Calling the Rock Home Presented by Pat the Dog Theatre Creation

Description

World Premiere New Canadian Play By Karen Thistle.
Directed by Jeannette Lambermont-Morey.

A true story of our country’s 1960’s Eastern Exodus. Between 1956 and 1973 close to one million people left the Atlantic provinces. Mining and fishing were in decline and industrial development continued to lag behind the rest of Canada. Young people found themselves forced to choose between unemployment and exile. Ontario was the land of promise although it was a world away from the life they knew. Calling the Rock Home is the story of three young Newfoundlanders’ making that choice.

A heartwarming comedy about who we are, and what makes home. A World Premiere of a New Canadian Play, written by the daughter of a Northern ON miner who made his choice. Premieres at The Studio Theatre before it launches a New Northern Ontario Touring Network created by Pat the Dog with stops in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay. A Do Not Miss.

About Pat the Dog Theatre Creation:

A catalyst for new play creation, Pat the Dog Theatre Creation is an award-winning, nationally recognized leader in the cultivation and promotion of theatre creators and their work.

Our 2025-2026 season celebrates our Canadian home. We are proud to present All Original New Works of performance and theatre by Canadian artists who call this country home.

Cast

Colton Gobbo as Patrick Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Colton Gobbo began pursuing a career in acting with his first professional role at the age of 9 in a musical production of HAIR, which later led to a career in film and television. He was lucky enough to be a part of every reading of Calling The Rock Home in the Playsmelter Festival, and is ecstatic to be bringing it to life for its premiere. A graduate of the George Brown Theatre School, he is also a budding writer, director, and combat coordinator. Some film/TV credits include: James Mark’s upcoming action/comedy film, Karate Ghost, Son of a Critch, Ginny & Georgia, The Desperate Hour, Everything’s Going To Be Great. His most recent theatre production was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with YES Theatre, also directed by Jeannette Lambermont-Morey, and he is over the moon to be working alongside both her and Lisa O’Connell once again! @coltosaur on social media.

Patrick Dempsey as Buddy Pat Dempsey is an Actor and Theatre Practitioner based out of St. John’s, NL. He is delighted to be working with this incredible team on this great production. Pat was last seen on stage as Evan in Crippled, by Power Productions which toured Canada from 2018–2022. Recently, Pat’s work has been mostly on screen, having appeared in numerous shows and films for Netflix, Hallmark, Lifetime, SyFy, Global and CBC to name a few. When not acting, Pat spends his time behind the scenes as a Projection Designer, Technical Director and most recently, returning for his second year as the Production Manager for the Gander Production of Come From Away.

Joël Giroux as Joe Joël Giroux is a franco-Ontarian actor born and raised in the crater of Sudbury. He is a graduate of the French and English Theatre programs at Laurentian University, where he trained in Stage Performance, Pochinko Clown, and Puppetry. Recent stage credits include Charlie in L’Encyclopédie de l’Échec (Collectif Vivarium), Curly/Bill Jukes in Peter Pan, Nick DeVito/Ensemble in Jersey Boys (YES Theatre).

Artistic Team

Karen Thistle Playwright Born and raised in Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario, Canada, playwright Karen Thistle’s work has appeared at Northern Ontario’s PlaySmelter Festival and at the STC Playwrights’ Junction. She is a founding member of Inklings (Playwrights and Screenwriters), Sudbury Writers Guild. In her time away from writing, Karen is a Producer with Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, and has enjoyed working with public libraries, hat making, rug hooking and more. She lives in Sudbury with her partner Peter. You can catch them all on Instagram: dark_thistle_sudbury This play is dedicated to her father Wallace Thistle.	Jeannette Lambermont-Morey Director Jeannette Lambermont-Morey is honoured to have been entrusted with Karen Thistle’s delightful new play Calling the Rock Home for Pat the Dog Theatre Creation. This past summer she directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for YES Theatre in Sudbury. Read full bio Having previously directed Every Brilliant Thing and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time at YES Theatre, Jeannette has helmed major productions across Canada and the U.S.—from the Stratford Festival to Virginia Stage Company— including Blue Bridge (Victoria), Citadel (Edmonton), MTC (Winnipeg), Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton), Thousand Islands Playhouse (Gananoque), Highland Arts Theatre (NS), and New World Theatre Project (St. John’s); and in Toronto: Factory Theatre, Canadian Stage, Harbourfront Centre, and the Toronto Fringe. Her production of The Syringa Tree (Citadel) won a Sterling Award for Liisa Repo-Martell; Twelfth Night (High Park) and Digging For Fire (Paramour) were Dora-nominated for Outstanding Production. My Child (Haus of Casati Collective) won the My Theatre Award for Outstanding Production (small theatre). Favourites include The Beloved, Crones (Highland Arts), The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice (New World Theatre Project), As You Like It (BlueBridge Rep), Private Lives (Atlantic Theatre Festival), The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Virginia Stage; also MTC), Moving Day (TIFT), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Juilliard, N.Y.), and Mary’s Wedding (Festival Players). She is passionately devoted to developing new work and is currently working on several new musicals and plays.
Alex Sykes Lighting & Sound Design Alex Sykes is a Niagara-based lighting and sound designer. He’s a passionate storyteller who uses light and sound to tell and enhance stories that make you, think, laugh, cry, and wonder as these are the stories he loves himself. Alex is a graduate of Brock University and The National Theatre School of Canada’s Production, Design and Technical Arts program. Recently Alex has lighting designed Pinkerton Comes To Prospect, Here On The Flight Path (Lighthouse Theatre), On A First Name Basis, Screwball Comedy (Foster Festival) he was the assistant lighting designer for Major Barbara, Murder-On-The-Lake (Shaw Festival). Alex is also a co-creator of Why Don’t We Together an immersive audio-visual installation project that fuses short stories with lighting and sound design.	Rachel Kaufman Behling Costume Designer Rachel Kaufman Behling is the Proprietress of Auburn Vintage Clothiers. A degree in English Literature from the University of Guelph led her into the world of theatre which is where she has been involved for more than 20 years as actor, producer, director, playwright and now costumer. Always interested in the art of ‘dressing up’, Rachel is thrilled to be involved in this amazing production.	Emme Kay Kennedy Stage Manager Recently returned to Ontario after 25+ years in the U.S., Emme is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and facilitator with an MS in Organizational Leadership and an MFA in Devised Performance. Read full bio She facilitates space and time in creative presence with fellow artists and audiences—sometimes called directing, acting, stage managing, dancing, self-producing, podcasting, dungeon mastering, and performing stand-up comedy. She resists all categories she doesn’t make for herself (including her own resistance to categories). Emme holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (Thomas Jefferson University) and a Master of Fine Arts in Devised Performance (Pig Iron School/University of the Arts). She previously served as Experience Consulting Creative Producer and first full-time hire for the industry-disrupting museum tour company Museum Hack in NYC.