2017/18 CentreStage Issue 3 by Firstontario Performing Arts Centre

centrestage HOT TICKETS-SPRING 2018

Blood Tides

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre WORLD PREMIERE THURS 3 - SAT 5 MAY

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Yo! I'm Asher Pacard, and I'm a FILM HOUSE member! Just got back from Uni and so pumped I don’t have to go to Toronto to see cool films.

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FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre 250 St. Paul Street, Downtown St. Catharines

BOX OFFICE HOURS Monday to Friday, 10AM to 6PM Saturday, 10AM to 2PM Summer and holiday hours may vary.

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a hw We recommend the multiHig Bus Terminal Westc hester level covered Garden Park / Crescen t Carlisle Street Garage with McGuire Street L - LOT / G - GARAGE 595 spaces and 26 accessible spaces. Please visit StCatharines.ca/Parking for a complete list of parking locations. A drop-off point is available in front of the closest doors to Partridge Hall along Carlisle Street.

We are also conveniently located kitty-corner from St. Catharines’ main bus terminal, making us very accessible via public transit. Special event parking is $5 when events are happening at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre or Meridian Centre. Payment is by cash only and is paid on entrance to the garage / parking lots.

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Visit FirstOntarioPAC.ca for a full list of member benefits!

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It's not too late to join! Become a member today for only $30.

I’m Jasper Pacard! My big brother brings me and my little buddies to the FILM HOUSE Saturdays at 4PM and we have a blast!

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I get 4 free vouchers a month to bring friends for free. Swag!

Bus Terminal

Asher gets 15% off on popcorn and goodies.

Buddies Night!

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The Film House is the only licensed film venue in Niagara!

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On-site parking is not available at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre; however, there are more than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots and on city streets within a five-minute walk to the FirstOntario PAC.

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PARKING

SAVE THE DATE

hot ticket

season

Carousel Players

FRI 1 DEC 8PM

THIS WILL BE EXCELLENT SAT 10 FEB 11AM + 2PM Musical Event Solutions

Legends of Motown SAT 10 FEB 7:30PM

FRI 23 MAR 7PM

LE BALLET JAZZ DE MONTREAL TUE 27 FEB 7:30 PM

Rock.It Boy Entertainment

Brock University Department of Music

Encore Concert 4 FRI 23 MAR 7:30PM Rock.It Boy Entertainment

The Lonely - Celebrating The Music Of Roy Orbison MON 12 FEB 7:30PM

Carousel Players Moonhorse Dance Theatre

OLDER + RECKLESS

Led Zepagain

VIRGINIA WOLF

ROSANNE CASH

Chorus Niagara

with John Leventhal WED 28 FEB 7:30 PM

All Aboard!

MOLLY RINGWALD

SAT 7 APR 11AM + 2PM

WED 18 APR 7:30PM

Gallery Players

Essential Collective Theatre

Safety Last SAT 7 APR 6:45PM

Around the World and Home Again

Brock University Department of Music

FRI 20 APR 7:30PM

Brock University Choirs #2 SUN 8 APR 2:30PM

SAT 24 MAR 7:30PM

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

POPS! 4 SAT 21 APR - SUN 22 APR

SUN 25 MAR 2:30PM

JUST FOR LAUGHS ROAD SHOW TUE 10 APR 7:30PM

MICHAEL KAESHAMMER WED 14 FEB 7:30PM

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR!

Chorus Niagara St. Matthew Passion SAT 3 MAR 7:30PM

Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series

ROSEANNE BARR

MARK LALAMA TRIO with Kevin Breit & Thunderclap SUN 25 MAR 4PM SOLD OUT

MON 23 APR 7:30PM Jamie Adkins

A FOOL'S ERRAND THUR 12 APR 7PM

FRI 16 FEB 8PM Bravo Niagara! Festival Of The Arts

Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival

Classic Albums Live

THE BEATLES

FRI 16 FEB 8PM

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

TOWER OF POWER SUN 25 MAR 7:30PM

Kiran Ahluwalia

LOVEFEST

POPS! 3

BK Production

LOUIE ANDERSON

SAT 10 MAR - SUN 11 MAR

SAT 17 FEB 7:30PM

Brock Musical Theatre

An Evening with Byrne and Kelly

THUR 15 MAR - SAT 17 MAR

SAT 14 APR 7:30PM

TOM COCHRANE + RED RIDER SAT 31 MAR 7:30PM SOLD OUT

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre

Masterworks 6

BLOOD TIDES

SUN 15 APR 2:30PM

Brock University Department of Music

THE PEKING ACROBATS THUR 22 FEB 7:30PM

WED 21 MAR 7:30PM

Amadeus

TUE 3 APR 7:30PM

SAT 5 MAY 7:30PM

Brock University Department of Music

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

The University String Orchestra Essential Collective Theatre

OUR LADY OF DELICIAS FRI 23 FEB - SUN 4 MAR

CELTICA - PIPES ROCK! THUR 22 MAR 7:30 PM

Classical Family 3

WED 4 APR 7:30PM

Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series

Gerard ADHD Entertainment

MARK LALAMA TRIO

Gerry Dee Live FRI 6 APR 7:30PM + 10PM

THUR 3 MAY - SAT 5 MAY Chorus Niagara

The University Wind Ensemble

MACHINE DE CIRQUE

The White Album THUR 26 APR 7:30PM SOLD OUT

FRI 13 APR 7:30PM

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Legally Blonde the Musical

30+31 MAY 2018

SUN 25 FEB 2:30PM

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR!

THUR 8 - FRI 9 MAR SOLD OUT

launch

Masterworks 5

THU 1 MAR 7:30PM

18/19

Niagara Symphony Orchestra

with John McDermott & Vox Violins SUN 15 APR 4PM SOLD OUT

SUN 6 MAY 2:30PM Niagara Symphony Orchestra

Masterworks 7 SUN 20 MAY 2:30PM

Join JoinaaCommunity Community ofofFilm FilmLovers Lovers Film FilmHouse HouseMemberships Membershipsare areonly only$30 $30+HST +HSTand andare arevalid validforforone oneyear yearfrom from date dateofofpurchase. purchase.Perks Perksofofmembership membershipinclude: include: A A $7 $7entry entrytotoallallfilms films(2(2tickets ticketslimit limitper permembership) membership)

A A 15% 15%discount discountoffoffconcession concessionproducts, products,excluding excludingalcohol alcohol

A A Buy-one-get-one films Buy-one-get-onefree freetickets ticketsforfor1st 1stscreening screeningofof1st 1strun runfeatures features ++ +

receive receivea avoucher vouchertotogive givetotofriends! friends!(Please (Pleasereserve reservethe theBOGO BOGOtickets tickets via viaphone phoneororin-person in-personatatthe theBox BoxOffice) Office) A A VIP VIPaccess accesstotomeet meetand andgreets, greets,artist artistchats, chats,and andreceptions receptions A A Exchange Exchangetickets, tickets,asasneeded needed A A Bi-weekly Bi-weeklye-newsletter e-newsletter A A Direct Directtotohome homemailing mailingofofyour yourFilm Film& &Dining DiningGuide Guide

22for for11Student StudentTickets Ticketsthis thisFebruary! February!

Show Showyour yourvalid validhigh highschool, school,college, college,ororuniversity universityIDIDand andreceive receivetwo twotickets tickets forforthe theprice priceofofone onetotoany anyfilm. film.Offer Offervalid validininperson persononly. only.

Members Members'Choice Choice

Each Eachmonth, month,the theprogramming programmingcommittee committeeinvites invitesFilm FilmHouse Housemembers members totovote voteonona aspecial specialone-time one-timeonly onlyscreening. screening.Check Checkout outthe theFebruary Februaryand and March Marchfilm filmtitles titlesininthis thisissue issueofofthe theFilm+Dining Film+DiningGuide Guideand andvote voteonline onlineforfor your yourpick! pick!

Film FilmHouse HouseAdmission Admission Movie Moviestill stillfrom fromLady LadyBird Bird playing playingatatThe TheFilm FilmHouse House Sat Sat2424Feb Feb6:30PM 6:30PM/ Sun / Sun2525Feb Feb4PM 4PM Tues Tues2727Feb Feb7PM 7PM/ Sat / Sat3 3Mar Mar4PM 4PM FriFri9 9Mar Mar6:30PM 6:30PM/ Sat / Sat1010Mar Mar6:30PM 6:30PM Sun Sun1111Mar Mar4PM 4PM For Forallallfilm filmlistings listingsvisit visitfirstontariopac.ca firstontariopac.ca

$9$9- general - generaladmission admission+ +HST HST $7$7- member - member/ 13 / 13and andunder under+ +HST HST

Film Film Programming Programming supported supported by by thethe Niagara Niagara Artists Artists Centre Centre Calendar Calendar andand Film+Dining Film+Dining Guide Guide designed designed by by thethe Niagara Niagara Artists Artists Centre Centre

Dr. Zhivago (1965) In the Mood for Love (2000) Say Anything (1989)

Wednesday 14 February 7PM

24 FEB

ONTARIO FILM AUTHORITY RATING 7p

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

28 FEB 7p 27 FEB

6:30p 7p

26 FEB 7p

7p 15 FEB

22 FEB

6:30p

MEMBERS CHOICE > VOTE ONLINE

4p 17 FEB

10 FEB

6:30p

7p 21 FEB

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

6:30p

17 FEB

10 FEB

9p NR 3 FEB

FRIDAY

The Film House

4p NR

2 FEB

23 FEB 2 FEB

6:30p

7p 7p

SATURDAY

6:30p

9 FEB

16 FEB

20 FEB

1 FEB

9p NR 3 FEB

TUESDAY

MEMBERS CHOICE

7p NR 8 FEB

19 FEB

MONDAY

6:30p

7 FEB

16 FEB

13 FEB

February 2018 6:30p

SUNDAY SATURDAY

12 FEB

Faces A Fantastic in the Cave, 9 MAR Places, 6:30p 9p Woman, 10 MAR The 4p Party, Shepherds 6:30p 9p NR Call Me By Her Name, The Death of Stalin and Loving Vincent. 6:30p

6 FEB

14 FEB

15 FEB

24 FEB 7p

7p NR 8 FEB

14 FEB

6:30p

7 FEB

23 FEB

13 FEB

FRIDAY

22 FEB

6 FEB

5 FEB

MEMBERS CHOICE

4p NR

6:30p

SATURDAY

5 FEB

21 FEB

MEMBERS CHOICE > VOTE ONLINE 7p

12 FEB

Wednesday 14 February 7PM

ONTARIO FILM AUTHORITY RATING

1 FEB

20 FEB

Dr. Zhivago (1965) In the Mood for Love (2000) Say Anything (1989)

3 MAR CHOICE 4p > VOTE ONLINE 6:30p MEMBERS

28 FEB

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

19 FEB

9p NR 3 FEB

10 FEB

TUESDAY

SATURDAY

Wednesday 14 February 7PM

MONDAY

The Film House

6:30p

FRIDAY

6:30p

uary 2018

4 FEB

Dr. Zhivago (1965) In the Mood for Love (2000) Say Anything (1989)

The Film House

2 FEB

9 FEB 24 FEB

7p 7p

6:30p

27 FEB

1 FEB

7p NR 8 FEB 4p

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

7 FEB

6:30p

26 FEB 7p

6:30p

8 MAR

18 FEB

6:30p

TUESDAY

6 FEB

4p NR

11 FEB

MONDAY

5 FEB

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

17 FEB

FRIDAY

7 MAR

6:30p

17 FEB

6 MAR

23 FEB

6:30p

5 MAR

The Film House

1 MAR MAR 6:30 RATING ONTARIO7pFILM 2AUTHORITY

6:30p

16 FEB

10 FEB

Saturday 10 March 11:30PM The Big Lebowski(1998) Brain Damage(1988) The Sword and Claw(1975)

15 FEB

SPECIAL LATE NIGHT SCREENING!

6:30p

27 FEB FEB MEMBERS CHOICE >7pVOTE28 ONLINE

ALSO SCREENING IN MARCH:

4 MAR

22 FEB

14 FEB

24 FEB

MEMBERS CHOICE > VOTE ONLINE

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Wednesday 14 February 7PM

4p ONTARIO FILM AUTHORITY7pRATING26 FEB

SATURDAY

9p NR 3 FEB

21 FEB

TUESDAY

13 FEB

9 FEB

MONDAY

15 FEB

MEMBERS CHOICE

20 FEB

MEMBERS MEMBERS CHOICE CHOICE

Dr. Zhivago (1965) In the Mood for Love (2000) Say Anything (1989)

14 FEB

6:30p

SUNDAY

25 FEB

19 FEB

23 FEB

7p NR 8 FEB

6:30p

22 FEB

13 FEB

March 2018

18 FEB

7 FEB

12 FEB

2 FEB

21 FEB

FRIDAY

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

11 FEB

6 FEB

ONTARIO FILM AUTHORITY RATING

5 FEB

20 FEB

Dr. Zhivago (1965) In the Mood for Love (2000) Say Anything (1989)

28 FEB

Wednesday 14 February 7PM

4 FEB

1 FEB

27 FEB

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

ENJOY NEW FEATURES AND CLASSIC FAVOURITES IN NIAGARA'S NEWEST AND ONLY LICENCED CINEMA

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

MEMBERS CHOICE > VOTE ONLINE

ONTARIO FILM AUTHORITY RATING

THE FILM HOUSE

The Film House 12 FEB

TUESDAY

19 FEB

MONDAY

26 FEB

SUNDAY

6:30p

24 FEB

25 FEB

General (suitable for all) Parental Guidance Advised [NR] Not Rated Adult accompaniment 14Adult accompaniment 18Restricted to 18+

6:30p

23 FEB

February 2018

22 FEB

ruary 2018

SPONSORED BY

SOMETHING HEALING, LOVING AND INFORMATIONAL ACCELERATION SERIES Throughout his 30-plus years in show business, Louie Anderson has navigated a path that has taken him from the stage to television to film but it has always been on stage where Louie Anderson’s gift for story-telling has earned him a welldeserved reputation as a “comic's comic.” In recent years, along with his knack for side-splitting oneliners, Anderson has adopted a more essayistic approach to his comedy. This includes a 10-minute story about an argument Anderson had with his father about butter that also touches on alcoholism. In 2017, Anderson told GQ magazine that “sometimes when I do a show, the audience just wants jokes, and maybe that’s what they paid for … But I like the idea, I always have, of putting something in their pocket -- something healing, loving, and informational.”

louie anderson & matt stofsky

In addition to winning three Emmys (the most recent being a 2016 trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his transformative performance as Christine Baskets in the FX dark comedy Baskets), Comedy Central also ranks Anderson as one of the top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All-Time. At the core of his comedy, Anderson continues to take the art of self-deprecation to new levels, always promising his shows will revolve around the three

…one of the lightest on his feet comedians I know… (Louie has) a Fred Astaire-approach. Very nimble, and he wouldn’t hammer points home, but he would do a ‘weaveback’ that was almost Pulp Fiction-like.” -DENNIS MILLER

F-Words: Food, being Fat and over Fifty. It is this ability to talk about himself with such honesty that immediately disarms an audience. When an audience looks up and sees someone on stage who is a reflection of them, there is an unspoken trust between them and the performer that everything will be all right. Sometimes an audience wants to enter the sacred space of a theatre to laugh and forget about the world outside. That is what Anderson gives his audience: A chance to shake off their day, for better or for worse, and get lost in the people and places he creates. That is why his humour has endured for the three decades. That is entertainment. - Brian Foster suitcaseinpoint.com

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $55 MEMBER: $46 COLLEGE/UNI: $25

Sat 17 Feb 7:30PM

the

Peking Acrobats

THURS 22 FEB 7:30PM REGULAR: $55 | MEMBER: $46 | COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25

$100 SHOWTIME + DINE Two tickets and $60 gift certificate for Wind, East or Ma restaurants. The Peking Acrobats regularly passed from the seemingly impossible to the virtually unbelievable." ~ LOS ANGELES TIMES

Pushing the envelope of human possibility…combining agility and grace in remarkable feats of pure artistry.” - NEW YORK POST

SPONSORED BY

Nothing short of spectacular! Standing ovation family fun for kids of all ages!" - DID YOU WEEKEND, NY

Les Ballet Jazz De Montréal DANCE SERIES Emerging from a collaboration between Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Genscy and Eddy Toussaint in 1972, BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal – is a repertory company that creates, produces and presents contemporary dance performances based on the technique, rigour and esthetics of classical ballet. Its work consistently appears on local, national and international stages. The company offers its artists high-level professional ballet training and gives internationally renowned choreographers the freedom to develop their artistic process in keeping with BJM’s identity. In doing so, the company is able to create an exclusive repertoire that is accessible to all. As a leading ambassador of Quebec dance across the globe, BJM is synonymous with flawless

execution. Its distinctive style is at once artistic, sexy, explosive, original and accessible. Since being named artistic director in 1998, Louis Robitaille has reoriented the company toward audiences open to new choreographic forms. He has linked BJM with rising names in the world of contemporary dance, such as Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton and others. The company also regularly collaborates with internationally renowned choreographers, including Mauro Bigonzetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Barak Marshall, Benjamin Millepied, Rodrigo Pederneiras, Ihsan Rustem and Cayetano Soto. In recent years, the company’s artistic direction has favoured multidisciplinary creations that blend ballet with other artistic disciplines such as theatre, video and music.

Program

CASUALTIES OF MEMORY (35 min) The opening image of Itzik Galili’s latest choreographic feast explodes traditional societal notions of Western patriarchy. Men and women are not to be regarded as separate beings. Instead, Galili constructs a sensual environment in which man supports woman, woman supports man, allowing each other to be on and off balance, with perfect agency. They know… They will be here to catch one another. In perfect symbiosis, joy and passionate energy emerge from the dancers and from the rush of the darbuka percussive music played by Les Frères Grand. A blend of ethnic and contemporary dance movement, full of curvilinear and visceral power, emphasizes gender equality. Woman as man. Man as woman. Dance at the extremity of body limits. In this moment, the soul collides and the mind forgets, if only for a moment, that there are differences that divide us. MONO LISA (8 min) Mono Lisa, choreographed by Itzik Galili, is danced to sounds based on the noises of a typewriter. It opens on several rows of spots in steel frames, casting a bold light on the dark stage, creating the atmosphere of a factory plant. In these bizarre spatial surroundings, filled with sounds and visions of iron and steel, a couple of dancers in rustcolored costumes twist and turn, twine and entwine in extraordinary convolutions and rapid pas de deux, with the ballerina always landing on pointe. The incredible acrobatics are executed with breathtaking ease.

O BALCAO DE AMOR (23 min) After a trip to Cuba, Itzik Galili was inspired by this timeless music to create an energetic piece. It is an encounter that Galili infuses with myriad comedic sparks, loose, sexy and full of lovely absurdity. “Sometimes, as grown-ups, we encounter seemingly trivial details that bring us back to our youth and its hopes. Pérez Prado music, with its lightness, gives me a deep sense of simple joy. It makes me happy to see how the young generation relates to it, and to see the different layers of feelings it awakens in them: Joy, laughs, but also a profound smile…” – Itzik Galili

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $45 MEMBER: $38 COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25 Tues 27 Feb 7:30PM

SPONSORED BY

Essential Collective Theatre

Our Lady of Delicias by David Fancy

THEATRE “We need to pay attention to the lives of Niagara’s migrant agricultural workers.” René Lopez, a worker advocate, made this statement to Niagara playwright David Fancy in 2010, beginning a journey that has led to Essential Collective Theatre’s (ECT) production of Our Lady of Delicias this winter at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. “I’m excited by this new script,” says ECT’s Monica Dufault, who is directing the production. “It explores migrant worker issues in considerable depth with a real artistry that I’m keen to share with audiences.” The story features the character of Rangel, a Mexican migrant worker who has been travelling to Canada for years to work in the vineyards and greenhouses of Niagara. Rangel is being haunted by Atlacoya, the Aztec Goddess of drought. She has hitched a ride to Canada with Rangel and plans to dry up Niagara Falls to reclaim her former glory. Rangel and his wife Dolores are expecting a new baby and a Canadian doctor tries to help Rangel deal with the pesticide poisoning he’s experienced in Niagara. The Aztec Goddess, however, has her own plans for all of them… Fancy collaborated with dozens of migrant workers from 2010 to 2012 to create large community performance projects with migrant worker stories featuring dance, music, and theatre. Working with the Niagara Migrant Worker Interest Group, as well as various trips to Mexico, prepared

him to write this play. “Having lived in Niagara for more than a dozen years now, I still feel that this is a reality that is consciously ignored: the lives of people who are our neighbours,” says Fancy. The cast of four features an exceptional range of Canadian acting talent, all of whom bring extensive stage and screen credits to the production. The character of Atlacoya is played by Carla Melo, Juan Carlos Velis takes the role of Rangel, and Camila DiazVarela and Josée Young play the roles of Dolores and the doctor, respectively. Brock Dramatic Arts graduates James McCoy and Jo Pacinda are creating the design and costume design for the production. “This show really fulfills the ECT mandate,” explains Dufault, “including new dramatic writing from Niagarans dealing with important regional realities delivered with high production values to our audiences.” - Dr. David Fancy Associate Professor, Theatre Praxis, Brock University

ROBERTSON THEATRE ALL TICKETS: $30 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Fri 23 + Sat 24 Feb 7PM Sat 24 + Sun 25 Feb* 2PM Wed 28 Feb - Sat 3 Mar 7PM Sun 4 Mar 2PM * (PWYC)

MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

Rosanne Cash

& JOHN LEVENTHAL THE ACCELERATION SERIES ESCARPMENT SERIES

When it comes to describing music, there’s a funny thing about applying labels; they’re so very easy to defy. Take Rosanne Cash, for example, a performer many people would be quick to label a country artist. That would be a truly narrow definition of the broad musical style exhibited by Johnny’s eldest daughter over a career that has produced an extraordinary catalogue of powerful and diverse songs. There’s no doubt Rosanne the singer/songwriter has had an impact in country music circles, where the Nashville Songwriting Hall of Famer racked up a good portion of her 21 Top 40 hits — including 11 that reached number one. However, over the course of 15 albums and four GRAMMY awards, Cash has managed to mine much deeper threads of gold every time she’s stepped outside the often fluid boundaries of contemporary country music. In fact, Cash’s last big project was the critically acclaimed album The River and the Thread, a brilliant slice of Americana polished by collaborator, producer and husband John Leventhal that took listeners on an emotional examination of the historic landscape of the American South.

What truly defines Cash beyond the labels is her versatility as both a songwriter and a vocalist. In the early years of her career, Cash could release a song like “Seven Year Ache” and find herself racing up both the pop and country charts. As she settled into the more exploratory periods of her artistry, the 62-year-old Tennessee-born singer could deliver folk, gospel and blues with equally impressive results. Given the full scope of her creativity, it’s no wonder Cash was awarded the 2014 Smithsonian Ingenuity Award in the Performing Arts.

The multiple

GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter celebrates her

musical legacy and prolific catalogue of 15 albums of pre-eminent

contemporary roots.

So what can you expect to see and hear when Rosanne Cash steps onto the stage for her performance at the FirstOntario PAC? Not to apply a label or anything, but no matter what songs she plays from her vast repertoire, it’s going to be a legendary evening. - David DeRocco GoBeWeekly.com

SPONSORED BY

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $75 MEMBER: $60 Wed 28 Feb 7:30PM

GREAT LAKE

SWIMMERS & MEGAN BONNELL

SPONSORED BY

ESCARPMENT SERIES Even if you have seen folk rockers Great Lake Swimmers before, maybe even a couple times, every tour is a new experience for the artists and their audience. The band is ever evolving, with a changing lineup from each album and tour to the next with one constant, lead singer/songwriter Tony Dekker. Often drawing comparisons to modern indie-folk favourites such as Iron & Wine or classics of the genre, like Harvest-era Neil Young, Dekker’s plaintive acoustic songs paint vivid portraits of the Canadian landscape and common themes of love and loss. For their as-yet-untitled seventh album, which is planned for release in 2018, Dekker once again sought out an unconventional location for recording. For Great Lake Swimmers fans, recording locations have become part of the aura around the music. For 2009’s JUNO-nominated Lost Channels, for example, they recorded in various locations around the Thousand Islands, including Singer Castle in New York state. For their last album, 2015’s A Forest of Arms, recording was done in Belleville's Tyendinaga Cavern and Caves. This time around, Dekker opted for the decommissioned Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, ON. “We’re doing a little bit of an unusual recording process this time,” Dekker tells CentreStage. Rather than bringing in the musicians to record the new songs together from the start, Dekker recorded the vocals and lead instruments, either acoustic guitar or piano, by himself and using the natural reverb of the church to set the tone for the songs. He then added musicians and instruments.

“It’s sort of reverse engineering the record in a way.” “We’re seven records in now and the band has been different for every single record. So I think it is also a matter of pulling in the right musicians for the project and sort of pulling together a band that I think is going to work for the project,” Dekker explains. “I feel like we’ve been creating a jumping off point for musicians that we bring into the sessions.” Dekker plans to have the album done before heading out on their 2018 tour. “We’re almost seeing the St. Catharines show as the kickoff for the new album. It sort of just came about that way because we obviously had to book it well in advance, but I think that is probably going to be one of the first shows for the new album and tour,” he says, meaning fans at the FirstOntario PAC will be among the first to hear the new songs and see how they come together live. “I think it’s going to be a really special show. I think that this album is going to take a little bit more of a minimal approach, but also be a little bit more challenging musically than our albums in the past. I’m pretty excited about it and I think it’s going to be a really interesting shift for the group and for the project as a whole going into the new year.” - Michael Raine CanadianMusicianRadio.com PARTRIDGE HALL ALL TICKETS: $35 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Thurs 1 Mar 7:30PM MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

MACHINE DE CIRQUE CIRQUE & SPECTACLE ESCARPMENT SERIES SERIES Bienvenue, Machine de Cirque! The days of the travelling family circus may be over, but the show most certainly goes on. Machine de Cirque, performing in Partridge Hall this March, is just one of many contemporary circus companies mixing classic circus skills and contemporary theatricality to deliver a dazzling spectacle of man and machine. Here’s the rundown: established in 2013, Machine de Cirque are a collaborative circus company from Québec City. Only half a decade old, they have already toured across Canada and Europe, performing in Italy, France and Germany. Their inaugural show, also called Machine de Cirque, is set 15 years after the Apocalypse, in which five survivors set out to find other remaining humans, constructing a fantastical cyberpunk machine to do so (the machine de cirque). Using their wits and acrobatic skills, the men of Machine de Cirque navigate their post-apocalyptic world with humour, grace, and ingenuity, fashioning junk into jungle gym as they go. It’s no coincidence that this young company hails from Québec – Montréal and Québec City in particular are undisputed hotbeds of contemporary circus. The global

"Rarely is there an ensemble that can so stunningly give a nod to tradition before blowing it off for something more inventive." - New Haven Independent

success of companies such as Cirque du Soleil – and fruitful ties to forms of entertainment like magic and extreme sports – has done much in the way of making circus highly popular both in the theatre and dance worlds as well as the world of mass entertainment. FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre patrons will find lots to love in contemporary circus, which shares many characteristics with both theatre and dance: beautiful sets and costumes; distinct characters or characterization; and complex, overarching narratives, among others. Yet, circus is still unique — the dazzling display of athleticism mixed with artistry is like no other, and Machine de Cirque is sure to deliver both in spades. Machine de Cirque’s artistic goals – to promote home-grown talent and develop local and regional expertise — also reflect the PAC’s commitment to supporting local groups and developing relationships with established and emerging artists across Canada. This, mixed with their astounding acrobatic abilities and offbeat part-comedic, partpoetic style, is sure to make Machine de Cirque a hit — in St. Catharines and around the world. - Hayley Rose Malouin AltTheatre.ca

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 COLLEGE/UNI/CHILD: $25 Wed 21 Mar 7:30PM

SPONSORED BY

$100 SHOWTIME + DINE PACKAGE AVAILABLE

CELTICA

SPONSORED BY

PIPES ROCK!

HIGHLAND MUSIC WITH A ROCK TWIST CRITELLI'S CELTIC SERIES Whether or not you're a fan, there's no mistaking the uniquely haunting sound of the bagpipes. Though most associate the wind instrument with the Scottish Highlands, the distinct sound has been heard all over the world and for much longer than many would imagine, with some evidence dating it as far back as 1000 BC. But those who take in Celtica's Pipes Rock! show at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre this spring will never think of the bagpipes the same way again. The band, comprised of an international group of talented musicians, combines the traditional sound of Scottish

bagpipes with the searing sounds of rock music. Electric bass player Harald Weinkum, who lives in the U.S., founded the group with longtime friend, Austrian guitarist and composer Gajus Stappen. Weinkum, also originally from Austria, said the group has been international in scope from the beginning out of necessity. "We knew we had to look beyond Austria for bagpipe players," he said of the recruitment for the group's 2009 recording of their first CD, Rising, in Phoenix, Ariz. Celtica toured across Europe for the first few years before introducing audiences in North America to their sound. Since then, Celtica has released three more studio albums, Oceans of Fire, Legends and Visions and 2016's Steamphonia, which represented a

major shift in their sound and look. The band describes the newer sound as a hybrid of gothic, metal and steampunk styles, with the latter inspiring their new wardrobe. However, this doesn't simply mean slapping on a top hat and goggles, Weinkum said, explaining they had professional fashion designer Thomas Rettl design specific outfits, with specially selected brocade fabric. This evolution continued with their double live album, released late last year. Weinkum said that for the album, recorded at the Montelago Celtic Festival in Italy, the band brought with them as many elements as they could from the studio, as well as a small orchestral choir, to create a powerful symphonic sound. The live album, he said, is a good representation of their current tour. Despite several years now of touring in North America, Celtica has only

had a handful of dates in Canada, most of them in Alberta, with only one Ontario show at Thunder Bay's Celtic Fair Fort William Historical Park. The downtown St. Catharines show is the first and only performance in this part of the country. Weinkum said the show, which features dazzling displays of fire, appeals to a wide-ranging audience, from young children, to people in their 30s to their parents. "They all seem to respond to it really well," he said. - Mike Zettel NiagaraThisWeek.ca

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 Thurs 22 Mar 7:30PM

Tackling Age On Stage DANCE SERIES Claudia Moore is one of those boomers redefining what it means to be a senior citizen. A dancer still active in her 60s, she helms MOonhORrsE Dance Theatre, a forum for developing the inherently poetic language of dance. She launched it in Toronto in 1996 as a way of prolonging her involvement in the art form while in her mid-50s. A former member of the National Ballet of Canada and Desrosiers Dance Theatre, she commissioned choreographers to work with the dancer she had become as opposed to the dancer she once was. Freed from the pressure of having to execute tricky balances and multiple turns, among other demands placed on her youthful self, Moore encouraged her collaborators to help her experiment with movement quality and emotional colouring. Age had given her new ways of moving and new ways of communicating with an audience, and she wanted to exploit her new powers. She quickly realized she wasn’t alone. In 2000 — for them, as well as herself — Moore created Older & Reckless, a regular series of curated dance performances in intimate spaces showcasing the unique talents of the senior dance artist, along with choreography tailormade for their mature selves. An act of defiance? "Actually, it was the opposite," Moore explains. "It made sense to me, and at my more mature age I had the confidence to go with my impulse. I just wanted to

work quietly, in a smaller venue, to focus more on developing craft and taking risks without the exorbitant costs of the big stage. I was looking for a way to grow, survive, develop, to apply my creativity to the task of developing as an artist." Older & Reckless St. Catharines will feature dance legend Robert Desrosiers in a section of Character in the Choir’s Carnival, performed with accompaniment by cellist and singer Anne Bourne. BaKari I. Lindsay, co-founder of COBA (Collective of Black Artists), will perform his powerful 2012 solo, Ancestral Calling, a shamanistic solo about the search for personal identity. Celebrated for her “daring imagination” (Toronto Star) and being "wickedly funny" (Dance International), Sara Porter will perform Sara does a solo. Moore will perform Sylph(a), by choreographic duo, Apolonia Velasquez and Ofilio Sinbadinho.

moonhorse dance theatre

older + reckless

Since 2013, Older & Reckless now includes a Community Performance Project. In a process led by a senior dance artist, "dance-lovers" have stepped on stage to experience what its like to create and perform a dance for the public. Local dance enthusiasts will collaborate together under Claudia’s guidance to perform Trill of the Heart as part of the March appearance in Partridge Hall. - Adina Herling MOonhORsEdance.com

ROBERTSON THEATRE REGULAR: $35 MEMBER: $30 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Fri 23 March 7PM

SPONSORED BY

Still is the tightest horn section you’ve ever thought about.” - NEW ORLEANS TIMES

TOWER OF POWER 50 YEARS IN, TOWER OF POWER IS STILL ELECTRIFYING! THE ACCELERATION SERIES As an aspiring 17-year-old musician living in Oakland, Calif, Tower of Power founder Emilio Castillo had a rather modest dream for his career. “When I started out in 1968 there was a band called The Spiders we used to go see that got a gig in Sacramento,” recalled Castillo, the long-time tenor saxophonist and sometime vocalist for this internationally acclaimed American R&B-based band. “I thought ‘man, if I could just get to Sacramento I will have made it.’ It didn’t seem doable. But I have so far exceeded my wildest dreams.” Looking back on his storied career, Castillo says he’s “as amazed as everyone else” that Tower of Power will be celebrating 50 years as a

collective when they hit the stage at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. The band’s on-going popularity is certainly no accident. As a recording act Tower of Power has landed a total of nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including “You’re Still a Young Man,” “So Very Hard To Go,” “Soul With a Capital ’S’ and “Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle of a Stream).” However, it is the versatility of the Tower of Power horn section that has brought them their greatest acclaim. As highly sought-out session men, Tower of Power horns have appeared on record or on stage with an incredible list of artists including Otis Reading, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Santana, Journey, Rod Stewart and Huey Lewis. It’s safe to say there are few artists that could work successfully with such diverse acts as The Monkees, The Grateful Dead and Poison and still maintain their credibility, and Castillo agrees. “Don’t forget Neil Diamond, Aaron

SPONSORED BY

Neville and Aerosmith,” laughs Castillo when considering the broad diversity of his band’s collaborations through the years. “When you do sessions like that with famous people, you’re there to enhance their product, but also to make your own statement of who you are. We’re Tower of Power horns. We bring that to the table in a big way. We pick our spots so when the horns happen they stick out. It’s huge.” For optimum delivery of that sound, Castillo suggests the perfect horn section requires five elements. “The five-horn sound, with two tenor saxes, plus two trumpets and a baritone sax, there’s nothing you can’t do with that lineup,” he said. “But what truly makes a great horn section is the players.” With their upcoming gig at FirstOntario PAC, Castillo and his talented fellow players in Tower of Power have certainly pushed their

dreams far beyond the borders of Sacramento. When it comes to motivating traditionally subdued Canadian audiences into displaying some energy, however, Castillo says the band is well prepared. “I don’t know any polite Canadian audiences. When we play in Canada people go crazy. Going to a Tower of Power show is like going to a James Brown or Prince concert. It’s high energy and high emotion. It’s not only fast dance tunes. It’s also ring your heart out like a rag love songs. It’s an experience. We know how to get an audience on their feet.” - David DeRocco GoBeWeekly.com

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $75 MEMBER: $60 Sun 25 Mar 7:30PM

CAROUSEL PLAYERS presents

VIRGINIA WOLF

Adapted for the stage by COLE

LEWIS & CLELIA SCALA

THEATRE Local theatre for young audiences company, Carousel Players, presents a visually stunning new play this spring called Virginia Wolf, for ages 5 and up. Adapted by Cole Lewis & Clelia Scala, this world premiere is based on Kyo Mclear’s Governor General's Literary Award-winning book. The production features a design of interactive projections and video that lifts the storytelling into a delightful world of imagery and imagination. In the play, we discover Virginia in an inexplicably "wolfish" mood. Virginia feels like a snail and acts like a wolf when people try to poke her or cheer her up. Her mood affects her whole family, making her sister Vanessa feel like everything light is turning dark. Vanessa feels helpless! As the day wears on, Vanessa works hard to cheer Virginia up but nothing can make Virginia happy or get her out of bed: not music, or cupcakes; not friends or jokes; not even promises of great adventure! Finally, Virginia offers a suggestion: she would be happy again if she could go to Bloomsberry, a perfect fantastical place "with frosted cakes and beautiful flowers and excellent trees to climb and absolutely no doldrums." "I am so excited to see this innovative new stage adaptation," gushes Carousel Players' new Artistic Director Monica Dufault. "The play brings together traditional theatrical techniques and state-of-the-art video design to tell this sweet story for young

children, about how one little girl tries everything she can think of to cheer up her sister.” “The whole piece is about them finding ways for Vanessa to make space for and share space with Virginia’s wolfishness,” says guest director Leora Morris. “This learning happens in Bloomsberry — wolves need room. And time. Takes. Its. Time.” Ultimately Vanessa learns to coexist with her sister’s wolfishness and wait for it to pass, rather than try to transform it. This sweet and poignant imagining of two siblings’ childhood relationship is depicted in an energetic and whimsical stage production that offers comfort to children while dealing with strong emotions. Virginia Wolf will also be touring to schools in Niagara and beyond from April to May 2018, playing to children in grades K-3. Carousel Players will be gifting a free copy of the book by Kyo Maclear to each school’s library where the play is presented. - Monica Dufault, Artistic Director CarouselPlayers.com

ROBERTSON THEATRE ALL TICKETS: $15 Sat 7 Apr 11AM* + 2PM Recommended for ages 5+. *Sensory Friendly

A NU

AV E

E-

CIRQUE & SPECTACLE SERIES Being a solo performer has its perks. Take improvising, for example. A soloist never has to worry that making things up on the fly will throw off anyone else on stage. But after a while, being a one-person show can feel limiting. Just ask virtuoso clown Jamie Adkins, who’s been entertaining audiences with his antics sans supporting cast for much of his career. When it came time to create material for his latest comedic enterprise, A Fool’s Errand, he decided he didn’t want to perform it alone. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this myself. I need to branch out. I’m tired of myself,’ ” a self-deprecating Adkins said. He remedied that by bringing Montreal-based tuba player and composer Julie Houle into the fold to help him tell the story about the transformative power of friendship. Adkins’s reasons for doubling the size of his troupe with a tuba player are what you’d expect from a clown. A soundtrack for his show scored by the bulky, low-pitched brass instrument, seemed perfectly absurd. Houle was the first person to audition for the gig. Adkins was so taken by her talent that she ended being the only one, too. “I thought it was a pretty limited instrument but it’s range, I’ve discovered with pleasure, is enormous,” Adkins said of the tuba. “If the audience walks away saying I’ve never heard that before, then we’ve done our job.” The audience will also walk away

exposed to another physical performance that tests the laws of gravity and chaos — skills for which Adkins has become famous. A Fool’s Errand, which runs Thursday 12 April at 7pm (plus two imPACt performances for students at 10am + 12:30pm), tells the equally heartwarming and hilarious tale of a greying man who’s finding everything in life difficult. Enter Houle, her tuba, and an orange ball. “He’s in this grey space, a mid-life crisis for a clown, and Julie makes him realize he doesn’t have to go through it alone,” Adkins explained. “With the help of Julie, he finds his colour, his joie de vivre!” Coming up with new material after performing his international hit Circus Incognitus 1,000 times in 27 different countries wasn’t hard, he noted. “Coming up with good new material is the trick,” Adkins admitted. His ultimate goal for his all-ages creation, however, is eliciting joy and laughter — from him and Houle on stage, but mostly from the audience — and providing escape for all involved. “I’m just trying to bring humour in the world and bring laughter, and give a space people can go and not think about everything,” Adkins said. “There is something about going to the theatre and experiencing things as an audience and having everyone breathe together. And when everyone laughs together, they breathe together. There’s a communal part of it. You’re escaping the world together.” - Tiffany Mayer TimeForGrub.com

Jamie Adkins

A Fool's ERRAND Adkins hasn’t reinvented juggling or clowning, he’s just made them more interesting to watch through the powers of personality and grace.” - NEW YORK DAILY GAZETTE

Adkins has actually fulfilled the promise of ringleaders everywhere. It's a show for all ages!" - NEW YORK SUN

PARTRIDGE HALL ALL TICKETS: $25 Thurs 12 Apr 7PM MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

$100 SHOWTIME + DINE Two tickets and $60 gift certificate for Wind, East or Ma restaurants. SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

WITH SUPPORT FROM

WELCOME THE STRANGER GIRLS NIGHT OUT SERIES The idea of LOVEfest arose from my personal interest in exploring aspects of cultural intolerance — the loss of ‘brotherhood’ in mankind. It is a theme close to my personal experience. My story is that of an immigrant born in India and raised in Canada. As an immigrant child the hardships we faced were touted as temporary — the effects were permanent. On the one hand, I developed a wonderful double culture; two sets of wardrobe and multiple languages to think in. On the other, I developed conflicting etiquettes and ways of doing

things that were neither "fully" Indian nor "fully" Canadian. The Earth now holds seven billion people. For me, this means there are seven billion unique ways of doing things. Yet wherever we live, the majority’s way of doing things becomes the norm; and whatever is different and foreign can easily be mistrusted. The consequence in a large immigrantbased population such as ours is cultural intolerance and difficulty in embracing newness. LOVEfest opens doors into two religions and cultures that at the very least remain mysterious to the Canadian general public. It brings you exceptional performances of both traditional and modern arts from the Sikh and Muslim cultures and hopes to create a positive curiosity.

The two-time JUNO-winning Kiran Ahluwalia is considered one of Canada’s most prominent world music artists. She performs a mesmerizing modern hybrid of Indian melodies and desert blues with her stellar five-piece band.

Tanoura with its colourful spinning skirts is the whirling dervish dance that has evolved in Egypt where it is performed in both religious and folk ceremonies.

What happens inside a Sikh Temple (Gurudwara)? You may never enter one to find out first hand, but LOVEfest will take you there. Sikh spirituals (Shabad Kirtan) are only ever heard inside a Gurudwara. But LOVEfest uniquely brings these wonderfully compelling hymns to the public stage by The Bhai Kabal Singh group.

Both Sikh spirituals and Tanoura are traditional art forms. Juxtaposed with the traditional are myself and Souad Massi — born into Sikhism in India and Islam in Algeria, respectively. Both of us are modern exponents of music originating in our cultures. We sing of the human condition, our personal stories as women and the stories of our communities in turmoil. Not to mention that Souad Massi is probably the most renowned female singersongwriter from the Muslim world.

Although the West has been introduced to music from Islam in the form of Sufi music, we rarely see dance from Islamic traditions.

In one night, on one stage, it is rare to be able to experience art that has survived intact for hundreds of years, plus witness the way in which

elements from that ancient culture have evolved with Western influence. This is a special once-in-a-lifetime show of high-quality music and dance that illuminates a diverse world of cultural artistic expression. LOVEfest offers performers and audiences alike an unforgettable opportunity to peek into the unknown and “Welcome The Stranger.” - Kiran Ahluwalia KiranMusic.com

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $49 MEMBER: $42 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Fri 13 Apr 7:30PM MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

Molly Ringwald An evening with

MUSIC

Before she starred in the iconic '80s teenage angst movies of John Hughes, Molly Ringwald was a singer. And so rather than a departure, her new tour featuring the classics of the Great American Songbook is a return to her roots.

as Annie Ross, Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. "I just kept creeping a little more modern," she said. "I think they're just beautiful, and there's an interesting turn of phrase. It's just sort of my comfort zone. It always moves me."

"It was the first thing I did, almost preverbal," she says of singing with her father, musician Bob Ringwald. "I was singing long before I was acting."

When taking on the classics, Ringwald makes use of her acting chops. "I always approach everything as a character," she said. "I am telling a story about who the person is and who they're singing to and what it's about."

Ringwald is of course best known for her roles in the films Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. However, she's also an author and has starred on Broadway in productions such as How I Learned to Drive, Cabaret and Enchanted April. In 2013 she released her debut jazz album, Except Sometimes, which was followed up last year with a live recording at New York's famous Birdland Jazz Club. To call her tour a return to jazz is something of a misnomer, since, apart from a tiny teen rebellion during which she gravitated to other genres, Ringwald has always been a fan and singer of jazz. She grew up on a steady diet of old-school jazz, the likes of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke. "My dad was super old-timey," she said. "Well, now he's an actual oldtimer, but when he was younger he was always really into traditional jazz." As she grew up, Ringwald found herself gravitating toward singers who arrived on the scene a little later, such

For An Evening with Molly Ringwald, which comes to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on April 18, people can expect to see the casual confidence that comes from a singer enjoying herself, playing with musicians she connects with, telling stories and interacting with the audience. She might even have a few tricks up her sleeve. "There's nothing that's scripted," she said. "That's really kind of one of the things I like about jazz music, is the improvisational aspect to it." - Mike Zettel NiagaraThisWeek.ca

"The spin she brings to the American Songbook is thoroughly contemporary." - The New York Times

"One thing that is not up for debate is that Molly can really sing!" - Yahoo.com

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $52 MEMBERS: $45 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Wed 18 Apr 7:30PM MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

"Mind blown." - Vice

ROSEANNE

BARR

THE

TOP 8 THINGS

we didn't REALLY know about Roseanne Barr GIRLS NIGHT OUT SERIES Roseanne’s first television performance was on the Johnny Carson show in 1985. Her opening line: “I’ve been married for 13 years – and let me tell ya, it’s a thrill to be out of the house.” Roseanne was offered the role of Peggy Bundy in the television show Married…with Children but turned it down. When the show Roseanne debuted in 1988 it was watched by over

21 million households. The Roseanne revival was announced in April 2017 with the entire cast returning, including John Goodman, whose character Dan Conner died in the show’s season finale. Original writer and deadpan master Norm Macdonald has written for eight of the new episodes for Season 10. Barr’s iconic screechy anthem singing fiasco at a San Diego Padres game in 1990 was apparently encouraged by baseball officials “to bring humour to the song.” Barr was universally blamed.

A shortlived reality show called Roseanne’s Nuts featured Barr and her boyfriend Johnny Argent as they live and work on a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. In 2011, Barr announced her candidacy for the 2012 US presidential election running on the “Green Tea Party” ticket. She came in second for a Green Party nomination in July 2012. She then shifted to the Peace and Freedom Party and won the presidential nomination in August. She placed sixth overall in the popular vote with nearly 70,000 votes nationwide.

PARTRIDGE HALL REGULAR: $65 MEMBER: $60 Mon 23 Apr 7:30PM SPONSORED BY

blood tides K A H A : W I D A N C E T H E AT R E

Tēnā rā koe e kui e Hina-Te-Uira e tahutahu ahi ana te tohu tohunga ruanuku nei e Tēnā rā koe, tēnā rā koe Naumai ki raro e! TRANSLATION: It is you Lightning Woman! Activating the fire The omen of the Priestess It is you It is you Come! Descend!

DANCE SERIES A world premiere of a striking dance piece that calls for a re-matriation to the house of humanity. Five generations of women grace the stage traversing between worlds: sacred internal landscapes, passageways of birth, death and renewal, ceremonial states, light and shadows, becoming clay and corn women. Blood Tides is timely as the world struggles with the power imbalance between the sacred feminine and masculine. Going back to Indigenous ancestries, the performance dreams up ways to restore connection. Throughout the performance, alchemist entity “Lightning Woman” rebuilds the fire within women’s spirit, alighting shifts of consciousness within three women at differing stages of life. A coming of age for a youth who is being guided through her rites of passage by her aunties. Moving from the dark and aloneness of her fasting lodge, she battles her fears, and loneliness to discover independence as the huntress. Connected to her own divine source she is ready to move forward in her life with purpose. A second woman is at the threshold of transformation. Like so many she has missed out on her rites of passage. She hasn’t had the ceremonies and yearns for renewal, it takes the Lightning Woman to activate and stir her from lethargy. A third woman designs her own ceremony, becoming Clay woman she re-sculpts her world, folding in layers of ancestral knowledge.

FEATURED PROGRAMMING sponsored by

SPONSORED BY

Blood Tides was conceived by Kaha:wi's visionary Artistic Director Santee Smith and is the follow-up work to Re-Quickening, recently

showcased at the 2017 Celebration of Nations. Blood Tides highlights the retrieval of women’s knowing and restoration of rites of passage, new song and dance of earthworld, underworld and cosmos. Steeped in cultural knowledge the narratives and imagery woven throughout, Blood Tides has been inspired by the work of Mohawk Clanmother Louise “Mama Bear” McDonald's work with the Oheró:kon “Under The Husk” community rites of passage process and Ngahuia Murphy (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana) scholar and artist/activist among other Indigenous women. A spiritual and emotive original recorded score by cellist Cris Derksen in collaboration with musician Pura Fé and Ngahuia Murphy incorporates the transcendent sounds of the Mori traditional instrument, Taonga Puoro by musician Jo’el Komene (NZ), Paddy Free and others. New Zealand collaborators in the choreographic development include: Nancy Wijohn, Louise Potiki Bryant, Kura Te Waati and Sophie Williams. The design team includes Andy Moro, Louise Potiki Bryant, Adriana Fulop and Ryan Webber. Together these artists create a visually stunning dreamspace and portal of love for the divine feminine. - Ngahuia Murphy KahaWiDance.org ROBERTSON THEATRE REGULAR: $39 MEMBER: $33 COLLEGE/UNI: $25 Thurs 3 - Sat 5 May 8PM Sat 5 May 2PM MEMBERS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE!

AUDIENCE POLICIES • • • •

Every person, regardless of age, must hold a valid ticket. Unauthorized photography or any recordings of sound or video are prohibited. Please remember to turn off cellphones and digital devices. Fragrance-Free Zone – Please help us accommodate those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products. Thank you for not wearing perfume, aftershave or any scented hand/hair/body products. • The Algoma Central Lobby and bar open one hour before show time. Arrive early to get the best parking spots, avoid lineups and enjoy a pre-show beverage in the lobby. At most performances, beverages are permitted inside the theatre. Drink transfer stations (disposable cups) are set up outside the theatre entrance. We do not allow glass into the theatres.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES • Drop-off points are available in front of the Box Office entrance on St. Paul Street as well as the front doors closest to Partridge Hall (curbed ramps) along Carlisle Street. Please note the doors to the Partridge Hall entrance are only open one hour prior to a performance. • We recommend the multi-level covered Garden Park / Carlisle Street Garage with 595 spaces and 26 accessible spaces. • All theatres are accessible for seating – please notify the Box Office when you book your tickets. We would like to know your preference to accomodate your needs. You may choose to sit in theatre seats or remain in your wheelchair throughout the performance. • All washrooms are accessible and located near each of the four theatres. • We have two elevators with access to all levels of the building. Handrails in the theatres are there to assist patrons with navigating the aisles and steps. • We have a wheelchair on site and Front of House Staff are available to assist our guests. Booster seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The new Listen Technologies hearing-assistance system is available in all theatres. Please reserve any of these in advance via the Box Office or ask the Front of House Staff when you arrive. • We welcome patrons, who are accompanied by a trained, accredited service animal. • During events, Front of House staff are on hand to ensure our patrons’ enjoyment.

LISTENING ASSISTING DEVICES

Are available upon request

ART GIVING OF

THE

CAPITAL DONORS FirstOntario Credit Union

Peter and Janet Partridge The Cairns Family

Joe and Anita Robertson

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

Partridge Hall

Robertson Theatre

Cairns Recital Hall

Algoma Central Corporation

John and Harriet Lehnen

Joy Williams

John and June Mann

COGECO

Algoma Central Lobby

Steinway Piano

Joy Wiliams Lobby

Mann Raceway Plaza

COGECO Lobby

RBC Foundation

Christopher J. Slater

Linda and Tom Goldspink

Marian Gordon-Kendall Ineke Brinkman

RBC Innovation Studio

In memory of Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Slater Lobby Elevator

Donor Wall

Marian Gordon-Kendall Recital Lobby

The Brinkman Boardroam

John Muratori Family

Virgina Atkin and Keith Ambachtsheer

Art and Val Fleming

Wynne Nicholson

John Muratori Family Box Office

Virgina Atkin and Keith Ambachtsheer Green Room

Art and Val Fleming Staircase

Nicholson Dressing Room

The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is very grateful to our COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN DONORS for making us a philanthropic priority with gifts of $10,000 and above. We would like to acknowledge The City of St. Catharines Mayor, City Council and staff (past and present); Brock University President, faculty and staff; Infrastructure Canada and the Province of Ontario for project funding support; The Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Arts Presentation Fund); the Ontario Arts Council (Ontario Dances Program & Theatre Connects Program); Niagara Region (Niagara Investment in Culture) for their support of our season programming; the Niagara Centre for the Arts Task Force, PAC User Group and the citizens of St. Catharines-Niagara.

SPRING+SUMMER

FESTIVAL IN THE SOIL

ARTS FESTIVAL Downtown St. Catharines

600 ARTISTS, 15 VENUES, 3 DAYS, 1 REALLY GOOD TIME

In the Soil Arts Festival is a multidisciplinary explosion of creativity. Celebrating 10 years, the festival has grown into the premier showcase for the arts in Niagara. In the Soil Arts Festival encourages audiences to discover new artists and art forms while promising a wide variety of offerings to choose from: Music - Over 50 bands and solo artists will grace our venues' stages to share rock, jazz, pop, experimental, hip-hop and more. Theatre - Over a dozen new plays, collaborative creations and Suitcase in Pointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature comedy shows. Poetry - A poetry slam, readings and special poetry performances created just for the festival. One-time audience experiences Streets filled with installations and interactive art opportunities and expanded RHIZOMES choose-yourown-art-adventure,

season

Family - Free interactive activities for families at our outdoor hub and in partnership with the St. Catharines Library. In the Soil Arts Festival is brought to you by Suitcase in Point Theatre Company and its festival partners with an aim to bring Niagara artists from a range of disciplines together to provide unique audience experiences. The festival nurtures the creation of new work, encourages innovation, offers learning opportunities for youth and provides intimate and unique platforms for audiences to experience artwork. In the Soil Arts Festival brings local and national artists and audiences together through the arts to nurture a Niagara that is self-determining and culturally distinct. Get all the dirt at INTHESOIL.ON.CA Early Bird All-access festival pass (until 1 APR) $35 All-access festival pass (after 1 APR) $50 Individual events range from free to $20 per ticket

50th Anniversary Celebration

4 - 27 MAY 2018

Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest continually running Heritage Festival Celebrate a beautiful blend of cultures and people that make Canada a nation to be envied. The Folk Arts Multicultural Centre is comprised of over 30 ethno-cultural groups, community organizations and individual members and is where throughout the year, 30 staff and over 100 volunteers deliver settlement assistance to over 2,000 newcomers from all over the world at locations throughout the Niagara region. This work is celebrated every May during the Niagara Folk Arts Festival, when the multicultural community opens its doors and its hearts and welcomes you to experience the beauty and uniqueness of their cultures, traditions, art, music and food. Live performances, exhibitions, interactive workshops, experiential activities, historical and religious site tours all are presented, demonstrating Canada is stronger with diversity. Join us for the kick-off weekend, May 4, 5, and 6 at 85 Church Street, St. Catharines, which includes live performances of dance, music and live theatre on the One World Stage, interactive workshops led by cultural artisans, a new Family and Youth Area with activities

geared to active engagement, Jump Up (Caribbean-themed event), a celebration of Cinco de Mayo (Mexican Fiesta) and an invitation to paint a ceramic tile to help us create a mosaic mural celebrating our multicultural Garden City. From 6-27 May, ethno-cultural groups across the Niagara region will open their doors to the public for 25+ open houses. Thousands of visitors enjoy the cultural live performances, delicious traditional foods and beverages, cultural heritage displays and tours of historical and religious sites, all with free entry and a pay-asyou-go format. FOLK-ARTS.CA/FESTIVAL

27 JUNE 25 AUGUST

HUMOUR

A TWO-DAY MULTI-VENUE EVENT

heart WITH

SAT 2 JUNE - SUN 3 JUNE

IN THE HEART OF NIAGARA!

LAUGH ALL SUMMER LONG WITH THE NORM FOSTER THEATRE FESTIVAL The Foster Festival is the only Canadian theatre festival to celebrate the work of a living playwright. Norm Foster is the most produced playwright in Canadian history, with his nearly 60 plays receiving an average of 150 productions each year across Canada and internationally. We are thrilled to be back for our third season of sparkling comedies including two world premieres!

The first production of 2018 will be a Norm Foster Greatest Hit - Wrong For Each Other, followed by two World Premieres - Come Down from Up River and Renovations For Six. New this year, The Foster Festival will offer a number of scheduled preand post-show chats with the artists in our gracious Fore and Aft Lounge in the PAC. Tickets for The Foster Festival are on sale now. To learn more, please visit FOSTERFESTIVAL.COM

Niagara VegFest is an annual event that takes place in downtown St. Catharines and throughout Niagara Wine Country. The festival celebrates the many benefits of a healthy, compassionate, plant-based lifestyle, and showcases exhibitors, vendors, and speakers from the Niagara region and beyond.

SATURDAY 2 JUNE What a wonderful addition to the Niagara experience! To have this quality of comedic theatre in our hometown is so exciting. We enjoyed every minute of the opening season shows – and we're looking forward to next summer! - Brenda S., St. Catharines

This season explores the meaning of family. What makes us love and laugh together? What gets us through the good times and the bad? Family does. - Patricia Vanstone, Artistic Director

In St. Catharines and around the Niagara region ● VegFest in the Vineyard. Four wineries with vegan wine and food pairings throughout the Niagara region. ● Vegan dining experience in Downtown St. Catharines. ●VegFest-themed film at The Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre .

SUNDAY 3 JUNE

Market Square, St. Catharines ●VegFest at the Market, 11AM – 6PM 91 King Street (Market Square), St. Catharines. Admission: Free/$2 suggested donation

NIAGARAVEGFEST.COM

TWO WEEKENDS 19 - 22 July 27 - 29 July

Recently named Best New Festival in Ontario, the TD Niagara Jazz Festival is dedicated to celebrating the art form of jazz in the Niagara region. The festival inspires, educates and develops future jazz audiences for generations to come while combining live jazz with a Niagara experience â&#x20AC;&#x201D; food, wine, culture and natural wonders.

This year the festival takes place over two weekends (19 - 22 July and 27 - 29 July) with events from St. Catharines to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Join them for their flagship event in Partridge Hall on Friday, July 27, 2018. This event will feature Jim John's Swing Shift Big Band (Toronto) and celebrated vocalist Christopher Alan Graves (South Carolina). An event not to be missed!

Like a great performance, wise investing is built on experience and talent. Our objective and highly experienced advisors provide professional advice thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built around you and achieving your financial goals. And our commitment to investing in our local communities demonstrates our belief that investing in people brings the highest returns. Talk to us first about a better way of investing at FirstOntarioInvestments.com

Festival passes and individual tickets available at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office.

NIAGARAJAZZFESTIVAL.COM

CIM Investment Advisor Carolyn Humby, CFP, FMA, T: 1-800-616-8878 Ext. 5020 | C: 905-988-3562 E: Carolyn.Humby@FirstOntario.com

Visit us at www.FirstOntario.com or call us at 1-800-616-8878

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