Sullivan Mahoney Theatre still a busy place these days

I was down to the old Courthouse in downtown St. Catharines earlier today for a meeting with Monica Dufault, Artistic Director of Essential Collective Theatre, and conversation turned to a production they are mounting tomorrow evening at the Sullivan Mahoney Theatre.

With all the talk about the opening this fall of the new First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, it's easy to forget the fact many of the arts organizations hoping to use that new facility when it opens are still quietly working away as they always have in their cozy if not slightly shopworn space in the old Courthouse downtown.

In the case of ECT, they are well positioned to make the move to the new space this fall, but of course, it will be more expensive to rent than the current digs, so they are busy working on ways to bridge that financial gap before the move actually takes place.  Most of the groups still using the Sullivan Mahoney Theatre upstairs in the old Courthouse are doing the same thing, with varying degrees of success, it seems.

One of the nice aspects of ECT is they also head out on the road when they can to present productions outside their home space, and that will be the case again through late June and early July when they open a new production entitled Senior Stories - Songs of Our Youth.  The short (about 40 mins.) show is directed by Monica Default and is an original play based on stories told by older adults across the Niagara Region.

In all, over 60 interviews were conducted with seniors all across the region, and those stories have been combined with music familiar to many of the seniors whose stories are told in the play, including selections by Louis Armstrong, Bob Crosby, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and a host of others.

As Monica says in the program notes for the production, "Senior Stories was developed to give voice to older adults in our area, and at the same time offer emerging young theatre artists an opportunity to apply their training in a real-world theatre situation."  She goes on to say "Our troupe of actors will have travelled to long-term care facilities, community centres and older adult centres in every municipality in the Niagara Region by the end of their tour, totalling 33 performances."

If nothing else, this production should help to bridge at least part of the generation gap between the younger actors and the older adults interviewed for the storyline.

Actors involved in the production Emily Ferrier, Alex Franks, Taylor Grant and Raylene Turner.

The production opens tomorrow evening at 7 at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in downtown St. Catharines at 7 pm.  Admission is free to the public.  After that, the tour will take the company to the Thorold Community Activities Group on Friday afternoon, Wainfleet Township Library July 3rd and July 7th at the Dunlop Drive Older Adult Centre in St. Catharines.  All those performances are at 2 pm.

This is the kind of community outreach you want to see from our local arts groups, sort of a "we'll come to you" approach in order to reach audiences they might not otherwise connect with.  I suspect more of this will happen in the future as these same organizations work hard to develop their audiences beyond their present numbers.

One such group quite familiar with community outreach, and another tenant at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre, is Carousel Players.

They have a great programme for children coming up in July and August at the Courthouse Theatre to teach them about live theatre, story telling and even puppetry.  The age range, depending on the programme, is from 5 to 8 years to 10 to 13 years of age.

The first week, for ages 5 to 8 years, is Creative Drama with Jessica Carmichael, running July 6 to 10.  The new Artistic Director for Carousel Players along with guest instructors will offer the children a creative theatre experience.

The second week, from July 13 to 17, also for ages 5 to 8 years, is Storybook Adventures with Katherine Dubois, as children watch the story and characters come to life on stage from the pages of popular children's books.

The week of July 20 to 24 is an Acting experience with Jennifer Balen for ages 9 to 12 years, where kids can explore their creative side and improve their acting skills, while working on a play.

A Musical Theatre Camp with Melanie Ash and Betsy Tauro is up next from July 27 to 31 for ages 9 to 12 years, incorporating music with choreography.

August kicks off with a Shaw Acting Camp from August 4 to 14, for ages 10 to 13 years.  The intensive programme pairs youth with ECT Artistic Director Monica Dufault and many Shaw Festival professionals to sharpen their acting skills through workshops and scene study.  Also included is a trip to the Shaw Festival for a matinee performance of Peter and the Starcatcher on August 5 as well as other activities while at Shaw.

Finally, Gemma James Smith will teach kids ages 5 to 8 years about puppetry, as the children learn to make their own puppets out of everyday objects and adapt a classic story for the stage.  The Puppetry week runs from August 17 to 21.

There are registration fees for these events, and more information can be had by going to www.carouselplayers.com, or calling their office at 905-682-8326, ext. 22.

The Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre is certainly not gone; nor is it forgotten, either.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

June 24, 2015.