News and notes on the arts in Niagara

I have been falling behind a little bit lately on my arts reporting duties and I apologize for that, but the reasons will become clear in a posting later this month as I recount my busy schedule the last couple of months and why.  But for now, a quick round up of things that caught my attention lately.

First, to no-one's surprise, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects announced last month they were leaving the Seneca Theatre in downtown Niagara Falls, unable to make a go of it as permanent tenants at the facility.  In spite of strong productions and even a world premiere of The Ravine in March and April, audiences did not materialize.  Sad, but making a go of it in downtown Niagara Falls is proving to be a challenge even with the support of so many people who want to bring the downtown core back to their glory days of years ago.

I don't know if that will ever happen, but for now at least, the old Seneca will sit empty, again.  Now, Lyndesfarne will still use the space for their productions, renting the space on an as-needed basis, which seems to me to be the best option for them at the moment.  Artistic Director Kelly Daniels has done everything she can to keep the company going the last two years in the downtown space, but the results are just not there.

I have said this before and I will say it again:  Lyndesfarne Theatre Company is one of the best local theatre companies in Niagara and deserves your support, but they can't perform in an empty space night after night.  What's with it with downtown Niagara Falls, anyway?  You have to wonder...

Second item.  While LTP flounders in downtown Niagara Falls, this weekend the curtain went up on the 53rd season of theatre at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake Friday evening with a performance of Shaw's Arms and the Man, directed by Morris Panych, at the Royal George Theatre.  Openings continued throughout the weekend with a double-bill on Saturday, with The Charity that Began at Home: A Comedy for Philanthropists,  directed by Christopher Newton at the Court House Theatre in the afternoon and Peter Hinton's new take on the musical Cabaret at the Festival Theatre Saturday night.

What's interesting this year is they have returned to opening the season with a Shaw play, and the opening night is at the smaller Royal George Theatre, saving the Festival Theatre opening until Saturday night.  But Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell is not above taking risks and trying new things, so we'll see how the openings play out after the weekend is done.

For my part, I will be reporting in this space on a reduced schedule this summer, with sincere thanks to the Shaw Festival for extending the invitation again this year in spite of my career change since last season.

Over at the Stratford Festival, incidentally, their new season is about to get underway, and I have yet to hear back from them if I will be doing any arts reporting from there this summer, but I remain hopeful.  I'll keep you posted.

This week, there was another significant funding announcement for the new Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines as well.  The Cairns family of Niagara, who helped fund the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Complex at Brock University in 2010 to the tune of $ 10-million, have announced they are donating half a million dollars to the new downtown arts venue.  The announcement, at a Wednesday event in the downtown Market Square, means the Cairns family will receive naming rights for the 300-seat recital hall designed for musical performances by the local arts community.

The Cairns family has always supported the arts in Niagara and many other worthwhile causes as well, so this seems a logical progression for them.  It takes us one step closer to achieving the fundraising goal of $ 5 million in community donations towards the new Performing Arts Centre.  It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015 and you can just feel the excitement as the date draws near.

Thanks to the entire Cairns family for this donation, and to all who have or will decide to make a donation to help pay for the new facility, be the donation large or small.

Finally, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, who performed at the event on Wednesday at Market Square and who will be the main tenants at the new Partridge Hall in the centre, give their final performance this season at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre at the Centre for the Arts, Brock University this afternoon at 2:30 pm.  The final Masterworks concert of the current season, conducted by Bradley Thachuk, is titled Epically Romantic, and will be a splendid way to spend part of your Mother's Day afternoon.

The concert features the Overture to Mozart's opera Cosi fan tutte; the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Peter Longworth, and the Beethoven Seventh Symphony, long one of my favourite symphonies by Beethoven.  Once again before, after and at intermission, I will have a table set up in the lobby with lots of great music available for purchase, including box sets of the complete Beethoven symphonies at a great price, so be sure to stop by and say hello if you are at the concert today.

Tickets are still available through the Brock box office by calling 905-688-5550, ext. 3257, or pick them up at the door prior to the concert this afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day!

May 11th, 2014.