MAGAZINE FOR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS FALL 2024
Tim Jennings, Kimberley Rampersad, Marion Rawson
Sangster in One Man, Two Guvnors.
The Skiffle Band, One Man, Two Guvnors
FIVE EASY QUESTIONS FOR TARA AND PETER
The Shaw’s intern directors this year—Peter Fernandes and Tara Rosling—probably look familiar, but they are both taking on a different role in 2024. Every year, two artists are chosen as the Neil Munro Intern Directors. They spend their time here for a season, initially acting as Assistant Directors—Peter on Witness for the Prosecution and Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart , Tara on One Man, Two Guvnors and The Orphan of Chao —and they each choose a one-act play to direct as part of our annual Directors Project performances.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what prompted you to become an intern director?
Over the last few years, I have been actively pursuing opportunities that could expand my relationship to the theatre, and the top of those pursuits has been directing. I have been fortunate enough to work with several directors I admire and consider to be mentors, many of whom began as actors and are also directing this season. Within my pursuits, I have also been able to grow as an illusions designer, which allowed me to gain more experience on “the other side of the table”.
Last year I was awarded an inaugural Philip Akin Black Shoulders Legacy Award to pursue directing and a magic/illusions design mentorship with Skylar Fox (Illusions and Magic Associate for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; he also worked here at The Shaw on Damn Yankees).
These experiences have heavily reinforced my desire to devote more time and commitment to my development as a director, hone my skills as an illusionist and see how these two practices intersect.
Peter Tara This is my fifth season here at the Shaw Festival. My first was back in 2019 when I performed in Brigadoon, The Russian Play and A Christmas Carol. Audiences last saw me in Damn Yankees and The Importance of Being Earnest in 2022. This season, on top of my intern director role, I am also performing in One Man, Two Guvnors.
I first came to work at The Shaw in 2003 when Jackie Maxwell invited me to join the acting ensemble. Over the past 21 years The Shaw and NOTL have played a very significant role in my life—certainly as a performer—but also because it’s here I met my husband, Patrick McManus. We are now permanent residents of Niagara with our 15-year-old daughter, Eliana. I have many loves—acting being just one of them.
I’ve always enjoyed learning new things and going on new adventures—perhaps in keeping with a nomadic childhood. The few experiences I’ve had of directing have been wonderfully challenging, stimulating, deeply rewarding; so, it felt necessary to pursue additional learning opportunities in this new world. Thus far, this journey has been tremendously informative, and I feel like I will know definitively by the completion of my internship, if I am indeed ‘shifting away from acting to directing’ OR simply adding more tools to my artist’s suitcase.
Left page: Peter Fernandes and Tara Rosling.
Photos by David Cooper.
What will you be directing for the Directors Project?
What has your experience been like so far?
The piece I’ve chosen is called The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine by Leah Cherniak, Martha Ross, and Robert Morgan. It is a two-hander show rooted in the performance style of clown and is considered by many to be a Canadian Classic. I think it is incredibly funny and leaves a lot of room for improvisation and audience play, which is a great way to build on all the learning and Commedia dell'arte work from One Man, Two Guvnors.
I have chosen a late and very obscure Tennessee Williams piece titled A Recluse and His Guest. I have loved the work of Williams for as long as I can remember … As I entered my deep dive of reading one-act plays, I had a hunch that I’d emerge with him in hand, but discovering this little-known piece was a complete surprise. When I first read Recluse I thought, “this play is super weird”—which it is, but it kind of stopped me in my tracks. It was like the play gently knocked at me. I continued to read other plays, but always returned to Recluse. Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact that this was the piece my emerging director needed to tango with.
I have learned so much over the last few months about all the work that happens prior to rehearsals beginning as well as in the hours outside of an actor’s rehearsal call. Being an intern director allows you to have more interactions with departments you may not usually encounter as a performer and be involved in a wide array of discussions over all creative fields. It has been such an incredible way to learn about how the different departments all collaborate with each other to bring the show to an audience.
Thus far my experience has been primarily as an assistant director which has been an extraordinary learning journey on many levels. I knew I’d learn a lot from observing, but I underestimated just how much—and not just about the art of directing. I’ve also learned a ton about actors. ACTORS are amazing … they are magicians! I’ve been so profoundly moved and altered by witnessing my colleagues in process from ‘the other side of the table’.
I also genuinely thrive on the ‘create your own adventure’ aspect of the internship—meaning I crash other directors’ rehearsal halls when time permits. I do joke about the callouses I’ve developed on my backside from ALL THE SITTING!
I’ve cherished this opportunity to see the world I’ve devoted myself to for so many years through new spectacles. This experience has absolutely shifted my perception of Shaw the institution: how communication works (and sometimes doesn’t) in a large institution. I’ve also become more aware of the incredible scope of all that happens ‘behind the scenes’.
The Shaw is one BIG HIVE and there are an astounding number of worker bees all attempting to work in harmony in the name of creating art.
What happens next in the internship? Anything you are looking forward to or feeling nervous about?
It's definitely a bit of both, leaning on the side of excitement. I recently had my first meeting with the designers for the Directors Project, and it was so inspiring to hear their ideas and to start on that collaboration. My second intern directing show, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart, is also just about to hit the stage, and I’m very much looking forward to that next step. In terms of nerves—we’ve learned so much throughout this process that I hope I can test and apply all these valuable lessons once rehearsals begin for Ernest and Ernestine
We are just now entering the design process for our Projects and I cannot tell you how incredibly exhilarating it has been to start collaborating with the design team! I love hearing their impressions of the play and the ideas they bring forth concerning the world-building—I love discovering how the play speaks to them. And of course, I am feeling both very eager and quite nervous about starting rehearsals for the Directors Project at the end of July—at long last, to be in the hall with my gorgeous cast and begin the practical application of all I’ve assimilated over the past few months. To take the required leap of faith and believe that gold can be spun from words on a page.
Can you describe the intern director experience in 5 words?
Inspiring, Challenging, Creative, Surprise, Coffee.
No, I definitely can not!
THE DELICIOUS CHALLENGE OF WRITING
Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery of the Human Heart
BY DAMIEN ATKINS
Adelaide, Australia, the home of playwright Reginald Candy (author of the Shaw Festival’s 2024 production of Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery of the Human Heart) is thirteen-and-a-half hours ahead of Niagara. I spoke to him the evening of Saturday, May 25th, 2024. It was morning, the next day, in Australia. We Face Timed for about an hour; what follows is a transcript of our conversation, edited and condensed for length.
D: Good morning, Reginald!
R: G’day Damien. Call me Reggie, please, Reginald is what my children call me when they’re being impertinent.
D: (laughs) I can do that. What’s it like in Adelaide this morning? Tell me what I’m looking at.
R: All right, well, look, as you can see, it’s a beautiful morning. A bit cool. Shuffling into winter, down here. We’re a little bit out in the bush here, on my little ranch. I can see plenty of tree species out my office window, where I do all my writing. I can see Eucalypts, some Golden Elms there, some Jacarandas … a few more. I’m a bit of a tree nut.
D: Me too!
R: Something in common!
"We see Sherlock through his eyes, somewhat at a distance. Sherlock is an oddity. A fascinating man, a sort of superhero, but he remains mysterious."
D: I suspect we have lots in common, actually! We both love Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
R: And Mrs. Hudson, never forget Mrs. Hudson.
D: Never could forget her. She’s got a more prominent role in this Sherlock story, doesn’t she?
R: Yes, she certainly does! That was important to me, that’s one of the things I wanted to do with this play, give a bigger role to Mrs. Hudson, and indeed a lot more female characters in general.
D: I really like that about this play. What made you want to do that?
R: Well, the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle are pretty male-centered, aren’t they? Bit of a blind spot isn’t it, but typical of when they were written. We have an opportunity to expand the field of vision though. So why not? Women are more interesting to write, I’ve always felt that.
D: Agreed. So, this isn’t an adaptation, not really.
R: Not at all. I’ve included elements of several stories in the play: The Adventure of the Stockbroker’s Clerk, The Red Headed League did you know Doyle himself listed The Red Headed League as his second favourite Sherlock story?
D: I didn’t! That’s interesting. I love it too. There’s also The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle —
R: Yes, a fan favourite. And one of my favourites, because it’s so beautifully strange: A Case of Identity
D: Yes! And, of course, The Final Problem
R: Doyle’s fourth favourite Sherlock Holmes story. Yes, there are elements of that story, of course. But just mentioning that story is giving something away …
D: You give it away yourself in the first few lines of the play!
R: That’s true, that’s true. Well, let’s put it this way: there’s one character in the world of Sherlock Holmes (besides
Sherlock and Watson, of course) that everyone is dying to see. And he makes an appearance in this play.
D: (laughs) Oh he certainly does. But even if you know those stories, there are twists.
R: Lots of twists! Very important.
D: So, you wanted to feminize the Sherlock Universe, what else were you trying to do with this play?
R: Well, like you, I suppose, I’ve read all the Sherlock stories and novels, and quite a few of the plays, and I wanted to see how close we could push Sherlock and Watson to the edge. What is it about that combination of people that works so well? Sherlock is described as a machine, a kind of genius. But he is not the protagonist. Watson is always the protagonist, because he is more human, he is fallible. Both men are formidable people on their own, but together … they make a kind of magic, don’t they?
D: Yes, to quote someone in the play, they are, “more than the sum of their parts”.
R: Well, yes, that quote is actually referencing another pair, as you know, but yes, they are. How do they combine to make that magic? As I imagine them, it’s not always a comfortable relationship: they must grate on each other, mustn’t they? They must drive each other nuts, despite (or possibly because of) their deep love for each other. I wanted to see how far I could stress that relationship, maybe to try and uncover what makes them tick …
D: It’s interesting that you say Watson is the protagonist. I agree.
R: Yes, that’s why the conceit of the stories is that Watson is recording them. He is the audience’s surrogate. We see Sherlock through his eyes, somewhat at a distance. Sherlock is an oddity.
A fascinating man, a sort of superhero, but he remains mysterious. But Watson is a palpable, fallible, recognizable human being. Heroic in his own way.
Page 6: Damien Atkins and Ric Reid in The Hound of the Baskervilles (2018).
This page, top: Ric Reid as Dr. Watson, Claire Jullien as Mrs. Hudson, Sanjay Talwar as Inspector Lestrade, and Damien Atkins as Sherlock Holmes. Left: Ric Reid and Damien Atkins
Right: Damien Atkins
Photos on this page from Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Hear
Page 10: Damien Atkins and Ric Reid in Sherlock Holmes and The Raven's Curse (2021).
D: In his decency.
R: Yes.
D: Yes, in the stories, Sherlock is described as “a machine”.
R: Yes, well he was constructed as a vehicle of rational, deliberate thought. Everything can be explained, if you just pay enough attention. This came as a great relief and inspiration to Victorian England. And it’s still a relief, isn’t it, to think that even complex mysteries can somehow be explained, that somehow we can bring order to the chaos.
D: But I like that you’ve given Sherlock some humanity in this play. A machine is interesting to read about in a short story. But in a play, you need living breathing humans, right?
R: I think so! I have been greatly impressed and influenced by Bob Wright, who wrote the first two Sherlock plays that The Shaw has done, his adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and his original script Sherlock Holmes and The Raven’s Curse. You must have enjoyed doing those.
D: They were both a blast.
R: Yes! Good! Yes, Bob really showed me that you can keep the spirit of the stories and characters, and still nudge them into a modern sensibility, using a theatrical sensibility.
D: This play has some gory elements to it too, I love that.
R: Yes, it’s quite ghoulish, isn’t it, the notion of severed human hearts being left on the street.
D: Yeah, disgusting. Where did that come from? You don’t seem like the kind of man to write things like this.
R: Oh, I’m a surprising person. Most people are incredibly surprising, really. I have a dark side. I’m sure you do too.
D: I can neither confirm nor deny.
"... I wanted an impossible mystery for Sherlock to solve. If severed human body parts start showing up on the streets of London, what will Sherlock do?"
R: (laughs) All right. Well, yes, I wanted a gritty London story. With some real darkness. And danger. And most of all, I wanted an impossible mystery for Sherlock to solve. If severed human body parts start showing up on the streets of London, what will Sherlock do? How can you figure out who the murderer is, if you don’t even know who the victims are?
D: Yes, it’s a delicious challenge, isn’t it?
R: That was the aim!
D: The scene at the top of the second act, where Sherlock and Watson and Lestrade and the coroner attempt to identify the victims just based on their heart muscles, how did you figure all of that out?
R: It took weeks, honestly. Three weeks, just that scene. I love to do research. I consulted with several very generous and very intelligent cardiologists. Both of whom said it wasn’t possible, and then proceeded to figure it out for me. Then I had to turn it into a scene.
D: That scene hurts my brain.
R: Mine too, friend, mine too.
D: It’s not all dark and cerebral though … there’s plenty of comedy, and thrills, and surprises. It’s pretty packed!
R: Thank you, thank you.
D: I mean, I do have some questions, some notes.
R: (laughs) Typical actor.
D: Yes, I am common. A director once described me as “creatively spirited”. I don’t think it was a compliment.
R: Doesn’t sound like one.
D: (laughs) Thank you! That’s what said!
R: I was an actor once too. I really come at writing from that point of view.
D: And? How does it inform your writing?
R: Well, I have more sympathy for actors, I hope. And a sense of what a pleasurable line of dialogue is. What I really want is to write roles that actors will enjoy performing.
D: Well, we’re having a good time.
R: That’s a relief! One never really knows, with a world premiere, does one?
D: That’s true! And yes: a world premiere! How exciting!
R: And terrifying.
D: Agreed. I wish you could see it. The Shaw really has exceptional craftspeople, onstage and behind the scenes. You should see the work the props department has done on the human heart muscles!
R: Oh, wonderful! Yes, I’ve seen some conceptual drawings from your designers. And of course I’ve chatted with your director, Craig Hall. Seems like a decent bloke?
D: Can neither confirm nor deny.
R: (laughs) Well, I’ve got to get out to my horses, my friend. And you you must have work to do, don’t you?
D: I do, I really do.
R: Good man. Have a good rehearsal, when you get there. In the meantime, imagine me in the room with you, giggling smugly.
D: And occasionally shaking your head in frustration!
R: Possibly! Possibly. G’day, Damien.
D: G’day!
Damien Atkins appears this season in Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery of the Human Heart and Candida This production marks Damien's third appearance as Sherlock Holmes for the Shaw Festival.
DO IT FOR THE GIRLS!
BY KYLE GOLEMBA
A study of Broadway musicals from 2010 to 2020 identified that only 22% of musicians in Broadway orchestras were women and 25% of Broadway orchestras employed only men, demonstrating that musical theatre’s glass ceiling persists. Enter Maestra, an organization disrupting this imbalance by providing mentorships and opportunities for women and nonbinary composers and musicians.
Learning about Maestra got me thinking about the tremendous women who have trained in The Shaw’s music intern program: Lily Ling (2010) worked on One Touch of Venus and a reading of Trouble in Tahiti ; Tara Litvack (2014) worked on Cabaret and The Philanderer ; and Rachel O’Brien (2020/2021) worked on Gypsy (2020) until the mandated shutdown and returned the following year for Outdoors @ The Shaw and Holiday Inn (2021). I caught up with them in January to chat about their journeys!
LILY LING
TARA LITVACK
RACHEL O'BRIEN
KG: WHAT WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TIME AT THE SHAW?
TL: I really enjoyed the rehearsal process for Cabaret . To this day, it was the most in-depth and well-researched project I have been a part of.
RO: A highlight ... was an outdoor staged reading of William Finn’s Elegies I organized and music directed. Ten performers generously donated their time for the project, and it was a really special experience that I won’t soon forget.
LL: The highlights of my time at The Shaw were really just to get to know and to work and study under Paul [Paul Sportelli, Shaw Music Director] and of course, being able to conduct One Touch of Venus . But truly, it was just getting to know Paul and to work with him.
KG: WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR TREASURED POST-SHAW EXPERIENCES?
TL: I love playing in a pit—so playing in Mirvish’s Strictly Ballroom pit and Stratford’s HMS Pinafore remain two of my favourite memories in my musical career.
RO: I’m having a treasured experience right now on Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 in Toronto. The show is incredible. Ryan deSouza (the Associate MD at Shaw) is the music director, and I wouldn’t have met him if I hadn’t been the intern at Shaw, so that feels special.
LL: I got to work with Paul on The Fantasticks [at Soulpepper]. That was pretty incredible. And then I was able to go to Shanghai and conduct The Lion King in Mandarin and was able to feel like it was a big homecoming. So, that was an amazing experience.
KG: WHAT MUSICAL WISDOM HAVE YOU PICKED UP THAT YOU HOLD DEAR?
TL: When I was at Shaw, I was playing in the pit for Cabaret a lot. It was my first time playing in a pit of that calibre and being a part of the band rather than MD. I felt as time went on, I was getting worse. Paul told me that it may feel that way, but I wasn’t. Rather, my awareness of the music [was] heightening. It’s something I remind myself of a lot when I take on new challenges.
RO: I always think about Paul when I finish conducting a big song and the audience is applauding and I almost want to feel relieved and relax, but then I immediately have to start thinking about the tempo of the next song. I remember him saying, “Everyone gets to enjoy and think about what they just heard/ saw except for the conductor.”
LL: There’s always something to learn, and you can learn from good and bad experiences. It’s truly about always approaching every situation with the spirit of learning about yourself and then from all your collaborators.
KG: WHAT DOES LIFE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW?
TL: I moved to the UK on a talent visa close to three years ago. Since then, I toured for eighteen months with Jersey Boys , immediately followed by working on The Lehman Trilogy on the West End, a regional tour, and now working on my first pantomime. I want to try and shift gears a bit next year, as life has been a bit too busy on the road all the time.
RO: Right now, life is full of shows and teaching, spending about half the year in Charlottetown and half in Toronto. I'm really grateful.
LL: Life for me right now is a bit hectic. I currently live in New York, and I’m the music director and conductor for a brand-new show called How to Dance in Ohio . [ Ohio closed in February, but Lily is now music director and conductor on Hell’s Kitchen .] And at the same time, I am doing my doctorate in music and music education at Columbia. And I am also the co-head of a brand-new program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. So just trying to balance all those things.
KG: LILY, TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH MAESTRA.
LL: Since the pandemic, I’ve been working with Maestra and MUSE—which is Musicians United for Social Equity—as a mentor. It’s been amazing to connect and see the community grow with Maestra ... and then especially in MUSE—started by some of the most prolific music directors and supervisors currently working on Broadway—to really help shepherd a generation and to give voice to and work with a lot of young and upcoming artists who are not white. And actually, Athena So —who is the 2024 Shaw intern—is my MUSE mentee! I remember when I conducted One Touch of Venus ... I ran into Jackie Maxwell outside of the Green Room, and she said, “Do it for the girls!” At the time, I really didn’t think of those things: the female representation or the Asian representation. To me, I was like, “Okay, we’re just going to do this.” I’ve now come to learn and realize how important it is for young, upcoming, and aspiring music directors and musicians to have someone who looks like them to see that those things are possible. It’s become very important to me to show my face, to lend my voice, talk about my journey into the business, to—hopefully— also open some doors for both Maestra and MUSE members.
KG: FINALLY, WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A SHAVIAN MUSIC INTERN?
TL: Take the time of the internship to learn as much as you can. Create opportunities for yourself. I mark “listen first” in my musical scores a lot—it applies to music but also to new environments and opportunities.
RO: Get to know the people around you and immerse yourself in The Shaw community. I made great friends there who make my life better because they’re great friends and also because sometimes they recommend me for jobs. Work hard but enjoy yourself. And swim in the lake!
LL: Say yes to everything. Listen to everything Paul says. Because even if you disagree—which I don’t think you will—you will learn that it is probably true later on. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been one of the first interns. Being at The Shaw opened so many doors for me in Canada. So, I would say: take it all in, say yes, really remember all the big moments, enjoy them. Because this kind of opportunity is once in a lifetime.
MEET ATHENA SO
From an early age, I knew I wanted to pursue music as a career. My dad had been working on sound and music in the Hong Kong film industry before he immigrated to Canada, and since I was a child, I had grown up around music of all sorts, from classical and folk to music on the big screen. I naturally found myself gravitating towards music used in different types of storytelling. When I was first introduced to the role of the Music Director at my university’s theatre company, I knew that this was a role that perfectly suited me and my love of collaborating with artists from various artistic fields.
I feel incredibly honoured to be the 2024 music intern and I have learned a great deal from everyone at The Shaw. I believe there are two ways that a music director can learn: through observing and doing , and as a young Asian female music director today, there aren’t many opportunities for me to experiment and “make mistakes.” Under the brilliant and kind mentorship of Paul Sportelli, I find myself exploring different paths for the first time from conducting performances of My Fair Lady to doing music engraving work for The Secret Garden . I am able to grow in so many capacities here that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do elsewhere.
As much as I feel special, not only being one of the handful of female Shaw music interns, but one of the only Asian female interns, I hope my time here can help pave the way for others like me so that the future of Canadian theatre can be filled with a diverse pool of brilliant Maestras!
Athena So is a Toronto-based Chinese Canadian music director, pianist, and arts educator. Athena is working on My Fair Lady and The Secret Garden .
Page 14: Kyle Golemba with the Ensemble in Holiday Inn (2021).
Page 15: Amanda Lundgren, Élodie Gillett, Allison McCaughey and Jacqueline Thair in Holiday Inn (2021). Page 16: The Ensemble in Cabaret (2015).
CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE Remembering Charles Balbach
“The Shaw was a late love for Charles; he loved—not too strong a word—both the playgoing and the company, in the widest sense, of people.”
By Thomas R. Hyde
When the Shaw Festival announced an October 2023 trip to London, Charles Balbach hesitated. The trip’s schedule was jam-packed. He was not in the best of health; his mobility was very limited. Getting into theatre seats would be a challenge. It is characteristic of him that he framed these issues not in terms of inconvenience or risk to himself, but to the group. He did not want to make work for anyone or make anyone wait. It is also characteristic that he took these problems as logistical ones looking for a solution, which they found—a wheelchair, a professional companion, careful planning. Charles had a great time in London, and no one had to wait for him. I know I speak for everyone on that trip when I say that the spirit we all enjoyed would have been diminished without him.
Charles died at home in Orchard Park, New York, on May 23. He was a bit shy of 90. Between 2013 and 2021, he was an invaluable member of the Shaw Festival Board of Directors. The Shaw was a late love for Charles; he loved—not too strong a word—both the playgoing and the company, in the widest sense, of people. According to Executive Director Tim Jennings, Charles could be relied on to spot the areas in financial statements that were inconsistent or otherwise needed clarification. This ability was uncanny because reading was difficult and slow for him. He had been almost blind for years, as anyone could tell who ever saw him reading a menu three inches away from his face. He liked the challenging plays best and seemed to infer the physical happenings on stage without being able to see them.
Before he joined The Shaw board, Charles was a leader in Buffalo’s not-for-profit world. His leadership was repeatedly transformative. In the 1990’s, he was one of the architects of the merger that brought several fragmented hospitals together and made possible what is now known as the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
But without question, Charles’s most transformative leadership came with his connection with the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery, now known as the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. One of his first initiatives as president of the AKG Board was a comprehensive strategic plan—apparently the first-ever at the sixth-oldest art museum in the U.S. That plan came out in 2001 and marked a moment of self-recognition for the Albright-Knox—as a museum of modern and contemporary art. And as a museum that needed more and more functional spaces to accomplish its clarified mission. The new museum that opened a year ago is the direct result.
To me and several other people, Charles Balbach did not seem mortal. He recovered at least three times against steep odds, but this literal kind of survival isn’t what we’re feeling. He had a kind of mental vitality, even as his physical abilities waned, that did not seem extinguishable. He had much yet to do, to imagine, to experience. He will be missed.
Charles Balbach at Shakespeare's Globe in London, UK in 2023.
The Shaw
—George Bernard Shaw
September
Friends Friends Post-Show Chats
Various Wednesdays | Through October 9
Wednesday after select Festival Theatre matinees (except those marked P or O) please check the website for dates. Post show chats begin approx. 10 minutes after the show.
Free For all Friends, Governors Council and Corporate Partners.
Backstage Tours
Various Dates & Times | 10am & 11am
Peek behind the stage curtain! An hour-long guided tour of the Festival Theatre.
$10 | $5 with ticket to performance
Continue the Conversation
Multiple Dates | Post-Show, through October 12
Following Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday matinees and all performances of The Orphan of Chao (except Previews and Openings).
Join fellow patrons for engaging guided discussion. See calendar online for dates/times.
Free Sponsored by Riverview Cellars Estate Winery
Tuesday Q & A
Tuesday Evenings | Post-Show, through October 8
An informal question-and-answer session with actors following Tuesday evening performances (except Previews & Openings), in all three theatres.
Free
Footlights
September 21 | 2pm | Spiegeltent
Songs from the Golden Age of Broadway
$30
Governors Council GC Weekend
September 21 & 22
Enjoy a weekend of curated sessions, events and experiences to bring you closer to our art, including the Directors Project, discussions with intern directors and dinner with Company members.
$285
Governors Council Neil Munro Intern Directors Project
September 21 | 10am Studio Theatre
Experience two short plays directed by our Intern Directors. Book early space is limited! Free
Speakeasy
September 21 | 8pm | Spiegeltent
An evening of jazz featuring members of the Shaw Orchestra and special guests.
$20
Sponsored by Critelli's Fine Furniture, Spirit in Niagara — Small Batch Distillers
Gospel Choir
September 22 10:30am | Spiegeltent
Big, beautiful uplifting vocals to take your breath away! Enjoy this euphoric and inspirational musical experience performed by the glorious voices in our Company.
$20
Footlights
September 27 | 8pm Spiegeltent
Songs from the Golden Age of Broadway
$30
Art and Medicine
September 28
Join Executive Director of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Dr. Glen Bandiera, Shaw Festival Movement Director Alexis Milligan, and Cardiologist Dr. Penelope Rampersad in this panel discussion about the inextricable connection between art, artists and medicine.
$60 | $25 for students
Coffee Concerts
September 29 | 10:30am | Spiegeltent Classical music concerts performed by members of the Shaw Festival Orchestra.
$10
October
Backstage Tours
Various Dates | 10am & 11am
Peek behind the stage curtain! An hour-long guided tour of the Festival Theatre.
$10 | $5 with ticket to performance
Shaw Guild Autumn Soirée
October 4 6:30pm-9:30pm
Enjoy an exquisite evening under the tent at renowned Château des Charmes winery. Savour beverages, hors d’oeuvres and live music.
$125
SAIL – Shaw Arts Inspiring Leadership
October 5
A full-day program which uses the arts to foster the traits and skills that are crucial to being a good leader. Immersive workshops will focus on presentation and public speaking skills and the importance of courage, resiliency, respect, and empathy. Includes a performance of Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart. Ages 13–18.
$250
Ghost Radio Theatre
October 25 & 26
Enjoy haunting tales and revisit the Golden Age of radio plays, where dialogue is delivered live and sound effects are created with live foley. Revisit a time when the medium painted a rich audio tapestry and drew families to gather round the radio.
$30 in person | Free online
Happy Hour
October 31 | 5pm | Online
A virtual conversation with some of the people who help make our season possible onstage or behind-the-scenes. It’s like bumping into an old Shaw friend…online. Watch your inbox one week prior to each date for registration information. Free
November
Backstage Tours
Various Dates | 10am & 11am
Peek behind the stage curtain! An hour-long guided tour of the Festival Theatre.
$10 | $5 with ticket to performance
Confi-Dance!
Multiple dates | 11am | Festival Theatre
This progressive four-week session is a playful intro to the basics of different dance forms with one of the Shaw Festival Ensemble Members. You will learn some technique and even a bit of choreography! Fun for all ages (8+) and experience levels. Offered in two sessions.
$80 | $40 for students
Sponsored by Sienna For Seniors Foundation
Shaw Teachers Day
November 22
Educators are invited to join us in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake for a day of professional development utilizing skills from the stage, taught by Shaw artists. No matter what subject you teach, you’ll leave inspired and equipped with resources you can immediately use in your classroom.
$175
Happy Hour
November 28 5pm | Online
A virtual conversation with some of the people who help make our season possible on-stage or behind-the-scenes. It’s like bumping into an old Shaw friend…online. Watch your inbox one week prior to each date for registration information.
Free
December
Backstage Tours
Various Dates | 10am & 11am
Peek behind the stage curtain! An hour-long guided tour of the Festival Theatre.
$10 | $5 with ticket to performance
Confi-Dance!
Multiple dates | 11am | Festival Theatre
This progressive four-week session is a playful intro to the basics of different dance forms with one of the Shaw Festival Ensemble Members. You will learn some technique and even a bit of choreography! Fun for all ages (8+) and experience levels. Offered in two sessions. $80 | $40 for students
Sponsored by Sienna For Seniors Foundation
Candlelight Stroll
December 6 | Court House | 6pm
Meet outside the Old Court House for this holiday tradition. Candles are $3 each, cash only. For more information call 905-468-1950 or email tourism@niagaraonthelake.com
Hosted by Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce
Santa Claus Parade
December 14 | 11am
Santa Claus is coming to town! For more information call 905-468-3266.
Plan your visit to The Shaw and Niagara: shawfest.com/plan-your-visit/ or niagaraonthelake.com To book Shaw events Call Box Office at 1-800-511-7429 Governors Council
