I have often written about Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects in St. Catharines, the little upstart theatre company that was founded by Kelly Daniels and husband Ric Reid about seven years ago. I find their productions are of a consistently high quality and the programming is always inventive. They do, however, suffer the problems that often befall smaller theatre companies without the financial resources to keep a stable of regular actors and other technical staff on hand to fill in when needed.
Such is the case with Lyndesfarne at the moment. Just after announcing their winter production of John Murrell's Memoir would be moved from Grace United Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake to the beautifully renovated Seneca Theatre in downtown Niagara Falls, they have had to cancel the production entirely.
The show, which was scheduled to open at The Seneca February 2nd and run to the 12, has been cancelled due to ill health on the part of Shaw Festival actor Lorne Kennedy, who was to appear in the show. The specifics of the illness has not been specified, nor should they be, but it is a terrible blow to the company that boldly decided to take advantage of the available theatre space in Niagara Falls at a time of year that part of the city could desperately use the added evening traffic downtown.
The show, according to a press release issued by the theatre company this week, has been postponed indefinitely. That leaves open a couple of options for those who have already bought tickets to the production or hold season passes to Lyndesfarne. You can either donate the price of the ticket to Lyndesfarne and they will issue a charitable tax receipt for the amount, or they will issue a refund of the ticket price if that is your preference. Either way, they are asking patrons to call or write to them with your preference for the outstanding amount.
There is still one more production to go this current season, Thornton Wilder's Our Town, opening at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in downtown St. Catharines from April 10th to the 21st. The production, performed by the Young Company ensemble of emerging artists, has an admission charge of only $ 10, and tickets are available by calling the box office at 905-938-1222, or going online to www.lyndesfarnetheatreprojects.com.
I was very much looking forward to attending Memoir, especially since it was moving to The Seneca in downtown Niagara Falls. The theatre, renovated a few years ago at considerable cost, has stood empty for much of that time, as theatre companies struggle to meet budgets with audiences reluctant for one reason or another to venture downtown after all the work done in recent years. I have heard it is now an absolute jewel of a theatre, but it might just remain one of Niagara's best-kept secrets unless someone manages to make a go of it in the near future.
This raises concerns over a larger problem in downtown Niagara Falls, which has had trouble keeping shops open along historic Queen Street the last while due to lack of people coming into the core. I plan to write more about this in a future column after I have some time to visit the area again and talk to some people, but for now, Lyndesfarne pulling out of The Seneca is yet another blow to an area of Niagara that deserves a much better fate.
Why do people still avoid the area? We'll investigate and report back soon. As for Lorne Kennedy, a man whose work I have long admired at Shaw for many years? Get well, sir, your considerable talents are missed more than you will ever know!
January 14th, 2012.
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