Shining Stars

Megan Anderson and Rylie Santo

As a high school co-op student at Theatre Ancaster, Megan Anderson has demonstrated initiative, expertise and enthusiasm far beyond her years. In fact, Megan has quickly become an integral member of the company thanks to her impressive contribution to Theatre Ancaster’s smash hit production of Legally Blonde.

Megan has been a huge help in the rehearsal process, where she functioned largely as Assistant Stage Manager. She also operated the lighting console for Legally Blonde, a burgeoning skill that she demonstrated impressive aptitude for. “I have always been super into lighting and to be able to learn how to use the lighting system at Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre has been so amazing,” Megan explains.

In addition to her efforts on Legally Blonde, Megan has been essential to Theatre Ancaster’s transition to a new production facility to store costumes and carry out set construction. This labour-intensive move was a huge task, and Megan’s hard work and dedication helped ensure the process moved smoothly and quickly.

Megan currently attends Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School in Burlington, Ontario. She has directed two shows and stage managed her school’s production of The Addams Family. When she isn’t immersed in the world of theatre, Megan is a skilled hockey and softball player.

Next up, Megan will be assisting with Theatre Ancaster’s productions of Pirates of Penzance Jr. and Matilda. She hopes to attend Toronto Metropolitan University’s performance production program in the fall.

Megan attributes her passion for theatre production to the magic and excitement of live performance: “I love theatre because there are things you can only do with live theatre that you can’t do in movies. Having the effects happen right in front of you and seeing something you work so hard on come together, it’s a feeling like nothing else.”

During his time as a co-op student at Theatre Ancaster, Rylie Santo has honed a wide variety of theatre production skills. His warm personality and impressive work ethic have helped Rylie become a vital member of the Theatre Ancaster family.

Theatre Ancaster’s Director of Programming, Sam Frisk, describes Rylie’s many recent contributions as varied and invaluable: “Rylie has spent this semester building sets, operating lighting, as well as being a huge help with our move into our new production facility, including being a part of the team building our costume house. Rylie is also designing and leading the build for the set of Theatre Ancaster’s upcoming production of Matilda. I’m excited to see what other projects he takes on with us in the future.”

In addition to his work behind the scenes, Rylie is a talented performer with a number of exciting credits to his name. Recently, he performed the challenging role of Ernst Ludwig in Theatre Ancaster’s production of Cabaret, which received rave reviews from local critics and audiences alike. He was also in the Young Company’s production of We Will Rock You and will be featured in Matilda early next year.

Rylie currently attends Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School in Hamilton. As a student in the HWDSB’s ArtSMART program, Rylie worked on productions of Annie and Seussical. He describes that experience as both educational and a really great time. “I got to help make the sets for our ArtSMART shows, which was tons of fun,” says Rylie.

Rylie’s commitment to theatre arts ultimately stems from its transformative power: “I like theatre because it gives people a time to come together, leave their worries at the door, and enter the world of the show to enjoy a live performance.”