ARTHUR J. PEABODY Will Be Performed Digitally at The Toronto Fringe Festival

Arthur J. Peabody will fly onto the Toronto Digital Fringe Stage this Summer.

Have you ever noticed how unusually loud birds are? And have you ever wondered if they could speak, what would they say? Well we did just that! Arthur J. Peabody is a beautiful piece that centers around a very talkative and well traveled bird. It is the product of the imaginary mind of Amanda Dempsey- Laughlin. Who not only wrote this fantastical piece but has also taken on the role of Director and even Bearded Lady. This is not the first of this writer's work, but this is the first to ever be performed On the Fringe Stage.

"Arthur J. Peabody is a talking bird who befriends a young lady and regales her with stories of his past, his travels and the people he has met. Bit of a surprise twist thrown in .But shhh don't tell anyone."

The play harks back to a simpler and less complicated time. In a year filled with COVID stress, anxiety and uncertainty, Arthur's simplicity and charm is a welcomed easy change of pace. The play is filled with colourful characters, costumes, stop motion and special effects that bring the digital stage to life.

When theatres closed their doors last year, Victoria Laughlin and Amanda Dempsey-Laughlin began to think of ways to keep the creativity flowing for themselves and for fellow actors. They produced a couple of radio plays and engaged their theatre friends in a little Twisted Shakespeare. The two then began to write, create and produce original content. Arthur J. Peabody was the first offering.

The original short version of Arthur J. Peabody was performed as part of the Northumberland Players Shorts Festival last summer and was very well received by audiences. After receiving such a great response, Amanda wrote a second short script. We had just completed filming when we learned that we had been given a spot in the Toronto Fringe Festival. We shelved the taping and Amanda wrote additional content which added 6 characters to the script, and increased the show's time to 40 minutes in Length.

Arthur J. Peabody features the talents of many exceptional artists, which include Desmond Baxter as the titled character. Desmond Baxter is no stranger to the digital stage having performed in multiple shows with us, including "War Of The Worlds-The 1938 Radio Broadcast" and "It's A Wonderful Life- The Radio Play". Desmond has also been a part of community theatre for many years. He brought the character of "Arthur J. Peabody '' to life at the first meeting and there was an immediate marriage to the character. He has made Arthur a lovable and aristocratic character that you can't help but fall in love with. We are beyond thrilled to have him in this role.

Victoria Laughlin brings joy and innocence to her character Jamima. Victoria, a graduate of Randolph College For The Performing Arts, has been in theatre for as long as she can remember. Victoria is Amanda's beautiful and creative daughter for whom she had in mind when she wrote the character knowing that Jamima and Victoria share the same kind heart and loving spirit.Victoria is also a very talented and accomplished young actor who made the role of Jamima her own and brought her skillfully to life.

Kelly McDowell is an up and coming actor who has many stage and film credits to her name. She has performed and helped on many digital productions with us and is an asset to the company. Along with being an extremely talented actor, she is also a very skilled makeup artist and is responsible for creating Arthur's makeup. Kelly tackles the role of Regina wholeheartedly with ease and grace. She is simply lovely and perfect for the role and we are ecstatic to have her join us for this amazing experience.

The cast is rounded out with Mark Ladouceur as Ticket Taker, Jason Riedel As Ringmaster, Jennifer Bartrum as Fortune Teller, Gord Gardiner as The Great Magnifico, Joseph Sebok as Announcer and Thug and Amanda Dempsey-Laughlin as The Bearded Lady.

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