Blackhorse
Local talent thrives in The Boys Next Door

Greg Meyer, David Potock, Harry Lavigne, Daniel Merizzi and Kyle Drier rehearse their parts in The Boys Next Door.

The Blackhorse Village Players are set to open their second production of the season, with plenty of local talented performers making their stage debuts.

"This is what community theatre is all about" observed producer Cheryl Phillips. "These guys came from Palgrave, Bolton and Tottenham, and auditioned for the first time, never really knowing what to expect. They should all be very, very proud of their accomplishments thus far. They landed roles that would challenge even the seasoned actor."

The Boys Next Door, written by Tom Griffin, has all the elements of an entertaining evening at the theatre. It is very funny, yet touching and sometimes even disturbing.

The play focuses on the lives of four mentally challenged men and their increasingly burned-out social worker. It mingles with scenes from their daily lives and where little things sometimes become momentous. Through each character's triumphs and tears, The Boys Next Door reflects the truth of life; that as equals, we all want to only love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time we are allotted on this earth.

For this particular production, with respect to the play's subject matter, the Blackhorse Theatre plans to donate a portion of the ticket proceeds to a local organization that supports a mental health program for people with long-term psychiatric disorders.

"It would be great to sell out every night," Phillips commented. "There is a need to support these organizations whenever possible."

In 1996 Blackhorse donated a portion of their ticket sales from the play Extremities to My Sister's Place, a shelter for abused women in Alliston. Though the play was extremely disturbing for most audiences, it was well received and helped support a great cause.

"We hope to have the same response from the communities again," Phillips said.

The Boys Next Door opens at the Blackhorse Theatre Jan. 19 and runs until Feb. 3. The preview is slated for tonight (Wednesday).

This play has also been entered into the Association of Community Theatres- Central Ontario (ACT-CO) Festival.

To visit The Boys Next Door, call the theatre's box office at (905) 880-5002. Tickets are $15 ($12 for preview). The theatre is at the corner of Highway 9 and Mount Wolfe Road.