Neighbour of Note: Teri May by Richard Young
To advertise here, please contact Cathy@VillagerPublications.com The Artful Players present Groovin’ for Good: A Fundraiser for the London Food Bank, Thursday, May 15, 2025, 7:00 pm at “Everyone is volunteering their own time, and the Palace Theatre is being provided at no charge. All proceeds are being donated to the London Food Bank. We invite all Londoners to help us in this great cause.” In 2023, Teri got involved with Silver Spotlight Theatre, a community theatre group exclusively for people fifty-five and older, solely because her old teacher Art Fidler created it. “The opportunity to reconnect with him was too good to pass up. It was also right after the pandemic and I thought it out be a good opportunity to meet new people, socialize and have some fun. I was right!” “I have been involved in all three of the group’s productions. I was the Choreographer and a Reporter in Babes In Arms, Cha Cha in Grease , and moved backstage as Assistant Stage Manager and the voice of The Giant in Into The Woods. ” At present, Teri is the Stage Manager for The Artful Players, a group of community theatre veterans that evolved out of a social gathering at which they started talking about the increase of food insecurity for many Londoners. “This turned into ‘Hey kids, let’s put on a show!’” says Teri. “Our inaugural performance is a fundraiser for the London Food Bank called Groovin’ For Good , a collection of songs, singalongs, old skits and classic commercials from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The night includes a Silent Auction with a wide array of items generously donated by local businesses, arts organizations, and artisans. Food and cash donations will also be accepted at the door.” Longtime Oakridge resident, Teri May, was bitten by the theatre bug while attending Oakridge Secondary School in the late 1970s. “I was a bit of an outlier and didn’t belong to any of the cool cliques at school,” she recalls. “My good memories all revolve around Art Fidler and his English and Drama classes and field trips to the Stratford Festival. The seed for my love of theatre and Shakespeare was planted then.” “I was too frightened to audition for the school plays, so I helped behind the scenes with makeup, costumes and props. In my final year, Art convinced me to audition, and I was cast in the ensemble of George M!, the Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan. I loved it!” After leaving high school, Teri attended The University of Western Ontario where she earned a degree in Sociology/Psychology. After graduating, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces (Air Force) in 1985. She became a Logistics Officer (Captain) coordinating Supply, Transport, Finance and Personnel in various bases around Canada and finished her career as a Recruiting Officer in Toronto. “While in the service, I participated in acting venues playing an infiltrator and numerous spies and ‘bad guys’ during War Games. I also participated in Base Variety Shows,” Teri says. After serving twenty-one years, Teri returned to London in 2019, where she purchased a home in her “old stomping grounds” of Oakridge. “I love the area not only for its nostalgic aspect but because the neighbourhoods are clean, safe and friendly. I am close to everything I need,” she says.
The Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas Street. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at palacetheatre.ca or at the Palace Theatre Box Office. Photo courtesy Ross Davidson
Photos courtesy Quinn Currado
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Hyde Park – Oakridge Villager • May 2025 • Page 13
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