Stepping Out: A Tap-Dancing Triumph of Comedy and Heart

Stepping Out: A Tap-Dancing Triumph of Comedy and Heart - theHumm June 2025

By Joseph Nieforth

Lace up your tap shoes — or at least your comfiest theatre-going attire! Beginning on July 3 and continuing to July 13, Studio Theatre Perth will be presenting Stepping Out — a heartwarming comedy by Richard Harris. First performed in 1984, the play is about a group of mismatched adults attending a weekly tap-dancing class in a local church hall. With a blend of humour and poignancy, it delves into the personal struggles and triumphs of its diverse characters — eight women and one man — each grappling with their insecurities, relationships and dreams. The dance class, led by the patient but firm Mavis, a former professional dancer, becomes a metaphor for their efforts to “step out” of their everyday limitations.

Like the original 1984 West End production, many of the cast have little training in dance. Fortunately, the production has a performer in Chrystine Williams who is cast as Mavis, the troop instructor, and is also doing the real choreographing for the show. “It’s busy because I have to work on the show in terms of the choreography and work on my character,” states Williams. “It kind of gels together because Mavis is the dance instructor and the choreographer in the show.”

As with many productions of Stepping Out, the cast enters the show with a range of prior dance experience. Cynthia Struthers, who plays Vera, had the good fortune of attended the Stockholm International Tap Dance Festival in April. Struthers explains: “It was very well organized and there were classes according to what level you were at. It was exhausting.”

What makes Stepping Out particularly captivating is its relatability. Everyone in the audience can see a piece of themselves in one — or many — of the characters. From the timid newcomer to the movement-challenged and the shy widower, there are plenty of characters to root for as they go through the play.

The rehearsal process was generously aided by Omnes Art Circle, who let their facility be used for tap lessons. In a way, rehearsals emulated the learning process the characters take on their way to putting on a show at the end. The production also appreciated the use of St. Paul’s United Church for additional rehearsal space.

Stepping Out offers more than just a night at the theatre — it’s a celebration of perseverance, friendship, and the unifying power of dance. Directed with flair and warmth by Jane Stott, this staging ensures that the laughs land, the steps sparkle, and the characters shine.

To attend Stepping Out, you can reserve through Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485-6434) or through the Studio Theatre Perth box office (267-7469). Evening performances are at 7:30pm on July 3, 4, 10 and 11, while 2pm matinées are on July 5, 6, 12 and 13. Discount rates apply for opening night and for patrons under 30 at any performance. Don’t delay — book your tickets now.

Stepping Out is a must-see. It’s a play that proves you don’t have to be perfect to be spectacular!

Lorrie Potvin — Repurposed - theHumm June 2025

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

Lorrie Potvin creates highly imaginative metal sculptures from scrap metal that she can’t resist collecting everywhere she goes. Her spontaneous response to “Why?” is that she can’t look at anything without imagining a way in which it could be repurposed. So discarded forks and chopped up harrow disks and metal vegetable strainer pieces are combined with a career-long collection of metal automotive scraps to become original sculptures in her professionally trained hands......

Stepping Out: A Tap-Dancing Triumph of Comedy and Heart - theHumm June 2025