Public Reading – The Conversation – March 30th, 7:30PM
Join us for a public reading of The Conversation by Marlene Campbell, the winner of our PEI Playwriting Competition. With actors Sharlene Maclean and Melissa Mullen. Directed by Robert Tsonos. A reading of a play is exactly as it sounds, actors sitting with scripts in hand give a reading of the play. At Watermark Theatre, 57 Church Hill Ave., North Rustico.
Free of charge. No tickets necessary.
Theatre PEI
Watermark Theatre’s 2021 Summer Season Announced!
Watermark Theatre’s Artistic Director Robert Tsonos is thrilled to announce the 2021 Summer Season. “We are very excited to be able to produce theatre again after having to cancel last summer’s season”, says Tsonos, “we are anxious to get back to work and start entertaining our Island audiences once again.”
The season will launch with an outdoor performance of Mi’kmaq Legends performed by the Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors. The two plays in the season will be the bittersweet comedy The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn and the lighthearted but powerful Cottagers and Indiansby Drew Hayden Taylor. The Watermark Music Series returns once again to delight audiences with local artists interpreting classic songwriters.
Drama, storytelling, music, dance and the visual arts combine to create Mi’kmaq Legends, an “electrifying” experience that brings authentic Mi’kmaq lore to life onstage. This free performance will be held outside our theatre on July 10th at 1PM (Rain day July 11th,).
The Gin Game, winner of the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which originally starred Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, uses a card game as a metaphor for life. Weller Martin is playing solitaire on the porch of a seedy nursing home. Enter Fonsia Dorsey, a prim, self-righteous lady. They discover they both dislike the home and enjoy gin rummy, so they begin to play and to reveal intimate details of their lives. The Gin Game will be performed from July 13th to 31st.
Drew Hayden Taylor is one of Canada’s leading Native writers and humorists. His unique style of Native commentary and storytelling has struck a chord with audiences not only at home but abroad, leading to his considerable success as playwright, author and screenwriter. Taylor’s plays have garnered numerous awards, including being a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Drama for his play In A World Created by A Drunken God. His plays have been produced throughout Canada and the U.S.
In Cottagers and Indians, wild rice sparks a battle royal between a native farmer and a white cottager, whose increasingly bitter dispute becomes a microcosm for reconciliation. Told with warmth and humour, and encompassing issues of community, respect and ownership, Cottagers and Indians is a tale for our times. Cottagers and Indians will be performed from August 10th to 28th.
After the Watermark performances of Cottagers and Indians are completed in North Rustico, the production will tour to Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia for performances Sept 2nd to 5th.
The Watermark Music Series returns, curated once again by Rob Oakie. As always, Island musical artists interpret classic composers in a way that you have never heard before. The dates are:
Sunday July 25th at 7:30pm – The Music of John Prine
Featuring songs from the catalogue of a great American songwriter.
Sunday Aug 8th at 7:30pm – Songs For A Small Planet
Featuring music and words to inspire a brighter future.
Sunday Aug 22nd at 7:30pm – Swing Time USA
Featuring jazz and swing of the 30s and 40s. The music of Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Billie Holiday and more.
All Covid-19 provincial rules and regulations will be in place, including physical distancing, mask wearing, hand sanitizing, etc.
Tickets are now on sale at http://www.ticketwizard.ca
Or call 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 Beth Elliot 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
Artistic Director Robert Tsonos has launched a new vision for Watermark Theatre, changing the mandate of the company to reflect the times in which we live. The company, located in North Rustico, has produced classic and modern classic plays since it’s inception 13 years ago. Mr. Tsonos has decided to now include contemporary plays in his programming to better reflect where we are as Canadians in 2021. “We must open up the mandate to include diverse voices”, explains Tsonos, “In light of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, it now feels long overdue. Classic and modern classic plays are almost entirely written by white men, about white people, living in white societies. A narrow viewpoint that is not inclusive and not always reflective of our society in 2021.”
The company will continue to produce, what Tsonos now calls “time-honoured” plays, realizing that there is still an appetite and a need for plays that remain relevant and continue to explore the human condition. “But we must also produce plays written by playwrights that are Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour (IBPoC), from the LGBTQ2+ community, people with disabilities, and more plays written by women. It’s just time,” says Tsonos.
The theatre has also started to take action to improve their environmental footprint by completing a sustainability project on their building in North Rustico. The company will also look at how they design, build, and dispose of set, prop, and costume pieces making sure they are being as environmentally responsible as possible.
Another change, is that all public bathrooms in the building will now be gender neutral, a further step in becoming as inclusive and welcoming to everyone as possible.
The Chair of Watermark’s Board Rodney Payne adds, “The Board of Directors is thrilled with the change in focus in our mandate and the new initiatives we are undertaking. In a time of renewal, for the theatre and for the community at large, we feel that the theatre is well positioned going forward.”
The theatre will announce their summer season plans in early March and the new mandate will be reflected in their new programming choices. A new vision, a new and improved theatre, and a new openness to diversity and inclusion are certainly something to celebrate in these difficult times.
Theatre PEI
Dear Watermark Theatre Patrons and Supporters,
This past year has been transformational. I do not believe any of us can look at our lives, our communities, or the world the same way we did prior to March 2020. The financial hardship, emotional turmoil, and collective stress endured during this past year have been tremendous. There has also been an enormous amount of change for the good. People have reevaluated their lives, made significant changes for the better, and prioritized family, health, and their own mental wellbeing. We have also seen incredible calls for social justice and now look at diversity, equality, and our own behaviours and beliefs in a new light.
Theatres across the country have used this time to reevaluate what it means to create art, whose stories should be told on our stages, and what role theatre plays in our society. We have had time during this pandemic to look inward and think about why we do what we do.
Since its inception 13 years ago, Watermark Theatre, and under its previous name The Montgomery Theatre, has produced classic and modern classic plays. There have been a few exceptions, (The Canada 300 Project, What to Wear to the Birth of a Nation) but the company originally produced plays written during the lifetime of L.M. Montgomery (1874 to 1942), and more recently, plays written more than 50 years ago.
Given the time to reflect during this pandemic, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, and my own conscience, I have decided with the full support of our Board of Directors to open the theatre’s mandate to include contemporary plays reflecting the times in which we live. I do not make this change lightly, knowing that the founders of the theatre created a classical theatre company in a rural setting believing that was what the Island needed at the time.
But times change and we must adapt and grow. Classic and modern classic plays are almost entirely written by white men, about white people, living in white societies. A narrow viewpoint that is not inclusive and not always reflective of our society in 2021.
In addition to contemporary plays, I will continue to produce what I am now calling “time-honoured” plays – those that remain relevant and reflect who we are as Canadians. There are beautifully written plays that continue to explore the human condition, remind us where we have been, and shed light on our own lives.
We have also made other changes to our theatre to modernize our building and to be more inclusive.
With the help of Rural Development PEI and Heritage Canada we have recently completed a large sustainability project updating our theatre lighting instruments to more energy efficient units, insulating and fortifying parts of our building, and installing a heat pump in our office and box office area. We will also start looking at how we design, build, and dispose of set, prop, and costume pieces to make sure we are being as environmentally responsible as possible.
Another change, is that all public bathrooms in our building will now be gender neutral, a further step in our goal to becoming as inclusive and welcoming to everyone as possible.
With all that being said, I now present to you the new mandate of the Watermark Theatre:
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.
Our 2021 summer season will be announced in early March and you will see some of these changes clearly reflected in my programming choices.
I look forward to seeing you all this summer at the new and improved Watermark Theatre.
Until then, be well and stay safe.
Robert Tsonos
Artistic Director
Theatre PEI
Theatre PEI
General Manager Andrea Surich to leave Watermark
It is with both great appreciation and regret that Watermark Theatre announces the departure of General Manager Andrea Surich. Andrea will be stepping down from her position at Watermark to assume the role of General Manager of Theatre at The Charlottetown Festival at Confederation Centre of the Arts. Effective immediately, Andrea will be sharing her time between the two organizations for the next few months, facilitating a smooth transition for both.
Andrea joined Artistic Director Robert Tsonos in the leadership of Watermark Theatre in 2015. Since then, the company has experienced exponential growth at the box office, launched a hugely successful Mentorship Program, and placed the theatre on solid footing for years to come, while delivering theatre productions every summer to great critical and audience acclaim.
“Andrea has had an incredible impact on our company and is a major reason why the theatre is in such great shape, both artistically and financially”, explains Robert, “her hard work, dedication, and infectious enthusiasm has immeasurably shaped this theatre. We are going to miss her immensely but also wish her well in her new position”.
Watermark Theatre Board Chair Rodney Payne added, “It would be difficult to overstate how important Andrea has been to the Watermark Theatre. Her engagement and commitment over the past five years is greatly appreciated and she will be sorely missed.”
Watermark Theatre’s Board of Directors, artists, staff, and volunteers extend their deepest gratitude to Andrea for her leadership and service to the company and wish her all the best as she embarks on a new stage of her career.
For more information or interview requests please contact:
Robert Tsonos, Artistic Director
artisticdirector@watermarktheatre.com
or at 902-963-3963
Watermark Theatre
57 Church Hill Ave
North Rustico, PE
C0A 1X0
http://www.watermarktheatre.com
PEI Professional Theatre Network
PEI Theatre is the Guild, Harbourfront Theatre, Confederation Centre for the Arts, Watermark Theatre, and the Victoria Playhouse
These free concerts, curated as always by Rob Oakie, can be viewed in the comfort of your homes by going to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Watermark-Theatre-93969977499
The first concert will be July 26th at 7:30PM and will feature R&B classic songs from Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Michael Jackson and more…
Starring local PEI artists Logan Richard, Joce Reyome, and Tiffany Liu.
Spellbinding R&B grooves, pop hooks galore, a smooth voice that wraps you in, and tasteful blues-tinged guitar licks that make you realize why many are calling Logan Richard one of the best up-and-coming young guitarists in the country: This is what you get upon catching one of Logan Richard’s live shows, or upon a spin of his new self-titled 2020 EP. Honing his front man skills from a young age, belting blues music on stages for outdoor summer café diners on the streets of Charlottetown, PEI, Richard asserted himself on the Maritime blues music scene early on in his life. Continuing his steep career trajectory ascent since then, Richard released his successful debut EP called “The Split” in 2017, which escalated him to a headline slot at the TD Jazz/Blues Festival, and was nominated for Blues Recording of the Year at the 2019 ECMA’s.
Travelling from Boston, Joce Reyome has made this Island their home for the last four years. You can often find them singing originals at local bars, restaurants, and opening for your favourite musicians like Andrew Waite, Irish Mythen, and more. They’re now working on their first EP and are excited to share with this vibrant community.
Tiffany Liu was born in Tianjin city and grew up in Tangshan city China. She came to Canada in March 2016 and moved to PEI in September 2017. Tiffany has been playing the Pipa for 20 years, and her undergraduate major was Chinese Traditional musical instrument performance. She recently graduated from UPEI’s Master of education program.
For more information, or to set up an interviews with Rob Oakie, or any of the artists, please contact Andrea Surich at 902‐963‐3963 or generalmanager@watermarktheatre.com
Watermark Theatre is a proud member of the PTN (Professional Theatre Network of PEI).
Watermark Theatre
57 Church Hill Ave
North Rustico, PE
C0A 1X0
(902) 963‐3963
http://www.watermarktheatre.com
PEI Professional Theatre Network
We have been spending the past number of weeks trying to find new ways to present great classical theatre for our audience despite the limitations presented. Our dedicated stage crew and designers were scheduled to begin building sets, costumes and props on May 11 and rehearsals with the acting company were scheduled to begin on June 1. With current restrictions in place we can’t even get some of our team to the island! Making this decision is heart breaking for us but until it is safe to assemble in large groups again, we will have to keep the theatre’s doors closed.
That being said, we are a creative organization and we have a number of ideas on how to keep the theatre vital, vibrant and in your hearts and minds. In the months to come, we will explore opportunities to bring art to our community through our on-line presence or in partnership with other arts organizations and we will continue to share those ideas with you.
Rest assured that we will be back in the summer of 2021 with a wonderful slate of plays to entertain, delight, and provoke audiences once again. Theatre artists around the world are recharging their creative energies and reevaluating their place in the world, and will be back on stage with a new sense of purpose. Theatre has been around for 2500 years, through all kinds of world challenges, and will return again. Let us never take the act of assembly for granted ever again!
We look forward to welcoming you back to the theatre!
Robert and Andrea
Robert Tsonos, Artistic Director
Andrea Surich, General Manager
For more information please contact:
Andrea Surich at 902-963-3963 or generalmanager@watermarktheatre.com
PEI Professional Theatre Network
Watermark Theatre is delighted to announce that 5 out of the 8 actors cast in their 2020 summer season are from PEI. Joining the already announced Gracie Finley on stage this summer will be fellow Islanders Rebecca Parent, Justin Shaw, Kassinda Bulger, and Devin MacKinnon. “I hold general auditions on the Island every December”, says Artistic Director Robert Tsonos, “every year I try to cast as many local actors as possible but this summer I was thrilled to find so many Islanders that fit the parts I was looking for”.
Joining the slate of PEI actors will be Wally MacKinnon from New Brunswick, as well as Jonathan Ho and Jonathan Widdifield, both based in Toronto. All the actors will be performing in “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie and “The Trip to Bountiful” by Horton Foote all summer long as well as participating in The Play Reading Series and teaching acting workshops in the Teenage Acting Conservatory.
Rebecca Parent (from Stratford / Charlottetown) returns for her seventh season at the Watermark. Previous credits at the theatre include: Eliza Doolittle in “Pygmalion”, Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”, Marianne Dashwood in “Sense and Sensibility”, and Laura Cheveley in “An Ideal Husband”. She was also the co-creator of “What to Wear to the Birth of a Nation”, a play commissioned for the 2014 Charlottetown Celebrations. Islanders know Rebecca well from playing Anne Shirley in the musical “Anne and Gilbert” at the Guild in Charlottetown.
Justin Shaw (from Cardigan) is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Acting Program, and a past performer in the University of Prince Edward Island’s Vagabond Productions. Island audiences may remember Justin from “Salt-Water Moon” (The Guild Summer Festival 2019), Lorne Elliott’s “Culture Shock” (Harmony House Theatre), “The Wrestling Play” (Island Fringe 2017-Patron’s Pick Award), and in Popalopalots Live Improv Comedy. As a comedian, Shaw has performed across Canada, has opened for Mike MacDonald, and won the 2016 Comedyworks Triple Crown Award.
Kassinda Bulger (from O’Leary) is excited to make her professional theatrical debut with the Watermark. After completing her Minor in Theatre Studies at UPEI, she spent some time at both George Brown Theatre School and Holland College’s School of Performing Arts. Past credits include: Claire from “While We’re Young”, Juliet from “Romeo and Juliet”, Jean from “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” (UPEI Vagabond Productions), “Naivety in Nutshell” (The Fantastic Space- A Theatre Company), “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Abridged” (The King’s Playhouse), and “Meanwhile in Ward 16: A Charlottetown Soap Opera” (The Guild).
Devin MacKinnon (from Charlottetown / Hunter River) attained a BA from UPEI before he began studying acting at The National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, graduating in 2015. Select credits include: “A Christmas Carol” (Theatre Calgary), “The Tempest” (The Shakespeare Company), “Liberation Days”, “The Mary Celeste”, “Nothing Less!”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Robert Merritt Award Nomination), “In This Light”, “Frankenstein”, “The Ruins” (Two Planks and A Passion) “The Comedy of Errors”, “Paradise Lost” (Stratford Festival), and “Crime Does Not Pay” (Betty Mitchell Award Nomination – Downstage)”.
Wally MacKinnon is an award-winning actor, director and teacher. In his 30+ year career, he has performed in theatre productions across Canada including the very first season of the Watermark in 2008, “Village Wooing” and “The Importance of Being Ernest”. Other credits include: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “The Hobbit” (Theatre New Brunswick), “Ben Hur”, “Goodnight Bird” (Festival Antigonish), Merritt Award winning play “KAMP”, “Flying on Her Own” (EFT/Neptune, NS), “Jacob’s Wake”, “Miles From Home”, “The Diligent River Daughter” (Ships Company Theatre, NS), “The Foursome”, “Who’s Under Where” (CPT Alberta), “Gaslight Follies” (Palace Grand Theatre, Dawson City), and “Birds and the Bees” (Miracle Theatre, BC).
Jonathan Ho made his professional theatre debut as Mike Chang in “The New Canadian Curling Club” (Alberta Theatre Projects) last year, reprising the role in Theatre Orangeville’s production earlier this year. In the realm of
film and television, he is most known for his role as Brother Zachariah
on “Shadowhunters” (Freeform), and has also appeared on “Suits” (USA), “The Romanoffs” (Amazon), and “Murdoch Mysteries” (CBC).
This summer will be Jonathan Widdifield’s fourth season at the Watermark having appeared in “An Ideal Husband”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “The Rainmaker”, “The Lion in Winter”, and “The Shore Field”. Recent credits include: “Cloud” (Scapegoat Theatre Collective). Damian/TheDevil in “Chasse-Galerie” (Red One Theatre Collective & The Storefront Theatre – Dora Award for Best Ensemble). Three seasons with The Shaw Festival: “Doctor’s Dilemma”, “The Devil’s Disciple”, “John Bull’s Other Island”, and “Born Yesterday”. Five seasons with the Classical Theatre Project: Hamlet in “Hamlet”, Mercutio in “Romeo and Juliet” (Dora Nominated for Best Performance in TYA). Danny in “Danny, King of the Basement” (Roseneath Theatre), and “Haunted” (Summerworks Festival).
For more information, or to set up an interviews with any of our actors please contact Andrea Surich at 902‐963‐3963 or generalmanager@watermarktheatre.com
Watermark Theatre is a proud member of the PTN (Professional Theatre Network of PEI).
PEI Professional Theatre Network
Gracie Finley to star in Watermark Theatre’s 2020 Summer Season!
Watermark Theatre’s Artistic Director Robert Tsonos and General Manager Andrea Surich are proud to announce the 2020 Summer Season, featuring PEI’s very ownGracie Finley in key roles.
Watermark’s 13th season will include the classic murder mystery The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie and the heartwarming The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote. Our popular music series, now renamed The Watermark Music Series returns for another year, and the Watermark Play Reading Series will once again focus on new plays in development by PEI Playwrights.
Agatha Christie’s legendary ‘whodunit’ The Mousetrap is the world’s longest running play, keeping audiences in suspense from the first moment to the last since 1952. Mysterious twists and thrilling turns abound when a group of strangers stranded in a guesthouse during a snowstorm discover that a murderer is in their midst. Is it one of the suspicious newlyweds or the spinster with the curious background? Perhaps it’s the architect, the retired Army major, or the strange man running from his past? Everyone is a suspect and everybody is a potential victim. Enjoy an evening of exhilarating intrigue as Agatha Christie’s greatest mystery unfolds to its surprising conclusion.
Written in 1953, Horton Foote’s moving play The Trip to Bountiful tells the story of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who longs to escape the cramped Houston apartment where she lives with her protective son and his authoritarian wife. Carrie dreams of making one final journey to Bountiful, Texas, her childhood home. With great determination and daring, Carrie makes her arduous journey back to Bountiful. This American treasure is a masterpiece of the power of childhood, memory, and the undeniable, universal yearning for the warmth of home and family. Playing the role of Carrie Watts, the part that won Geraldine Page the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actress, is PEI’s very own Gracie Finley.
This will be Gracie’s 6th season acting at the Watermark, having performed in The Shore Field, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion in Winter, Romeo and Juliet, An Ideal Husband, Blithe Spirit, The Glass Menagerie, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, and Barefoot in the Park. Raised in Charlottetown with summers spent in Alberton, Gracie is well known to PEI audiences, having played Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: The Musical from 1968 to 1974 and again in 1984 to 1985. Gracie will also be playing the part of the querulous Mrs. Boyle in The Mousetrap.
For the 3rd year in a row, the Play Reading Series will showcase new work in development by PEI playwrights. A selection process will begin in the next few months to choose three new, unpublished, and unproduced plays to be read by our company of actors during the month of August. A list of plays and playwrights will be released in the Spring of 2020.
The Watermark Music Series returns, curated once again by Rob Oakie. As always, Island musical artists interpret iconic songwriters in a way that you have never heard before. Stay tuned for our list of songwriters and Island musicians to be announced very soon.
Season Ticket Passes are now on sale at early bird rates until December 31st, 2019.
$108 for 4 tickets
$150 for 6 tickets
902-963-3963 or visit http://www.watermarktheatre.com
Watermark Theatre strives to produce the finest professional theatre on the Island. By producing and presenting theatre, music and artwork, our goal is to enrich and contribute to the community in which we work, the province in which we live, and the Canadian theatre community to which we belong. Watermark believes in the development of the next generation of theatre artists and arts administrators through mentorship and professional training. Plays are chosen from the international repertoire of classic and modern classic plays that are at least 50 years old and Canadian plays at least 30 years old. In all of our programming we strive for artistic excellence and a diversity of voices, while endeavouring to inform, to affect, and to engage with our audience.
Watermark is a proud member of the PTN (Professional Theatre Network of PEI).
For more information please contact Andrea Surich at 902-963-3963 or generalmanager@watermarktheatre.com
PEI Professional Theatre Network
Theatre PEI 