Category Archives: News Flash

News Flash

Rogers on Tap

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Confederation Centre of the Arts announces 2022 Symons Medallist

– The Symons Medal Lecture will be held on Thursday, October 13 –

One of Canada’s most esteemed broadcast-journalists will be awarded the 2022 Symons Medal in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island this fall.

Confederation Centre of the Arts announced that Shelagh Rogers, OC will be the twenty-second recipient of the prestigious honour. The Symons Medal recognizes an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life. Held annually, the medal ceremony and its associated lecture offer a national platform for an eminent Canadian to discuss the nation’s current state, shared histories, and prospects using themes related to their professional pursuits.

Shelagh Rogers is a veteran broadcast-journalist at CBC, most recently as the host and producer of The Next Chapter, an award-winning program devoted to writing in Canada. Over her illustrious career, she has hosted other national radio programs such as This Morning, The Arts Tonight, and Sounds Like Canada.

Rogers is a vocal advocate for mental healthcare, adult literacy, and for a reckoning with the truth of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. In 2011, she was inducted as an Honorary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a life-changing honour. In the same year, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for elevating the cause of adult literacy, fighting against the stigma of mental illness by sharing the story of her own depression, and for promoting Canadian culture. In 2016, she received the inaugural Margaret Trudeau Award for Mental Health Advocacy.

She co-edited three books in the Aboriginal Healing Foundation’s Speaking My Truth series and, in 2019, was named an inaugural Library and Archives Canada Scholar in recognition of her dedication to the promotion of the country’s literary and historical heritage. She holds eight honorary doctorates from Canadian universities and is Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Victoria. Rogers is a member of the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria.

“The selection committee enthusiastically chose to award Shelagh Rogers with the Symons Medal this year,” says Robert Sear, chair of the board of Confederation Centre of the Arts, and co-chair of the Symons Medal Committee. “She is one of the nation’s most beloved storytellers, and her advocacy work has had a monumental impact on our country.”

The Symons Medal Lecture is named after Professor Thomas H.B. Symons, the founding president of Trent University and a long-time board member and supporter of Confederation Centre of the Arts. Since 2004, the Centre has honoured 21 distinguished medallists, including the Honourable Louise Arbour, Dr. David Suzuki, the Honourable Bob Rae, and Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon.

The Symons Medal Lecture will take place at Confederation Centre of the Arts on Thursday, October 13 and will also be livestreamed. A limited number of tickets for the in-person event have been released; additional seats may become available closer to the event. Confederation Centre Members can book now, and the general public can book starting Thursday, May 19. To become a member and take advantage of priority ticket booking, visit confederationcentre.com/membership. Seats can be booked online or through the box office at 1-800-565-0278. There is no cost to attend the ceremony but donations can be made to the Symons Trust Endowment Fund of the Confederation Centre of the Arts Foundation.

Theatre PEI

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News Flash

Opening the Drawer

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Cast and Creative Team Announced for The Drawer Boy

Watermark is thrilled to announce the cast and creative team working on The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey playing at the theatre in North Rustico from August 9th to September 3rd, 2022. The production will be directed by Mary Vingoe and the actors will be Rahul Gandhi, Wally MacKinnon, and Paul Rainville. The designers for the production are Wes Babcock (set), Rebecca Miller (lights), Julia Kim (costumes), and Pat Caron (sound).

The Drawer Boy, one of the most successful plays in Canadian theatre history, depicts the story of a young actor from the big city who moves in with two farmers to gather stories about rural life. The farmers’ lives are irrevocably altered when art attempts to imitate life and the line between truth and fiction is crossed. Hilarious, surprising, and infinitely moving. Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award.

Mary Vingoe has directed at theatres across the country including Canada’s National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Alberta Theatre Projects and Neptune Theatre. Mary is the founding Artistic Director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival at Canada’s National Arts Centre in Ottawa, co-founder and past Artistic Director of Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, co-founder and past co-Artistic Director of Ship’s Co. Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia and co-founder and past Artistic Director of The Eastern Front Theatre in Halifax. In 2011, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contribution to Canadian theatre.

Rahul Gandhi is a bilingual actor, director, creator, and producer from Montreal. Though his heart lies on stage, he wears a variety of hats in and around theatre, film, television, and arts administration. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (with honors), and a Graduates Diploma in Communication studies, both from Concordia University. Notable theatre credits include: Romeo in HPC’s Romeo and Juliet, and alumni of the Black Theatre Workshop AMP ensemble. Rahul recently appeared at the Watermark in Kitbag Theatre’s production of Lungs.

Wally MacKinnon is an award-winning actor who has been performing for audiences for over 30 years, appearing in numerous theatre, film and television productions. Wally’s credits include: Village Wooing, The Importance of Being Ernest (Montgomery Theatre) Anne & Gilbert (Jubilee Theatre), The Birds & The Bees, The Drawer Boy (Victoria Playhouse) KAMP (ETF/Neptune) Flying on Her Own (Neptune), and numerous plays with Festival Antigonish, Theatre New Brunswick, Ship’s Company Theatre and The Stephenville Festival.

Paul Rainville has worked in theatres across the country. He played  King Lear at Shakespeare By The Sea; The December Man, Twelfth Night, and Adventures of a Black Girl In Search of God [National Arts Centre]; No Great Mischief, The Secret Mask, Heroes, Plan B, Pauline and Turgenev (GCTC); The Children’s Republic [Belfry Theatre]; Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile [MTC, NAC]; an adaptation of Timothy Findley’s novel Not Wanted On the Voyage [MTC, Can Stage]; Cyrano [Theatre Calgary, MTC, NAC]; Wajdi Maouwad’s Scorched [MTC, Citadel Th.]; Morris Panych’s Vigil [Prairie Theatre Exchange]; and The Price [Saidye Bronfman / Sudbury Theatre Centre].

Ticket prices range from $15 to $32 and can be purchased at ticketwizard.ca or by calling the box office at 902-963-3963.

Watermark Theatre’s Mandate
Located in North Rustico, PEI, on land that is the traditional unceded territory of the Mi’Kmaq, the Watermark Theatre is a professional theatre company that produces time-honoured plays, as well as contemporary plays that resonate with our times.
As a company we are led by the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility and commit to incorporating these core values in everything we do.
We prioritize environmental stewardship and sustainability.
The Watermark Theatre is dedicated to the development of the next generation of theatre artists and arts administrators through mentorship and professional training.
In all of our programming we strive for artistic excellence while endeavouring to inform, affect, and engage our audience and our community.

For more information please contact Lara Dias at 902-963-3963 or admin@watermarktheatre.com

Watermark Theatre
57 Church Hill Ave                
North Rustico, PE                
C0A 1X0           
(902) 963-3963
http://www.watermarktheatre.com

Theatre PEI

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News Flash

Hello to Troy

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Welcome to Troy Gallant, who has joined the Senior Management group at Confed Centre as Director of Operations! 💡🌡️🎭

A professional engineer, Gallant’s diverse career has spanned over twenty years and four provinces in the industrial, healthcare, institutional, bioscience, and consulting sectors. He started his career with PEI Energy before venturing to Western Canada for an opportunity with FVB Energy. He moved back to Atlantic Canada with Cape Breton District Health Authority, later returning to Prince Edward Island for roles at UPEI and Biovectra.

Learn more: https://confederationcentre.com/…/new-director-operations/

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News Flash

Cast and Crew Announced

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Cast and Creative Team Announced for Educating Rita

Watermark is thrilled to announce the cast and creative team working on Educating Ritaby Willy Russell playing at the theatre in North Rustico from July 12th to 30th, 2022. The production will be directed by Martha Irving, the part of Rita will be played by Naomi Ngebulana, and the role of Frank will be played by Réjean Cournoyer. The designers for the production are Wes Babcock (set), Dorrie Deutschendorf (lights), Vickie Marston (costumes), and Pat Caron (sound).

Educating Rita by Willy Russell is a warm, funny, intelligent play about relationships, connections, and freedom. The play follows Rita, a married hairstylist, who decides to go back to school to broaden her horizons. She enrolls in university and finds herself assigned to Frank, a jaded professor courting alcohol to navigate life and divorce.

The play is quite well known due to the 1983 film version starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters in which both stars earned numerous nominations and awards.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $32 and can be purchased at http://www.ticketwizard.ca or by calling the box office at 902-963-3963.

Martha Irving is an award-winning actor, director, narrator, and producer. Martha grew up on PEI, studied at LAMDA in England, and returned to the Maritimes in 1990, settling in Halifax where she co-founded LunaSea Theatre, directing, acting in, and/or producing 20 productions. On the Island, Martha has directed Fascinating Ladies for Young at Heart and Anne and Gilbert, the Musical at the Harbourfront and The Guild theatres and eventually at the National Arts Centre. Martha has been nominated for and received numerous awards, including 14 Merritt Award nominations for acting, directing and producing, most recently for Best Performance in The December Man in 2021.

Naomi Ngebulana has lived in multiple cities, in multiple countries, and is currently based out of Toronto. She got her start in community shows in Calgary, then moved to Toronto “for the culture”, eventually ending up in England, where she graduated with an MFA from the Guildford School of Acting in 2020. She has been waiting ever so patiently for theatres to re-open and is excited to make her professional debut playing the role of Rita.

Réjean Cournoyer’s selected credits include: Piaf/Dietrich (Mirvish), Evangeline, Anne of Green Gables™ (Charlottetown) Peter and the Starcatcher (WCT); A Misfortune (NSTF); The Music of Jacques Brel, A Christmas Carol, Next to Normal, The Sound of Music, Pride and Prejudice, Sweeney Todd, Beauty and the Beast (Citadel); L’Homme de la Mancha, (Unithéatre); Les Misérables, White Christmas (Artsclub); Tuesdays with Morrie, (internationally) Little Shop of Horrors, Pélagie, (CanStage/Dora Award Nomination); A Few Good Men, Oliver! (Neptune). Réjean grew up in N.S., PEI, and Québec.

Watermark Theatre’s Mandate
Located in North Rustico, PEI, on land that is the traditional unceded territory of the Mi’Kmaq, the Watermark Theatre is a professional theatre company that produces time-honoured plays, as well as contemporary plays that resonate with our times.
As a company we are led by the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility and commit to incorporating these core values in everything we do.
We prioritize environmental stewardship and sustainability.
The Watermark Theatre is dedicated to the development of the next generation of theatre artists and arts administrators through mentorship and professional training.
In all of our programming we strive for artistic excellence while endeavouring to inform, affect, and engage our audience and our community.

For more information please contact Lara Dias at 902-963-3963 or admin@watermarktheatre.com

Watermark Theatre
57 Church Hill Ave                
North Rustico, PE                
C0A 1X0           
(902) 963-3963
http://www.watermarktheatre.com

Theatre PEI

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News Flash

The Red Head is Back

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Full Cast and Creative Team Announced for Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™ at The Charlottetown Festival

After a two-year hiatus, P.E.I.’s most iconic redhead is back with a talented cast of performers from across Canada.  

Proudly sponsored by The Gray Group Real Estate & Development, The 2022 Charlottetown Festival includes seven productions across Confederation Centre of the Arts’ three venues – including Tell Tale Harbour, Betty’s Song, and Hey Viola! 

Sponsored by CAA Atlantic, this summer marks the first time Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ has been staged at the Centre since 2019 due to COVID-related challenges.  

The Centre previously announced that the titular role will be played by Kelsey Verzotti, a Calgary-born, Toronto-based performer who has entertained audiences across the country. The character’s best friend and kindred spirit, Diana Barry, will be performed by Emma Rudy, who returns after playing the titular character in the Festival’s 2019 production as well as the 2020 broadcast special Feelin’ Mighty Proud.  

The ensemble features a mixture of Festival alumni and fresh faces. Laurie Murdoch and Islander Marlane O’Brien, who were originally cast in the cancelled 2020 production, will play reluctant adopters Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, with Justin Eddy as foe turned friend Gilbert Blythe.  

Other Islanders in the cast include Cameron MacDuffee, Charlotte Moore, Kristen Pottle, and Charlottetown’s Nadia Haddad, who will make her mainstage debut after performing at the Centre’s Outdoor Amphitheatre. “I have always dreamed of being on the Centre’s mainstage,” says Haddad. “It is really special to have my debut in a show that means so much to P.E.I.”  

Ten Island youth have also been cast as the children of Avonlea: Cole Brioux, Blaire Dudley, Nathan Dudley, Paige Dudley, Katie Grandy, Brielle Hunter, Adia Laureijs, James Morum, Hanaye Ono, and Zoe White.  

Several Festival alumni are set to make their return, including Stephen Guy-McGrath, Alana Hibbert, Jacob MacInnis, Laurie Murdoch, Jamie Murray, and Nicole Norsworthy. 

Cast members making their Festival debut include Michelle Bardach, Jahlen Barnes, Alexander Batycki, Lyndsey Britten, Justin Eddy, Taran Kim, Tama Martin, Trevor Patt, Shakeil Rollock, Brian Ross, Stéphanie Visconti, Marquita Walsh, and Alison Woolridge. 

The musical will be directed by Adam Brazier, the Centre’s artistic director of performing arts. “We are so excited to bring the Island’s most beloved orphan back to the stage,” he says. “This talented ensemble will breathe new life into this classic show while honouring the cultural and historic importance of the piece.”

Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ starts previews June 18, with opening night slated for June 25. The production will run until September 3. For tickets and more information, visit confederationcentre.com or call the box office at 1-800-565-0278.  

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News Flash

Celebrating World Theatre Day

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Celebrate World Theatre Day and show your love for “Our Theatre, Your Theatre” and Make It Monthly. This March, CanadaHelps will make an extra one-time donation of $20 for every new monthly gift of $20 or more made to our charity using CanadaHelps. Its not too late, the campaign runs until March 31st. Donate Here- https://www.canadahelps.org/…/the-harbourfront-theatre/

Theatre PEI

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