· Our Board of Directors, volunteers, billets, individual donors, cast, crew and our staff.
· 4th Line Theatre
· Angeline’s Restaurant &Inn
· ASTRO Summer Theatre
· Books and Company
· Canada Council for the Arts
· Chesterfield’s Homegrown Café
· The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward
· The County Cider Company
· CountyLive
· Daryl Kramp, MP
· The Devonshire Inn on the Lake
· Dollar Sign Rentals
· Driftwood Theatre Group
· Fields on West Lake
· Fields Farm House Inn
· Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.
· Huff Estates
· JB Printing
· KA Media
· Leona Dombrowsky, MPP
· Love Nest Studios
· MACV Holdings
· Mathers Law Office
· Mayor Peter Mertens
· Michael Grills Photography
· The Milford Bistro
· Mount Tabor Playhouse
· Odonata Marketing
· Ontario Arts Council
· Ontario Ministry of Tourism
· Picton Home Hardware Building Centre
· Picton Re/Max
· The Regent Café
· Rosehall Run Vineyards
· Rose Haven Farm Store
· Scout Design
· St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival
· Strum
· Taste the County
· Thousand Islands Playhouse
· Ton-Up Creative
· The Waring House
· Westben Arts Festival Theatre

…and the list goes on! To all of those who have contributed to the success of the season an uproarious chorus of thanks. Everyone who straightened a rack card, picked up an empty water bottle, dusted off a seat, smiled at their fellow audience member or leapt to their feet in applause… everyone who has helped to make this Festival what it has become and helped make it a wonderful experience for us all. Thanks.

L-R: Darryl Avalon Hopkins as Angus, Robert Wyatt Thorne as Men, Renee Hackett as Women, and Deidre Gillard-Rowlings as Myra*

Last night was the Opening Night of Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s production of Tempting Providence! 

We had a packed house last night, to celebrate the first night that this beautiful production has set foot in the County. We would like to say a special thanks to Mark Henry & Lynne Ellis of Fields on West Lake (Venue Sponsor) whose lovely refurbished barn serves as a beautiful backdrop to this magical piece.  Also, thank you to Rosehall Run (Marquee Sponsor), Scout Design (Creative Sponsor), Michael Grills Photography (Photography Sponsor), JB Printing (Print Sponsor), Picton Home Hardware (Elemental Stage Sponsor), and Angeline’s Inn and Restaurant (Tempting Providence Opening Night Sponsor), and to all who came out and enjoyed! 

Tempting Providence is playing July 26-30, 2010  at 8pm, ONLY! With 2pm matinee performances daily from July 27-30. Please book your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Tempting Providence, by Robert Chafe. Myra Bennett, a young British nurse, arrives on the rugged shores of Newfoundland in 1921. No roads, no electricity, no doctors for miles. She signed on for a year and stayed for a lifetime. A spell-binding tale of strength and heroism told with humour and elegant simplicity. 

To get tickets please call the Box Office at 613-471-1991/1-866-584-1991 or visit us in person at 289 Main Street, Picton (inside Books & Company). Want those tickets RIGHT NOW!? You can also buy safely and securely online via www.countytix.ca 

Get into the spirit of all things Newfoundland!

East & Main Bistro in Wellington is hosting “A Scoff & a Yarn” (A Newfoundland-themed, three course, pre-show dinner) for $35 on Wednesday, July 28, Thursday, July 29, and Friday, July 30. Click here for menu.

Reservations for the 5:30pm sitting are recommended, in order to have plenty of time before the 8:00pm performance of Tempting Providence. 

From the Farm Cooking School  is sponsoring this dinner/show event and applauds the local farmers and producers who’ve helped to make these exquisite meals possible. A portion of the dinner sales from the night will be donated to Festival Players

Each of the photos represents one of the three different shows in our summer season and were shot at three different locations in the County.

I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, was shot at none other than Macaulay Heritage Park in Picton. We were given access inside the  historic 18th century home and to the grounds of the old St. Mary Magdalene Parish Cemetary.

Tempting Providence,  was shot at the cliffs and the shores of the island to give the image the whole Newfoundland/maritime essence the show has.

And last,  Amelia was shot at Picton’s very own historic airbase, CFB Picton. The deteriorating surroundings and hauting atmosphere of the retired airbase was the perfect place to capture our aviatrix.

Check out Rene Dick’s blog (from Scout Design) for his behind the scene photos from the shoots!

Last night was the “Business with Passion” event held at Harvest Restaurant in Picton. “Business with Passion”, organized by Rene Dick of Scout Design and hosted by Jennifer Lester of Jennifer Lester Media, was organized for young businesses (and for those young at heart) to embark on an evening of networking, sharing, fun and prizes, with other passionate business people from right here in the County. The event was even broadcasted live via the internet to further promote cyber networking and social media.

It was an excellent opportunity for Festival Players to hob-nob with County entrepreneurs and local businesses, and to give away 2 tickets to our upcoming 2010 season. Michael Grills of Michael Grills Photography was the lucky winner of the pair of tickets, hooray Michael!

Overall, the evening was a success and enjoyed by all. It was the perfect atmosphere for meeting new people, creating new business relationships, building on existing ones and sharing our mutual zeal for business in the County!

A big thanks to Rene Dick for organizing such a fantastic event!

It could begin like this, for example.

Person A:         We were out for our morning jog (they begin to jog) when suddenly we heard an incredible noise behind us.

Person B:         Yes and… (perhaps continuing on with something like) we turned around to find ourselves looking straight into the eyes of the angriest looking bear you’d ever seen.

Person A:         Yes, and… we froze. (they do) Our hearts were pounding. The bear moved closer.

Person B:         Yes, and… I looked slowly over at you. I whispered – make as much noise as you can on the count of three.

Person A:         Yes, and… together we counted very quietly. (whispering) One. Two. Three.

You get the picture. Full and immediate engagement in the story. You are instantly open, ready, willing to take a leap. You always say yes and the story just unfolds. See the below video for another example of how to use this game for creative brainstorming.

Improv: “Yes, and” Marketing Brainstorm Exercise — powered by eHow.com

Last week we had a fantastic brainstorming meeting with our creative partner Scout Design, where Rene announced that he wanted to establish an important ground rule first. “No saying no,” he said. “Just take the ideas and run with them. See where they go.” The result was a firey, fast paced, session where ideas and questions and concepts flowed freely. It’s so easy to get mired in the details, to second guess yourself, to be ahead of yourself and already trying to trouble-shoot things before they’re even out of your mouth. Try a bit of ‘Yes, and’ in your life. It’ll get your juices flowing, see where it takes you. 

Look forward to the rich and radical results of this session in the 2010 season. We’ve got some good ones up our sleeve!

Move over macarena!

 The Festival Players Pig Roast and Square Dance Fundraiser, held last Friday at Fields on West Lake, was by all accounts a huge success!

Sheesham and Lotus

The gorgeous pies donated by local celebs! Mmm...

.
Huge thanks to Rick Zimmerman who did a phenomenal job as auctioneer. We laughed, we cried, we bought pie.
.
And whose pie prevailed?!
.
Was it the sugary goodness of Kelly Roblin‘s Jellybean and Rice Krispies pie?

Rick Zimmerman & Lisa auction off Kelly's Pie

.
The Monster Pie/Art Installment from Nella Casson?

Nella Casson's Monster Pie/Art

.
Or maybe Scout Design‘s Artillery Apple Pie?

Rene Dick's Artillery Apple Pie

The highest bid went to Suzanne Pasternak and Bernie Gaw’s pie, which was accompanied by a $25 gift certificate from Angeline’s.
.
Coming in second was Don Stanton‘s version of Grandma Stone’s  Famous Apple Pie. We’re sure the pie was delicious, and the wine and cheese that came with it surely helped!
.
The pie auction was one of many highlights of the evening and added $269 to Festival Players coffers. Thank you to the rest of our celebrity pie makers: Rev. Audrey Brown, Jennifer Lester, The Campbells Orchards, Elizabeth Crombie, Bill Reddick, Spark Box Studio, and Susanne Larner. And thank you to Peta Hall for her special contribution. We couldn’t have done it without the help of generous neighbors like you.
.
Thank you to Sheesham & Lotus, Mark  Henry & Lynne Ellis, The McCarthy’s , Barbara E. Harris,  Don Heathcote, Rene Dick, Michael Grills, Lorraine Hyatt,  Ryan McMurter, Wesley Stocker, Board Members and staff who assisted in the preparation and execution of the fundraiser. Thanks also to Goodfellow Meats for the deal on the pig!
.
More thanks to those who donated food for the evening:
.

Gorgeous pie inspired cupcakes from Krysti Kakes

Krysti Steenburgh of Krysti’s Kakes
Ally & Mark Walters of Simply Scrumptious
John & Geri Della Bosca of Stone House Farm
Dianne & Colin Campbell of The Campbells Orchards
Vicki Emlaw &  Tim Noxon of Vicki’s Veggies
.
Fundraisers are a way of life for a non-profit, arts organization such as Festival Players. Thanks to all who came out to eat, dance, and support professional theatre in the County. Hope to see you all at the next one!
.
All photos are courtesy of Michael Grills Photography.

To add to the fun (and funds), we’ll be auctioning off pies at the Old-Time County Fun fundraiser this Friday, created by some of the County’s most illustrious citizens. Here’s a list of the fine folks who are baking up a storm for the Festival Players fundraiser:

• Petra Cooper of Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. They’ve only been open a little more than a year, but man, have they made an impact! Fifth Town is winning awards by the armload, producing delectable cheeses that are a gourmet’s delight.

• Rene Dick heads up Scout Design, an award-winning social media marketing organization that is doing some of the most innovative and gorgeous work anywhere. Including ours.

• Suzanne Pasternak, folk opera composer and local marine historian; and Bernie Gaw, Staff Sgt for the Prince Edward OPP and playwright: this couple needs no introduction!

• The Campbell’s Orchards, a County staple on Rednersville Rd. since 1969, is donating one of their lovely pies as well as a bushel of apples to our event.

• Elizabeth Crombie of Royal LePage is a multiple-award-winning agent and one of the best-known faces in real estate in the County.

• Don Stanton describes himself as Picton Branch Manager of McDougall Stanton Insurance and County-boy. Let’s add pie-maker to the list.

• Susanne Larner, Manager of Miss Lily’s Cafe in Picton, makes a wicked latte. We’ll bet she makes a wicked pie too.

• Kelly Roblin of Kelly’s on Main St. in Picton, purveyor of the weird, the wonderful and the inspired. We can’t wait to see what she’s going to come up with next.

• Nella Caslon: painter, potter, textile artist, gal about town, PEC’s next mayor. And her robot-inspired quilt just won Best in Class at this year’s Picton Fair.

• Kyle Topping and Chrissie Poitras of Spark Box Studio, the County’s newest space for artists to live, research, investigate and experiment.

• Jennifer Lester, County-based professional writer and broadcaster by day, pie guru by night.

• Rev. Audrey Brown, Wellington United Church Minister:  “Making pies for church suppers is mandatory in my profession… I perfected the art in Alberta and will use a secret ‘church lady’  recipe for my pie.”

So come on down to the Festival Players fundraiser at Fields on West Lake this Friday and see what else we’re cooking up! MMM…MMMM!