Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Lighthouses have historically been a saving grace for boats travelling in the dark, so perhaps it’s appropriate that Lighthouse Theatre will be the one to save Port Colborne’s Showboat Festival.
“It’s great to have a professional theatre to take up what could have been the dark days,” said Ward 4 Coun. Ron Bodner.
At Monday night’s council meeting representatives from the Showboat Festival Theatre board and Lighthouse Theatre, based out of Port Dover, were on hand to announce a partnership that will keep Showboat alive. The local theatre company will be run by Lighthouse Theatre, with a condensed 2013 schedule beginning June 12.
“We felt very strongly that Port Colborne should not close,” said Lighthouse artistic director Derek Ritschel.
“One (theatre) closing was not acceptable on many levels.”
Last fall the Showboat board announced it was ceasing operations due to financial difficulties. Instead of risking another year the board decided to shut down while it could still pay all its bills.
When Lighthouse officials heard the news, Ritschel said they were quick to contact Showboat to see if they could help. Throughout the winter the two theatre companies devised a plan that will allow a 2013 season to take place at the Roselawn Centre. And it’s a plan, Ritschel said, that’s not a takeover of Showboat.
“This is your theatre and we respect it, and want to make sure it thrives for many years to come,” he said.
There will be some changes that are unavoidable, he added. Among the major changes is that Showboat will not be theatre in the round as it had been throughout its history. Ritschel said they would be unable to make the conversion to theatre in the round from the traditional proscenium stage theatre Lighthouse performs in Port Dover.
But Ritschel was adamant that Showboat remain Port Colborne’s theatre. Part of Lighthouse’s policy is to donate 10 per cent of ticket sales to local charities, and he said portions of Port Colborne ticket sales will be donated to charities here.
“This is not Lighthouse coming to Port Colborne and imposing our way of theatre and our system,” he said.
The 2013 season will be a shortened one. Showboat will feature four plays, kicking off with Henry & Alice, a comedy by Michele Riml. The play will run from June 12-16 and is about a couple in financial difficulties who decide to go camping instead of taking an expensive vacation. On the vacation they reconnect with each other.
Henry & Alice will be followed by Knickers! A Brief Comedy. Ritschel described it as the Canadian female version of the Full Monty. It’s a Sarah Quick comedy and will run from July 3-7.
On Aug. 14 the adventure comedy The 39 Steps, by Patrick Barlow. Alfred Hitchcock made a film adaptation, but Ritschel said the play won’t be like Hitchcock’s dry take on it.
“It’s absolutely off-the-wall British farce comedy fun,” he said.
The 39 Steps runs from Aug. 14-18.
Wrapping up the season will be On a First Name Basis, a comedy by famous Canadian playwright Norm Foster. The play is about a novelist who has the same housekeeper for 28 years but doesn’t know a thing about her. It runs from Aug. 21-25.
For more information on the season or tickets, call the Roselawn Centre box office at 905-834-0833 or email boxoffice@portcolborne.ca.
By Luke Edwards for www.niagarathisweek.com.
Photo: Poster Roselawn Centre’s Showboat Festival theatre. ©2012 Heidi Grzesina.
2013-04-09
Port Colborne: Port Dover theatre company to take over Showboat Festival