There is lots going on in the arts in Niagara and beyond at this time of year, and I thought I would round up three events you might just want to make time for if you possibly can, even as the weather warms up and the snow continues to melt.
Before I do, though, my apologies for not writing quite as frequently as I would like at the moment, but with training for my new job and all, I don't always have as much time available as I would like for other pursuits, so bear with me and I will be a more frequent writer in another couple of weeks. And in fact, next week I will give you a progress report on how things are going thus far.
Now back to the subject at hand. This weekend sees the swan-song of sorts for the husband-and-wife team of Jason Cadieux and Stephanie Jones as they begin to let go the strings that bind them to their theatrical baby, Essential Collective Theatre. The pair launched their little theatre company that could several years ago now, performing these days out of the MainStage space in the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.
Letting go of something that becomes a labour of love is never easy, but the pair have decided to let go and hand the artistic reigns over to Monica Dufault, now Co-Artistic Director of ECT and a part time instructor in drama at Brock University. I had Monica guest with me on my show, Inquisitive Minds on CFBU-FM this past week, talking about plans for the future once she assumes the full artistic control of the company later this year. It promises to be an exciting year for ECT and in their own way, for Jason and Stephanie as well. I hope they enjoy a bit of a rest from the footlights for a little while at least.
But not this weekend. There is one final performance left of their play Scenic View, written by the pair about 15 years ago and since updated with a Niagara connection, literally and figuratively. The last show is Sunday afternoon at 2 and it is a pay-as-you-can performance and it is certainly worth catching.
I attended the Friday evening performance and although the audience was relatively small, it was exceptionally appreciative. The play itself is engaging and light, and will appeal to anyone with a theatrical bent and creativity coursing in their veins. That's not to say you have to be a theatre insider to fully enjoy the play; far from it. But other theatre types will certainly see a bit of themselves in this short one-act play.
For tickets, pick them up at the door tomorrow afternoon before the show.
Meantime in Niagara Falls, the other theatre company that could, also a one-time tenant at the downtown St. Catharines Courthouse Theatre, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects continues to blaze trails with some innovative, some would say daring theatrical fare at the Seneca Queen Theatre in downtown Niagara Falls.
Artistic Director Kelly Daniels moved the company to the Niagara Falls venue prior to last season and seems to be doing just fine, thank you very much, occupying a theatre space with a storied past. This was, of course, the theatre that many years ago premiered the Marilyn Monroe film Niagara, shot on location at the famous cataracts.
Lyndesfarne is making a little bit of history this month themselves as they staged the world-premiere performance of George F. Walker's The Ravine on March 28th. The play continues until April 13th at 7:30 pm Wednesday to Saturday, with matinee performances Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm.
Walker is a Canadian playwright with impressive credentials, and he has a proven track record of theatrical successes on his resume. The Ravine likely will be another popular item in his repertoire, dealing as it does with political intrigue and corruption involving the mayor, Oscar Wallace. Sounds like it might be hitting a little close to home these days, doesn't it?
The cast makes use of some great local talent, including the husband-and-wife team of William Vickers and Karen Wood, along with Bruce Gooch and Sarah Murphy-Dyson among others.
Tickets are still available for the remainder of the run at the Seneca Queen. You can call the box office at 905-374-7469 or purchase them at the door.
Finally, if you don't mind a bit of a drive on a Sunday afternoon, I have a suggestion for some great music in one of my favourite small Ontario towns, Elora, where the celebrated Elora Festival wraps up their winter season this weekend with a Sunday afternoon performance of J.S. Bach's St. John Passion, just in time for the Easter season, performed by the Elora Festival Singers directed by Noel Edison.
As I have written in this space many times before, the Elora Festival Singers are far and away one of the finest chamber choirs you'll hear anywhere, and when you can hear them perform the powerful music of Bach at Eastertime, all the better. They have a clarity of sound that is simply breathtaking to behold, no matter what the musical programme.
This performance will be not at their regular home in Elora at St. John's Church, but the larger St. Joseph's Church in nearby Fergus, also a lovely town to visit any time of the year. For tickets, call the box office at 519-846-0331 or go to www.elorafestival.com.
By the way, the Elora Festival announced their summer line up about a week ago, and I will be writing about that very soon as well, as it promised to be an exciting three weeks this July and August. There will even be a Last Night of the Proms concert this year, and that is just one of the highlights. More to come in this space very soon.
So there you go. No shortage of ways to ignore the lingering winter and celebrate spring with some great music and theatre not very far away.
Enjoy your weekend!
April 5th, 2014
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