Staging the summertime
A sampling of upcoming theatre events
Puppets up!
The end of May sees the close of theatre season among the major companies come as abruptly as a drawstring bag. But it also opens the way for festival season in the Capital Region, starting with the infamous Fringe Festival. Still purportedly the home of adventurous amateur theatre, the Fringe also hosts a myriad of wonderful professionals, starring in shows that can be shockingly graceful and elegant. There are sometimes a couple of real sad-sack, stink-bad shows but, to be honest, that’s often the best part of live theatre – June 18-28 in venues across downtown Ottawa.
The Magnetic North Theatre Festival lands in the Capital Region on June 3 with youthful, energetic plays from some of Canada’s most exciting companies. They have a wingspan to be proud of, as artistic director Ken Cameron has brought acts ranging from Calgary’s famed Old Trout Puppet Workshop to the expansive and interesting looking Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. The festival presents 10 shows over the 10 long days it’s blossoming here, including two local acts: The Rideau Project, a piece of site-specific theatre that involves some of this city’s most engaging actors and writers, and Don’t Blame the Bedouins, a production of the Ottawa University theatre department students, and directed by one of their professors.
Starting on June 5, the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society presents The Full Monty. Orpheus has been a font for amateur musical theatre
for 65 years longer than I have been alive, presenting shows full of talented casts that simply love what they get to do.
Even though many companies and stages are dark over the summer season, there’s still ample opportunity to support the arts if you’re willing or, given the jittery state of most people’s finances these days, able. Third Wall Theatre’s annual Strawberry Social fundraiser happens on June 17, and the Théâtre la Catapulte (one co-producer of the Rideau Project) golf tournament on June 26. One of the more exciting things I’ve heard lately is that Théâtre la Catapulte has recently started to present their Thursday shows with English subtitles, opening them to a new English-language audience.
If the swelling, tidal heats of August make you restless for a trip, the annual Puppets Up! Festival happens in Almonte, Ontario, on the weekend of Aug. 8-9. And finally, to celebrate the very fading taper of summer, The Gladstone presents the musical farce Noises Off on Sept. 3.
As appeared in the Ottawa XPress – June 04, 2009
http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/stage/stage.aspx?iIDArticle=17497
