A 'fabulous family night'

The ceremony for the Merritt Awards turned into a “fabulous family night” for actress Susan Stackhouse.

Prof. Stackhouse, associate professor in the Department of Theatre, picked up a Merritt Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a performing role for her portrayal of Nat in Neptune Theatre’s production of Rabbit Hole. Minutes later, her husband David Christoffel, a writer and actor, accepted the new Atlantic Writing competition award for best unproduced play (Hard Rock).

The Merritt Awards were also a bit of a love-in for Prof. Stackhouse’s academic family. The awards, which recognize excellence in Nova Scotia theatre, are named for the late Robert Merritt, who taught playwriting and film for many years in the Department of Theatre.

Other winners with Dal connections:

• Susan Leblanc-Crawford, part-time acting instructor, won for best actress for her role as Sam in Five Easy Steps to the End of the World;
• Leesa Hamilton, part-time instructor with Costume Studies, won the Mayor's Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Artist;
• John Beale, a Dal theatre grad, won for best supporting actor for his work in The Crucible, produced by Two Planks and a Passion Theatre;
• the late Jean Morpurgo won best director for Maggie’s Getting Married at Festival Antigonish. The beloved actor, director and dramaturge, who died last December, went to Dal to study theatre after working for many years as a physiotherapist. She was also a co-founder of Shakespeare by the Sea;
• Dal grad Louisa Adamson won for outstanding lighting design for Zuppa Theatre’s 5 Easy Steps to the End of the World;
• Outstanding production went to Zuppa Theatre’s 5 East Steps to the End of the World. Zuppa is comprised of Dal theatre alumni Alex MacLean, Susan Leblanc-Crawford, Ben Stone, and Stewart Legere.
  

Prof. Stackhouse performed in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Rabbit Hole while on sabbatical. But the things she learns while acting on a professional stage go “right back in the classroom.” For example, to play an older woman in her mid-60s, Prof. Stackhouse had her hair streaked grey and began walking stiffer and a little slower. 



“Having my hair streaked really did help me inhabit the role; I wore it back and showed the roots—I knew the lights would catch the grey,” says Prof. Stackhouse, who has lovely auburn hair. “Once back with the students, we did exercises on how to become a character—what works, what doesn’t.”



Emerging theatre artist

Freelance costume designer Leesa Hamilton teaches in the fashion department at NSCAD U and in costume studies program at Dalhousie. This is her second career; she worked for several years as a counsellor for street youth before deciding to return to Dalhousie to study costume design, graduating in 2007. Getting the Mayor’s Award for emerging theatre artist is a validation that the career switch was worth it.

And, just as wonderful as the award itself were the letters of support from her nominators.

“The letters were really quite beautiful,” says Ms. Hamilton, who has worked with companies including Zuppa Circus, 2B Theatre and Two Planks and a Passion. “It made me feel great to be back home and to have found a new calling.”