Master prop-builder fina macDonell was presented with the Silver Ticket Award at the 36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, held Monday evening, June 22, 2015 at Harbourfront Centre’s WestJet Stage in Toronto.
For almost three decades, Ms. macDonell has been a partner and builder at The Rabbit’s Choice where her credits building props in Toronto range from Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, Fosse, Showboat, Aspects of Lov and Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Live Entertainment; and Miss Saigon, Sound of Music, Hairspray, Crazy for You, Jane Eyre, Tommy and Mamma Mia for Mirvish Productions. Selected Broadway credits include Scarlet Pimpernell, Spamalot, Ragtime, Fosse, Showboat, Woman in White, Sunset Blvd. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Experiment with an Air Pump, Kiss Me Kate, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Wild Party.. For Disney Theatrical – Tarzan, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. Select international credits range from Sunset Blvd, The Lion King, Showboat, Ragtime and The Producers in Australia to Phantom of the Opera, The Producers and Kiss Me Kate in London, U.K. She also spent seven seasons as Head of Props/Builder at Young People’s Theatre and another five at Theatre Plus.
She has also built props and puppets for Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Puppet Festivals. As an actor/puppeteer, she has worked with Patchwork Players in Manitoba and Caravan Stage Company in B.C., as well as with Theatre Passe Muraille, the National Arts Centre, and Canadian Puppet Festivals in Ontario. Ms. macDonell has always felt it important to pass on her craft to the next generation to continue to make the magic she literally makes on stage. Co-op and outreach students work alongside her, immersed in her considerable knowledge and generosity as she mentors them to become the next wonderful artisans of the theatre.