Blue Side Up

SUPPORTED BY
Wright Family Foundation Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc Township of Southwold Roots Community Fund

SHEDDEN
Shedden Tickets
Southwold Keystone
35921 Talbot Line, Shedden, ON

Wed. Jun. 4: 7:00 pm
Thu. Jun 5: 2:00 pm
Thu. Jun 5: 7:00 pm
STRATHROY
Shedden Tickets
The Wright Place
13 Front Street West, Strathroy, ON

Sat. Jun. 7: 2:00 pm
Sat. Jun. 7: 7:00 pm

Sun. Jun. 8: 2:00 pm

CREATIVE TEAM
Haley Kriz

Haley Kriz
Delilah / Director / Co-Artistic Producer

Haley has been an actor in Len’s original work since 2017 and is thrilled to be back for yet another one, this time adding on a director role! Haley is a proud graduate of St. Clair College’s Music Theatre Performance Program. For Fridge Door Live: Snapshots, 107, Faded Shorts, Reunited Shorts, Short of 30, Grace Mission. Other theatre credits include: The Spectral Sisters, Tinker’s Toy Factory, The Mistletones, The Pumpkin Patches (Canada’s Wonderland), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (TheatreTO), Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Lower Ossington Theatre), Cinderella in Into the Woods, Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, The Pajama Game (St. Clair College). Follow Haley on Instagram @haley_kriz or check out her website www.HaleyKriz.com to see what she’s up to next! Enjoy!

Fynn Cuthbert

Fynn Cuthbert
Mick / Co-Artistic Producer

Fynn has been involved in music and theatre as long as he can remember. He is a proud graduate of the St Clair College Music Theatre Performance Program and has been a working actor in the Toronto area ever since. He has also been involved in the writing of 5 original musicals as composer/lyricist, and his newest album, Nostalgia Echoes, is set to release in the coming months. Recent performing credits include: Justin in Karaoke Dreamer (Bruce County Playhouse), Mark in RENT (Brampton Music Theatre), Jerome in Merrily We Roll Along (Shifting Ground Collective), Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q (Medley Theatre) and Captain Hook in Peter Pan (Panoply Theatre Collective). www.FynnCuthbert.com

Kelsey Howatt

Kelsey Howatt
Jade

Kelsey is honoured to be a part of the Fridge Door Live team this spring! Kelsey Howatt (she/her) is a Saskatchewan-born, now Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist. She is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts’ triple threat program. Select performance credits include Beauty and the Beast (Globe Theatre Regina), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (TheatreTO), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Just To Be Theatrical Productions), and Guys and Dolls (RCPA). When not onstage, Kelsey can be found teaching music and dance, stage managing, or eating ice cream! Lots of love to my family! Follow me on Instagram @kelsifer5678

Sarah Green

Sarah Green
Dee-J

Sarah is a grade 8 student in Toronto. She is thrilled to be working with Fridge Door Live Theatre for the first time! Sarah has loved singing, acting and doing improv since she was little. Theatre Credits: Something Rotten and Mean Girls at Generations Performing Arts Centre. Film credit: Young Lynn Crosbie in Life is about Losing Everything by Benjamin & Stefan Ramirez Perez.

Len Cuthbert

Len Cuthbert
Playwright, Executive Producer

Len is the founding director of Fridge Door Live Theatre Company. His plays have been produced in Canada, US and Europe. He is the writer and producer of Lawrence Station: The Crash of American Airlines Flagship Erie (2023) and Snapshots: Short plays about WW2 & the RCAF Station Fingal (2024). His collection of short plays about reunions, Reunited Shorts, was published by Dramatic Publishing in 2020. His meta comedy, 107, was produced at the 2021 London Fringe Festival, 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival and 2022 Newmarket International One Act Festival, and was published by Original Works Publishing in 2023. www.LenCuthbert.com

Rebecca Cuthbert

Rebecca Cuthbert
Stage Manager

Rebecca has been involved with Fridge Door Live Theatre Company since its inception, playing a number of supporting roles off stage. During business hours, she is an administrative professional with experience in international not-for-profits and national corporations.


MEDIA

St. Thomas Today Ian McCallum's Article: Community spotlight: Take flight with Blue Side Up this June in Shedden | 94.1 St.ThomasToday.ca (January 5, 2025)

Glencoe & District Historical Society Promo: New Play by Len Cuthbert - Glencoe & District Historical Society


HISTORY OF THE PLAY

Blue Side Up, is a rewrite of Len Cuthbert's play, delilah., that was staged in London, ON in 2012 and 2013.
*** Joe Belanger of the London Free Press called it, "An outstanding play."
*** Kristen Rosenkrantz of Theatre in London said, "A powerful, relatable story."
*** Jamie-Lee Wilson, of the Beat Magazine said it was, "Heartwarming and humourous."

In March 2011, the original play began as a 10-minute script that took North America by storm when it was selected from over 400 short plays to be staged in a festival by Rising Sun Performance Company in New York City. From there, it was performed in London, Toronto, Detroit, Massachusetts, and Montana, winning the People's Choice Award in two of those festivals.
In 2012, it was developed into a 60-minute one act play and produced at the London Fringe Festival. The London Free Press gave it a 4/5* review.
In 2013, the Ontario Arts Council provided a grant for Len Cuthbert to write it into a full length 2-act play. It was then staged in London, ON for 4 performances.
In 2014, it won a playwriting contest in NYC.
In 2016, scenes from the play were performed in the UK and the script was short listed by the Lunch Box Theatre in Calgary.


SYNOPSIS

This 4-character play takes place at a small local airport. Some events of this story are influenced by events experienced and inspired by the writer, Len Cuthbert. The play follows the character, Jade, who has a history of being the victim of abandonment. As a result, her relationships with Delilah, Mick and Dee-J are both comical and stressful. Her survival mechanism is to be in control of her own life and everyone else's. But that ability to control is threatened when she faces one of the ultimate challenges in her life. Sometimes the unexpected experiences in life make it hard to keep the blue side up.