Monthly Archives: April 2018

State of the Art

There’s No Time Like Now Time

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The artwork of more than 30 Seniors College students will be showcased at The Guild, from May 2nd to 13th, with the opening reception on Wednesday, May 2nd from 7-9pm. There will be refreshments and everyone is welcome!
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This is the sixth year for this group show, with some old favorites exhibiting and lots of new faces as well. The participants say they are at “a time in their lives” when work and family commitments are reduced. They are thrilled to have the time to put into making art! The show will feature works from all the art classes including watercolor, acrylic, pastel, drawings, and multimedia.

The Seniors College is open to anyone over 50 and is a great opportunity to learn something new in a wide variety of topics. The camaraderie among the students adds a lot to the enjoyment!

The exhibit will be open for viewing to the public between Gallery hours.

A full list of Seniors College courses, schedules, and descriptions are available at http://www.seniorscollege.ca

Performance Art

Catch Me If You Can

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SUNDAY MAY 6, 7:00 PM | DIMANCHE LE 6 MAI, 19h00

Harbourfront Theatre
REGULAR: $37.00
SENIORS: $32.00
STUDENTS(18 and under): $19.00
Tax & Fees Included in All Prices

Created by six alumni of Quebec City Circus School in 2011, Flip FabriQue adopts a creative and collaborative approach to highlight each performer’s strengths, and create pure magic on stage. Their astonishing, lively show Catch Me will leave you smiling from ear to ear. This cirque show incorporates acrobatics, hula hoops, trampolines and lots of humour, creating a spellbinding, crowd-pleasing and incredibly fun performance.

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La compagnie fut créée en 2011 par des finissants de l’école de Cirque de Québec. La compagnie adopte une approche de création collaborative développée entièrement par ses artistes et leur metteur en scène. Cette approche a pour but de mettre en lumière toutes les forces et les qualités propres à chaque artiste – ce qui crée une ambiance réellement magique sur scène. Acrobaties, jonglerie, hula hoop, voltige aérienne, trampoline et autres fantaisies sont au programme. « À travers une panoplie de disciplines, on va essayer de donner du bonheur », a commenté Bruno Gagnon, qui est également directeur général et directeur artistique du collectif. Il est possible d’en savoir davantage en visitant le http://www.flipfabrique.com.

On Stage

Never Give a Sword to a Man Who Can’t Dance

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Dancing Lessons

by Mark St. Germain
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Make plans to see the Canadian premiere of Mark St. Germain’s hit comedy Dancing Lessons at Victoria Playhouse this summer! 
Starring Melissa Kramer and Jeff Schissler, Dancing Lessons is a touching and entertaining romantic comedy that shoots straight for the heart.
Preview performances June 22nd and 23rd
Opening Night June 24th
On stage until July 29th
News Flash

Calling All Cast Members

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Final Casting Announced For Watermark Summer Season

Watermark’s 2018 acting company is a great mix of professional actors from PEI, actors with family and professional history on the Island, and actors from across the country. Joining already announced acting company members Brielle Ansems and Robert Tsonos will be husband and wife acting team Geoffrey Pounsett and Madeleine Donohue, Paul Cowling, Richard Beaune, and local actor Jacob Hemphill.

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A twenty-year veteran of Canadian theatre, Toronto based actor Geoffrey Pounsett has performed in theatres across the country, has been a company member with both the Stratford and Charlottetown Festivals (“Fire” in 2002), and has appeared in several productions for Canadian Stage, Factory and Tarragon Theatres in Toronto.

Madeleine Donahue appeared in “Midnight Madness” and “Old Wives’ Tales” at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre, preceded by “Deceitful Above All Things” for the Storefront Theatre in Toronto. Other recent work includes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the Humber River Shakespeare Company, and five seasons with Driftwood Theatre Group.

This will be actor Paul Cowling’s first time visiting PEI, but he has some history on the Island – his mother’s family settled in Hunter River when they emigrated from Scotland many years ago. Paul has appeared on stage throughout Western Canada in such shows as “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight”, “9 to 5 The Musical”, “Hamlet”, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”, and many others.

Richard Beaune returns to the Watermark after appearing as Friar Laurence in the company’s 2015 production of “Romeo & Juliet”. He has performed in every province and territory across Canada in both official languages over a 30 year career. His work has ranged from Shakespeare (30 professional productions and counting) to new works of physical theatre and all stops in between.

Local PEI actor Jacob Hemphill is in his 3rd year of studying Theatre and Opera Performance at Dalhousie University, in Halifax. His acting credits include “The Sound of Music”, “Peter Pan”, “The Wizard of Oz” (Confederation Centre); “My Fair Lady” (The Grand Theatre); and “The Magic Flute” (Dalhousie Arts Centre).

All of these fine actors will be appearing in “Dial M For Murder” by Frederick Knott and “A Moon For The Misbegotten” by Eugene O’Neill throughout the summer months as well as taking part in the Watermark Play Reading series and most will teach acting classes in the company’s Teenage Acting Conservatory.
A busy summer for all!

Dial M For Murder runs from June 26th to September 1st
A Moon for the Misbegotten runs from July 6th to August 31st
The Play Reading Series is on August 4th, 15th, and 22nd
The Teenage Acting Conservatory is from July 23rd to Aug 3rd

For more information, or to set up an interview with any of the actors please contact Andrea Surich at 902-963-3963 or generalmanager@watermarktheatre.com

Music

Coming Back to Life

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 7:00 PM

Harbourfront Theatre
Premium seating (Rows A – G): $49.00
Regular seating (Rows H – T): $45.00
tax & fees included

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Legends On Tour brings you some of the world’s most exciting performers live on stage. Accompanied by the “Rockin’ Royals Band”, this show will feature the most incredible tributes to Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Tom Jones, and Elvis Presley.

Performing as Roy Orbison, Jesse Aron, who hails from the state of Wisconsin, is recognized as one of USA’s top Roy Orbison tribute performers. With his effortless voice and uncanny resemblance to Orbison, his portrayal to ‘The Big O’ will leave you mesmerized. Jesse will take you back in time with such hits as ‘Crying’, ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Only the Lonely’, ‘Running Scared’, and many more of your favourites.

With such hits as ‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘What’s New Pussycat’, and ’Delilah’, Lou Nelson from Ottawa, Ontario is bringing his exciting tribute to the one and only Sir Tom Jones. Nelson’s tribute to the music icon is much more than a look-alike; his attention to detail is unmatched. The mannerisms, the accent, the antics, and especially his powerful voice, are all synonymous with Tom Jones.

Canada’s tribute queen Amberley Beatty returns to the stage with an incredible performance paying tribute to American pop singing icon, Connie Francis. Idolized by millions of fans around the world, Francis was best known for her hits such as ’Where the Boys Are’, ‘Who’s Sorry Now’, ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’, ‘Stupid Cupid’, and ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’.

Pete Paquette is a world-class Elvis tribute artist who is in great demand and is highly regarded as one of the top Elvis performers in the business today. Known for captivating his audiences through his incredible voice, high energy, charisma, and playful spontaneity with his audiences, this multi-award winning performer will leave you wanting more.

News Flash

One-Man Shows On Slate

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Festival casting and location announced for one-person shows

Casting has been announced for Ghost Light and Metis Mutt at The Charlottetown Festival. These one-person shows will be presented in a new space in the Confederation Court Mall from June to September.

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Ghost Light opens first on June 28 and plays until July 20. Written and performed by renowned New Brunswick actor Shawn Wright, Ghost Light tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of his relationship with his late mother, and how she inspired his passion for theatre and his love of life. This production is in association with Theatre New Brunswick.

“As a highly dramatic and hilarious Maritime girl, my mother idolized the character of Anne Shirley,” says Wright. “I am profoundly touched that after her death, the renowned Charlottetown Festival has chosen to tell her story alongside her beloved Anne’s. I can barely think of that without choking up.”

Opening later in the summer is Metis Mutt on August 14 and plays until September 1. Sheldon Elter’s one-person show dynamically shifts between storytelling, stand-up comedy, and multi-character vignettes. This personal tale unfolds to expose the impact of family dysfunction, internalized racism, and the significance of embracing life’s choices.

For tickets visit:

https://boxoffice.confederationcentre.com/online/GhostLight

https://boxoffice.confederationcentre.com/online/MetisMutt

Special thanks are extended to the Government of Canada for their support of Confederation Centre; to The Charlottetown Festival title sponsor, CIBC and Location Sponsor, Confederation Court Mall.  Appreciation is extended to media sponsors Ocean 100, Hot 105.5, CTV, and The Guardian.

Music

Crowe and Church Come to the Victoria

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A stellar presence in the Canadian music scene, Cindy Church has crafted a body of work that is at once artistically successful and culturally significant, sought after by fellow performers and treasured by listeners. Now living in Halifax and originally from Bible Hill NS. Cindy spent her formative musical years in western Canada, making her first recordings with the Great Western Orchestra, touring and recording with Ian Tyson and embarking on a solo career. Her friendship with Sylvia Tyson helped lead to the formation of Quartette with Tyson, Caitlin Hanford, the late Colleen Peterson and later Gwen Swick. Currently, she is touring with “Lunch at Allen’s”, a collaborative venture with Murray McLauchlin, Ian Thomas and Marc Jordan.

 

Often described as a “writer’s writer”, Susan Crowe is one of Canada’s most respected singer songwriters in the folk genre. At once complex, challenging and accessible, Susan’s intelligent and moving songs have captivated audiences and reviewers from coast to coast, continent to continent. She possesses, in the words of Britain’s Folk Roots magazine, “that rare ability of crafting a lyric that bears scrutiny on its own terms.” That rare ability has earned her two Juno nominations and in 2009 the Canadian Folk Music Award for Best English Songwriter.

 

Cindy Church and Susan Crowe appear at the Victoria Playhouse on July 9th.

Reviews

The Buzz By Brazier

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 “What’s the buzz, tell me what’s happenin”… iconic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar opens June 7 at The 2018 Charlottetown Festival.

If you are one of the thousands of long-time fans of the musical, you will be interested in hearing more about the back-story of the origins and shaping of the ground-breaking production. If you didn’t live through the 70s belting out the soundtrack, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear more about this timeless, universal story with a modern twist that explores the last week of Jesus’ life as seen through the troubled eyes of Judas Iscariot.  

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Please join The Charlottetown Festival’s Artistic Director, Adam Brazier, on April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Confederation Centre Library for “Director’s Cut – Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Adam will discuss the production’s history, rich themes, and the challenges he faced adapting Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical for the Homburg stage.

Admission is free. Please RSVP by emailing Kara Hughes at khughes@confederationcentre.com.