King Henry Five Cast Announcement
Driftwood Theatre Group is excited to announce plans for their return to the road with The Bard’s Bus Tour. Back for the first time since 2019, Driftwood will present King Henry Five, running throughout Southern Ontario from July 14 – August 21, 2022.
An ambitious adaptation of three Shakespeare plays (Henry IV pts 1 & 2, Henry V), King Henry Five is a powerful story about community, the families we inherit and those we choose, and the legacies we leave behind.
Set against the backdrop of an contemporary patio bar and featuring Driftwood’s signature blend of music, puppetry and Shakespeare’s captivating poetry, King Henry Five rolls into outdoor community spaces across Ontario this summer.
This compelling saga will be told with a cast of only five performers. Lead by Driftwood’s Founding Artistic Director, D Jeremy Smith the cast includes celebrated Canadian theatre veteran Hume Baugh (Our Town, Theatre Rusticle) as Falstaff, Richard Alan Campbell (14 productions, VideoCabaret) as Quickly/Henry IV, Ximena Huizi (Rosalynde, Driftwood Theatre) as Poins/Hotspur, and emerging theatre artists Rosalie Tremblay (Trafalgar 24, Driftwood Theatre) as Cathearine/Bardolph and emerging theatre artist Ben Yoganathan (Romeo & Juliet, X University) as Hal/Henry V. The production is designed by Julia Kim (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Driftwood) and will feature seven original songs with lyrics by Germaine Konji (2020 Musical Stage Company Banks Prize).
CLICK HERE to meet our artists
“By the time we hit the road in July,” says Jeremy, “it will have been three years since we were last face-to-face with people across Ontario. I can’t wait to share this epic story and the work of these extraordinary artists with our audiences.”
Tickets for King Henry Five are now on sale online at driftwoodtheatre.com. In keeping with Driftwood Theatre’s vision of theatre for all people, all tickets are available for Pay What You Can Afford admission. Audiences are invited to select from four one of four set admission prices ($5, $35, $50, $75) which best suits their circumstance.
Driftwood Theatre brings accessible, live, outdoor theatre across Ontario. Whether it’s Shakespeare or contemporary playwrights, Driftwood produces professional theatre that reflects a uniquely Canadian experience.
For tour dates and information, click here.
To book tickets, click here.
March Break Virtual Workshops
This March, Driftwood is offering a number of exciting virtual theatre workshops for young storytellers and performers around Ontario!
We’ll be offering three storytelling workshops in partnership with public libraries, one workshop about character-creation and movement with Ontario Power Generation’s Virtual Power Kids program, and last but not least we’ll be joining Visual Arts Mississauga at Riverwood as a special guest at the end of their week-long March break half-day camp.
Get ready to spark your imagination, get your body moving, and tell some stories!
Oshawa Public Library | March 15 at 11am
Click here to register.
King Township Public Library | March 16 at 10am
Click here to register.
Richmond Hill Public Library | March 17 at 2pm
Click here to register.
Visual Arts Centre Mississauga | Week-long, half-day camp
Click here to register (registration closes March 6)
Ontario Power Generation | March 24th, 10am
Click here to register.
Ticketing: Our New Vision for Accessible Theatre
Since Driftwood’s inception over 25 years ago, we’ve held fiercely to our belief that theatre should be accessible to everyone, no matter where you live or how much money you have in your pocket. But the world has changed a lot since 1995, especially so in the three years since we’ve last toured. The reality is that touring free or Pay What You Can professional theatre productions is just not feasible in 2022.
Today, there are also health and safety considerations that our communities, our artists and our staff rely on us to make in order to keep them informed and minimize contact. The old ‘pass the pink bag of joy’ version of admissions collection is no longer safe.
And so, for the health of our organization and the health of our communities, Driftwood Theatre is introducing a new ticketing model, a bridge between Driftwood’s original mandate and the realities of an increased need for health and safety measures as well as greater fiscal responsibility.
Pay What You Can AFFORD
We still feel very strongly that a single set ticket price just isn’t for us. So here’s the plan:
Inspired by the groundbreaking work of industry peers Why Not Theatre (check them out, they’re awesome), in 2022 Driftwood will introduce Pay What You Can AFFORD, a ticketing system for all future productions whereby audiences can select from one of four set admission prices: $5, $35, $50, $75.
Audience members are encouraged to select and pay the price which suits their budget. Whether you’re a bustling family with little to spend on those extracurriculars or a bachelor/ette with cash burning a hole in your pocket, there’s a ticket price within that range for you.
However, we realize that for some even $5 presents a significant barrier to participation, and so we’re looking to the kindness of our communities to help keep Driftwood truly accessible for everyone.
Theatre for Everyone: Community Tix
They say “it takes a village” and we couldn’t agree more. Making sure that theatre is accessible to those who need it most is a community effort. Working with partnered organizations in communities across our touring area, Driftwood is creating a Community Tix program to offer free theatre where it’s really needed.
Every PWYCA ticket purchased at the $75 level unlocks two free tickets. These community tickets flow into one of two pools: at the point of sale the purchaser can decide if the tickets will go towards a partnered organization in their own community, or be distributed at Driftwood’s discretion to a larger pool of organizations province-wide. By purchasing your ticket at the $75 level you will have a direct hand in helping two other people see the show.
Get Your Tickets Early
We’re strongly encouraging guests to buy their tickets in advance. Advance ticket sales serve as an important source of revenue to help keep the ‘wheels on the bus’ and they’re also an important tool in keeping communities safe and informed. We’ll be able to keep better track of, and communicate with, audience members in the case of potential gathering limitations, cancellations, emergencies or for contact tracing where needed.
We can’t wait to gather with you again this summer and look forward to coming together as a community to share affordable, accessible theatre with everyone in Ontario.
See you on the road,
Jeremy Smith, Artistic Director
