Caterwaul

all the news that’s fit to wail…

Sales of the published script of Cat’s award-winning social satire for the stage, Welfarewell, are going briskly. Cat was informed that she won the prestigious Samuel French award for Canadian playwriting by a phone call in December 2009. The play was published in May 2010 and several productions are expected in 2011; we’ll let you know where and when as we find out. We’ve heard rumours about Canadian, American and European productions so far… To purchase the book or inquire about production rights, please contact Samuel French, Inc.

Given that Welfarewell captured a coveted award and is timely (we’re all getting older!), Cat has aligned with the momentum of the stage play and adapted it for the screen as a 100-minute film, and for television as a half-hour sit-com. The zany cast of characters sticks with the original story in the film, adding a conniving cat and a clever bird; the entire cast, plus added characters, brings wit and life lessons to the television series as Esmerelda turns 81, and then 82 and…

Cat has recently completed the rough draft of a comedy for the stage, entitled My Favorite Wife, co-writing with fellow playwright, David Copelin. The play is loosely based on a bizarre true story wherein a woman turned in her husband after seeing him on an episode of America’s Most Wanted, and it turned out he was not the culprit. So much for that marriage! The play is being workshopped at the Public Library in Ashland, Oregon, on Monday, March 28, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. If you live in the area, please check it out!

Cat is currently revising her satire that skewers motivational gurus. Its short title is Success Sucks! and it is slated to be published some time in 2012 by a new imprint of the venerable Toronto-based publishing house, Guernica Editions. Guernica has been known for its serious literary works and poetry, but this is a cooperative/collaborative effort that will see the publisher and Cat test new waters. We’ll keep you posted on exact launch dates and where you can buy the book.

Cat is proud to be part of the upcoming Michelin Green Guide to Ontario; she’ll be working with veteran Michelin editor, Gwen Cannon, for the second time. The last time the Michelin Green Guides were updated, Cat worked on copy for the Atlantic Provinces and contributed photographs to the Ontario and Atlantic editions.

Michelin Green Guides are produced for various countries and areas around the world; the fact-checking, writing and photographs are handled by local residents so that the data is as current and insightful as possible. The Guides are available at most book shops and travel centres, or visit www.viamichelin.com.

Come March, you’ll find Cat’s on-line magazine article about celebrity dog enthusiasts at www.dogsincanada.com. There will be another piece there in April about dogs and their relationships with other species, and one in May about dogs and language. As usual, Fiona is executive consultant on everything Cat writes for Dogs in Canada’s print and on-line editions!

Check out the September 2011 edition of Homemakers magazine for Cat’s article about the recent major career shift of actor, Lally Cadeau. Lally is best known for her award-winning role as Janet King on the television series, Road to Avonlea, and her nine seasons with the Stratford Festival of Canada; her new path doesn’t involve acting… Well, not on a stage… Like the other two women Cat has written about for Homemakers, namely Emily Hughes (the daughter of late jazz guitar great, Lenny Breau) and leading classical guitarist Liona Boyd, she is proud to consider Lally a friend. Find out what Lally is up to in Homemakers.