Local actor Grant Moore is making a mark in Ottawa’s community theatre scene, winning some hardware for his portrayal of two contrasting characters in a recent performance in Merrickville, Ont.
Moore, who is from Shawville, performed in Ottawa Little Theatre’s (OLT) entry in the Merrickville One-Act Festival on Nov. 8, walking away with the Belleville Theatre Guild award for acting.
“I was obviously very happy to receive it,” said Moore in an interview last week.
OLT performed a piece called For The Better, a coming-of-age dramedy in which a high-schooler wrestles with young love, vulnerability and the looming fear of exam season. It was one of nine plays in the theatre festival organized by the Eastern Ontario Drama League.
Moore played two polar-opposite characters: school nerd Raymond, as well as a physical manifestation of fear itself – performances that judges deemed were deserving of one of the festival’s top nods.
“I put as much as I could into both characters, and bringing home some hardware was pretty gratifying,” Moore said.
Moore, who graduated from Toronto Film School’s acting program nearly two years ago, said playing two opposing characters was a challenge, but that his schooling came in handy while learning those characters. He said by first learning how the character walks, he gets to know the character on a more intimate level.
“It’s easier to step into their shoes if I know how they’re moving in those shoes,” he said.
Moore extended a nod to his cast and crew at OLT who he said worked hard and were a pleasure to perform with. The cast took home several other awards from the festival including Best First-Time Director, Best Student Contribution, and Best Production of an Original Play.
Moore, who also performed with OLT in a March production of The Shawshank Redemption, said he is grateful the company took a chance on him.
“I came in very green, very new to the Ottawa scene, but since Shawshank and since working on this show, it’s such a tight-knit community [ . . . ] I’ve been given a fantastic opportunity to continue to work with them and continue to do good work.”
Joanne Farrell, who directed Moore in that production of Shawshank, said he stood out from the first moments he walked into rehearsals, and was not surprised to hear he had won this latest award.
“Grant set himself apart by his professionalism. He walked into rehearsals and was immediately busy doing exercises while other actors were busy chatting. It’s what I wish every actor was able to do,” Farrell said, adding that he was professional in working with actors of different ages and skill levels.
“I recommend he takes acting as far as it can take him,” she said.
After convincing his director to let him bring home the award, Moore proudly showed it off to THE EQUITY on Thursday. As he opened the wooden case enclosing the award, he showed name etchings of winning actors dating back to 1976.
“I’m just thinking of in 20 or 30 years, who’s going to have their hands on that award and who’s going to be looking at the names and see mine [ . . . ] I think it’s encouragement to keep working hard and keep pursuing this career,” he said.
Moore said he is not sure what is next for him as he is not taking on any new projects at the moment. Right now, his sights are set on rehearsals for the Pontiac Community Players’ upcoming production of Boeing Boeing.
Moore is playing the lead role in the show – a farcical comedy about an American bachelor with three flight-hostess femmes in three European cities who all cross paths in his Paris apartment.
“We’ve been in rehearsals for two months and I’ve walked out with a stitch in my gut every time from laughing every single rehearsal.”
You can catch Moore and other cast members Sydney Côté, Christine Rieux, Sarah Malatesta, Emma Findlay and Matt Lafleur in this production starting in the new year.
