Shaw Festival Establishes Governors International Advisory Council

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, July 17, 2008 … The inaugural meeting of the newly established Shaw Festival Governors International Advisory Council, which takes place tomorrow at the Festival, will celebrate the international breadth of The Shaw’s audiences and the global reputation of the Festival’s work.

In late March the Shaw Festival’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to establish the Governors International Advisory Council. The Council will be a proactive body which represents the Festival in strategic centres across North America, with members acting as ambassadors for The Shaw. The Council will assist the Board in expanding The Shaw’s reach, reputation and base of support. Its establishment recognizes The Shaw’s position as a world-renowned theatre company whose audience is 40% American and drawn from all over Canada and the world. The group will consist of up to 16 Canadian and up to 16 American or International positions. (A position is comprised of an individual or a couple.)

Members of the Governors International Advisory Council are elected for their passion and commitment to the Shaw Festival, their residence in a geographic area with current or potential strength in stakeholder support, and their ability to build bridges between The Shaw and local, regional and national individuals and institutions.

The current membership of the Governors International Advisory Council, which is expected to continue to grow, is comprised of:

The Hon. Lincoln M. Alexander, Hamilton, ON

David and Carol Appel, Toronto, ON

Anthony Herbert Bogert, Chelsea, QC

Elizabeth T. Daly, Bryn Mawr, PA

Leslie L. and Anna Dan, Toronto, ON

James and Margaret Fleck, Toronto, ON

Susan Glass, Winnipeg, MB

Nona Macdonald Heaslip, Toronto, ON

Sir Michael Holroyd, London, England

William B.G. Humphries, Toronto, ON

Malcolm S. Macdonald, Chair, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Gerry C. Miovski, Westfield, NJ

Dr. Ross H. Paul, Windsor, ON

Walter and Cathleen Ross, Palm Beach, FL

Judy Goetz Sanger and Dr. Sirgay Sanger, New York, NY

James M. and Michal Wadsworth, Buffalo, NY

Gregg D. Watkins, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Shaw Festival: Belle Moral Previews

Previews begin at the Shaw Festival for Darkly Comic Belle Moral: A Natural History

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, July 14, 2008 … Previews began on Saturday in the Court House Theatre for the Shaw Festival’s production of Belle Moral: A Natural History, a spellbinding story by Ann-Marie MacDonald, one of Canada’s most beloved writers. The production is a remount of The Shaw’s hit 2005 production, the play’s world premiere.

On a foggy Scottish coast lies an ancestral home called Belle Moral. There, by day, young Pearl MacIsaac (Fiona Byrne) considers questions of science and nature, and by night, dreams of mythical creatures and mysterious brides. This is a house full of mystery – just who is in the attic and why does Pearl have an ear in a jar? Part magic, part philosophy and part whodunnit, the darkly comic play is also a rousing call for tolerance and diversity.

The play, a fascinating mix of mystery, science and comedy, was applauded in 2005 for its intelligence, sharp wit and compelling characters. Equally well-received was the direction, design, lighting and music of The Shaw’s production, which the Company is thrilled to bring back to the Court House stage this season.

Belle Moral: A Natural History has its origins in an earlier play of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s. The Arab’s Mouth was first produced in 1990 by Toronto’s Factory Theatre and its then-Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, now of course The Shaw’s Artistic Director. Commissioned by The Shaw, the original play was significantly rewritten under the auspices of the Company’s play development programme.

Ann-Marie MacDonald is the award-winning author of the play Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), and the novels The Way the Crow Flies and Fall On Your Knees. She is also an actor and broadcast journalist.

The cast of Belle Moral: A Natural History also includes Jeff Meadows as Victor MacIsaac, Donna Belleville as Flora MacIsaac, and Peter Hutt as Dr. Seamus Reid, as well as Bernard Behrens, Martin Happer, Julie Martell, and Graeme Somerville.

Belle Moral: A Natural History is directed by Alisa Palmer, with design by Judith Bowden, lighting design by Kevin Lamotte, and original music composed by Paul Sportelli. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Meredith Macdonald and Assistant Stage Manager Evan R. Klassen.

Belle Moral: A Natural History began preview performances Saturday, July 12; opens Saturday, July 19; and plays in repertory until Sunday, October 5. For tickets and information, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172 (local).

Belle Moral: A Natural History is sponsored by Scotiabank Group.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

Shaw Festival: Mrs Warren's Profession Previews

Previews begin at the Shaw Festival for Shaw Shocker Mrs Warren’s Profession

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, July 8, 2008 … Previews began on Sunday in the Festival Theatre for the Shaw Festival’s production of Bernard Shaw’s still provocative Mrs Warren’s Profession, directed by Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell.

Shaw’s story of the ultimate test of a mother-daughter relationship is one of his most enduring and best-loved plays. Mrs Kitty Warren (Mary Haney) has worked hard to provide for her daughter Vivie (Moya O’Connell), to give her the genteel upbringing she never had. Now that Vivie is about to embark on her own career, Mrs Warren decides that it is time for her feminist daughter to finally learn the truth about her mother’s profession. The shocking news sets the stage for a battle royal between mother and daughter about sex, love, money and morality.

The brilliant, high-stakes battles of Shaw’s women in this 1893 play reflect struggles of women and of society that still resonate today. With his frank discussion of prostitution, Shaw angered critics and censors so much with Mrs Warren’s Profession that it was banned from performance in England for many years and actors were arrested at its first performance in New York. Never one to shy away from controversy, Shaw wrote of the play in a letter, “Ah, when I wrote that, I had some nerve.” Ultimately, however, at the heart of Shaw’s provocative social commentary is a complex and moving story of a mother and a daughter.

Once again Ms. Maxwell teams up with designer Sue LePage. Last season the two worked together on another of Shaw’s searing social and political commentaries, Saint Joan, which was hailed by audiences and critics alike.

The cast of Mrs Warren’s Profession also includes Andrew Bunker as Frank Gardner, Benedict Campbell as Sir George Crofts, David Jansen as Praed and Ric Reid as Reverend Samuel Gardner, as well as Esther Maloney and Jonathan Widdifield.

Lighting for Mrs Warren’s Profession is designed by Kevin Lamotte and original music is composed by Ryan deSouza. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Allan Teichman and Assistant Stage Manager Barry Burns.

Mrs Warren’s Profession began preview performances Sunday, July 6; opens Friday, July 18; and plays in repertory until Saturday, November 1. For tickets and information, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172 (local).

Mrs Warren’s Profession is sponsored by Zenith Insurance Company.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

Shaw Festival: After the Dance Previews

Previews begin at the Shaw Festival for Lost Masterpiece After the Dance

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, June 26, 2008 … Previews began on Wednesday in the Royal George Theatre for the Shaw Festival’s production of Terence Rattigan’s rarely produced After the Dance, directed by The Shaw’s Artistic Director Emeritus Christopher Newton.

It’s 1938 and the Bright Young Things are still carrying on like it’s the Roaring Twenties. They’re that “lost generation”, the ones that missed World War I and are trying desperately to deny the looming threat of the next war. To the younger generation, their life of endless parties seems utterly frivolous. But David (Patrick Galligan) and his wife Joan (Deborah Hay) can’t stop looking back to a time and place when the bright lights shone on them. However, when an earnest young woman (Marla McLean) enters their lives, it seems to signal that the party might be ending.

Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) wrote 24 stage plays and 30 film, television and radio scripts in a career that spanned 40 years. Although his reputation suffered due to the revolution in British drama sparked by John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (1956), and due to his continued championing of tasteful well-made plays, Rattigan can now be seen as one of the leading British playwrights of the middle part of the twentieth century. After premiering in London in 1939, and another brief run in 1940, After the Dance remained in obscurity for over 50 years. Now the play, Rattigan’s second, is hailed as a lost masterpiece.

The cast of After the Dance also includes Neil Barclay as John Reid and Ken James Stewart as Peter Scott-Fowler, as well as Kawa Ada, Beryl Bain, Lisa Horner, Claire Jullien, Billy Lake, Jesse Martyn, Ali Momen, Jennifer Phipps, Micheal Querin, Jacqueline Thair and Jay Turvey.

After the Dance is designed by William Schmuck, with lighting design by Alan Brodie. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Rebecca Miller and Assistant Stage Manager Eamonn Reil.

After the Dance began preview performances Wednesday, June 25; opens Saturday, July 5; and plays in repertory until Sunday, October 5. For tickets and information, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172 (local).

After the Dance is sponsored by AbitibiBowater.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

Previews Begin This Weekend at Cavendish's Montgomery Theatre!

Inaugural season includes Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest,

Village Wooing by George Bernard Shaw and a new adaptation of

Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows

Cavendish, PEI – In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables, the community of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island will welcome audiences to a brand new, fully professional theatre this summer.

Previews begin this Friday, June 20, 2008 (the day Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908) with The Importance of Being Earnest at 7:30 p.m. and continue through the weekend with Village Wooing Saturday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. and The Importance of Being Earnest on Sunday, June 22 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The new adaptation of The Wind in the Willows will preview for the first time on Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. Full performance schedule is available online at http://www.themontgomerytheatre.com.

Artistic Director Duncan McIntosh has assembled a cast which includes Taylor Baruchel as Merriman (Earnest) and Field Mouse/Portly (Willows); Zach Fraser as Ferret (Willows) and Steward (Wooing), Sylvie Gallant as Gwendolyn Bracknell (Earnest) and Field Mouse/The Car/Ferret (Willows); Gemma James-Smith as Cecily Cardew (Earnest) and Field Mouse/The Home (Willows); Julia Lenardon as Lady Bracknell (Earnest) and Toad (Willows); Wally MacKinnon as Dr. Chausable (Earnest) and “A” (Wooing); Donnie Macphee as Algernon Moncreiff (Earnest) and Badger (Willows); Ryan O’Callaghan as Lane (Earnest) and Mole (Willows); Sean C. Robertson as John “Jack” Worthing (Earnest) and Rat (Willows); Jackie Torrens as Miss Prism (Earnest) and “Z” (Wooing); and Earlla Vickers as Otter.

Joining Mr. McIntosh is a star-studded creative team which includes leading lighting designer Martin Conboy, East Coast Music Award-winning musician Nathan Wiley, renowned director Jillian Keiley, international set & costume designer Cleo Pettitt, and Shaw Festival veteran Wendy Thatcher. The company also includes stage manager Sally Crate, apprentice stage manager Elisa Aragon and assistant directors Zach Fraser (Willows, Wooing) and Earlla Vickers (Earnest).

The Montgomery Theatre will present plays from the life and times of L.M. Montgomery in the Church at Avonlea Village. The famed creator of Canada’s best-loved redheaded heroine lived from 1874 to 1942; works presented at the new theatre will be by playwrights who inspired Ms. Montgomery or whose works were influenced by her.

This first season will feature three plays in repertory:

The Wind in the Willows

Original stage adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic book by Duncan McIntosh

Directed by Jillian Keiley

Set, prop and costume design by Cleo Pettit

Lighting design by Martin Conboy

Music & sound design by Nathan Wiley

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde

Directed by Duncan McIntosh

Sets, props and costumes designed by Cleo Pettit

Lighting designed by Martin Conboy

Music & sound design by Nathan Wiley

Village Wooing

By George Bernard Shaw

Directed by Wendy Thatcher

Sets, props and costumes designed by Cleo Pettit

Lighting designed by Martin Conboy

Music & sound design by Nathan Wiley

The Montgomery Theatre season will run from June 27 to August 31, 2008 in the Church at Avonlea Village, with student previews beginning June 20 (the day Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908). Regular ticket prices range from $20 to $32. Memberships are available for $20 which offer discounts on all theatre tickets, priority seating, discounts at area restaurants and stores, newsletter subscription and VIP event invitations.

Tickets are on sale now. For more information, to purchase tickets or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, visit www.themontgomerytheatre.com.

DETAILS:

Dates:
June 27 - August 31, 2008

Previews begin June 20, 2008

Visit www.themontgomerytheatre.com for full performance schedule.

Location:
The Montgomery Theatre

In the Church at Avonlea Village
8779, Route #6

Cavendish, PEI

Tickets:
$20-$32. ON SALE NOW.
Discounts available to members, students and groups

Tickets are available by phone at 902-963-3847, online at www.themontgomerytheatre.com, in person at 57 Church Hill Avenue, North Rustico, PEI (across from Stella Maris Church), or by mail at 57 Church Avenue, North Rustico, PE C1A 1X0.

Shaw Festival Set to Open 47th Season

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, May 21, 2008 . . . The Shaw Festival’s 47^th season officially opens tonight with J.B. Priestley’s compelling and mysterious drama An Inspector Calls at the Festival Theatre. Four other productions also open this week: Bernard Shaw’s provocative comedy Getting Married; the North American premiere of Githa Sowerby’s undiscovered gem The Stepmother; Lillian Hellman’s timeless tale of family and greed, The Little Foxes; and Leonard Bernstein’s musical adventure Wonderful Town.

The Shaw Festival’s Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, who joins The Shaw’s Board of Governors Chair Richard D. Falconer and the rest of the Company in celebrating the launch of the season, says of the week’s events: “We head into Opening week with a sense of celebration and pride. The five fine productions we’re about to present are a testament to the talent and spirit of The Shaw’s artists, both on and off the stage. I’ve been thrilled with the audience response to these shows during the preview period and thank everyone involved for their dedication and enthusiasm in bringing these stories to life on stage.” In commemoration of the achievements of The Shaw’s creative team, gala dinners attended by dignitaries from all levels of government and Canada’s artistic and business communities, and by Shaw supporters, are held throughout Niagara-on-the-Lake prior to the opening night performances.

Government of Canada officials attending will include: The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage; The Honourable Art Eggleton P.C., Senator; Mr. Stephen Brereton, Canadian Consul General – Buffalo; Mr. Robert Noble, Canadian Consul General – Detroit; Dr. Carolyn Bennett P.C., MP St. Paul’s; and Mr. John Maloney, MP Welland. Foreign dignitaries attending will include: His Excellency H.E. William Fisher, Australian High Commissioner and Mr. Nicholas Armour, British Consul General – Toronto. Provincial government officials attending will include: The Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture; Ms. Marguerite Rappolt, Deputy Minister of Culture; The Honourable Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources, MPP Etobicoke Centre; The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation; Ms. Julia Munro, MPP North York, PC Culture Critic; Ms. Joyce Savoline, MPP Burlington; and Mr. Greg Sorbara, MPP Vaughan. Municipal government officials attending will include: Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs, Mayor of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake; Mr. Dennis Parass, Chair, Niagara Economic Development Corporation; Mr. Patrick Gedge, CEO, Niagara Economic Development Corporation; and Mr. Peter Partington, Regional Chair, Regional Municipality of Niagara.

Arts community members attending will include: Martin Bragg, Executive Producer, The Canadian Stage Company; John Brotman, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Council; Antoni Cimolino, General Director, Stratford Shakespeare Festival; Martha Durdin, Chair, Ontario Arts Council; Julia Foster, Chair, Board of Trustees, National Arts Centre; John Goddard, Executive Director, Theatre Ontario; Peter Herrndorf, President & CEO, National Arts Centre; Jack Lightstone, President, Brock University; Dan Patterson, President, Niagara College; Richard Rose, Artistic Director, Tarragon Theatre; Robert Sirman, Director, Canada Council; Janet Stubbs, Director, Ontario Arts Foundation; and Nancy Webster, President, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.