Summer Stage Stories - With Pictures
It takes an entire community to bring a production like James and the Giant Peach Jr. to life. Over the past few weeks, we've celebrated the many people whose time, talents, and generosity made Summer Stage such a wonderful experience. This week, we'd like to share two more stories that remind us how creativity, hospitality, and faithful service continue to shape this ministry year after year.
Carrying on a Legacy of Hospitality
One of the quiet joys of Summer Stage happens around the lunch tables.
Among the many generous individuals who helped provide meals during Summer Stage, Joan Johnston once again offered one of our camp lunches for campers, staff, and volunteers. This year, she was joined by her daughter, Susan, continuing a tradition of hospitality that has become a cherished part of our summer.
What many may not realize is that Joan's lunch also carries forward an important part of McDougall's history. For many years, the McDougall Ladies' Fellowship faithfully prepared sandwich lunches for Wood's Homes as one of their many ministries of service and outreach in our community. Although the Fellowship concluded its ministry in late 2024, Joan has found a meaningful way to carry that spirit of generosity forward through Summer Stage.
The shared meals of Summer Stage created space for conversation, laughter, rest, and community in the midst of busy rehearsal days. We are deeply grateful to Joan and Susan for their generosity, and for reminding us that the legacy of faithful service continues through simple acts of hospitality that bring people together.
The Magic Behind the Scenes
Every church production has moments that make our audiences smile, laugh, or wonder, "How did they do that?" More often than not, the answer has been Wayne Medhurst.
For years, Wayne has been one of the creative forces behind many of our theatrical productions, including both of our Summer Stage musicals. When a script calls for something unusual, oversized, or seemingly impossible, Wayne is the person who brings the idea to life with remarkable creativity, craftsmanship, and ingenuity.
From the giant peach that soars across the stage in James and the Giant Peach Jr. to the runaway rhinoceros that charges through the opening scene, Wayne's imagination helped transform ambitious ideas into unforgettable moments. Audiences may also remember his life-sized Christmas turkey for Scrooge or Snoopy's iconic doghouse in A Charlie Brown Christmas, each one a testament to the care and creativity he brings to every production.
Theatre is filled with moments of wonder, and many of those moments begin long before the curtain rises. We are deeply grateful to Wayne for the countless hours, creative problem-solving, and joyful imagination he has shared over the years. His work has helped make every production a little more magical.
Below are some pictures from the show. A big thank you to Val MacLeod for sending them in. If you took any photos that you would like to share, please send them to Sarah.
To learn more about Theatre at McDougall, please visit our Theatre webpage.
