Tag Archives: Emily Smith

News Flash

Victoria Playhouse Cancels 2020 Summer Season

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Dear Friends,
I’m very sorry to announce that, bearing in mind the recommendations of our Chief Public Health Officers, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 Festival Season.
This would have been our 39th season of professional theatre and we were gearing up for an exciting summer, including the Maritime debut for Fredericton-based playwright John Spurway and our first rep season since the ’80s! But the health and safety of our staff, audience members, and community must be our priority at this time. We look forward to returning to the stage in 2021 with all the laughs, the tears, and the beautiful interplay of audience and actors that you’ve come to know and love at Victoria Playhouse.
We know that many people are feeling the strain of reduced incomes, but if you feel able to do so, we would be so very grateful for your support to help the theatre survive this crisis. Donations are eligible for tax deductible receipts and donors have many options for giving, including one-time or monthly donations through CanadaHelps.
If you would like to help support Victoria Playhouse through this challenging time, but would prefer to donate in a different way, please call us at 1-800-925-2025.
Together, we will weather this storm.
Sincerely,
Emily Smith, Executive Director

PEI Professional Theatre Network

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PEI Theatre is the Guild, Harbourfront Theatre,
Confederation Centre for the Arts,
Watermark Theatre, and the Victoria Playhouse
On Stage

Two Tonics This Summer

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Victoria Playhouse Announces 2020 Season

The Victoria Playhouse has announced its 39th season featuring two contemporary comedies and a change in format. The Victoria Playhouse Festival 2020 will be presented in the repertory   style, meaning the two plays will run on an alternating schedule all summer. Emily Smith, Executive Director of the Victoria Playhouse, commented on the change of scheduling from previous years. “Under this new format, Islanders will have more options to choose from each week and more time during our busy PEI summer to see everything they want to see at the Playhouse.”

Off the Grid by Fredericton playwright John Spurway and Popcorn Falls by James Hindman will play June 25 to September 6.  Off the Grid tells the story of Marty and Leonard who have agreed to spend a week in a secluded off-the-grid cabin while Marty writes an article on self-sufficient living. After meeting Lowell, their reclusive neighbor, Leonard begins to suspect he might be hiding something. But Lowell is not the only one keeping secrets! The Wellington Advertiser called the 2019 world premiere of Off the Grid a “compelling and heartfelt tale” and “laugh-out-loud funny”.  The Victoria Playhouse production will be the Maritime premiere of this new play.

Popcorn Falls features one small town, two medium-sized actors and twenty-one over-the-top characters. Down on its luck, Popcorn Falls has lost its namesake and could be turned into a sewage treatment plant by its bully neighbor. The residents’ last chance to save the town is a large grant that can only be used if they produce a play… in one week. Led by the Mayor and the local handyman, the enterprising townsfolk try to rise to the challenge. The New York Stage Review wrote that Popcorn Falls is “a perfect tonic to restore faith in humanity” and Broadway Radio said, “I haven’t heard laughter quite this hard in a long, long time!”.

In addition to Off the Grid and Popcorn Falls, the Playhouse will once again be presenting its popular Monday Night Concert Series featuring Canadian and international artists, as well as September programming. For more information, visit victoriaplayhouse.com.

PEI Professional Theatre Network

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PEI Theatre is the Guild, Harbourfront Theatre,
Confederation Centre for the Arts,
Watermark Theatre, and the Victoria Playhouse
News Flash

New GM and Exec Take the Helm

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Executive Director and General Manager Named at Victoria Playhouse

The Board of Directors of the Victoria Playhouse is excited to announce that Emily Smith has been hired as the Executive Director and Susan Williams Bulman will assume the role of General Manager. Founding General Manager Pat Stunden Smith retired at the end of January but will continue to work on special project initiatives on an ad hoc basis. “I am confident the new management team has the skills and vision to carry on the valuable work of Prince Edward Island’s longest Running Little Theatre. Emily and Susan understand and value our place within the Island community and will bring a fresh energy moving forward,” commented Smith.

Emily Smith brings both experience and a diverse background to the newly formed role of Executive Director. The daughter of Founding Artistic Director Erskine Smith and Pat Stunden Smith, Emily spent many of her formative years onstage as part of the Victoria Playhouse Drama Club. After graduating from UPEI with a BA she moved to Montreal where she obtained her MA in Literature from Concordia University. While in Montreal, she worked with McGill University in the Department of Development and Alumni Relations.  After returning to the Island in 2009, she joined the team in the Holland College Advancement Office.  She has been in a mentorship role preparing for this transition for the past three years. “The Playhouse has been a part of my life since I was a child. It’s a place that I, like many others, have a deep connection with and it’s both exciting and a little scary to be at the helm.”

Susan Williams Bulman has worked with the Playhouse for the past 27 years as the Assistant Administrator and bookkeeper. She earned a Business Administration degree from UPEI and also runs her own bookkeeping business. Susan is the volunteer treasurer for South Shore Health & Wellness Inc. and has worked as the CAO for the Municipalities of Crapaud and Victoria. Susan reflected on her role at the Playhouse “I am very lucky. I love my job and the people I work with.”

PEI Professional Theatre Network

28660348_162333201093170_735205771249634989_n

PEI Theatre is the Guild, Harbourfront Theatre,
Confederation Centre for the Arts,
Watermark Theatre, and Victoria Playhouse
News Flash

Victoria Playhouse Wins Premier’s Award

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We are honoured to be the recipients of the 2017 Premier’s Award for Tourism which was presented at the TIAPEI Gala Awards Dinner.

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From left to right: Emily Smith, Assistant Manager, Pat Stunden Smith, General Manager and Susan Williams Bulman, Administrative Officer.