Thanks for joining us for our production!
design by Océanne Trudel
By William Goldman
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Directed by Angela Bell
Produced by Claire Pinkett
Production Dates:
October 16-18, 2025 at 7:30pm
October 19, 2025 at 3:00pm
October 22-25, 2025 at 7:30pm
Synopsis
Misery tells the story of successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character. Annie forces Paul to write a new novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. Paul writes as if his life depends on it, and it does.
Message from the President & Producer:
MISERY, based on the novel by Stephen King and adapted for the stage by William Goldman, is the perfect thriller for this time of year. It’s also the perfect show to kick off Stage 43’s Crime & Punishment Season – which also happens to be our Champagne Anniversary. That’s right... Stage 43 is 43!
How can something so scary be so much fun? I cannot begin to tell you about the laughs we had rehearsing this play. Take away the set, the props, the special effects, and what are you left with? ...some classic Stephen King writing. In amongst the horror, there is a lot of hilarity in King’s dialogue, flawed characters, and compelling storyline. I hope you too are able to roar with laughter and not just scream in terror.
After the crime in MISERY, please join us in the courtroom for Legally Blonde: The Musical (January 2026) and for the deliberation in 12 Incompetent Jurors (April/May 2026).
Claire Pinkett, S43 President , Show Producer, Set Designer, Front-of-House, Social Media, etc, etc.
Claire has been on the Board of Directors of Stage 43 for more than 20 years. She is passionate about keeping community theatre in the community and making it accessible for all. She is a producer, a stage manager, a set builder/painter, a set dec artist, a props mistress, an actress, and anything else a production requires. She is most likely to be seen in the lobby, greeting patrons or selling 50/50 tickets, or onstage before the show telling everyone to turn off their mobile devices…lol!
Angela Bell, Director
Angela is a jack of all trades when it comes to the theatre. She is a lifer, having been involved in theatre for more years of her life than not. Favourite previous directing credits include Sugar Road and Terms of Endearment for Emerald Pig Theatrical Society, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress for Stage 43, and Victoria’s House and Light Sensitive for Langley Players. Angela is also a gifted sound and lighting designer, and an accomplished actress and singer. S43 audiences may remember her as Vi Moore in Footloose, the Musical. She is also the Vice President and Social Media Manager for Emerald Pig. Angela would like to wish her beautiful son a Happy Birthday, and thank him for demonstrating a grace and understanding well beyond his years in sharing her with the theatre.
Message from the Director
When Stage 43 asked me if I would be interested in Directing MISERY for them, I jumped at the chance. How could I possibly say no? I am from the generation that devoured all the Stephen King we could get our hands on. We all grew up reading every word he ever wrote, and exploring every crazy, twisted, horrifying world his bizarre imagination could conjure up. And we loved every creepy moment of it. Just as I have loved every moment of working with this incredible team that brings you Stage 43’s MISERY. The talent abounds from every corner, and I have been honoured to be supported by the wonderful and gifted folks at S43. Rehearsals have been SO MUCH FUN! It may seem strange, considering the macabre subject matter of this story…but boy, did we laugh and laugh and laugh together…some days, so much that there were tears in my eyes and my stomach hurt. The only thing better than working with a group of people this talented, is working with a group of people every bit as nutty as myself. So, thank you for asking me to lead your team, and thank you ALL for being a part of this magic with me – each and every one of you will always hold a place in my heart. You’ll never know what a rare treat you’ve given me.
MISERY CAST:
Alaina Holland as Annie Wilkes
After many years of searching, theatre is still the only place Alaina has found for fully sanctioned bad behaviour. As one of Stephen King’s Constant Readers, she is thrilled to step into the shoes of Annie Wilkes. A heartfelt thank you to the talented and dedicated team at Stage 43. What a raucous ride it has been! After 20 years of participating in Community Theatre, there is not enough room to list her favorite projects, but next up Alaina is directing Kate Hamill’s Sense & Sensibility at the White Rock Playhouse. Thank you everyone, for coming to see Misery and supporting live theatre!
Dann Wilhelm as Paul Sheldon
After thirty-plus years in the theatre community, Dann is thrilled to be making his first appearance with Stage 43 in his favorite psychological thriller, Stephen King’s Misery. An award-winning actor and director, he is well-known for his work primarily in White Rock and Langley. Favorite acting credits: Forever Plaid, Chapter Two, The Da Vinci Code, The Shawshank Redemption, Mamma Mia, West Side Story. Select directing credits: Little Women The Musical, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Anything Goes, Love Letters. Dann is also an accomplished singer who performs regularly with his family band, Brandall. Up next: directing The Producers for Theatre in the Country.
Michael Airton as Sheriff Buster
Michael joins Misery this year after appearing in Stage 43's 2024 production of Opening Night as frustrated/frustrating thespian Michael Craig. Previously he appeared in a dozen productions of The Lawyer Show in Vancouver, including Hero in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Officer Barrel in Urinetown, and Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace. Michael notes that a disproportionate number of his past characters have ended up meeting rather untimely ends, but he's quite sure that's just a coincidence.
A SMALL FEW OF OUR AMAZING CREW:
Karen Ostroff, Stage Manager
Karen welcomes the opportunity to be involved in this thought-provoking play, Misery. Many thanks go out to Angela Bell, a wonderful director, and to the warmly welcoming cast and crew, all of whom are truly gifted. She is thrilled to be returning to Stage 43, having managed many productions over the years, the most recent being Baskerville. She has stage managed for Pivot Theatre, for Emerald Pig’s Bard on the Bandstand’s production of King Lear, and for Vagabond Players’ The Last Romance. Her sincere thanks go out to family and friends who offer encouragement, strength and support. Enjoy the show!
Joy-Ann Lee, Costume Design
Joy-Ann joined in 2004 and soon became the Costume Mistress for Stage 43, designing, making, and selecting costumes for actors to wear while performing, ensuring they capture the required effect for their roles. Costumes are an integral aspect of stage production, which helps producers and actors to tell their stories. Joy-Ann has worked on more than 33 productions, including our current production, and past productions of The Father, Opening Night, Footloose, M*A*S*H, The Elephant Man, and many more. “I have enjoyed these many years with Stage 43 and have met so many talented actors and crew and am privileged to have the trust of the group when it comes to costuming the actors.”
Production Team:
Producer – Claire Pinkett
Director – Angela Bell
Stage Manager – Karen Ostroff
Production Shadow - Dovreshin MacRae
Sound Design & Operation – Colleen Bignell
Lighting Design – Angela Bell
Lighting Operation – Pat Prigge
Set Design – Angela Bell, Claire Pinkett
Set Decoration – Claire Pinkett, Sharon Notarrigo, Karen Ostroff, Jennifer Strazhnik
Costume Design – Joy-Ann Lee, Jennifer Strazhnik
Props Coordinator – Jennifer Strazhnik
Fight Choreographer - Regielyn Padua
Special Effects - Caleb Berg, Paige Thompsen, Regielyn Padua
Construction - Renaldo Esposito, Dave Pinkett, Stuart Chaplin
Transportation - Stuart Chaplin
Backstage Crew - Marta Malecki, Katrina Ovans, Regielyn Padua
Graphic Design – Océanne Trudel-Poulin
Virtual Program Design – Sharon Notarrigo
Social Media & Publicity – Claire Pinkett, Sharon Notarrigo
Billboard Assistance – David Berrouard
Front-of-House Coordinators – Claire Pinkett, Sharon Notarrigo
Lobby Display – Sharon Notarrigo, Claire Pinkett
Acknowledgements:
Stage 43 would like to express sincere thanks to the following:
The staff and volunteers of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for their support of community theatre and always making it a fun place to play.
Krista Pavane and the technical operations staff of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for their technical expertise and mentorship.
Emily Bayrock of the Evergreen Cultural Centre for assistance in promotion.
Royal Canadian Theatre Company for loan of the rolling door.
And, of course, YOU - our patrons - for your kind support of community theatre!
We are also thankful for our volunteers who spend countless hours creating and rehearsing the magic of live theatre. Did you know that it takes about ten weeks to put a show like this together? Apart from the three rehearsals a week for actors, hours of design and execution go into the set, the costumes, the soundscape and the lighting, and then there are the hours of promotion, marketing and content creation. It is a truly and labour of love. Some of the greatest friendships you can make happen in community theatre. If you are looking for a new hobby, check out our Volunteer Page for more information on how to get involved. Bonus points if you have carpentry skills, since sadly we lost our long-time friend and builder a year ago.
