The Festival Players of Prince Edward County will be hosting its first event of the year on Saturday, February 11th, 2012. Well-known Canadian star of stage and screen Sonja Smits will emcee, guiding guests through an elegant Valentine-themed evening filled with romance, good food, County wine and live entertainment by some of our local theatre’s best-known performers.

Along with a splendid Waring House meal, the evening will also include fabulous live musical theatre performances by John Millard, well-known musical director and composer of Weedy Peetstraw and of Colours in the Storm fame; Michael O’Hara, who appeared many times on the Festival Players stage in such plays as Picton Papers, Ship of Fire, Colours in the Storm and Hank Williams; and Eliza Jane Scott who was loved in Colours in the Storm, Ship of Fire, and, most recently, in Amelia: the Girl Who Wants to Fly.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for theatre lovers to ‘share the love’ a bit, celebrate Valentine’s Day while enjoying their favourite artists and helping to support their local theatre,” said Artistic Director Sarah Phillips.  “We’re thrilled that Sonja is at the helm of this event. She’s an icon in Canadian film, television and theatre and has always encouraged Festival Players, supporting and advising the company since day one.” The evening will also include a live and a silent auction, featuring theatre-related items including a weekend in Stratford, and various theatre-restaurant packages from around Ontario.  The proceeds from the evening will go to support the activities of Festival Players.

“Even when you have a very successful season, which we have had, ticket sales account for barely 30% of the cost of running a professional theatre”, said Phillips.  “We count on fundraising events like this to help us achieve the high calibre theatre our audience has come to expect”.

The evening’s festivities begin at 6pm. Tickets are $100 per person (guests receive a charitable tax receipt for $50 with each ticket purchased). There are a limited number of tickets available. Get yours now and guarantee a seat at what’s sure to be a lovely evening of entertainment! Buy online at CountyTix or by phone at 613.471.1991.

For the first time ever, Festival Players will be producing one of our shows in both official languages. Oui, in both English and French.

The first show of the season will be a charming play by Quebec’s iconic Michel Tremblay. The same cast will perform Tremblay’s Encore Une Fois Si Vous Permettez, and For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, the English translation by Tremblay’s long-time collaborator Linda Gaboriau. The cast will perform in either English or French, depending on the date. Tremblay’s play is funny and touching. It’s a love-letter to his mother, a fiery spirit who died before she got to see him reach the height of his success. 

The second show of the season, In the Wake, comes all the way from Alberta. Calgary’s Downstage Creation Ensemble brings audiences a darkly comic and highly physical take on the state of the west coast fisheries. Jack Travail needs a miracle. A deadzone threatens his livelihood, and just maybe a radical researcher can bring the ocean back to life… Simple, elegant storytelling at its best and a great show for all. The show plays for only a very brief run so audiences are encouraged to book early!

The third show of the season, The Man From the Capital, is another rollicking good time (in the spirit of Weedy Peetstraw!). A musical with wit and heart, The Man From the Capital, is penned by Colin Heath and John Millard. When the corrupt local officials hear a Government Inspector is coming to their small town it throws things into comic overdrive, sending the whole place into a tailspin. And when the mayor mistakes a down-and-out drifter for the inspector, all hell breaks loose. It’s a hilarious reworking of Gogol’s The Government Inspector, a farcical romp, deliciously wicked, and wickedly funny.

Back again for the 2012 season is Sounding Ground, an experience like no other. Audience members will listen to a series of 5 unique audioplays while on a walkabout through Picton. Hear Picton like you’ve never heard it before.

Flex Passes are now on sale at the deepest discount of the year (only $67.50+HST) from now until Christmas Eve. What is a Flex Pass you ask? A Flex Pass is redeemable for three tickets to use as you please. Bring two friends to a show, or go solo to all three. This year Flex Pass holders also receive a special bonus – a free ticket to Sounding Ground! Order your passes today by calling the Festival Players Box Office at 613-471-1991/1-866-584-1991 or by emailing boxoffice@festivalplayers.ca.

Eliza-Jane Scott as Amelia Earhart

This weekend is your final chance to catch the Festival Players production of Amelia: The Girl Who Wants to Fly at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa.

Be transported to the Golden Age of Flight – a world of planes, dreams and celebrity. Amelia is the fascinating story of the meteoric rise and mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart. The legendary Earhart was a pioneer of the skies, a courageous woman who defied all conventions of her time. This new hit musical from the writer that brought us Billy Bishop Goes to War, traces Amelia’s transformation from “girl next door” to iconic first woman of flight. Amelia is inspiring, entertaining and chock full of wonderful music.

“We’re so pleased to bring you a musical this season. This production from Picton’s Festival Players was a runaway hit last summer. Amelia features a knockout performance by Ottawa actress Eliza-Jane Scott. This role was tailor made for her outstanding musical and dramatic talents.” -Lise Ann Johnson | Artistic Director

Amelia: The Girl Who Wants to Fly plays from September 3rd – October 2nd, 2011 at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Check out the GCTC the website for schedule details, www.gctc.ca.
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Theatre 20: Musicals That Fly, Amelia in Concert!

Theatre 20 presents Amelia, the story of the meteoric rise and mysterious disappearance of the legendary pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart who rose to unimaginable heights, both literally and figuratively. Starring Theatre 20 Founding Artist Eliza-Jane Scott, this story-driven Canadian musical by John Gray (Billy Bishop Goes to War, Rock and Roll) is the
heart of Theatre 20s, Musicals That Fly. Directed by Sarah Phillips. Playing Monday, October 3rd at 8pm at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto.

For tickets and more information please visit the Mirvish website.

*Photo by Michael Grills Photography

In an effort to find out more about you, our faithful theatre-loving, arts-supporting patrons, Festival Players has created a brief online survey. Your responses will give us a better understanding of who we’re reaching and how (so that we can spread the word about all of our endeavours more effectively) and how we might be able to improve their experience with Festival Players.

Give us a few minutes of your time (it would be greatly appreciated) and you can enter into a draw for a chance to win 2 Flex Passes to the 2012 season.

Please click here to take part in our survey.

Eliza-Jane Scott as Amelia Earhart

For the month of September, Ottawa is going to see a lot of Amelia Earhart. The Festival Players production of Amelia: The Girl Who Wants to Fly begins September 13^th and runs through to October 2^nd, 2011. Eliza-Jane Scott stars as iconic aviatrix Amelia Earhart in this new musical, written by John Gray (who wrote the well-known Billy Bishop Goes to War). The show opens on Thursday, September 15^that the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa.

In 1930’s Americathe celebrity machine of the day created an idol whose image resonates even now, 70+ years after her death. Amelia Earhart…Why did she want to fly? Where did she come from and how did she become who she was? Gray’s examination of this infamous figure is part biography, part romance, part comedy and part musical. We’re taken along for the ride. And what a thrilling ride it is.

“What an honour, truly. The talent onstage and behind the scenes is immense. The play is a love letter to history, steeped in nostalgia of the period. ” says Artistic Director Sarah Phillips who heads this production. “Of course we all know the name, Amelia Earhart – but what do we know of her really? It’s been fascinating bringing John Gray’s version of this celebrity flier to life.”

The group brought together to work on this show is brilliant: Eliza-Jane Scott (Festival Players, Stratford Festival, Stage West) plays the title role of Amelia Earhart, Karin Randoja (Buddies in Bad Times, Caravan Farm Theatre, National Arts Centre) plays her earth-bound sister Midge and Steven Gallagher (Grand Theatre, Canadian Stage Company, Driftwood Theatre Company) her publicist turned husband. The trio is joined onstage by music director and pianist Michael Barber (Theatre Aqaurius, Mirvish, Stratford Festival) and Sarah Phillips, Artistic Director of Festival Players, directs.

Amelia: The Girl Who Wants to Fly plays from September 3^rd– October 2^nd, 2011 at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Check out the GCTC the website for schedule details, www.gctc.ca.

· 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: Randi Helmers as Helen Black, Greg Campbell as Reverend Jacob Ladder, John Millard (musician), Rob Clutton (musician), Rebecca Auerbach as Jeeva, Rick Hyslop (musician) and Paul Rainville as Mister Fleas.

This week is your FINAL chance to see The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw at Rosehall Run Vineyards and the feedback from audiences is possibly the best we’ve ever had. Maybe it’s the wine, the tent, the TALENT, the music, but people are LOVING this show!

“Terrific, entertaining show! Very well done. Congratulations!”  

“Worth seeing twice! Thanks for a great evening!!!”

“Imagine sitting in a vineyard under a giant tent. You are watching a live performance of a bluegrass opera. The talent is amazing, the script touching and funny. It’s The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw at Rosehall Run near Wellington. Don’t miss it!”

“Just came from Opening Night at Rosehall Run, I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but you GOTTA
see this production…fabulous. Bravo!” 

“Weedy Peetstraw is an outstanding production and a must see!!”

“Bringing friends to tonight’s performance of Weedy Peetstraw – looking forward to this amazing show again as you always see something more the second time around!”

Described as part bluegrass and part opera this witty, darkly comedic retelling of the Faust legend is sure to delight audiences young and old. The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw, by Peter Anderson and John Millard, tells the story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil to play the banjo.

For ticket and schedule information about the 2011 season please visit www.festivalplayers.ca or call 613.471.1991/1.866.584.1991. Buy tickets online today at www.countytix.ca.

*Image by Michael Grills Photography

L-R: Ryan Reid as Weedy Peetstraw & Paul Rainville as Mister Fleas

The feedback from audiences of The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw at Rosehall Run Vineyards, is possibly  the best we’ve ever had. Maybe it’s the wine, the tent, the TALENT, the music, but people are LOVING this show!

“Terrific, entertaining show! Very well done. Congratulations!”

“Worth seeing twice! Thanks for a great evening!!!”

“Imagine sitting in a vineyard under a giant tent. You are watching a live performance of a bluegrass opera. The talent is amazing, the script touching and funny. It’s The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw at Rosehall Run near Wellington. Don’t miss it!”

“Just came from Opening Night at Rosehall Run, I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but you GOTTA see this production…fabulous. Bravo!”

“Weedy Peetstraw is an outstanding production and a must see!!”

Described as part bluegrass and part opera this witty, darkly comedic retelling of the Faust legend is sure to delight audiences young and old. The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw, by Peter Anderson and John Millard, tells the story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil to play the banjo.

For ticket and schedule information about the 2011 season please visit www.festivalplayers.ca or call 613.471.1991/1.866.584.1991. Buy tickets online today at www.countytix.ca.

*Image by Michael Grills Photography

L-R: Randi Helmers as Helen Black, Greg Campbell as Reverend Jacob Ladder, John Millard (musician), Rob Clutton (musician), Rebecca Auerbach as Jeeva, Rick Hyslop (musician) and Paul Rainville as Mister Fleas.

Festival Players would like to send out a HUGE thank you to all who came to enjoy the very wet, but fantastic Opening Night of The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw by Peter Anderson & John Millard.

Thank you to everyone down at Rosehall Run Vineyards, our Official Season Wine Sponsor (and also home to Weedy Peetstraw for the month of August), Fifth Town Cheese (for providing some delicious cheese for the post-show reception), and of course the volunteers, staff, cast and crew for making last night a fabulous night despite the weather.

The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw will be playing from Aug 2-27, 2011 outdoors under a grand tent at Rosehall Run Vineyards (1243 Greer Rd. in Wellington). This is the third and final show of our 2011 summer season and it’s not one to be missed! A fabulous venue, delicious wine to enjoy while visiting, and a high energy show that will have your toe tapping from start to finish.

Get your tickets today online at www.countytix.ca or call 613-471-1991/1-8660584-1991 or stop by at the Box Office (289 Main Street Picton, inside Books & Co.).

We hope to see you there!

*Photo by Michael Grills Photography