This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
Happy New Year, or something like that. I think many people have been so focused on events for the end of the year, a lot of you might be asking, ‘What’s next?”
That is except for those of you who made temporary New Year’s resolutions. I sincerely hope you stick with them. You are a special breed if you do.
So, what’s next? We’ll take a tour this week of things happening in January, mostly, and some bigger events to be aware of in February and March where getting a ticket now will increase your happiness later.
Opera House
The schedule is light until the end of the month when the Elmer Iseler Singers perform the next concert of the Orillia Concert Association’s series January 25 at 2:30 p.m. The EIS is a Grammy nominated and Juno Award winning, 20 voice choir founded in 1979. They are perhaps the best known choir in Canada.
The OCA sells tickets by series subscription. There are 2 more concerts after this one (musical comedians Bridge and Wolak, March 23 and Lance Anderson playing Ellington and Basie May 4) and passes are only $90.
You can get season tickets at the door and you can get them by emailing orilliaconcert@gmail.com or calling 705-325-3532. You can pay by cash or cheque. If you want to use plastic you can get season tickets, or tickets for individual concerts at the Opera House box office.
Mariposa Arts Theatre takes over the Studio Theatre from February 6 to 16 with The Thanksgiving Play. This one is the he first play to run on Broadway written by a Native American woman, Larissa FastHorse. The story is about culturally insensitive white theater artists who attempt to create a politically correct school play about the first Thanksgiving.
Like most of our holidays, the lore is more exciting than reality. The first one was not in Massachusetts, but in St. Augustine, Florida two years prior. Natives were not invited to the famous one but showed up after festivities began because with all the gunfire accompanying festivities (why?) they thought they were being attacked. Cooler heads prevailed and they stayed for a few days and taught the interlopers how to hunt and fish.
That happened in September, to celebrate the harvest, but the holiday has taken place all over the map, including February in some places.
For many years Thanksgiving was celebrated hap-hazardly in the colonies and really had nothing to do with communing with the original inhabitants. Lincoln changed that on account of an execution of 38 Dakota men in 1862 and thought a tasty olive branch ought to be extended on the last Thursday of November.
It wasn’t until FDR fixed the date as the 4th Thursday in November because it was gauche to start Christmas sales until after Thanksgiving, and in 1939, with a fifth Thursday in the month, that would give businesses an extra week of Christmas sales. Naturally Republicans rejected the date change immediately and held their own on the last Thursday, but as with most of their ideas, it failed to survive.
Ours is a little bit older having been celebrated by Martin Frobisher in 1579, in Newfoundland of all places. It was and has been for many decades a religious observance, but in Frobisher’s case more thankful to be alive and surviving the Arctic waters. Still, we’ve managed in many ways to emulate our downstairs neighbours with how we carry out the observance.
So add this one to Christmas and Easter to the list of things you thought you knew about. At least Thanksgiving didn’t emerge out of pagan ritual.
Back to the play. There are opportunities for young people to be in this play. MAT will be auditioning January 9 at 6 p.m. for several small roles. They also have a need for several set painters and are giving an opportunity to young people to join the stage crew. Students can collect hours needed for their graduation requirements.
Auditions will be at their Brammer Drive rehearsal hall. You can find out more details how to audition or be a set painter here.
I’m sure the play will be funny and you can get tickets online.
Right after the play is done Dwyane Gretsky has a concert on February 20, The Mudmen will be in February 21 and Lance Anderson and his band of merry music makers will be at the Opera House for the Mariposa folk Festival’s February Gospel and Blues concert on the 22nd.
Lance always has a crew of the best musicians available to play this gig. Joining him are Jimmy Bowskill and his wife Brittany Brooks, and Andrew Craig, Selena Evangeline, Gary Craig, Roger Williams and Emily Burgess. You can get tickets for this 131th version of the concert online.
Lance also has his Last Waltz show happening at the Midland Cultural Centre on March 1. Tickets.
More Stuff
Before we get to events, send a congratulatory note on Facebook to the boys at Bleeker. Their song Highway has been steamed on Spotify 40 million times. That is remarkable.
And send one to Zachary Lucky. The total of streams for all his songs is 368,000. Even though it’s not in the millions, yet, that is still remarkable. He’s got a new one, The Lost River Sessions, to listen to as well. You can listen to it here, but you have to join his club first. His other music is also available to listen to or buy (without joining) by clicking the links on that same page.
Many of us, patrons and musicians alike, miss the Brownstone. It was also a place where many people got their first taste of performing in front of an audience at the open mic. Alex Rabbitson, if not on stage, could be found behind the bar and he’s organizing an open mic January 18 at the Lone Wolf Café. But, He’s calling Brownstone is Closed! Closed Mic!
Speaking of the Brownstone one of the acts I always made time for was Jimmy and Frankie. Jim Fitzgerald has a new band he’s fronting called The Big Bad Jug Band. The other members are Sean Patrick, Jenny Martin, Nate Robertson and Chris Lamont. They’ll be playing at Couchiching Craft Brewery January 25. They’ll be joined by Space Quaker.
They have some music you can listen to or, if you prefer you can watch their only video for their song, Don’t Touch My Stuff.
Also at Couchiching, the night before, the Old Dance Hall Players do their next show, Brew Ha-Ha. This will be a ticketed event, but tickets are not available online yet.
Blue Moon Junction is hosting a comedy night with 9 comics and Samatha Windover playing some of her music. The comics are Gary Austin, Luke Lyndale, Munish Joshi, Sean Creighton, Allie Moore, Levi Mann, Pierce Hughes, Vince Carmichael and Matt Lund. You can get tickets online.
The ANAF Club has an open mic every other Sunday starting January 12 at 2 p.m. They also have music Saturday nights: Wendy Whelan is in January 4, The Boat House Blues Band plays January 11, Outcast January 18 and the Bogies January 25.
The NSA Wants You
Boy am I going to have some fun with that until they tell me to stop. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. I wonder if the world famous whistle player Edward Snowden is a member? Even if he’s not you should join the North Simcoe Arts by emailing communications@northsimcoearts.ca, it’s free until March.
The NSA decided the day after I wrote a whole column last week about them to announce a series of dates for what they are calling Art and Culture Roundtables. They scheduled one for each quarter and the first is February 20 at Creative Nomad Studios.
They are inviting representatives from area arts groups to attend. You can drop a note to communications@NorthSimcoeArts.ca that you are going.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied)
