William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol Cast Announcement

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What the Dickens? Three Scrooges to appear in Driftwood Theatre’s William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol by Ian Doescher

In one week, Driftwood Theatre’s holiday edition of Play in a Pub hits the road with a Christmas classic of Shakespearian proportions. William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol will be performed December 10 – 15, 2019. Driftwood is excited to announce that not one, not two, but three different Scrooges will take to stages in three breweries and pubs in Peterborough, Whitby and Toronto, backed up by the original 2018 ensemble.

Appearing as Scrooge are Canadian theatre luminaries Deborah Drakeford (Soulpepper Theatre, ARC Theatre; taking the stage December 10), Michael Hanrahan (Soulpepper Theatre, Neptune Theatre; taking the stage December 11) and Philip Akin (Obsidian Theatre, Shaw Festival; taking the stage December 15).

Guiding the Scrooges through their redemptive journeys are Steven Burley (Founding company member, Driftwood; The 39 Steps, Bruce County Playhouse) as Benedick Cratchit/Prospero/Mercutio, Madeleine Donohue (Early August, Lighthouse Theatre Festival; Dial M for Murder, Watermark Theatre; The Tempest, Driftwood) as Falstaff/Benvolio/Lady Macbeth/Juliet, longtime Driftwood friend and Living Room Community Arts Studio Executive Director Mary Krohnert as Beatrice Cratchit/Puck/Rosencrantz/Miranda, and Jamie Robinson (Much Ado About Nothing and Measure For Measure, Canadian Stage in High Park; Risky Phil, Young People’s Theatre) as Ferdinand/Guildenstern/Romeo/Marlowe.     

With appearances by characters from Shakespeare’s most popular plays, this version of A Christmas Carol is an inventive, hilarious, and touching holiday story for the whole family, inspired by the work of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare.

Audiences can expect to be involved in the action in this jolly, interactive holiday mash-up. At Play in a Pub audience participation is the name of the game. Audience members take the stage in a variety of walk-on roles (including Tiny Tim, Juliet’s husband Paris, the troubadour Balthasar, and the Ghost of Christmas Future) through the Memorable Character Live Auction. And you can bet there’ll be some participatory Christmas caroling along the way.

Audience members proudly displaying their holiday finery will be rewarded with nightly winners crowned during the Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest. Prize packages include local swag, gift certificates and your very own copy of William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol, by Ian Doescher.

In December 2018 Driftwood’s Play in a Pub had its holiday debut at Whitby’s Town Brewery to a sold out house of merrymakers. William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol comes from the creative mind of Ian Doescher, author of the equally mind-blowing William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series. 

 

Driftwood Theatre presents Play in a Pub: William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol by Ian Doescher

December 10-15, 2019 

Tickets $25 – $55 | This is an all-ages event.

CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS

Call for New Board Members

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Help bring theatre to audiences across Ontario as a member of Driftwood Theatre’s Volunteer Board of Directors

Ontario’s longest-running outdoor, touring summer theatre company is looking for new board members to help realize Driftwood’s vision of theatre for everyone in Ontario.

We welcome interest from anywhere in the province. Dedicated to reflecting Canada’s rich diversity on and off stage, Driftwood encourages applicants of all backgrounds regardless of age, disability, ethno-cultural identity or gender.

Prospective board members are asked to fill out an online application. Submissions are due any time.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

For more details please contact Driftwood’s board of directors at boardofdirectors@driftwoodtheatre.com

About Driftwood’s Volunteer Board

Driftwood’s volunteer board is comprised of 5-8 members who are ambassadors for accessible culture, engaging in governance, fundraising, event planning, visioning and hands-on assistance. A director’s involvement focuses primarily on their area of expertise.

The board meets five-six times per year. Four regular meetings take place via video conference (March, May, September, November). The Annual General Meeting and board retreat take place annually in January/February in a location mutually agreed upon by the board.

Board members are expected to serve on at least one committee (standing committees include Finance, Fundraising, Events, Strategic Planning, Board Nominating) which meet by video conference on varied schedules.

As visionaries and leaders, board members are involved in developing and setting Driftwood’s strategic vision, ensuring growth and stability while holding true to Driftwood’s vision of accessible theatre for everyone.

As ambassadors, Driftwood board members volunteer at events including Play in a Pub, Trafalgar 24 and our annual Bard’s Bus Tour.

Anticipated amount of volunteer time (including meetings, events and tasks) is approximately 40-50 hours annually.

Terms are three years and board members are expected to serve one full term.

The nomination committee is particularly interested in candidates who: live in regional Ontario communities, with experience or expertise in marketing, fundraising, event management, networking, board governance, finance, legal and/or community engagement.

About Driftwood

Driftwood Theatre believes in accessible, professional live theatre for everyone in Ontario. On the road for over 25 years visiting communities across the province, Driftwood is Ontario’s leading outdoor summer touring theatre company, performing for over 100,000 people in city parks, campus fields, schools, heritage museums and public squares.

Driftwood Theatre is a registered charitable organization. Charitable Business Number: 88636 4363 RR0001.

The Dream is almost here. Reserve your seat!

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Get the most out of this summer’s A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream by reserving your seats today: until July 25, THE EARLY BARD CATCHETH THE WIN!

A Driftwood experience is unlike any other. With actors and audience all sharing the same space under an evening sky, anything can happen! Make sure you’ve got the best seats ‘on the lawn’ this summer and reserve your seats in advance. Book your seats by July 25 and be entered into our EARLY BARD CATCHETH THE WIN contest, with nightly draws for Driftwood swag and complimentary snacks at the show!

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE NOW!

Seats can be reserved for almost every show in Driftwood’s 25th anniversary season. We’ve asked our illustrious leader, Jeremy Smith, who has attended more Driftwood shows than anyone (except his parents), to give the low-down on why reserved seats are so awesome.

That would be Artistic Director Jeremy Smith, showing audience members first-hand the benefits of reserved seating.

Here are Artistic Director Jeremy Smith’s TOP SIX REASONS for reserving your seats in advance:
  1. Get best seats. “I like sitting a little further back in a comfy chair, but my kids love getting up close on cushions. Regardless of your preference, reserved guests are guaranteed the best seats for hearing and sight lines”.
  2. Arrive when you want. “With two young kids in tow, I can’t always get out of the house on time. If I get to the show later than I’d like, we have to sit way in the back and park my three-year old on my lap for two uncomfortable house because she can’t see over everyone else’s heads (sometimes being the boss doesn’t come with special perks).  Reserved guests can arrive anytime they like (prior to show time) and know that they’ll still have great seats.”
  3. Hassle-free seating. “You may notice a pattern here, but as the dad, I’m always carrying the furniture. That’s four chairs plus the diaper bag. With a reservation upgraded to include a lawn chair or cushion, all you need to do is show up – we’ll have your seats waiting for you.”
  4. Be in the know. “Making the trip with family in tow only to find that the show’s been cancelled is a bummer. Reserved guests are the first to know if we have to move to a back up venue or cancel a show due to poor weather. We update all reserved guests by email on the day of your show as decisions are made.” 
  5. Flexible Choice. “We do our best to make sure that the show goes on, but sometimes we have to cancel or move the show inside. Some of our back-up venues are wild – an experience unto themselves – but I’m really charmed by experiencing Driftwood under the open sky. If a show is cancelled or there’s bad weather, reserved guests have the flexibility of moving their reservation to another show or receiving a charitable tax receipt for the value of their reservation.”
  6. WIN BIG. “Who doesn’t like winning free stuff?! My kids go crazy over autographed posters and programs. Everyone who reserves a seat prior to July 25 will be entered into the EARLY BARD CATCHETH THE WIN contest. At every show we’ll be drawing a winner to receive a copy of the Dream poster signed by the cast, a copy of our 2012 Dream cast recording (sing along at home!), and complimentary snacks for the show for everyone in your reservation (max. 10 people). You won’t even have to share your free Dr. Pepper!”  

Clearly, booking your seat early is the best way to get in on the Driftwood action, so don’t delay: reserve your seats for Driftwood Theatre’s A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream today!

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE NOW!

Rosalynde (2018) cast members Geoffrey Armour (left) and Ngabo Nabea (right, standing) explain the virtues of reserved seating to guests. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

Dream Cast Announcement

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In celebration of Shakespeare’s 455th Birthday, Driftwood Theatre is very excited to announce the cast of its 25th annual Bard’s Bus Tour production of A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream

For our 25th season, Driftwood imagines A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream as an outdoor summer theatre experience for the entire family. Four lovers and one group of hapless tradespeople experience a chaos-filled night in the forest as they stumble across the mischievous Puck and the magical denizens of the faery kingdom.

Directed by founding Artistic Director D. Jeremy Smith, the A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream ensemble includes founding company member Steven Burley (all three previous Dreams; The 39 Steps, Bruce County Playhouse;) as Bottome, Driftwood’s 2017 Artist-in-Residence Ahmed Moneka (Abduction from the Seraglio, Canadian Opera Company; Moskitto Bar; Moneka Arabic Jazz; Trafalgar 24, Driftwood Theatre) as Puck, returning company member Siobhan Richardson (Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Driftwood; The Penelopiad, Grand Theatre London; ) as Titania/Hippolyta, and welcomes back James Dallas Smith (Ipperwash, Native Earth/Blyth; Trafalgar 24, Driftwood Theatre) to his first Bard’s Bus Tour role since 2002’s As You Like It as Oberon/Theseus.

Returning company members are joined by fresh faces Nick Dolan (Once, Theatre St. John’s) as Demetrius, Nathaniel Hanula-James (National Theatre School) as Lysander, Kelsi James (Theatre Sheridan) as Helena, and Marissa Orjalo (Sheridan/UTM) as Hermia.

Using Shakespeare’s text A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream is a colourful, rocking, rolling, funktastic, jazz-infused musical celebration of theatrical proportions; with everything performed live and entirely A Cappella. Originally created by Driftwood in 2004 and performed again in 2012, A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream reunites composers Kevin Fox (The Swingle Singers, Cadence) and Tom Lillington (Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Hampton Avenue) with director Jeremy Smith.

“It’s about community, companionship and love,” said Driftwood Artistic Director Jeremy Smith. “Dream reminds us of the importance of putting down our devices, stepping away from our screens, and making the kind of tangible connections which encourage empathy, understanding and respect.”

A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream creative team includes production designer Julia Kim (Judas Noir, Obsidian Theatre; assistant designer, Stratford Festival), dramaturge Myekah Payne (Obsidian Theatre; Rosalynde, Driftwood), and stage manager Kelsey Rae. The creative team is supported by Movement Coach Jennifer Dallas, Movement Coach Associate Jessie Garon, and Apprentice Stage Manager Angela Mae Bago.