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The Oak Bay Beach Hotel has had many colorful people working on its payroll over the years, and two of its most memorable graduates are Steve Ivings and Lena Palermo.

Steve grew up in Victoria and learned at an early age that he liked entertaining people. In high school he studied theater and went on to become a standup comedian and cruise ship entertainer, specializing in impersonations of famous celebrities. Lena studied music and drama at the famous Julliard School in New York City, and went on to perform professionally as a singer, dancer, and actor in numerous productions across Canada and the United States. She and Steve met while working together professionally in Victoria, fell in love, and became what Steve describes as, “partners in business and in life.” Together, they planned and wrote a show called “Around the World in 80 Minutes” – a comic dramatization of cruise ship life, in which they and half a dozen fellow entertainers would perform dance numbers, songs, and hilarious impersonations. Steve felt certain that the show would be a great leap for his and Lena’s career. The only question was, who would give them a break?

“I was a longtime admirer of the ambience and character of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel,” says Steve. “And I thought it would be an ideal venue for ‘Around the World in 80 Minutes.’ I met with Kevin Walker, pitched it to him as a dinner theatre concept, and he was brave enough to give us a chance. So we rehearsed and planned and put it all together and worked out beautifully for all of us.”

The Oak Bay Beach Hotel launched the production with a special night in which Steve dressed up as a cruise ship skipper and members of the audience came up to pose for photos with “the captain.” Hotel guests who were lucky enough to attend the show say that it was fabulous entertainment. The concept was to take the audience on a “cruise” around the world, poking fun at the vulnerabilities and preoccupations of the world’s great cultures. In one number, a German folk dance starts off with a jolly “slap dance” that degenerates into a brawl. In another skit, Dean Martin sings “That’s Amore” with a troupe of curvaceous chorus girls, and is only beginning to really have fun with the situation when he is busted by his angry Italian wife. “There’s nothing better than working in front of a live audience,” says Steve. “They’ll tell you what works and what doesn’t. The crowd loved the show, but they also gave us the kind of feedback that allowed us to keep developing and refining it.”

Steve says that a big part of the show’s success was its venue. “The Oak Bay Beach Hotel was just a fabulous place for dinner theatre. The Walker’s are great hosts – somehow managing to be super friendly and informal with the guests but totally in charge and professional with every single detail at the same time. I can’t imagine how they pull it off. I guess they just love entertaining guests, so maybe those long days and long nights don’t feel like work at all. Thanks to them, and the grand meals, and that gorgeous old hotel, our show became a success almost overnight. We performed to sold-out houses every Friday and Saturday night for a couple of months, and we really had a wonderful time.”

After the show wrapped up, Lena found herself without work, so she went to Toronto to perform in television commercials. Steve soon followed her, but acting is a competitive trade, and he was obliged to take work reporting on traffic from a helicopter. “I happen to hate flying,” he said. “So I was perhaps not the best guy to be hovering and swooping over freeway traffic every morning.”  He and Lena were determined to continue with their careers, and they eventually acquired a 3,500 square foot old automotive shop in Toronto, which they converted into a theatre school, where kids could learn to sing, dance, act and develop their entertainment skills. They called it “Star Potential Studios” and they now have about 100 dedicated young students. Meanwhile they have continued acting and performing and working on their own careers.

Lena has many credits as a music director, choreographer and director for hundreds of productions with both children and adult casts.  In Toronto, she has acted in a wide variety of plays ranging from Anne of Green Gables to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Her young students have found their own roles in productions like We Will Rock You and Mamma Mia. And Steve too, continues to act and entertain, doing stand-up comedy, special events, and acting, with credits in stage plays like The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, and Mame. Apart from their lovely 4 year-old daughter Isabella (named after the famous actress of course) their proudest collaboration is Around the World in 80 Minutes.

“Around the World was our very first production with the kids,” says Steve, “and it continues to be a great vehicle for our students to develop their skills in singing, dancing and acting. We owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin and Shawna Walker, and the Oak Bay Beach Hotel was a perfect place to launch our play. The food, the atmosphere, the hospitality – everything came together perfectly, and we’re proud to think of the hotel as our alma mater.”