Creativity collides

Festival Players combines with Water Week

On April 28, Artistic Director of Festival Players (FP) Graham Abbey, stood before a packed house at its studio in Wellington to present the company’s third season under his direction. This year Abbey’s address began not with him, but with some high-spirited baroque chamber music. The duo of Elissa Lee and Etsuko Kimora performed at the start to ring in the announcement of an exciting new collaboration. FP has signed on as the official presenter of Wellington Water Week this summer and is including it in the FP’s 2019 season. Wellington Water Week will once again be programmed by Musical Director Johannes Debus and assistant Musical Director Elissa Lee. The two brought an array of jaw-dropping talent to its first season, and this year looks to be no different. Debus is excited to see how the two festivals will now be able to support each other, instead of just cohabitating in the same village.

“We were so touched by the incredibly enthusiastic response to our inaugural event that we can’t wait to it again this year. With our shared passion for performing arts, the region and local community, the deeper collaboration with Festival Players provides us with a unique opportunity to explore creative synergies. We are looking forward to a magnificent season,” said Debus.

(L-R): Elissa Lee and Etsuko Kimora perform a baroque duo to help launch the 2019 Festival Players season on Sunday.

Abbey was equally excited about the two events coming together and thanked Debus and the team at Wellington Water Week for bringing such world-class talent to the area.

“This is an exciting time for us. Our audiences are growing and we are attracting some of this country’s finest artists to the shores of Prince Edward County. In addition to presenting four critically acclaimed productions in the Studio Theatre space, and continuing with our arts education initiatives, we are extremely proud to welcome Wellington Water Week to our lineup. This partnership allows us to expand and enhance the traditional theatrical experience by finding common artistic ground across disciplines,” said Abbey.

Mayor Steve Ferguson was in attendance and spoke briefly on the importance of the arts community in Prince Edward County, and FP in particular. Ferguson spoke of how he was inspired by the company’s mission statement, which reads: Prince Edward County will be enriched by the power of live theatre, theatre which is deeply rooted in the fabric of the community, and which inspired creativity, gathering exchange of ideas, and pride of place.

“That resonated with me so much when I read that statement because it encapsulates perfectly the spirit of Prince Edward County as a whole. It think it’s a very important statement to make,” said Ferguson.

Abbey then mentioned some highlights from the 2018 season. Last year the festival had its best year ever of ticket sales, while also receiving some great press, landing on the front page of the entertainment section in the Toronto Star for their production of A Beautiful View. Abbey’s favourite quote about last year came from Glen Sumi of Now Magazine, who in his review of the top-ten theatre shows of the year, said that he was “kicking himself for not getting to the County to see this play!” With last season being a banner year for FP, Abbey was also pleased to announce the Ontario Arts Council has decided to increase FP’s funding based on merit, something that the company has not had in a few years.

Festival Player’s 2019 season kicks off on July 9 with the Tony-award nominated Broadway hit, Outside Mullingar, written by the Oscar, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning author of Moonstruck and Doubt, John Patrick Shanley. The production will be directed by fourtime Dora Award nominee and Gemini Award-winning director Brenda Bazinet, with the actors to be announced shortly. Outside Mullingar is set on neighbouring farms in the Irish midlands, and is described as a lyrical misfit-romance, full of gallows humor, wit and wonder. The New York Times declared Outside Mullingar as “Mr Shanleys finest work since Doubt.”

The second installation in the season arrives on July 26 and 27 and is called The Script Tease Project. The show is created by the much-loved improvisational team (and real-life comedy couple) of Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, who will commission a playwright to write the first two pages of an original play. The couple will then read the pages for the first time live in front of the audience. Then they improvise the rest. Each night will be a different playwright, so each show will be totally different.

Festival Players’ Artistic Director Graham Abbey welcomes attendees to the The Studio Theatre inWellington.

Wellington Water Week is the third event and will run August 17-25. Highlights include the festival-favourite Opus 8, and Juno Award-nominee Sarah Slean will be joining Debus in leading Sing!, a mass community choir that will sing on the lakeshore. Slean will then return later to perform a concert at the United Chuch. Other fun events include a Musical and Edible Promenade through Wellington, taking guests on a guided tour through town. Each stop will have food by local plant-based chef Chris Byrne, and performances by percussionist Ryan Scott, harpist Sanya Eng and violinist Elissa Lee.

The final show in the 2019 season is Person of Interest, by Melody Johnson. Johnson is a winner of the Canadian Comedy Award, as well as several Dora awards and other nominations working with theatres like Tarragon Theatre, Canadian Stage, The National Arts Centre and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. The play is directed by Rick Roberts and is a “mostly true and very funny story of an actor driven to the brink and should strike a chord with anyone who ever lived, loved or battled with neighbours”

Abbey had a lot to announce at this season’s launch, but what was most striking was his through-line of connecting to the community. All of the shows this season had a painting connected to each show that was chosen by local studio owner Craig Alexander, who chose each painting in keeping with the theme of the shows. There is a local plawrights incubator being hosted by Dave Miller, and FP is also continuing with the youth training programs from last year. Abbey also spoke very passionately at the beginning, thanking his current team and honouring past members of the company who contributed significantly to the company’s success in the last few years. When Abbey says his door is open to suggestions, he means it and that collaboration with the community is what will give this festival permanent roots here.

For more details, please visit festivalplayers.ca .