WHAT:    An evening with a glittering array of Canada’s hottest comedic, dance and musical talent, sharing the stage for one night only. All proceeds will fund the Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre.

Artists include:

•    Ross Petty, producer
•    Karen Kain, Aleksandar Antonijevic & Sonia Rodriguez, The National Ballet of Canada
•    Eva Avila, Canadian Idol
•    Debra Brown, choreographer
•    Andrew Burashko, pianist
•    James Ehnes, violinist
•    Alan Frew, Glass Tiger
•    Jessica Holmes, comedian
•    Ron James, comedian
•    Elicia Mackenzie & Yvan Pedneault, Rock of Ages

DATE:        MONDAY, MAY 17, 2010

WHERE:     The Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto

TICKETS:     Starting at $49 up to $1,500
Tickets available now through www.nightofstars.ca

All money raised will fund a redeveloped state-of-the-art operating facility at the Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre. This redevelopment will allow Sunnybrook to continue to provide the exceptional hip and knee care for which it is renowned. For more information about Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Foundation and the Holland Musculoskeletal Program, visit www.sunnybrook.ca.

http://www.nightofstars.ca/thestars.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z20L2SgZNzM

(Eva Avila, second from left, with the cast of Robin Hood: The EnvironMENTAL Family Musical)

I decided to catch up recently with Eva Avila, who won Canadian Idol in 2006, when I noticed her name in the cast list for Ross Petty’s latest musical comedy.

As it happens, her role as Maid Marian in Robin Hood: The EnvironMENTAL Family Musical is her first professional acting job.

“It’s really exciting. I’m having lots of fun,” Eva told me over the phone. “Everybody’s great, everybody’s super talented.”

She didn’t even have to apply for the part. Petty sought her out, asking her manager if Eva had any acting experience (she has had acting lessons and did lots of community musical theatre from about age 11 through 16). After a low-key audition with Petty and director Ted Dykstra, she had the role.

(Petty has hired Idol alumni before: 2003 winner Ryan Malcolm and runner-up Gary Beals were in Petty’s Snow White in 2005, along with Idol finalists Billy Klippert and Elena Juatco.)

With shows every day of the week except Mondays, including two shows every Saturday and Sunday, not to mention nine- to 10-hour days spent rehearsing the month before the production opened, Eva’s been expending a lot of energy on the performance.

“It’s so worth it. It’s an amazing rush,” she said.

“People are reacting the way we hoped they would…. The kids get loud. It’s just one big party.”

But it’s a party with an expiry date. The show closes at the Elgin Jan. 3 and then Eva will return to her first love: music.

The 22-year-old from Gatineau (formerly Hull), Que., always knew she wanted to be a professional singer.

She did everything an aspiring singer could do: competitions, talent shows, festivals, whatever professional gigs she could find. And then along came Canadian Idol.

“Since Idol, my life has completely changed. I’m able to do music for a living,” Eva said.

Her next project is a French-language album. French is her first language, but she grew up singing more in English than French, so a French album is “fresh and new for me.”

She’d love to do more acting down the road, maybe in TV and movies.

But “I’m a singer first and foremost. I’ll take it as it comes,” she says.

Go to www.ticketmaster.ca for tickets to Robin Hood.

thestar

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLy9cPNrscw

DOWNLOAD CLIP

September 24 , 2009

Join Eva as she makes makes her acting debut! Playing Maid Marion in Ross Petty’s production of ROBIN HOOD, The EnvironMENTAL Family Musical, Eva joins an all-star Canadian cast which includes Ross Petty himself as Sheriff of Nottingham.

A modern spin on the classic story, ROBIN HOOD, The EnvironMENTAL Family Musical tells a tale of how The Prince of Thieves must win over Maid Marion from the Sheriff of Nottingham (a.k.a the CEO of Nottingham lumber), who plans to clear cut the Sherwood Forest in order to keep his company the leader in its field!

The curtain opens November 26, 2009 and closes January 3, 2010 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. For a complete performance schedule visit www.rosspetty.com.

Tickets are now available at www.ticketmaster.ca!