biography

​Linus Hand was the general manager of the Royal Alexandra and the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto from 1990 to 2004. He soon had a goal in mind to bring family friendly theatre to Niagara. In 2005, as executive producer, Linus brought Disney’s “Aladdin” to Niagara Falls by obtaining the licensing process required to stage a Disney production. He put on that production, and well as “Beauty and the Beast”. This was followed by “Seussical”, “Scrooge” and Disney’s “High School Musical”.
During the production of “Suessical”, they were having a hard time obtaining a group of children required that could act as well as they could sing. Eventually, they found the children needed, but it sparked an interest in Linus to provide a theatre to provide the necessary tools required to develop the appropriate acting ability in such a high calibre and competitive field.
The Linus Hand Drama Academy was then born! It is here that children learn projection, mime, posture, body movement and vocal skills. Social skills and expression come with the territory here, thus building the groundwork and pathway for their future milestones. 
He founded and continues to over-see the Linus Hand Drama Academy as well as summer musical theatre camps. His career and skill in the arts has transformed students of all ages, and at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, Linus Hand Productions has presented “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, “Annie”, “Peter Pan” and “Oliver”. Additionally Linus has produced “RENT”, Bodies the Exhibit and the Disney Princess Show.
Junior, Intermediate, and Senior lessons are provided within his Drama Academy Camps. There are 10 classes every Saturday for a duration of 90 minutes. His Winter Camp has already begun, with the final class always concluding with a Young Production. For the Winter of 2015, it will conclude with “Hairspray”. The cost is $260 for enrollment.
For the next seasonal upcoming camp, contact Linus Hand Productions at 289-213-8001 or [email protected] for information.
Students of Linus Hand Productions most recently concluded 2014 with Linus Hand’s Production of “The Wizard of Oz”. A musical that took place at the Scotiabank Convention Centre for two weekends in December.

arts & culture hall of fame
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Linus Hand was born in Scotland and moved to Canada in 1967, then moved to Niagara Falls in 1987. Linus was the general manager of the Royal Alexandra and the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto from 1990 to 2004. In 2005, as Executive Producer, Linus brought Disney’s Aladdin to Niagara Falls. This was followed by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Seussical, Scrooge, and Disney’s High School Musical. At the Scotiabank Convention Centre Theatre, Linus Hand Productions has presented Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, Peter Pan, and Oliver. Additionally Linus has produced RENT, Bodies the Exhibit, and the Disney Princess Show. With his Production Company, our local children have had the opportunity to study drama, singing, and choreography with
professional artists. Linus founded and continues to oversee the Linus Hand Drama Academy as well as summer musical theatre camps. Linus has generously provided thousands of tickets to performances ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience live professional theatre. In fact, one thousand tickets for each production are donated to those who cannot afford to attend. In addition, two thousand children from our local school boards are provided with complimentary tickets with the help of community partners. Thanks to Linus thousands of Niagara
residents have been introduced to the magical experience of professional music theatre. 

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​Falls theatre company set to go ‘Under the Sea’

NIAGARA FALLS — When it came to finding the perfect Ariel for and upcoming production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, it turns up she had spent most of her life in Niagara Falls.
“We had 43 potential Ariels,” said Linus Hand, who’s company Linus Hand Productions, is mounting the production. “We chose Samantha Hart. She’s now based in Toronto but she’s from Niagara Falls. We’ve never had one of our leads be a local so this is kind of cool. She has a voice like an angel.”
The show runs for two weekends with shows on Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16 at the Scotiabank Convention Centre
A little trickier to cast was the role of Ursula, the sea witch, which calls for someone who enjoys being the bad guy — or in this case — bad girl.
“You need somebody who can come in with a villain’s personality,” Hand said, adding that he thinks they found just the right person for the role in Toronto actor Tenja Hagenberg.
“She’ll bring down the house,” Hand said.
Hand, who is working with his son, Conor, on the show said while the main roles — Ariel, Prince Eric, King Triton, Ursula and Sebastian are filled by professional actors, there are plenty of roles for those in the process of honing their acting chops.
 “We have three casts of 40,” Hand said. "And then there’s the look of the production. In the same way technology has changed the way we go about our daily lives, the same can be said for live theatre."
And the Hands is taking advantage of that, and will be employing a mix of real and digital backdrops in production.
“When you get the rights to a Disney show, you have the option of using digital backdrops,” Hand, who is producing the show with his son, Conor, who is an associate producer. “We can use them to help fill in the gaps.”
Digital backgrounds, will come into play during Ariel’s rescue of Eric after he fails from his ship and again in Ariel’s transformation from mermaid to human.
“But we’re still going to have a lot of physical backdrops,” Hand said.
Tickets for Disney’s The Little Mermaid are $55 for adults and $28 for children under 12. Niagara residents can receive a discount on tickets when ordering them by phone. Discounted tickets are $25 across the board.