tears. Ardal then awarded ELATE with four awards: Jim Graham for his performance as Angus Bennett; Doug Robinson, Deborah Lang and Patty Davidson for Outstanding Visual Production; Murray Finn for his clear vision and love for his actors; and the entire cast and crew for Outstanding Co-ordinated Production.