It's nice to report some uplifting news in this space this weekend, rather than all the closures and such as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Oh things are still far from normal to be sure, but at least we can report on some more hopeful signs this weekend and that is nice to see. So let's get right to it.
If you are downtown this weekend you'll notice a couple of changes. First, the always-popular St. Catharines Farmers Market is still underway with restrictions of course, but now the time has been extended on Saturday mornings through to 1 pm, and more vendors have been added to the mix. For the first time since before the lockdown prepared food vendors will be allowed to join the market mix, and that will be nice to see. So if you have not already done so, why not plan to make a visit to our wonderful farmers market this morning?
Downtown streets will be an issue this weekend and many summer weekends going forward, however. Beginning yesterday afternoon and through much of the weekend St. Paul Street between William and Carlisle will be closed to vehicular traffic, in order to accommodate restaurant patios to open on the sidewalks and for the street itself to become a pedestrian walkway.
With restaurants only able to serve on patios for the time being during Stage 2 of the reopening plan from the provincial government, this really is the only fair and viable option to help our struggling restaurant scene downtown try to regain some of their lost business during the lockdown.
Even if you choose to just pick up take out it would be encouraged to help patronize our downtown eateries. To help in this regard, there are Curbside Pick Up zones on Queen Street and James Street near St. Paul. There will also be designated parking spots in the parking lot at 135 St. Paul Street, accessible via Summer Street off James. These spaces are reserved for free short-term 15-minute parking.
The two downtown parking garages will also offer free parking this weekend.
Downtown retailers are also being encouraged to set up outdoor displays for open-air shopping through the weekend, which is also a wise move as clearly the more time we remain outside during this recovery period the better. Physical distancing should be observed at all times, of course, and wear a face mask if required to do so by the business you are visiting.
The hours for the street closures this weekend are today through to 11 pm and tomorrow from 10 am to 9 pm. Assuming this continues through the summer months the street closures will also be in effect on Fridays from 3 to 11 pm.
I received an email update from the Cheng2 Duo this week, and they have three events coming up in the near future that will be of interest to classical music fans. The duo, Sylvie and Bryan, charmed local audiences at the spring recital with Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts last April (2019) in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Their spirited playing and engaging personalities were hard to resist.
Recently they have been holding livestream concerts from their New York City living room, and the latest livestream will be today. But this one will be from their home base in Canada, as this week they just played in the semi-final round of the inaugural Bader & Overton Canadian Cello Competition, live-streamed from Ottawa.
Bryan has been selected as one of the finalists now, and the virtual final round will be this afternoon with the livestream happening at 2:15 ET. You can find out how to register to view through their website at www.cheng2duo.com and catch their performances via their YouTube and Facebook channels.
Meantime the Ottawa Chamber Music Society has been offering Chamber Chats during the lockdown, hosted by Canadian broadcaster & writer Eric Friesen. In April I caught a wonderful Chamber Chat with Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt in fact.
This Thursday, July 2nd at 2 pm ET you can catch the latest episode on ZOOM as Eric talks with both members of the Cheng2 Duo.
The third event is currently available online through to July 2nd, and it is from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM). The orchestra has chosen Bryan's debut concert with the orchestra in a live performance just prior to the lockdown to be rebroadcast online. Bryan, the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 OSM competition, is performing the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the OSM with Matthias Pintscher conducting.
You can check it out via the OSM's You Tube channel and it will be available to the public through to July 2nd.
Finally, this is Pride weekend but of course everything is online this year to the pandemic, and in honour of Pride month the Brock University Human Rights & Equity Department along with various community partners will be hosting a Digital Black and Indigenous Pride Concert & Fundraising event this evening from 7 to 9:30 pm.
The aim of the concert is to celebrate Pride with Brock students and other St. Catharines community members, all the while honouring the importance of anti-racism work in the 2SLGBTQ+ movement.
Featuring a varied array of Black and Indigenous musicians, poets and artists from the local community and throughout the province, the concert hopes to put a spotlight on Black and Indigenous performers while also raising funds for various social organizations and anti-racism causes through raffle ticket sales.
You can find it online by going to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre You Tube channel.
That's it for this week. Stay safe, wash your hands and support our local businesses now and in the future!
June 27th, 2020.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Saturday, June 20, 2020
The latest updates from the local arts scene for this week
A few notes crossed my desk this week via email I'll pass along this weekend, all regarding the local arts scene...
From the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines, it was announced this week due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Celebration of Nations Indigenous Arts Gathering will be moved online this year.
The gathering, set for the weekend of September 11th to the 13th, has as its theme this year Mighty Niagara and the Great Lakes Watershed. This stems from the abundance of water in Niagara and the obvious need to practice responsible stewardship of the region's environment.
The news release, quoting Artistic Director Michele-Elise Burnett, states "attendees can still expect the same high-quality diverse programming that distinguishes Celebration of Nations as a premier Indigenous performing, visual and intellectual arts event."
The event will launch on Friday September 11th with the Celebration of Nations Outstanding Achievement Awards and many of this years' programmes will focus on this particular theme through the online platform.
New this year will be the Indigenous Niagara Living Museum Tour, a virtual tour that will guide visitors to several significant cultural and historical Indigenous locations throughout the region.
You'll be able to learn more about the annual gathering this Sunday at 4 pm for the latest episode of #NiagaraPerforms, featuring a conversation with Artistic Director Burnett, Artistic Producer Tim Johnson and a special guest performance by Canadian Mohawk Two Spirit singer/songwriter Shawnee.
You can access the #NiagaraPerforms online performances via the FirstOntario PAC Facebook and Youtube platforms.
The FirstOntario PAC also announced this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will not proceed with a traditional 2020-2021 HOT TICKET Season or Film House programming. That is a tremendous loss to the community at large but given the current climate it is perhaps the wisest decision.
However, management is currently working to find alternative ways to engage with artists, audiences and the community via the digital landscape for the time being, and then introduce in-venue programming when it is finally safe to do so.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Executive Director Colleen Smith also asked if any of their existing or community clients and partners still want to explore possibilities in or around the downtown facility, they are encouraged to reach out to the PAC team in order to find ways of bringing your recording, event or performance to life in a virtual way. She says "We are ready and waiting. We are still open for opportunity."
Last week I included in this space a couple of updates on two downtown arts organizations working hard to provide alternative ways to entertain and engage audiences during the summer months while the pandemic puts a stop to regular programming, and both have short updates to mention again this week.
The Foster Festival has extended the deadline for submissions for the first of three Normflix online sessions featuring Canadian playwright Norm Foster. Originally set to expire yesterday, the submission deadline for part one, Ask a Legend, has now been extended to tomorrow, Sunday June 21st.
You can send in your questions for Norm on video keeping one of the three themes in mind: The Early Years, Storytelling and Order out of Chaos (How COVID has changed our world).
You can send your video submission link via Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer, and email them to info@fosterfestival.com.
Finally, Suitcase in Point Theatre announced this week applications for The Nest Residency are now open. This initiative, launched in 2019, offers a new generation of theatre artists in the Niagara Region a creative home for 12 months to gain exposure, training and hands-on experience.
Through the programme artists are mentored and supported to build and develop new work, as well as learn how to hone their creative and collaborative skills.
The release this week states that while individuals are welcome to apply, "we encourage collectives, companies and collaborators to apply as a group." Residency in The Nest includes the opportunity to showcase work developed as part of the annual In The Soil Festival.
Of course, the current pandemic means access to studio, office space and public gatherings are curtailed pending restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
You can go to the Suitcase in Point website to learn more and view application details.
That's it for this week. As Niagara enters Stage 2 of reopening the economy we are taking small steps to regain a semblance of normalcy in our everyday lives. We are still a long way off to be sure, but baby steps are better than nothing at the moment, so let's stay vigilant and make the recovery stick so we can get back to normal sooner rather than later.
Have a great and safe week!
June 20th, 2020.
From the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines, it was announced this week due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Celebration of Nations Indigenous Arts Gathering will be moved online this year.
The gathering, set for the weekend of September 11th to the 13th, has as its theme this year Mighty Niagara and the Great Lakes Watershed. This stems from the abundance of water in Niagara and the obvious need to practice responsible stewardship of the region's environment.
The news release, quoting Artistic Director Michele-Elise Burnett, states "attendees can still expect the same high-quality diverse programming that distinguishes Celebration of Nations as a premier Indigenous performing, visual and intellectual arts event."
The event will launch on Friday September 11th with the Celebration of Nations Outstanding Achievement Awards and many of this years' programmes will focus on this particular theme through the online platform.
New this year will be the Indigenous Niagara Living Museum Tour, a virtual tour that will guide visitors to several significant cultural and historical Indigenous locations throughout the region.
You'll be able to learn more about the annual gathering this Sunday at 4 pm for the latest episode of #NiagaraPerforms, featuring a conversation with Artistic Director Burnett, Artistic Producer Tim Johnson and a special guest performance by Canadian Mohawk Two Spirit singer/songwriter Shawnee.
You can access the #NiagaraPerforms online performances via the FirstOntario PAC Facebook and Youtube platforms.
The FirstOntario PAC also announced this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will not proceed with a traditional 2020-2021 HOT TICKET Season or Film House programming. That is a tremendous loss to the community at large but given the current climate it is perhaps the wisest decision.
However, management is currently working to find alternative ways to engage with artists, audiences and the community via the digital landscape for the time being, and then introduce in-venue programming when it is finally safe to do so.
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Executive Director Colleen Smith also asked if any of their existing or community clients and partners still want to explore possibilities in or around the downtown facility, they are encouraged to reach out to the PAC team in order to find ways of bringing your recording, event or performance to life in a virtual way. She says "We are ready and waiting. We are still open for opportunity."
Last week I included in this space a couple of updates on two downtown arts organizations working hard to provide alternative ways to entertain and engage audiences during the summer months while the pandemic puts a stop to regular programming, and both have short updates to mention again this week.
The Foster Festival has extended the deadline for submissions for the first of three Normflix online sessions featuring Canadian playwright Norm Foster. Originally set to expire yesterday, the submission deadline for part one, Ask a Legend, has now been extended to tomorrow, Sunday June 21st.
You can send in your questions for Norm on video keeping one of the three themes in mind: The Early Years, Storytelling and Order out of Chaos (How COVID has changed our world).
You can send your video submission link via Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer, and email them to info@fosterfestival.com.
Finally, Suitcase in Point Theatre announced this week applications for The Nest Residency are now open. This initiative, launched in 2019, offers a new generation of theatre artists in the Niagara Region a creative home for 12 months to gain exposure, training and hands-on experience.
Through the programme artists are mentored and supported to build and develop new work, as well as learn how to hone their creative and collaborative skills.
The release this week states that while individuals are welcome to apply, "we encourage collectives, companies and collaborators to apply as a group." Residency in The Nest includes the opportunity to showcase work developed as part of the annual In The Soil Festival.
Of course, the current pandemic means access to studio, office space and public gatherings are curtailed pending restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
You can go to the Suitcase in Point website to learn more and view application details.
That's it for this week. As Niagara enters Stage 2 of reopening the economy we are taking small steps to regain a semblance of normalcy in our everyday lives. We are still a long way off to be sure, but baby steps are better than nothing at the moment, so let's stay vigilant and make the recovery stick so we can get back to normal sooner rather than later.
Have a great and safe week!
June 20th, 2020.
Saturday, June 13, 2020
June Updates on the local arts scene
Just a couple of updates crossed my desk by way of my inbox this week, so we'll get to those today and some other thoughts on the current state of things regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week we wrote about updates including the online edition of the In The Soil Festival and a new appointment of an old friend at The Foster Festival. Both have brief updates to offer this week as well, so let's start there.
ITS Online, or the reimagined Mult (p)Arts festival that replaced the traditional In The Soil Arts Festival for this year, is still suspended as of this writing but hopefully will be resumed at some point in the near future. The announcement from June 3rd to postpone the majority of the remaining programming came in response to the racial unrest felt not only in America but also here in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
The show of respect and support for their community of artists, audiences, colleagues and others at this difficult time is also being backed up by a pledge to offer 50% of all donations made to In the Soil to the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA) through to June 15th. So there are still a couple of days left to donate and have half the money go to NRARA.
This is an important decision on the part of organizers of In The Soil and their parent organization Suitcase in Point Theatre. At a time when arts organizations everywhere are feeling the pinch from suspended performances and no audiences they are doing their part to help others in a meaningful way.
One interesting byproduct of the online version of In The Soil is the fact people not only across Ontario but across Canada and beyond can view the work of the artists involved, rather than just those who traditionally would flood into the downtown core of St. Catharines for the on-the-street version of the Festival. The increased exposure can only help these artists at a time they need all the help they can get.
You can view all of the performances during ITS Online for free by visiting In The Soil's Youtube and Facebook channels.
Over at The Foster Festival, which of course cancelled their entire summer season at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines earlier this spring, they announced this week their new Normflix series. This is a three-part online series that will continue to deliver the humour with heart both playwright Norm Foster and The Foster Festival have, well, fostered over the past few years.
The first instalment of Normflix invites viewers and fans to ask Norm Foster a question about his writing process, his early career or even something as off the wall as what his favourite food is. Looking at Norm Foster both the playwright and the person, you're being invited to send in your questions for Norm via video submission via Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer.
The Festival asks you to keep one of these three themes in mind: The Early Years, Storytelling, and Order out of Chaos (How COVID has changed our world). With each episode of Normflix you'll be invited to watch Norm listen to your questions for the first time and answer on the spot and in the moment.
I'm not sure if Norm will be briefed on some of the questions beforehand or not, but either way knowing his comedic mind it should be a fun experience. Hopefully Norm will be comfortable being in the video hot seat during these sessions as well!
You can email your video submissions for Ask a Legend to the Festival directly at info@fosterfestival.com. The deadline for submissions is this Friday, June 19th.
These are a couple of great examples of the local arts community being incredibly resourceful in finding ways to reach out to their patrons in order to keep them engaged and in touch during a time of great upheaval in the community. There are others of course, but these two are certainly worthy of note this weekend.
In general, although things are not opening as quickly as some would like here in Niagara and the rest of the GTA, I am willing to wait it out and be ready when these areas graduate to Stage Two of the reopening process. Yes it is difficult and a hardship for many in the area, especially small business owners and especially those in the food service industry, but hopefully the second stage will begin for us sooner rather than later.
I personally will be keeping my distance as I have been all through this pandemic and only shopping when I have to, and of course patronizing our local restaurants for take out on a weekly basis as we have done from the beginning. I encourage everyone to do the same and slowly allow the recovery to take its course.
Have a great weekend and stay safe. Better days are ahead!
June 13th, 2020.
Last week we wrote about updates including the online edition of the In The Soil Festival and a new appointment of an old friend at The Foster Festival. Both have brief updates to offer this week as well, so let's start there.
ITS Online, or the reimagined Mult (p)Arts festival that replaced the traditional In The Soil Arts Festival for this year, is still suspended as of this writing but hopefully will be resumed at some point in the near future. The announcement from June 3rd to postpone the majority of the remaining programming came in response to the racial unrest felt not only in America but also here in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
The show of respect and support for their community of artists, audiences, colleagues and others at this difficult time is also being backed up by a pledge to offer 50% of all donations made to In the Soil to the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA) through to June 15th. So there are still a couple of days left to donate and have half the money go to NRARA.
This is an important decision on the part of organizers of In The Soil and their parent organization Suitcase in Point Theatre. At a time when arts organizations everywhere are feeling the pinch from suspended performances and no audiences they are doing their part to help others in a meaningful way.
One interesting byproduct of the online version of In The Soil is the fact people not only across Ontario but across Canada and beyond can view the work of the artists involved, rather than just those who traditionally would flood into the downtown core of St. Catharines for the on-the-street version of the Festival. The increased exposure can only help these artists at a time they need all the help they can get.
You can view all of the performances during ITS Online for free by visiting In The Soil's Youtube and Facebook channels.
Over at The Foster Festival, which of course cancelled their entire summer season at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines earlier this spring, they announced this week their new Normflix series. This is a three-part online series that will continue to deliver the humour with heart both playwright Norm Foster and The Foster Festival have, well, fostered over the past few years.
The first instalment of Normflix invites viewers and fans to ask Norm Foster a question about his writing process, his early career or even something as off the wall as what his favourite food is. Looking at Norm Foster both the playwright and the person, you're being invited to send in your questions for Norm via video submission via Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer.
The Festival asks you to keep one of these three themes in mind: The Early Years, Storytelling, and Order out of Chaos (How COVID has changed our world). With each episode of Normflix you'll be invited to watch Norm listen to your questions for the first time and answer on the spot and in the moment.
I'm not sure if Norm will be briefed on some of the questions beforehand or not, but either way knowing his comedic mind it should be a fun experience. Hopefully Norm will be comfortable being in the video hot seat during these sessions as well!
You can email your video submissions for Ask a Legend to the Festival directly at info@fosterfestival.com. The deadline for submissions is this Friday, June 19th.
These are a couple of great examples of the local arts community being incredibly resourceful in finding ways to reach out to their patrons in order to keep them engaged and in touch during a time of great upheaval in the community. There are others of course, but these two are certainly worthy of note this weekend.
In general, although things are not opening as quickly as some would like here in Niagara and the rest of the GTA, I am willing to wait it out and be ready when these areas graduate to Stage Two of the reopening process. Yes it is difficult and a hardship for many in the area, especially small business owners and especially those in the food service industry, but hopefully the second stage will begin for us sooner rather than later.
I personally will be keeping my distance as I have been all through this pandemic and only shopping when I have to, and of course patronizing our local restaurants for take out on a weekly basis as we have done from the beginning. I encourage everyone to do the same and slowly allow the recovery to take its course.
Have a great weekend and stay safe. Better days are ahead!
June 13th, 2020.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
News and notes to start the month of June
The month of June is not even a week old and I already have several arts-related items that have crossed my desk to share with you today. Like last week there is a mix of good and bad news, so again like last week lets go from the bad news to the good news...
The worst news of the week and for many in a very long time came earlier in the week with the news Oh Canada Eh! dinner theatre in Niagara Falls was closing for good. The dinner theatre founded by local travel agent Ross Robinson and local theatre performer Jim Cooper had been operating in the Falls since 1994, so the upcoming season would have been their 27th.
The reason for the closure? COVID-19 of course. Oh Canada Eh! thrived on the tourist trade along with a loyal local base, but with both of those drying up in March due to the pandemic it was perhaps inevitable the theatre company would have a tough go of it going forward.
With much of the tourist traffic coming during the summer months and no idea when that will return, plus the seating arrangements used in the Lundy's Lane log cabin they call home it was not going to be easy for the company to weather this latest storm.
They survived SARS and 9/11 but this pandemic has been devastating to the company. The flood of requests for refunds for cancelled performances was just too much for them, and a benefit performance they staged in May to help keep the company afloat was simply not enough. There was even a recent GoFundMe campaign to save the company, and now those funds will be returned to donors.
There will be eight full time employees affected by the closure, plus about 40 or so cast members and musicians. Almost all were local and every single one of them was extremely talented.
Oh Canada Eh! began at the now-defunct Pyramid Place and moved into the present custom-built log cabin in 1999. That building will now be put up for sale.
Will another similar dinner theatre rise from the ashes to take its place? We can only hope, as Oh Canada Eh! consistently provided exceptional quality for the money year in and year out. The precedent will be hard to match but the present management team is not ruling it out.
Thanks for the memories, Oh Canada Eh!, and know you will be missed.
In other news, the popular local In The Soil arts festival has shelved even their online programs for the time being. The traditional festival was to be held this weekend throughout the downtown core and that had to be changed to accommodate the pandemic closures, so a summer-long online festival was devised and launched in May to replace it.
But in a statement released this week by Suitcase in Point Artistic Director Deanna Jones, they decided to pause the festival for now in light of the current racial unrest going on across North America right now. Jones wrote: "We can't justify moving along, business as usual, while acknowledging what is happening in city after city."
The statement adds: "We stand in solidarity with all black creatives, artists and people in our community and beyond." As a show of support they have decided to donate 50% of all contributions received through the online festival to the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association.
The company will also be participating in a peaceful demonstration being organized for later today in Niagara Falls.
When the online festival is back up and running again I'll update you on the details in this space of course.
Meantime The Norm Foster Theatre Festival, operating at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre downtown during the summer months, made a happier announcement this week. Of course, they had to cancel the entire summer season for this year earlier due to the current pandemic. But a familiar face is returning to the Festival to help guide the company through the effects of COVID-19.
The board of directors announced the return of founder Emily Oriold as incoming Artistic Producer for the Foster Festival. Emily was Founding Executive Director for four years after the Festival began in 2015.
Emily, an actor in her own right, was part of the World Premiere cast of Alison Lawrence's Too Close to Home at Theatre Orangeville this past March until it, too, closed due to COVID-19.
Oriold will play a critical role in the coming months working alongside well-known Arts Management Consultant Candace Turner-Smith.
Welcome back, Emily Oriold!
And finally this week, The Elora Festival announced the release of the new CD by The Elora Singers, This Love Between Us, which launched officially yesterday. It will be an unorthodox launch of course due to COVID, but excerpts from the recording will be presented for one week now on the Singers' YouTube channel. There you'll also find interviews with the two featured composers on the disc along with the Festival's Artistic Director.
The new disc is available on Spotify and iTunes and a CD copy can be ordered directly from the group by sending a request via email at info@elorasingers.ca. They are also shipping free in the month of June, by the way.
I'll try to get a copy of the new disc myself to help support the Singers and Festival and write about it here in the near future.
That's it for this week; have a good week, keep well and do the best you can to make your community a better place in which to live.
Take care!
June 6th, 2020.
The worst news of the week and for many in a very long time came earlier in the week with the news Oh Canada Eh! dinner theatre in Niagara Falls was closing for good. The dinner theatre founded by local travel agent Ross Robinson and local theatre performer Jim Cooper had been operating in the Falls since 1994, so the upcoming season would have been their 27th.
The reason for the closure? COVID-19 of course. Oh Canada Eh! thrived on the tourist trade along with a loyal local base, but with both of those drying up in March due to the pandemic it was perhaps inevitable the theatre company would have a tough go of it going forward.
With much of the tourist traffic coming during the summer months and no idea when that will return, plus the seating arrangements used in the Lundy's Lane log cabin they call home it was not going to be easy for the company to weather this latest storm.
They survived SARS and 9/11 but this pandemic has been devastating to the company. The flood of requests for refunds for cancelled performances was just too much for them, and a benefit performance they staged in May to help keep the company afloat was simply not enough. There was even a recent GoFundMe campaign to save the company, and now those funds will be returned to donors.
There will be eight full time employees affected by the closure, plus about 40 or so cast members and musicians. Almost all were local and every single one of them was extremely talented.
Oh Canada Eh! began at the now-defunct Pyramid Place and moved into the present custom-built log cabin in 1999. That building will now be put up for sale.
Will another similar dinner theatre rise from the ashes to take its place? We can only hope, as Oh Canada Eh! consistently provided exceptional quality for the money year in and year out. The precedent will be hard to match but the present management team is not ruling it out.
Thanks for the memories, Oh Canada Eh!, and know you will be missed.
In other news, the popular local In The Soil arts festival has shelved even their online programs for the time being. The traditional festival was to be held this weekend throughout the downtown core and that had to be changed to accommodate the pandemic closures, so a summer-long online festival was devised and launched in May to replace it.
But in a statement released this week by Suitcase in Point Artistic Director Deanna Jones, they decided to pause the festival for now in light of the current racial unrest going on across North America right now. Jones wrote: "We can't justify moving along, business as usual, while acknowledging what is happening in city after city."
The statement adds: "We stand in solidarity with all black creatives, artists and people in our community and beyond." As a show of support they have decided to donate 50% of all contributions received through the online festival to the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association.
The company will also be participating in a peaceful demonstration being organized for later today in Niagara Falls.
When the online festival is back up and running again I'll update you on the details in this space of course.
Meantime The Norm Foster Theatre Festival, operating at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre downtown during the summer months, made a happier announcement this week. Of course, they had to cancel the entire summer season for this year earlier due to the current pandemic. But a familiar face is returning to the Festival to help guide the company through the effects of COVID-19.
The board of directors announced the return of founder Emily Oriold as incoming Artistic Producer for the Foster Festival. Emily was Founding Executive Director for four years after the Festival began in 2015.
Emily, an actor in her own right, was part of the World Premiere cast of Alison Lawrence's Too Close to Home at Theatre Orangeville this past March until it, too, closed due to COVID-19.
Oriold will play a critical role in the coming months working alongside well-known Arts Management Consultant Candace Turner-Smith.
Welcome back, Emily Oriold!
And finally this week, The Elora Festival announced the release of the new CD by The Elora Singers, This Love Between Us, which launched officially yesterday. It will be an unorthodox launch of course due to COVID, but excerpts from the recording will be presented for one week now on the Singers' YouTube channel. There you'll also find interviews with the two featured composers on the disc along with the Festival's Artistic Director.
The new disc is available on Spotify and iTunes and a CD copy can be ordered directly from the group by sending a request via email at info@elorasingers.ca. They are also shipping free in the month of June, by the way.
I'll try to get a copy of the new disc myself to help support the Singers and Festival and write about it here in the near future.
That's it for this week; have a good week, keep well and do the best you can to make your community a better place in which to live.
Take care!
June 6th, 2020.
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