I’m really excited this week as I am about to push myself out of my comfort zone! I hope you will join me at
“THE STAGE DOOR”,
Wednesday, July 8th at 7pm on Facebook Live! The Stage Door is a 1-hour talk show that will take you behind the scenes to celebrate and showcase the performing artists and arts organizations in Collingwood and beyond. Hosted by myself, and Town of Collingwood Arts & Culture Coordinator Tanya Mazza, we will be chatting with guests about all things "theatre".
THIS WEEKS GUESTS ARE LAURIE MAY FROM GASLIGHT COMMUNITY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS, AND DAN NEEDLES, CANADIAN PLAYWRIGHT, WRITER & STORY TELLER EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions you would like asked just email them to me
HERE
and I will try to get them in.
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I watched the musical
HAMILTON
on Disney+, this past Friday night. I had tickets to the show in Toronto but sadly never got to see it because of the pandemic shutdown. If you have not seen Hamilton I would highly recommend you get yourself a Disney+ membership (you will pay less for a full year of Disney than you would for one ticket to see Hamilton on stage) and see this amazing production. I was completely blown away by it! First of all I have to say I could not believe the talent that Lin-Manuel Miranda possesses. Beautifully recorded, the production is a modern retelling of Alexander Hamilton's journey to becoming a Founding Father of the US. Miranda was the composer, playwright, performer and producer of this musical which won 11 Tony awards in 2016 and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The filming of the live stage show was recorded with the original 2016 Broadway cast, and consists mostly of Black, Latino and Asian American performers, including Miranda himself as Hamilton. I was touched on so many levels. The story of Hamilton was not one that I knew before the musical’s popularity. The casting was brilliantly packed with so much talent. The music was new and so creative with the use of hip hop and poetry. And the story not only focused on Hamilton but also on the youth uprisings of the time, and eventually about the struggles and the important work done by Hamilton’s wife after his death. One cannot help but see the timeliness of this story and production. If you are a fan of Shakespeare try to see the similarities of the rhythm found in the poetry. Let it flow over you and don’t get caught up in catching every word. This is a production that teaches so very many long-overdue lessons.
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WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER!
Theatre Collingwood succeeds because of the incredible team we have, made up of staff, volunteers, patrons, supporters, and our Board of Directors. We are thrilled to announce the Rob Hart has agreed to come onto our Board. Rob and his family have been coming to Collingwood since the mid 80’s and decided to move here in 2019 after retiring. Rob’s seven years with the Mississauga Living Arts Centre as Director of Marketing and Communication makes him a wealth of knowledge and experience for our board, and we all look forward to working with him. WELCOME ABOARD, ROB!
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THIS THURSDAY
, July 9
th
, the Stratford Festival is streaming their filmed production of
Romeo and Juliet.
The party begins at 6:30pm with a pre-show discussion with Sara Farb, Scott Wentworth and Antoine Yared, and then the live viewing party begins at 7pm. You can watch the play any time from July 9
th
-30
th
. To view and for more information on all the productions that the Stratford Festival is offering online go to:
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If you have any questions or concerns about Theatre Collingwood, or if you have suggestions, please send me a note
HERE
. We love to receive your comments!
The times we are experiencing right now are nothing short of mind blowing!
As I said months ago, I feel that although this is a difficult and often heartbreaking time. there ARE gifts to be gained from it. Perhaps Covid-19 has given us time to think. Time to focus on what really matters. Time to listen to each other. I know that I have had much time to think about what we program as a theatre company and how we can be a more inclusive and diverse company.
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Many of you may have seen the very popular musical WICKED, which launched in 2003 and told the story of the witches from The Wizard of Oz. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth starred in the original Broadway production which won three Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards, and the original cast album received a Grammy Award. The two sang a beautiful version of the song “For Good”. This song would typically be thought of as a “female” song. I would love to offer to you this stunning version beautifully sung by two male performers, Jacob Daniel Cummings & Peter Gibbons. Enjoy!
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"
Actors are survivors, and will continue to strive because they have the need to celebrate, in performance, that sacred communion between Actor and audience."
- Robert Prosky
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I
’d like to thank my friend Leisa Way for drawing this lovely quote to my attention. It was written by Robert Prosky, character actor best remembered for his work on Hill Street Blues and Frasier. Here is the full piece:
"I love Actors and by extension, the theatre. I love the minutia that surrounds them both. I love listening and telling Green Room war stories. I love the onstage triumphs and yes, I love even the disasters. I love the adrenaline that shoots thru every Actor onstage when something goes wrong, and the relief that sweeps thru when some heroic Actor saves the day. I love performance. That time when the human beings on stage interact with the human beings in the audience and together they create the event of performance. It's one of life's most civilized experiences. It has been said that an Actor must have the hide of a rhinoceros, the courage and audacity of a lion, and most importantly, the fragile vulnerability of an egg. It also has been said, and I'm not sure by whom, that the moment of not knowing is the moment that has the greatest potential for creativity. The professional and private lives of most Actors are filled to the brim with moments of not knowing. Actors are survivors and will continue to strive because they have the need to celebrate, in performance, that sacred communion between Actor and audience."
To all the actors, may you be able to take these moments of the unknown and rejoice in the creative company you keep. We love you, and we miss you, and we will be here for you when we may gather again.
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Have a wonderful and creative week. Stay well, and wear your mask.
Erica
Erica Angus
Executive Director, Theatre Collingwood
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