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Shaw Festival is a place to grow, Ragtime actor says By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville born and raised Louie Rossetti has always loved the theatre. So, being at the Shaw Festival is a natural place for him. It's a place where he can do what he loves and where he can learn and grow as a performer. "It's been a really perfect place for me to continue to train and continue to grow as an artist," said the 26-year-old, who currently splits his time between Toronto and Niagaraon-the-Lake. "They really focus here on supporting and encouraging young talent so it really has been the perfect place for me." In his third season with the company, Rossetti is performing as an ensemble member in two concurrently running musicals: Ragtime and Trouble in Tahiti. Both shows opened earlier this season and are scheduled to run through October. When he's not performing, he's usually conducting a workshop or class at the company to hone his acting skills. "Being in the ensemble at the Shaw Festival allows me to observe and learn and grow and be part of a team," he said. "But I am always striving for more. I've played lead roles before coming here and I know I will continue to, but any work here is a great piece of work to be a part of." Rossetti performs eight times a week, four times per show. Ragtime is a musical depicting the social divides that existed in the U.S. at the dawn of the 20th century. In this show, though he is an ensemble member, Rossetti plays about 12 small roles. "Because I'm so busy in that show, I have 15 costume changes. I play many, many different roles; I'm always on my toes. I'm working quite deeply for the full three hours so I'm having a great time," he said. The show, he said, sells out regularly and has been received extremely well. The other production is not quite as large. Trouble in Tahiti features two main actors, a married man and woman who are trying, unsuccessfully, to reconcile their relationship. "Tahiti is a really wonderful show," Rossetti said. "We workshopped it my first season here, so two years ago. It has really exciting music. It's very challenging technically. Tahiti is really great because it's really challenging and it's awesome." Rossetti's attraction to the theatre came at a young age. Growing up in the GTA, he was able to see major Mirvish productions in downtown Toronto. He was able to perform on stage with his older brothers and was involved in drama with Burlington Student Theatre. Artscene 77 · Friday, August 24, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com submitted photo by david cooper centre stage: Oakville performer Louie Rossetti (on chair) is pictured singing at the Shaw Festival's production of Trouble in Tahiti (currently running) along with his fellow ensemble members (l-r) Alana Hibbert, Brandyn McKinson, Jacqueline Thair, Stewart Adam McKensy, Anthony Malarky and Patty Jamieson. Rossetti is also in the Shaw production of Ragtime; both shows run through October. "I just fell in love with it and it stuck and it never stopped," he said. He went to St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School in Grade 9 until his family moved to Moncton, New Brunswick. He later returned to Oakville on his own to study music theatre performance at Sheridan College. Soon after finishing school, one of his biggest dreams was realized. "Being in one of those Mirvish shows was one of my biggest dreams. I was able to fulfill my dream with the Sound of Music," he said. The highly-successful show ran for a year and a half. Rossetti played Rolf Gruber, who sings Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Rossetti has plenty of other theatre credits, but about three years ago he auditioned for Shaw and has stayed with the company since. "I've always wanted to work at Shaw. I feel it is a very prestigious company. If you have the Shaw Festival on your resume, it's regarded quite highly in the industry," he said. "This place has given me a real foundation and a real community. It's the best thing that could have happened to me." The Shaw season runs from about February to October, during which time Rossetti lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Otherwise, he calls Toronto home. He said Shaw Festival is about a company of actors working together and not individuals trying to outshine each other. "It really is about creating a career and relationships and a foundation and I feel like that's something I'm able to do in a place like the Shaw Festival," he said. With approximately 12 shows being staged at any time, actors are frequently doing more than one production. "It's one of the great things of working here. It stretches your creative mind, having to work on two pieces at once. It actually is refreshing," he said. For tickets and show schedules, visit www. shawfest.com. Oakville NissanFamily Series PINKALICIOUS (ages 2 to 10) October 21 CANADIAN OPERA CO: HANSEL & GRETEL (ages 6 to 12) November 25 OUTERBRIDGE: THE TIME CAPSULE (ages 8+) December 22 PETER & THE WOLF (ages 6 to 10) January 27 TALES OF THE GARDEN (ages 5 to 10) March 12 & 13 BOO! (ages 4 to 12) April 7 THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS To order tickets call: 905-815-2021 or go to All performances are at www.oakvillecentre.ca