Charlie Rhindress (born May 9, 1966) is an actor, writer, director and producer living in his hometown of
Amherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst ( ) is a town in northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, and south of the Northumberland Strait. The town sits on a height of land at the eastern boundary of th ...
. He was educated at
Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839.
Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...
and is a co-founder and former Artistic Director of
Live Bait Theatre
Live Bait Theatre is a theatre company based in Sackville, New Brunswick, in Canada. Established in 1988, writer Arthur Motyer was the founding chair.
Performers have included Rita MacNeil, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes ...
, based in
Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville is a town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts university. Historically based on agriculture, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, the economy is now driven ...
.
To date Rhindress has had eighteen of his plays produced, including ''The Maritime Way of Life'', which was nominated for a Canadian Comedy award as best new play, and ''Flying On Her Own'', based on the life of the late Canadian singer/songwriter,
Rita MacNeil
Rita MacNeil (May 28, 1944 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray t ...
. The latter was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2008. Three of Rhindress's plays have been produced at
Ship's Company Theatre
The Ship's Company Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.
Founded in 1984 by Michael Fuller and Mary Vingoe, the Ship's Company Theatre features productions of Canadian works, with an emphasis on new works fro ...
in
Parrsboro
Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and the ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
: ''Ivor Johnson's Neighbours'' (2009), ''The Maritime Way of Life'' (2012) and ''Making Contact'' (2013). Charlie has also written or co-written more than 30 dinner theatre scripts.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available fo ...
says that Rhindress's work "suggests that New Brunswick is fertile ground for popular comedy. Of particular note is Rhindress's ''The Maritime Way of Life'' (1999), a dark satire on traditional East Coast lifestyles and personalities. Despite its vicious sarcasm, extensive cross-dressing, and absurd humour, ''The Maritime Way of Life'' is very popular with Atlantic audiences."
His first book, ''I'm Not What I Seem - The Many Stories of Rita MacNeil's Life'', was published by Formac Publishing in 2016. It was a bestseller in the Maritimes and was short listed for the Best First Book Award from the Atlantic Books Awards. His second book, ''Stompin’ Tom Connors: The Myth and the Man,'' was released in September of 2019 and has also appeared on multiple bestseller lists.
Rhindress has acted in over fifty productions at theatres across Canada. His film and television credits include ''Red Rover'', ''Trailer Park Boys'', ''Haven'', ''Mr. D'', ''Chapelwaite'', and ''Moonshine''. He also starred in a very popular television commercial for Pro-Line which aired for over two years.
His directing credits include the premiere of
Cathy Jones
Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021.
CODCO
Jones w ...
' one woman show, ''Me, Dad and the Hundred Boyfriends'' at
Theatre Passe Muraille
Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Brief history
One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...
in Toronto and ''The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)'' at
Neptune Theatre in Halifax, for which he received a Merritt award nomination as Best Director.
He is the former Associate Artist for Neptune and a former Artistic Producer of Eastern Front Theatre.
Much of Rhindress's career has been spent telling the stories of Canada's Maritime provinces and its people. In addition to his works about Rita MacNeil and Stompin' Tom Connors he has written about The Great Amherst Mystery and a famous murder case from Sackville, New Brunswick. He has adapted novels from Maritime writers Charles G.D. Roberts and Bruce Graham for the stage. He helped create Esther Fest, a celebration of Esther Cox and The Great Amherst Mystery in his hometown of Amherst, N.S. In Sackville, N.B. he helped establish the Sackville Arts Wall. He has also worked extensively with The Anne Murray Centre creating and presenting special events, including The Maritime Music Fest. In 2019 he created a musical tribute to Rita MacNeil, "I'm Not What I Seem," which has toured Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Rhindress has been awarded the New Brunswick Arts Award of Merit for contribution to the Cultural Life of NB, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre for his contributions to Atlantic Canadian Theatre, and an Established Artist Recognition Award from the Province of Nova Scotia.
Works
Plays
* ''Guilty! The Story of the Great Amherst Mystery'' (1991, revised 1993)
* ''Elvis Presley Is Alive and Well and Living in Sackville'' (1992)
* ''A Christmas Carol'' (1992)
* ''It's a Wonderful Christmas'' (1993)
* ''Gates Motel'' (1994)
* ''Under the Night'' (1996) with composer/lyricist Dean Burry
* ''The Maritime Way of Life'' (1997, revised 1999)
* ''Flying On Her Own'' (2000, revised 2004) featuring the songs of Rita MacNeil
* ''Home and Away'' (2003) with composer/lyricist Dean Burry
* ''The Heart That Knows'' (2008) with composer/lyricist Dean Burry (adapted from the novel by
Charles G.D. Roberts
Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts (January 10, 1860 – November 26, 1943) was a Canadian poet and prose writer. He was one of the first Canadian authors to be internationally known. He published various works on Canadian exploration and na ...
)
* ''Ivor Johnson's Neighbours'' based on the novel by Bruce Graham (2009)
* ''Boo'' (2009)
[Mulgrave Road Theater]
''...a solo show in which a totally unprepared writer/performer wants to be funny while attempting to tell us something he doesn’t know how to say...''
Accessed June 22, 2009
* ''Making Contact'' (2013)
* ''Selfie'' (2015) with original music by Alex Rhindress
* ''Reader Be Thou Also Ready'' (2015) based on the novel by Robert James
* ''The War of Conditioning'' (March 2019)
* ''Life Happens'' (Premiered online July 2020)
* ''We're Still Here: Tales from 2020 and Beyond'' (March 2023)
Books
* ''I'm Not What I Seem - The Many Stories of Rita MacNeil's Life'' (2016)
* ''Stompin’ Tom Connors: The Myth and the Man - An Unauthorized Biography'' (2019)
References
External links
*
*Charlie Rhindres
Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhindress, Charlie
Living people
1966 births
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
People from Amherst, Nova Scotia
People from Sackville, New Brunswick
Male actors from Nova Scotia
Male actors from New Brunswick
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian male writers
21st-century Canadian male writers