Weekend events worth noting

Although the weather might make you want to stay home this weekend and get some work done in the yard, you can celebrate your fine work by spending part of the weekend celebrating the arts as well, and I have a few events this weekend to keep in mind if you are so inclined, plus one to mark on your calendar for next weekend as well.

This first weekend of June sees Essential Collective Theatre present ECT's Playwrights Weekend at the Sullivan Mahoney Court House Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.  The event, held in collaboration with the Niagara Literary Arts Festival, begins Friday evening at 8 with solo play readings by local playwright/performers in a pay-what-you-can format.

On Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4, a workshop for playwrights will be held, including a panel discussion on the strategies and challenges when writing and producing.  Panelists include noted Fringe artist T.J. Dawe, Pat the Dog Theatre Creation's Artistic Director, Lisa O'Connell and ECT's own Jason Cadieux.  This is a free event at the Sullivan Mahoney Theatre.

Saturday evening sees two events planned for the Playwrights Weekend:  from 6 to 7:30 there will be poetry readings with Chuck Grabbe, Lesley Goodyear, Kevin McCabe and Javier Arizpe Zamora; at 8 pm there will be a performance of Medicine, written and performed by T.J. Dawe.  Both these events are also at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre, with the poetry readings free to attend, and the performance of Medicine a paid admission event, with tickets available at the door.  Tickets are $ 25.00 or $ 20.00 for students and seniors.

I received a note earlier today from Margaret Gay, the Artistic Director of Gallery Players of Niagara, and they have had to move the venue for this weekend's concert from their usual home at St. Barnabas Church to Silver Spire United Church on Sunday afternoon.

The concert, featuring Beethoven and Schubert piano trios, will be presented by David Louie, Julie Baumgartel and Margaret Gay.  They performed the same concert earlier this week in Kitchener and reports are the performances were very well received.

The problem here in Niagara is a concert of piano trios requires, among other things, a piano, and the one at St. Barnabas had to be removed for some repair work and is currently out of commission.  So what to do?  Move the concert venue, that's what.

Too bad in a way, as St. Barnabas is one of the most acoustically perfect churches in the Region, and I love the cozy atmosphere there.  But it is easier to move the concert than move another piano in for the afternoon, so that is what Gallery Players has chosen to do.

They are not travelling far away, though, just over to St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines to Silver Spire United Church.  That's the former St. Paul Street United, which merged with Welland Avenue United Church a few years ago.  It also has a warm acoustic sound, plus an excellent sound system, and it is also wheelchair accessible, which is always a bonus.

I have spent many an evening at Silver Spire, both in the audience for numerous concerts, and more than once hosting the St.Catharines Idol competition there several years ago.  Other than no air conditioning, it is a nice place for a concert.

Obviously, not everyone will be aware of the venue change, so Gallery Players will have someone stationed at St. Barnabas to direct people to the new venue on Sunday afternoon, and just to be on the safe side, they will delay the concert by half an hour to 2:30 to accommodate any late-comers before the concert actually begins.

If you need more information, go to their website, www.galleryplayers.ca or call them at 905-468-1525.  You should also be able to pick up tickets at the door on Sunday afternoon, by the way.

Now, also this weekend, an event is happening in Toronto I thought you might want to know about, if perhaps you are there now or plan to visit on the weekend.  This comes by way of my artistically-inclined neighbour, Sandy Middleton, who says she will be back at the annual Riverdale Art Walk this weekend at Jimmy Simpson Park in Toronto's Leslieville/Riverdale area.  The event runs both Saturday and Sunday this weekend from 11 to 6 both days.

An art walk sounds like a great way to spend a spring afternoon in Toronto, and the Riverdale area is a part of Toronto with great history attached to it.  I remember growing up in Toronto and going to the old Riverdale Zoo years ago, in fact.

Sandy, a gifted photographer, will have some new photographic pieces on plywood and metal at the show as well as some mixed media encaustics and her Little Creatures art block series.

The Art Walk is this weekend, it's free and is open to the public, so if you have the time, it should be well worth the visit.  If you want to find out more about Sandy's creative work, go to her website at www.middletonfolio.viewbook.com.

Finally, next Friday (Friday the 13th, in fact!), the St. Catharines Chamber Music Society will be presenting a concert titled Severe Wonders at Covenant Christian Reformed Church at 278 Parnell Road in northeast St. Catharines.  The concert begins at 7:30 pm and tickets should be available at the door.  For more information go to the St. Catharines Chamber Music Society Facebook page.

Have a great weekend!

June 5th, 2014.