2009 Festival

This year’s festival was a huge success.  We expanded our festival to travel to 4           different towns over the span of 5 nights.  We made stops in Burks Falls, Huntsville, Port Sydney and Bracebridge presenting four professional performances.  Each evening’s line-up included giant puppets, acrobats, stilt walkers, modern dancers and a 5-part a capella musical presented by artists from across Canada. The nightly event began at 6pm with delicious affordable soup and bread served on site and free arts activities such as stilt walking and puppet making. Featured performances began at 7pm.  Thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council and Heritage Canada, the festival remained a pay-what-you-can event.  The festival attracted close to 700 spectators and engaged 160 youth in arts activities.  Thanks to all who came out!

Thursday July 9^th Heritage River Walk, Burks Falls

Friday July 10^th & 11^th Town Docks, Huntsville

Sunday July 12^th Town Docks, Port Sydney

Monday July 13^th Millenium Park, Bracebridge

2009 shows:

Lezardom by Manu Cyr’k (Montreal)

Lézardom is the story of a giant lizard that brings dreams to life. From its depths two clownish acrobats are born.  They bring with them giant flags, astounding juggling feats, mesmerizing staff play and of course flames, the symbolic breath of the lizard.  A festive, delirious, energetic and outrageous performance for all ages!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE_HIz7sctc

Lear’s Shadow by Kiersten Tough (Toronto)

Inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear, Lear’s Shadow is a solo peformance by Kiersten Tough. The piece is a blend of clown, classical text and spirit channeling that tells the story of King Lear, as seen through the eyes of Cordelia, who perhaps has more in common with the Fool than your average Princess/Queen. Shakespeare’s play as told from the other side. In fifteen minutes.

Watermark by Meredith Thompson & Mairéad Filgate (Huntsville/Toronto)

Watermark! is a collaboration between co-creators, dancers, and friends,  Mairéad Filgate and Meredith Thompson. Created for the outdoor space, where water sources abound, it is a physically demanding and energetic dance duet that explores our human relationship to water and one another.  It is a playful piece with exciting and unexpected moments that will leave audiences smiling and maybe a little wet …

Watermark! follows hot on the heels of Filgate and Thompson’s successful collaboration entitled Vantage Point, which they made for and performed upon a rooftop in Toronto’s Kensington Market in the summer of 2008.

Lake Nora Arms by Michael Redhill, Jane Miller and Brian Quirt  (Toronto)

Originally a book of poems by Michael Redhill (Martin Sloan, Consolation) edited for Coach House Press (1993) by Michael Ondaatje, Lake Nora Arms skillfully navigates the “blue hallways” of memory and longing, drawing on tastes and touches as if for the first time. Commissioned by Toronto’s leading theatre development company, Nightswimming, this stage adaptation, a series of interlocking songs and monologues, features Jane Miller’s original score sung entirely A Cappella by the superb five-member cast. The folk-pop music and text combine seamlessly to immerse and envelop us in a mythical place, making for an intimate and wholly original way to experience Redhill’s evocative poems.

2008 Festival

In July of 2008, the festival made its debut in downtown Huntsville. The 2-day event brought together over 200 spectators, 23 Professional and Community artists, and one giant moose puppet. Three professional clown based performances delighted audiences. The event set itself apart from other summer theatre festivals by its capacity for community engagement. Fourteen local artists of all ages developed and presented original pieces, and over 60 youth participated in various theatrical activities including stilt walking, puppet making and the construction of a giant moose puppet. In total, the festival affected over 600 people in the Huntsville area.

Bigfoot by Golgi Apparatus.

A rough-and-tumble show featuring the exploits of three intrepid explorers who fearfully, boldly and hilariously stumble their way through the woods in search of Bigfoot and the reward promised for a picture of the creature. Will they find him in the wilds of Huntsville?

Golgi Apparatus is a company exploring clown, physical theatre and cheerful absurdity. The company is a collaboration between Sandy Gribbin, Christina Serra and Dan Watson. Sandy is a co-founder and former co-artistic director of celebrated Halifax theatre company Zuppa Circus Theatre.  He studied clown and buffon with Philippe Gaulier in Paris France. Christina is a frequent collaborator with Toronto theatre company Stranger Theatre.  She has performed across Canada, Scotland, Turkey and the United States. Dan Watson is a co-founder Ahuri Theatre and a member of Paris-based clown troupe Compagnie Houpz, which was formed by students at the Jacques Lecoq School, and went on to create the Eloize nominated show Splash2o.

The Morbid Stranger by Les Trouveres.

The celebrated Victorian touring company attempt a comeback with their breathless adaptation of the classic tale of political intrigue, romance and revolution in 19th century Europe. A rare opportunity to see these fustian and out-dated performers, who, if they had a prime, are most certainly past it. A must-see.

Les Trouveres

Les Trouvères made their debut performance of The Morbid Stranger to enthusiastic audiences at the 2007 Cooking Fire Theatre Festival in Toronto. Members Jane Wells, Elizabeth Rucker and Bruce Beaton have been creating and performing original theatre for the past 15 years. Together, and in collaboration with other companies, they have produced and toured from Canada to the Republic of Georgia. They are most well known in the theatre community for their work with acclaimed physical theatre companies Primus and Number 11 Theatre. In addition to this, they continue to teach workshops for schools, universities and to students of all ages across the greater Toronto area.