5 minute read
THE NOT-SO-MYSTERY PROJECTS
The Not-SoMystery Projects
By: Kimberley Rampersad
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We here at The Shaw knew we wanted to program something to welcome you all back this summer but we did not know what it could be due to all of the unknowns. This gave rise to us referring to these dreams as our ‘mystery projects.’ The Mystery Projects have since evolved into a collection of theatrical events sparked by our genuine desire to go beyond performing for you to engaging with you. In beautiful Niagara, on land steeped with generations of song, storytelling and celebration we pick up this mantle and invite you to our mischief, music and magic of theatre!
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” — GBS
Led by ensemble member Sanjay Talwar, the Ensemble of Shaw Festival has created the Fairgrounds for all! Visit booths and demonstrations, try your (socially distanced) hand at something new, behold great feats of artistry and silliness in a tight and bright hour-long romp! Feeling for something more thoughtful? Do you wish to furrow your brow and rub your chin contemplatively? Then the Shawgrounds will hit the spot. Curated and created by the same team bringing you the Fairgrounds, it is inspired by our namesake and master provocateur. Chomp down on ideas and thoughts as delicious to hear as to speak as to tear apart. This is fare for the grown n’ sexy people.
Music
“Most people go to their grave with their music inside them.” — GBS
We’re off of Zoom! That means music! Paul Sportelli and Ryan deSouza have elixirs to fill some of the hollowness of being away from one another for so long. Listen to some of the most beautiful classical music at our Coffee Concerts, played with virtuosity by a string quartet and other members of our Shaw Orchestra. Sublime!
The separate lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Baldwin are pulled together more tightly through music in Gatsby’s Jazz, Sonny’s Blues. Jazz, blues and gospel music weave a tapestry of a dynamism in America. The Duke Ellington concert of last season has been revived as The Duke and Two Irenes. This time Ellington is accompanied by both Irene Kitchings and Irene Higginbotham. As we celebrate the music of these three Black American composers, link arms with us as we strut off the A-Train and into the Cotton Club!
Featuring the Blue Spruce Quartet and accompanied with text by members of the Ensemble, be dazzled with Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9, OP. 47., The Kreutzer Sonata. Dedicated to Rudolph Kreutzer, this sonata continues to serve as the inspiration for great works. GBS might have been a teetotaler but he would have dug the vibe and the jazz music of these Speakeasies! Hear the music happening during his lifetime on the other side of ‘the pond’ played by the some of the best and stankiest musicians in the country – members of the Shaw Festival Orchestra!
Get to know Ensemble members through What’s in Your Songbook? – the magical binder which accompanies them to auditions, cabarets and concerts, and an occasional house party. Ask questions and perhaps make a request as you get to know them better through this unique lens.
This page and next page: Photos by Andrew Broderick.
Magic “Art is the magic mirror you make to reflect your invisible dreams in visible pictures. You use a glass mirror to see your face: You use works of art to see your soul.” — GBS
What would all of this be without a puppet show?! Join our artists at the sweetest caravan you ever did see for A Short History of Niagara. How short? It’s a delightful 30 minutes of charming storytelling and world-class puppeteering about this rich place, who has gone before us and who we are journeying with.
OUTDOORS @ THE SHAW
(aka The Mystery Projects)
Once we started dreaming up things to do, we couldn’t seem to stop!
See calendars on pages 15 to 17 for the full schedule of events.
FAIRGROUND and SHAWGROUND:
Fairground: July 23 to October 8 / Shawground: August 19 to October 6 / $35 / $30 under 30 / $10 youth / Festival Theatre Gardens
Guided journeys from one delight to another!
GATSBY'S JAZZ, SONNY'S BLUES
A play woven from excerpts from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby and James Baldwin's Sonny’s Blues, featuring music.
THE DUKE AND TWO IRENES
July 14 to October 7 / $35 /$30 under 30 / Festival South Lawn Patio
The Duke Ellington concert from last fall returns with added music from two other composers: Irene Higginbotham and Irene Kitchings. THE SHAW FESTIVAL PRESENTS: A SHORT HISTORY OF NIAGARA
July 29 to August 15 / $10 / $5 youth / The Humeniuk Foundation Stage OR The BMO Stage
A charming 30 minutes of pure storytelling, the rich history of our region brought to life by wordless puppets.
This production is generously supported by the Niagara Region, presented in partnership with Parks Canada and sponsored by the Humeniuk Foundation.
THE KREUTZER SONATA
A dramatic journey of music and text featuring the Blue Spruce Quartet as well as members of the Shaw Ensemble.
COFFEE CONCERTS
Three different classical music concerts, each performed three times by a string quartet, composed of members of the Shaw Festival Orchestra. All concerts are 10:30am am. SPEAKEASIES
Three evenings of Jazz, featuring Associate Music Director Ryan deSouza, members of the Shaw Orchestra and special guests.
Sponsored by
WHAT’S IN YOUR SONGBOOK?
July 28, August 22 / $20 / The Nona Macdonald Stage
Two intimate and interactive evenings of songs and stories, with company members sharing their audition songbooks and the stories that go along with those songs.
POP-UP PATIO
July 22 to September 2 / Free admission; $ food / refreshments / Marilyn & Charles Baillie Courtyard
Food, drinks and music in a beautiful location on a summer day. What more could you want?
