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Maggie‘s walking up the aisle at Waterloo Stage ctor Robin Bennett, who A'pluys father of the bride Tom Juncan in Norm Foster‘s Maggie‘s Getting Married, says the role "isn‘t all that much of a stretch." "He is somewhat phlegmatic," says Bennett of his character in this popular Foster play, which opens Waterloo Stage Theatre‘s sixth season. "Norm‘s stage direcâ€" tion is that Tom Duncan is deadâ€" pan and beleaguered, which of course you would be in this situaâ€" tion. As a father of two daughters in their 20s, I know all about that. I know exactly the way Tom Duncan thinks." It‘s not a stretch to figure out what Tom Duncan is thinking about the night before his daughâ€" ter‘s wedding. The rehearsal party is celebrating in the next room, but Tom prefers to stay in the kitchen to have a last word with his daughâ€" ter Maggie. He‘s not crazy about Maggie‘s choice of groom, but decides to wait until the night before the wedding to tell her this. Maggie‘s sister Wanda also has a little ‘wedding present‘ of her own, and the Duncan family kitchen turns into a battlefield of wits amidst Maggie‘s blossoming wedâ€" ding jitters. Aspirations Festival provides exposure for student filmmakers "I found this experience an interesting challenge. Norm wrote this play about two years ago. The whole thing is based entirely in the kitchen â€" a sixâ€"character play," explains Bennett. "Tom Duncan is at your heart out, Dawâ€" Eson. The Aspirations Film Festival â€" an organization dedicated to showcasing Canadian stuâ€" dent film â€" is coming to Waterloo. The event was created and organized by recent alumni of Wilfrid Laurier University. This weekend (Sept. 27â€"29) will mark the By Corar Anorewsâ€"Lesute For The Chronicle By CHris O‘Hanton For The Chronicle inaugural Aspirations Film Festival, which showcases various short films ranging anywhere from three to 30 minutes in length. Films will be shown over the weekend at the Princess Cinema. The organization has already in its first year secured more than $50,000 in sponsorship revenue donated by various sources such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Media House in Cambridge. Howâ€" a dentist. There is his wife Cass, their two girls Maggie 7 and Wanda, Magâ€" "P gie‘s groom Rusâ€" 1 sell, and Wanda‘s 7 actor boyfriend y Axel. It‘s very fastâ€" i’é paced. One of the _ [3 things I like about 3 Norm Foster is his _ [ skillful use of lanâ€" guage, especially the rhythm in the phrasing. (Foster i has also written . The Melville Boys, +4 The Last Resort, . B and the recent Shaw Festival musical hit A Foggy Day, to S name a few.) This _ Robin Bennet has been a good _ Maggie‘s Get education for me as the first Norm Foster play I have ever done." Bennett is known locally for his work at Theatre and Company (The Art of Dining, A Delicate Balâ€" ance), and he played Ebenezer Scrooge in Waterloo Stage‘s A Christmas Carol, directed by Brian Van Norman several seasons back. He studied at the Juilliard School and recently went to Engâ€" land to fineâ€"tune his acting chops at the British American Dramatic Academy along with the likes of Harry Potter‘s Alan ‘Snape‘ Rickâ€" Bennett is also a talented direcâ€" tor (No Exit, Keeping Tom Nice, The Woman In Black and Come Back to ARTS FOCUS Robin Bennet (left) and Jenny Kupiers perform in Norm Foster‘s Maggie‘s Getting Married, opening this week at Waterloo Stage ever, organizers are still looking for a main sponsor for the national event. "This event will become a fixture within the emergâ€" ing community of student filmmaking by creating and sustaining an environment which supports and proâ€" motes young film in this country," said festival direcâ€" tor David Henderson, pioâ€" neer of the event. "It‘s wonderful that the Aspirations Film Festival is "Linda Goranson (Huron Counâ€" try Playhouse, Grand Theatre, Facâ€" tory Lab Toronto) plays my wife. There are four other young actors â€" Andy Pogson, (Stratford Festiâ€" val‘s Twelfth Night, Tempest Tost and Theatre and Company‘s The Lion in Winter); Tenja Hagenberg (Copacabana) plays Wanda; Jenny Kupiers plays Maggie (Waterloo Stage Theatre debut) and Adrian Falconer is Russell the groom (Toronto Fringe Festival). They are all from or around the Toronto area. Andy was at Stratford for a He is the only local actor in the Maggie cast. the Five and Dime Jimmy, Jimmy Dean). providing student filmmakâ€" ers with an avenue to show their work," said Maria Barâ€" rettâ€"Morris, viceâ€"president of student services at the University of New Brunswick. Federally incorporated as a nonâ€"profit organization, AFF has received over 130 applicant films and formed partnerships with over 90 postâ€"secondary institutions across Capnada. These appliâ€" cants are not young kids ol | This is the third | _ Waterloo Stage Theâ€" | _ atre show directed by Brian McKay f (Copacabana, I‘ll Be P Back for Midnight). d And this is not the first ‘Foster‘ at Waterâ€" loo Stage. McKay is directing this romanâ€" tic comedy because he can see the sucâ€" . cessful Foster/Waterâ€" loo Stage Theatre marriage, and the audience seems to easily identify with Foster‘s Foster‘s sliceâ€"ofâ€"life 0o Stage. _ viewpoint. The look of Magâ€" gie‘s Getting Married is very authentic. In fact, it could be anyone‘s kitchen. Set designer Stephen Degenstein‘s (Copacaâ€" bana, I‘ll be Back Before Midnight) ‘everyman‘ kitchenette includes a cooler and a cluttered noteboard. Bennett looks quite comfortable sitting on the edge of a typical wooden kitchen table as he gently grills his daughter Maggie in the interrogation stool. "I think Norm may even end up coming to see the show as he is a good friend of Brian McKay, the director," says Bennett. Bennett enjoys the director/actor diversity in his life. He is now also involved in a new few years, and he‘s a strong comedic actor. Working with this cast is great fun for me," says Bennett. filming their friends in the backyard. These filmmakers are talented and creative young professionals, conâ€" temporary storytellers and visual artists, exploring the uniquely expressive mediâ€" um of film. "Basically we want to bridge the gap from student to independent film maker," said Eli Craig, general manâ€" ager of the event. At universities and colâ€" leges across the country, the Serving travellers since 1955 OPEN "24 /7 / 365"! Toronto theatre company called Designated Driver Theatre Comâ€" pany, the main engine in this process being director Jeannette Lambermont who directed Henry V for the 2001 Stratford Festival season. "We did a reading of a new play by Christina Calvert who wrote Pride and Prejudice for Stratford a few seasons back. She has now written a new adaptation of Jane Eyre. It‘s wonderful. Elley Henâ€" nessey and Jeannette head the company. They are trying to get money together for the 2003 seaâ€" son, and if they do and it will be very exciting theatre." Bennett has another director‘s project "percolating" possibly â€" Ariel Dorfman‘s Death and The Maiden, and he is now looking at casting choices. Always up to something creâ€" ative, Bennett has other things in preliminary stages, but he‘s not quite ready to talk about them. For now, he‘s quite happy to sit on the kitchen table and talk as Norm Foster‘s deadpan dad Tom Duncan, giving daughters Wanda and Maggie fatherly advice whether they want it or not. For more information, call Waterloo Stage Theatre at 888â€" 0000 or visit the website at www.waterloostagetheatre.com. Tickets are $24 matinees, and $28 for evening performances. Maggie‘s Getting Married opens on Sept. 26 and runs Thursday, Friâ€" day, and Saturday evenings with a Saturday matinee weekly until Oct 26. www.gotravelplus.com number of students who are choosing to express their ideas on film is steadily increasing. The number of student films created in Canada has never been higher. In fact over 2,000 student films were proâ€" duced last year alone. This event is the largest, at the forefront of student filmâ€" making and is unique in its field. 1 G ER S The Vancouver Film Continued on page 20