Tin Pants Theatre Company
The Tin Pants Theatre Company is the McLean Mill National Historic Site's resident troupe of interpretive actors, who make history come alive with guided tours around the site, original stage shows, visiting with the Mill's visitors, and their many acting, singing, dancing, & improvisational talents. Wanting to keep the name of the company in the spirit of the steam sawmilling days, the term 'Tin Pants' comes from a slang expression used by West Coast loggers, and refers to the canvas rain pants the loggers wore that became so hard when they dried out, they could stand up on their own!
Each summer, Tin Pants presents and a new stage show. It is performed in the Nikkei Theatre, a tented outdoor performance space, nestled among the trees on the McLean Mill site. The show itself focuses on B.C.'s logging history, incorporating lots of song, dance, and audience participation into its tale.
The interpretive tours offer both guided information as visitors walk around the site with their troupe member, and mini character monologues that the actors perform at many of the historic buildings.
Fridays also offer a special evening of fun, with a delicious dessert served up from the Steam Pot Cafe, followed by a Theatre Sports Tournament, performed by Tin Pants and local actors. It’s a show of improvised, original, spontaneous theatre in a friendly competitive format. It’s a hoot, it’s crazy, and it provides audiences of all ages with a brand new show each week!
Introducing the 2010 Tin Pants Theatre Co.
The theatre has always been a passion for Daniel Brennan. He performed in all of his schools' big theatrical productions and was also involved with the Portal Players Dramatic Society's shows and summer theatre programs. A highlight for him was directing, producing, and then acting in "Diznee Jest Because"! Daniel is the very proud parent of a three year old girl, whom he refers to as his fortune beyond measure. Besides his acting talent, he is a successful competitive billiard player and continues to win numerous awards in the sport. After having traveled extensively across Canada, Daniel is excited to be back in Port Alberni and back involved in the performing arts.
Emma Leigh Hillier has been in love with the stage for as long as she can remember, and has been on it for just as long. Her life on stage started with "Humpty Dumpty" in Sunday school. Since then she has graduated with a Diploma of Performing Arts at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Some of her favourite credits include Rizzo in "Grease", Audrey 2 in "Little Shop of Horrors", and Hippoltya in "A Midsummer Nights' Dream". On top of having a love for the stage, Emma Leigh loves traveling, knitting, and Science Fiction. She can't wait to work with the Tin Pants Co. this summer and continue to learn from all the talented people she will be working with.
At just five years old, Bryce McLaughlin saw the movie "Star Wars". He was awed by Harrison Ford as Hans Solo and knew then that acting was what he wanted to do. It was, however, not until he started taking Drama in High School, that he finally realized that his dream of acting could be turned into a reality.
For the past 16 years, Bryce has been in Vancouver pursuing acting, writing, directing, and producing in Film and Television. His most recent venture is a feature mockumentary titled, 'Monbella and the Curse of 1809', a film which is being submitted to various film festivals around North America.
Bryce is happy, excited, and very pleased to be a part of Tin Pants Theater Co. as it brings him back to his Port Alberni roots. He looks forward to performing on stage in a place where it all started for him.
Emily Nadeau has always had a small underlying passion for the stage. She started dancing seven years ago and began auditioning for musicals two years after that. From there her love has only grown stronger and deeper. She is fascinated with all aspects of the theatre, including stage, play writing, and choreography. She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC. Her life revolves around theatre, but in her time off, Emily loves to go horseback riding, read romance novels, and go 4x4ing. She is very excited to be spending the summer with Tin Pants because of getting to learn about the mill. She loves old-fashioned things and her favorite book series as a child was Little House on the Prairie.
Though a dancer and singer since the age of three, Elyssia Sasaki wasn't truly bitten by the acting bug until introduced to theatre in grade nine Drama Class. After 4 years of High school productions such as "Oklahoma" and "Chicago", as well as work on and off the stage with Portal Players Dramatic Society, Elyssia decided to pursue further training at York University in Toronto, where she has completed her first of four years. When not on the stage, she enjoys writing, reconstructing tee-shirts and DIY craft blogs. She is thankful to be back in her beautiful hometown of Port Alberni, British Columbia for the summer and definitely happy to be part of the McLean Mill's 2010 Tin Pants Theatre Company!
