Venerable Canadian actor Antony Holland will perform at the Gibraltar Room in Williams Lake tomorrow evening as Professor Morrie Schwartz in a production of Tuesdays with Morrie.
Holland has won numerous awards for his work on stage, the latest being Vancouver’s Jessie Award in 2007 for his portrayal of Morrie, a retired professor who is dying of Lou Gerhig’s disease.
In real life, Holland is a 90-year-old theatre enthusiast who can easily match Morrie’s legacy of mentoring. Holland founded and was artistic director of Studio 58 from 1965 to 1985 and his former students pepper most cast lists in the country.
He has appeared in countless film and television productions throughout his remarkably long career, his most recent, a special guest staring role in the final Battlestar Galactica episode.
Holland’s main occupation these days is promoting No Bells and Whistles, a unique and highly successful style of theatre which he developed through his theatre centre on Gabriola Island and aims to push out into the world at large ... his Johnny Apple Seed campaign to encourage live professional theatre to go out into smaller communities.
Holland’s co-star Antonio Gradanti, who plays Morrie’s student, Mitch, was born in Toronto and has lived on Gabriola Island since 1992. He is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, and teaches as well as performs music full time on the island.
Five years ago he ventured into the world of acting when he took on the role of Mitch, with Antony in Western Edge’s production of Tuesdays with Morrie in Nanaimo. Since then he has played lead roles in numerous productions, including You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, the musical John and Jen, Art, A Night with Shel Silverstien.
Written by J. Hatcher and M. Alborn, Tuesdays with Morrie is a touching, life-affirming drama with a generous dose of humour.
The stage play has reached audiences of 45,000 people and is coming to the Gibraltar Room in Williams Lake for one night only, Wednesday, Jan. 26 starting at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Open Book, Bean Counter and Hospice office at 530 Fourth Ave. North and at the door. Proceeds will go to the Central Cariboo Hospice and Palliative Care Society.