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Coming off a season which garnered more Capital Critics Circle Awards nominations than any other company in Eastern Ontario, Perth’s Classic Theatre Festival opens its 8th summer season June 21 with a combination of brand new historic walking plays and a collection of hits from the golden age of Broadway and the London Stage. Located at 54 Beckwith Street East (at Harvey) in Perth, the 2017 season opens with the most successful Canadian comedy ever staged on Broadway, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year (June 23 to July 16). It stars Festival veterans Scott Clarkson and Lana Sugarman (who won the 2016 Best Female Performer Award for her portrayal of Raina in Arms and the Man.) Slade’s story about two people – each married to someone else – who meet for an annual weekend getaway over 24 years, was a Tony-Award winner. Following is George Bernard Shaw’s romantic comedy Candida (July 21 to August 13), which will appeal to anyone who remembers the powerful pull of a first love that burns in their soul. The play features a stellar cast including Festival veterans William Vickers, Jeffrey Aarles, Fraser Elsdon, Sean Jacklin, and Anna Burkholder, while introducing Dana Fradkin in the title role. The mainstage season closes with an Alfred Hitchcock-styled psychological thriller, Peter Colley’s I’ll Be Back before Midnight (August 18 to September 10), a “gaslighting” tale of a young couple who rent an old, spooky country farmhouse. It features Festival favourites Lindsay Robinson and Alastair Love while introducing first-time performers at the Festival, Chandel Gambles and Lauren Horejda. All mainstage shows run Tuesday to Sunday matinees at 2 pm, and Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 8 pm at the wheelchair accessible, air conditioned space. The Festival’s popular theatrical historic walking plays return this year with expanded performance times. Perth through the Ages (June 21 to August 27, Wednesday to Sunday at 11 am) presents a new, hour-long story, A Nation Lost and Found, focused on the daily lives, concerns, and conflicts of Perth and area residents at the time of Confederation. The Lonely Ghosts Walk (June 29 to August 25, Thursdays and Friday at 7 pm) will feature a new story featuring the unsettled spirits of Perth performing an hour-long, family-friendly romp through the town’s mysterious and haunted past. Music, comedy, and song are featured in this tale set at the time of Confederation. This year’s walking troupe cast features Keegan Carr, Emma Houlahan, Connor Williamson and Garrett Pipher, in plays written by Laurel Smith and directed by Joanna McAuley Treffers. Tickets to the Festival are available online at ticketsplease.ca or by calling toll-free at 1-877-283-1283. Continue reading

As the Classic Theatre Festival gears up for its 8th summer season – following its award-winning season in 2016 – volunteers are being sought to both work at the theatre and also host visiting performers. While ushers and Front of House volunteers are welcome to join a team that has garnered top marks in the OHvation! customer service ranking, the Festival is also looking for anyone with a spare bedroom and kitchen and washroom access  to host one of the visiting professional actors with the Classic Theatre Festival.  Currently, the Festival has two actors who will be arriving in Perth for one six-week period, August 1 to September 10.  The Festival is hoping individuals or families with spare bedrooms and access to a kitchen and washroom are able to host one of the performers (all of whom pay for their own food). In return, host individuals and families receive free passes to the Festival all summer long as well as exclusive invites to special Festival social events. If billets are only available for a three-week term, that could work too. In addition, a number of designers will require shorter, 14-day stays in July and August. For Perth resident Helen Gamble, 2015 marks the 7th consecutive year she has hosted a performer. “I’ve billeted at least one actress each year of the Classic Theatre Festival in Perth,” Gamble says.  “At first I wondered how it would work out and whether my guest room was adequate. It’s been a wonderful experience. I meet interesting, artistic people who are passionate about what they do. They are gone most of the day into the evening, busy with their work schedules. It’s fun to have someone coming and going, a bit of company, but someone I don’t have to entertain.” Gamble has gotten used to living with actors she sees turning into completely different people when they assume their characters on the Classic Theatre Festival stage. She, among other billet hosts, has also struck up close friendships with those she has hosted, and they often stay in touch via facebook, email, and reunion visits. And it’s always a nice surprise to turn on the TV or see a film in which one of the people who stayed with her has gotten a role. “All they need beyond their room is a shelf in the fridge and one in a cupboard,” Gamble says. “They feed themselves, tidy and clean after themselves, and respect my house and routine. My friendly dog seems to be a bonus and often they practice their lines with him as their foil. “Billeting costs me very little – really, just a bit of hot water for showers and a spare key – but I meet and interact with intelligent, outgoing people and am invited to casual get-togethers of cast, crew, other billeters, and volunteers. I’m gifted with tickets to the plays which are more interesting than ever, because I know at least one cast member. I’m glad I decided to billet that first year and look forward to meeting this year’s actress and becoming involved once again.”… Continue reading