Stage Door News
Collingwood: Theatre Collingwood hosts live theatre at its Porchside Festival July 5-26, 2021
Sunday, May 30, 2021
For Summer 2021 we present THE THEATRE COLLINGWOOD PORCHSIDE FESTIVAL, a totally inclusive & accessible series of short plays or concerts highlighting the beautiful historic porches of Collingwood and our diverse and extremely talented tapestry of Canadian artists. Each performance will have 25 socially distanced audience members on their own lawn chairs, enjoying the performances from the lawns of home owners or local businesses. Each performance will have a TC “ambassador” in attendance to ensure that public health protocols are adhered to. This festival will be a litter free event. It will fulfill our intention to dip our toes into live performance and forge ahead with creative, appreciative and inclusive hearts!
Tickets are $25 (plus HST) each and go on sale Tuesday, June 1st at 10am.
TICKETS ARE LIMITED. THERE WILL ONLY BE 25 TICKETS PER PERFORMANCE SO PLEASE ORDER EARLY.
2021 THEATRE COLLINGWOOD PORCHSIDE FESTIVAL
• Ode to My Inheritance– by Claudia Ferraro
Monday, July 5th at 7pm, Tuesday, July 6th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 243 Birch Street, Collingwood
This spoken word event features Collingwood’s Poet Laureate, Claudia Ferraro, accompanied by guest poet Susan Wismer and Claudia’s mother, Diane Ferraro. We are delighted to have Collingwood’s poet laureate share her work with us.The poems Claudia has selected come together to form a narrative that looks at all the things we inherit while our parents are still alive. It’s a sort of coming-of-age story that explores familial and generational trauma, the breaking and healing of it, and invites a conversation. This isn’t a dark piece. It touches on serious issues, but remains hopeful, even a little funny!
• The Cure for Everything
Written and performed by Maja Ardel, Stage Direction by Jeff Braunstein
Thursday, July 8th at 7pmFriday, July 9th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 263 Beech Street (back porch)
We are thrilled to have the very talented Maja Ardel joining our festival. She is an Iceland-born Canadian and was schooled in Scotland. Maja is an accomplished playwright, performer, theatre instructor, director, and the former artistic director of Young People’s Theatre. In her one-woman show she plays Elsa, a typical fifteen-year-old growing up in the early 1960s. Her world revolves around independence, boys, and being popular at school, despite growing concerns surrounding the Cuban missile crisis. In fact, this is Elsa’s opportunity to let loose before the world blows up!
• Bruce Dow in Concert with accompanist Greg Gibson
Saturday, July 10th at 7pm, Sunday, July 11th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 57 St. Lawrence Street, Collingwood
Born in Seattle, WA, Bruce Dow is an American/Canadian actor, best known for his 5 featured roles on Broadway, 12 seasons in leading roles at the Stratford Festival, and his Dora Awardwinning performances at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the world’s largest and longest running LGBTQ2IA+ theatre. He is the voice of Max in Total Drama Pahkitew Island and he has many appearances on Rick Mercer Reports and Murdoch Mysteries. This multi-award winning actor, singer, teacher and story teller is also a wonderful cabaret performer. We are thrilled to have him singing for us in the festival!
• Beau Dixon MOTOWN AND BEYOND
Wednesday, July 14th at 7pmThursday, July 15th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 443 Ste. Marie St., Collingwood
Join Beau Dixon, a multi award winning instrumentalist, playwright and songwriter as he shares an hour of entertaining and introspective music that celebrates the legacy of African American artists such as Sam Cooke, Harry Belafonte, Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many more!…
• Laughton Common - Written and performed by Scott Hurst
Saturday, July 17th at 7pmSunday, July 18th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 231 Ontario Street, Collingwood
When Scott was told he looked a lot like British stage and film actor Charles Laughton he set out to find out if that was true. What he found was that they not only looked alike but they also had a lot-in-common! Scott is an accomplished actor, singer, director and educator and he will be presenting his one-man play that is sure to entertain and enlighten.
• The Soul of Summer
Tuesday, July 20th at 7pmWednesday, July 21st at 2pm and 7pm
Location: The VanderMarck Hotel – 64 Third Street, Collingwood
A multi genre outdoor cabaret featuring Collingwood faves Chris Tsujiuchi and Leah Allyce Canali accompanied by Mike Meusel. This show mixes soul, R&B, jazz and Broadway classic standards and modern faves with soulful vocals and signature arrangements. Guaranteed to have you dancing in your lawn chairs!
• TWIN FLAMES
Friday, July 23rd at 7pm, Saturday, July 24th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 288 Beech. Street, Collingwood (backyard)
Multi-award winning, chart-topping Indigenous artists Twin Flames build bridges across cultures, continents, and styles. The husband and wife duo of Chelsey June, métis (Algonquin Cree) from Ottawa, and Jaaji, Inuk and Mohawk from Nunavik, are long celebrated for honouring their ancestors through song in English, Inuttitut and French. Two-time Canadian Folk Music Award recipients for Aboriginal Songwriters of the year and three-time Native American Music Award winners, this powerhouse couple have 24 music award Nnominations. They have played more than 1000+ shows throughout Canada, Greenland, the US, Australia and France and are well on their way to becoming a Canadian household name.
• Love Letters - Written by A.R. Gurney
Featuring Jake McArthur and Leslie Worts, Directed by Erica Angus
Sunday, July 25th at 7pm, Monday, July 26th at 2pm and 7pm
Location: 423 Minnesota Street, Collingwood
This wonderful play is a collection of letters written between two friends throughout their lives. Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner were both born to wealth and position and their lifelong correspondence documents life’s ups and downs and just how very much they meant, and gave, to each other.
• • •
24 Live Preformances,
8 Historic Porches,
1 Amazing Festival!
Join Theatre Collingwood as we celebrate & support community, Canadian talent, health, happiness, diversity, inclusion……and some beautiful porches!
This July in Collingwood