Robert Chafe

Festival Players is having the writers over for tea and a chat - and you’re invited! First up is Robert Chafe, whose play Tempting Providence is playing as part of the 2010 season. The reading takes place Sunday, March 28, at 2pm at Books & Company in Picton. Admission is free and refreshments are provided.

Robert Chafe’s work has been seen across Canada, the U.K., and Australia. He is the author of fifteen stage scripts and co-author of another ten. He frequently collaborates with Siminovitch Prize winning director Jillian Keiley. Two of his plays (Tempting Providence and Butler’s Marsh) were published in 2004 and shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. Tempting Providence, directed by Keiley and produced by Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, is entering its eighth year of national and international touring, and has been nominated for two Betty Mitchell Awards (Calgary), a Dora Mavor Moore Award (Toronto) and was recently awarded the Capital Critics Circle Award for Best Production after its run in Ottawa. Chafe has been writer in residence at Artistic Fraud, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and Forest Forge Theatre, Hampshire, U.K., and a guest instructor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and the National Theatre School of Canada.

Tempting Providence was commissioned by Theatre Newfoundland Labrador in 2000 and since its premiere production has played over 370 times in over 90 communities across Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and Australia, and this year will add the U.S. to its touring schedule. Festival Players is delighted to bring this production to our community.

Admission to the Playwrights Reading Series is free. Light refreshments available. For more information call 613.399.5677.

Playwrights Reading Series Sunday, March 28, 2pm

With Tempting Providence playwright Robert Chafe

Books & Company, 289 Main Street, Picton 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FESTIVAL PLAYERS WELCOMES JOAN PENNEFATHER TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 Prince Edward County, ON, (February 25, 2009): Festival Players is pleased to announce the new volunteer members of its Board of Directors lead by chair Joan Pennefather. Ms. Pennefather has over 30 years experience working in the cultural and communications industries. She spent time as the head of two of the country’s cultural institutions, the National Film Board of Canada and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. As well, she spent nearly a decade as a Commissioner with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Ms. Pennefather served on numerous boards in the Ottawa area before moving to Prince Edward County.
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“Joan brings a lot to the table. She’s very knowledgeable and is deeply committed to arts and culture. We’re very lucky to have her assume the role of chair,” says Artistic Director, Sarah Phillips.
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Ms. Pennefather is joined by Kimberley Lander as Secretary/Treasurer and Directors at large Gerry Brooks, René Dick, Hedy Kellar, Wendy Murphy and ex officio member Sarah Phillips. The Board of Directors is a group of committed volunteers who work tirelessly to promote and support the Festival year-round. The first initiative of the new chair was a strategic planning session designed to develop a road map for the company over the next three years. If you are interested in speaking about a possible role as a Board or committee member, you can visit the website and contact the company for more information.
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“I’m honoured – delighted – to join Festival Players. They’ve already brought such wonderful theatre to the County. I look forward to doing what I can to support an amazing and prosperous future” says Joan Pennefather, Board Chair.
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Festival Players is planning an extended season for 2010, commencing on June 29^th and running for 8 weeks in various locations throughout the County. The Flex Pass, an early-bird purchase discount which currently sees a savings of 20% over the cost of regular priced tickets, is still available for purchase. Visit www.festivalplayers.ca for more information about the season, passes, special promotional packages and more.

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Contact: Sarah Phillips, Festival Players of Prince Edward County         

613.399.5677 or sarah@festivalplayers.ca

For more information about enhancing the cultural experience in your community in a tangible, meaningful way, contact Yorrick da Silva.

Registered charity number : 84553 4320 RR0001
www.cra.arc.gc.ca/charities

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 
ELIZA-JANE SCOTT RETURNS TO PLAY AMELIA EARHART

Prince Edward County, ON, (January 21, 2010): Festival Players has just announced that actress Eliza-Jane Scott will return to the County in 2010 to play iconic aviatrix Amelia Earhart.

Ms.Scott, who impressed audiences in 2009 with her work in Ship of Fire and Colours in the Storm, returns to take on the starring role in a new musical by playwright John Gray. Audiences worldwide have long applauded Gray’s award-winning musical Billy Bishop Goes to War and Amelia brings his songwriting and script writing talent to bear on the story of this ‘girl-next-door’ turned celebrity. The 2010 Festival Players production marks the world premiere of this newest version of the play. It’s part biography, part love story, part thrill of the flight and chock full of wonderful music.

Tickets for the 2010 season go on sale in the spring but those who want a great deal can get on board early and purchase a Flex Pass. The Flex Pass is redeemable for 3 regular priced tickets to the season and is currently offered at $71 (a 20% discount). Simply call 613.399.5677 or email boxoffice@festivalplayers.ca to order your 2010 Flex Pass. Pass prices go up on February 14.

Festival Players, now into their fourth season, will be presenting three outstanding Canadian plays between June 29 and August 28, 2010. Check out their website for details, www.festivalplayers.ca.

*hi-res photos attached –  Eliza-Jane Scott and Stephen Sparks in the 2009 production of Colours in the Storm, and promo shot of Eliza-Jane Scott

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Contact: Yorrick da Silva, Festival Players of Prince Edward County
613.399.5677 or yorrick@festivalplayers.ca

Be sure to keep an eye out for more announcements about our 2010 season, the latest news, upcoming events, contests, fundraiser, etc.

Here at Festival Players we’re all  looking forward to a fabulous 2010 summer season. Keep an eye out for Festival Players in the papers, for announcements about our 2010 season, the latest news, upcoming events, contests, fundraiser, etc. If you aren’t already receiving our eNewsletter, and would like to, then please email us at info@festivalplayers.ca  to add your name to the list. It’s an enviro-friendly way to keep informed and you’ll be the first to know Festival news as it arises.

Flex Passes for the 2010 season are on sale at $71 (20% off) if you by before February 14! To get your Flex Pass today give us a call at the office 613-399-5677, you can pay by cheque or credit card and we’ll mail it out to you or you can stop by and pick it up. You can send us an email at boxoffice@festivalplayers.ca (ditto on the payment and shipping) or you can buy securely online via the PayPal button at the bottom of this blog.

Flex Passes for the upcoming 2010 season are on sale now! Get yours today for only $71 (a 20% discount) until February 14th 2010.

What is a Flex Pass you ask? Flex Passes are just that: flexible! A Flex Pass is redeemable for 3 regularly-priced tickets to the 2010 summer season (valued at $89.95). So you can take two friends with you to see a show, or enjoy all three shows in the season by yourself, or see the same play three times if you really want to. Whatever works for you! Plus, Flex Pass holders get first dibs on their choice of nights/seats before single tickets go on sale to the general public (early May).

Flex Pass Sale Dates

$71 (20% off) if you buy before February 14, 2010
$76 (15% off) if you buy before May 1, 2010
$81 (10% off) if you buy before June 29, 2010

How to purchase a Flex Pass today – the choice is yours!

Option #1) Via the PayPal button at the bottom of this blog. We’ll mail it out to you, so please include your mailing address and phone number.

Option #2) Give the office a call – 613.399.5677. You may pay via cheque or credit card. We’ll mail it out or you can pick it up.

Option #3) Send us an email – boxoffice@festivalplayers.ca. Ditto on payment and shipping.

Option #4) This option involved a complicated series of stages, utilizing a carrier pigeon, donkey and St. Bernard. We’ve decided to discontinue this option. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Festival Players will be there and it’s a chance to get your 2010 Flex Passes. Only $67.00 until Dec 21. That’s a 25% discount!

So come on out to Books & Company (289 Main Street, Picton) and see what our Busy Hands have been up to. December 12th & 13th only!

Sat. Dec. 12 9:00am – 6:00pm
Sun. Dec. 13 10:00am – 6:00pm

After a banner year in 2009, with record attendance and rave reviews, the much anticipated Festival Players 2010 season has been announced.?

First up, the classic Canadian thriller I’ll Be Back Before Midnight by Peter Colley. A couple from the city rents an old farmhouse in the country. Their dream of a quiet retreat becomes a nightmare, though, when they find out about a murder in the house and the vengeful ghost that is reported to stalk the night. Laugh-out-loud funny and scream-out-loud scary. Not recommended for children (or the faint of heart!). It’s no surprise that Colley’s play has thrilled audiences and critics alike in over 25 countries and become the most-produced Canadian play ever.

Festival Players is delighted to be partnering with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador to bring a most remarkable play to our community. Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe has toured world-wide, to the UK, Australia, the United States and across Canada, garnering awards wherever it goes. It’s the story of Myra Bennett, a young British nurse, who arrives on the rugged shores of Newfoundland in 1921. There were no roads, no electricity, and the nearest town was a day away on foot. The only medical professional for miles, she pulled teeth, set broken limbs, and birthed babies. It’s a spell-binding tale of strength and heroism told with humour and elegant simplicity.

The final show in the 2010 line up premieres the new version of the musical Amelia by John Gray. Gray’s Billy Bishop Goes to War is well known to audiences, winning the Los Angeles Critics Drama Award, the Governor General’s Award for Drama and the Chalmers Canadian Play Award. With Amelia, he re-imagines the meteoric rise and mysterious disappearance of the legendary Amelia Earheart, pioneering aviatrix. It’s part biography, part love story, part thrill of the flight – and chock full of wonderful music.

“It’s a stellar line up,” says Artistic Director Sarah Phillips. “There’s something for everyone – award winning plays, playwrights, and performers. Our audiences responded really well to the work in 2009 and we’re sure they’re going to be equally enthusiastic about the 2010 season.”

The season will expand to 8 weeks in 2010, running from late June to late August. Flex Passes are on sale until Dec 21 at the deepest discount of the year; $67 gets you three tickets to the 2010 season. That’s a 25% discount off the price of three regular priced tickets. Contact boxoffice@festivalplayers.ca or call 613-399-5677 to order a Flex Pass now for the theatre-lover on your Christmas list – or maybe even treat yourself!