All photos courtesy of Maria Vartanova.
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT) held its annual Halloween party combined with a whole slew of extra goodies including the performance of our annual one-act play and a special whiskey-tasting event.
Over 135 guests, many decked out in their most creative costumes, attended the evening’s celebration with the upper lobby transformed into a truly festive (in a spooky sense) atmosphere. What a perfect way to bring our theatre into the spirit of Halloween and the launch of our current production, the classic horror, Turn of the Screw.
The celebration began with munchies and drinks served by our Lederhosen-attired bar tenders Josh Sparks and Phillip Merriman before moving into the hall. Our President Albert Lightstone, clad in a 100% polyester three-piece Halloween suit, served as Master of Ceremonies, welcomed everyone and explained how all the moving parts of the evening would work. Then on with the show!
For the Better, an original one-act play by teenager Camheron Mulhern, winner of the Sybil Cooke Award for a play for Children or Young People at this year’s 84th National One-Act Playwriting Competition, was seen in preview prior to its performance on November 7 at the EODL 2025 Festival.
Directed by Karine Charland, For the Better follows Tegan, April, and Rayman, three best friends navigating their final year of high school. Between exams, new love, and uncertain futures, their bond is tested in unexpected ways. When fear, doubt, and the voices of those around them begin to blur the line between reality and emotion, they must decide who, and what, to trust.
A heartfelt coming-of-age dramedy, For the Better dives into the messy, beautiful chaos of growing up and learning to listen to yourself. It’s a story that reminds us all that sometimes, change really can be for the better.
Everyone next returned to the upper lobby for music, food and whiskey-tasting with our resident sommelier Jeanne Gauthier. Different selections from a variety of origins such as Japan were sampled and enjoyed. Normally we say tongue-in-cheek that it is for medicinal purposes. This time we can state that it was for educational reasons!
The costume parade followed for all to witness the OLT talent, and our judges (OLT costume designers Sylvie Roy-Hotte, Monica Browness, Ross Dumontet) after much deliberation made their decision. The prizes (beautiful chocolate creations by our master chocolatier Stubbe along with Halloween theme Lego sets) were awarded to:
Best Individual Costume
Ann Boleyn (Sarah Parsons)
Best Group Costume
Street Construction (Dawn Fanjoy and Stephen Fanjoy )
People’s Choice
Frida Kahlo (Andreea Rada)
As is always the norm, the party went into the wee hours of the morning.
This was the second of three consecutive parties held at the OLT in the same number of months. The first was September’s Gala thanking volunteers and donors, the second was this Halloween event and third is the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) and holiday party. We hope that you can all join us for the next one.
A special shout out to Jeanne Gauthier who took the lead on the event, and her army of volunteers who put on such a wonderful evening.
