Board of Directors Announcement

Paul has served as Treasurer of the Ottawa Little Theatre since first elected to the Board of Directors in 2011. Paul has also volunteered as Stage Crew for Pride and Prejudice and Dangerous Liaisons, and as Sound Crew for The Drawer Boy. Paul is a graduate of the Collège Militaire royal de Saint-Jean/Royal Military College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, and subsequently McGill University and University of Ottawa, where he obtained his Master of Engineering and MBA, respectively. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario and he has been an active campaign leader for United Way Ottawa. He is a former Treasurer of the Ottawa Arts Court Foundation and he is a Seated Life Member of OLT. He is currently President of the Rideau Club. His professional career has been dedicated to applying information technology and information management to the transformation and modernization of public and private enterprises. Hobbies include basketball, golf, cycling and skiing.

When people ask Cheryl about her interest and connection to the Ottawa Little Theatre her answer is usually “I was brought up there!” That is a fairly true statement as much of her family was involved there before she was. Her father was a long past president as well as a director ….. he was also Chairman of the EODL and governor of the DDF. Her mother did some acting but mostly costumes and makeup (yes we had people who ‘did’ makeup). Her sister has a lengthy resume at OLT in acting and costumes. As she says …. “I was brought up there ….. it is in my DNA!”

As a child she took the streetcar for Saturday drama classes run by Bill Glenn or Lynn Gorman or Barbara Meiklejohn. As a teenager when social interactions are at best awkward, the OLT was a place that was open, safe and accepting and where there was always something to do …..props, costume, bit parts.

Cheryl intended to attend RAMDA in London after high school but while attending a drama festival in Deep River with the OLT entry, Peter Symcox, the adjudicator and misplaced Brit, invited her to join his stock company in New York where She remained for two years.

I was on the Board of Directors in the early 2000 and was one of the original House Managers when we started that program and continue to participate as Front of House volunteer as well as acting and costume sorting.

My work experience has mostly been in tourism and customer service and I have education in special events. I have been a seamstress all my life and have a good eye for design and décor.

Bill has been involved onstage and backstage at Ottawa Little Theatre in more than twenty (20) productions since 1986.  His other credits in Canada and abroad, include television, radio and a short stint doing sound and lights off-off Broadway.  The latter includes 15+ productions including acting, directing, producing, set design/construction, and publicity.

Acknowledging that theatre experience is vital to the understanding of OLT, he also brings thirty (30) years managing in the federal government, working in Ottawa and abroad for what is now Global Affairs Canada.  His work with the government has involved directing programs that include: contract management, human resources, finance, security, IM/IT, consular and visa services, and resource allocation.  He has worked with budgets between $20k to over $1.25 million throughout a variety of cultures, including various legal and political frameworks.  His global experience has included problem-solving in over a dozen different countries, from Afghanistan to the former Yugoslavia.

He notes that most importantly, as a Board member, he hopes to make his own contribution to keep this theatre (OLT) vibrant and able to provide many, many more years of quality entertainment.

Chris Ralph is a current board member of the Ottawa Little Theatre seeking re-election. He is Co-Founder & Executive Director of The Acting Company. A National Theatre School graduate, his most recent acting credits include roles in Half Life (Theatre Northwest); A Christmas Carol (NAC); Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike (Plosive Productions); Up to Low (Easy Street/Magnetic North Festival); Glengarry Glen Ross (Avalon Productions – Capital Critics Award for Best Production); Billy Bishop Goes to War (Plosive Productions – Capital Critics Best Actor nomination); Death and the Maiden (Plosive Productions); and The Game of Love and Chance (Odyssey Theatre). Chris is a proud member of Plosive Productions – one of Ottawa’s longest-running indie theatre companies.

Paul Slater began his career with Welch LLP, a firm of Chartered Accountants, as a co-op student while attending the University of Ottawa. In December 2007, he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with Specialization in Accounting and returned to Welch LLP full time. Paul gained the required practical experience and passed his examinations to be designated a Chartered Accountant in 2009. He worked at Welch LLP (with a break for traveling the UK and staying in hostels) until November 2016 when he began a rewarding new position as Controller at The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre. At the Perley, Paul attends Audit & Risk Management Committee meetings and supports the management team to tackle the challenges faced by a non-profit corporation with static revenues from Government funding, research grants and fundraised donations as well as business-like revenues that help ensure sustainability.

While in University, Paul played guitar, complete with harmonica rack, at open mic nights and knows the excitement, the nerves and the fun of performing. His interest in music is broad and inspired by the strangely beautiful, jazzy growl of Dave Van Ronk and the attitude of Joe Strummer. Paul plays second position on a team at the Ottawa Curling Club and has shown perseverance in his fifth year learning a notoriously difficult sport. He enjoys literature and his favourite author is Charles Dickens although he also reads political history. The Memoirs of Lester Pearson were consumed in a very short period of time. Paul has an appreciation for the truly great communicators of their day, the descendants of ancient philosophers, the brilliant and always enigmatic, poets. John Betjeman quickly became and remained his kindred among this group of society’s minute-takers.