Even though we're into the dark days of November in Niagara, we still have lots to look forward to, both indoors and out. We still have some fall colours to enjoy, for example, and for the time being at least, no snow.
Several arts-related items crossed my desk by way of digital media this week, so let's get to them.
First off, one of the finest local theatre companies around, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects, launches their 9th season in Niagara and their 2nd in downtown Niagara Falls this weekend. The first showing of Willy Russell's ever popular Shirley Valentine was actually this evening with a preview performance; the show officially opens Friday night at the Seneca Queen Theatre in downtown Niagara Falls and runs through to November 24th. The story of a housewife who wonders where her life has gone is always a crowd-pleaser, and this new production promises to be no different.
The one-woman show stars Nora McLellan, a theatrical tour de force in her own right and 22-year veteran of the Shaw Festival. Nora has been nominated four times for Dora awards and will be best remembered in recent years for her amazing performance in the Shaw's production of Gypsy. The world needs more Nora McLellans!
Anyway, tickets are available for evening and matinee performances by calling the box office at 905-374-7469 or going to www.ltpniagara.com.
Speaking of the Shaw Festival, it was reported yesterday the 2013 season proved to be a winner both artistically and financially, attracting over 270,000 people, which works out to 71% of capacity, to a total of 744 performances in four theatre spaces.
The ten productions brought in box office revenues of over $ 16 million, the highest ticket sales in The Shaw's history. That means the audience has grown a respectable 10% over the previous season.
Not surprisingly, the increase came primarily from within Canada, with ticket sales growing 19% in the Golden Horseshoe and almost 15% in Toronto alone. Audiences from the United States and abroad accounted for one-third of ticket sales, indicating the border issues are still a problem for Canadian tourism.
The detailed financial report on the season will be presented January 31st at The Shaw's Annual General Meeting. I would think that will be a rather festive event early next year...
Finally, speaking of festive events, and I know many of us are unprepared for the onset of the Christmas season, the annual Winter Festival of Lights kicks off this Saturday afternoon at 2 pm in Queen Victoria Park. Things get underway with a special tribute to Niagara's Korean veterans, organized in conjunction with the Niagara chapter of the Korean Veterans Association.
But the real fun gets underway once darkness falls as the lights come on and another spectacular season kicks into high gear. This year, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra will be part of the Opening Festivities in the park, taking the stage at 7:45 for a 15-minute set as the orchestra provides the musical soundtrack to the opening fireworks display.
Music Director Bradley Thachuk conducts the orchestra, and you can imagine the precision involved in timing the orchestra to coincide with the fireworks display, but he assures everyone he can handle it and have fun at the same time. By the way, the reason their set is so short is due to logistics, really. It will be quite cold up on that stage by Saturday evening, and a lot of those musical instruments are very expensive, so you can't take chances on destroying a musician's livelihood in one evening. So the set will be short and sweet - and free!
Enjoy all that Niagara has to offer this weekend!
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