What's Up Bracebridge Gravenhurst - Whatsupmuskoka.com

WHAT’S UP MUSKOKAJULYARTS &ENTERTAINMENTP057020CN 11/05There are good reasons toFOLLOW THE CROWDLes Bell Ins Agcy IncLes Bell, Agent46 Ann St.Bracebridge, ON P1L 2C1Bus: 705-646-9995 Toll Free: 877-877-3929 Summer theatre takes the stage in MuskokaBy Chris OcchiuzziSummer is here and Muskoka’s theatregroups are ready to put on a show. There’sa comedy loving British troupe, a trio ofacting brothers, an ensemble of theatreprofessionals and a talented group ofyoung performers.The Dragonfly Theatre group performsin the Trillium Court of theGravenhurst Opera House. It serves upBritish comedy accompanied by dinner.Pru Donaldson and daughter EmmaPhillips were among those who came upwith the idea for Dragonfly Theatre.“We’re all British and love British comedy,”says Donaldson, whose husbandIan is the set builder and co-producer.“We thought, ‘Why don’t we get a grouptogether and see if we can start puttingon a British comedy in the summer toencourage people to come to the OperaHouse?”This year’s play, Pools Paradise, is set inthe vicarage of the small village of Merton-cum-Middlewick.The cast incudes Gregg Evans as theBishop of Lax, Emma Phillips as PenelopeToop, Aussa Penniall as Ms. Skillon,Tim Gassney as the Reverend ArthurHumphrey, Courtney Stacey as Ida themaid, Al Hutchinson as the ReverendLionel Toop and Ross Penniall as WillieBriggs.Pools Paradise will run July 27-29, Aug.3-5 and Aug.10-14. The dinner is to beprovided by chef David Friesen of RiverwalkFine Dining in Bracebridge.On the other side of Muskoka, Playin’Hookey Productions is preparing fortheir performance of The Complete Worksof William Shakespeare (Abridged).The group gets its name from the threeHookey brothers who perform the play:Garrett, Cameron and Mitch.“It’s been a hobby we’ve done on theside,” says Garrett, the eldest brother.“We went and saw a play last year (inRosseau) and noticed the huge amountof support and interest there was in livetheatre. So, we thought what a greatopportunity to take what we really enjoyand we’ve been doing as a hobby andturn it into a summer job for us.”The Complete Works of William Shakespeare(Abridged) will be performed bythe Hookeys through July and August.“The premise of the play is basicallythree goofs who know nothing aboutShakespeare try and take all of his worksand turn it into one two-act play,” saysGarrett. “Everything he’s ever done, allthe comedies, tragedies, histories, everything.Some of the plays are in-depth; wecover Romeo and Juliet in about 20 minutes.But, we’ll cover all 16 comedies inabout five minutes.”Every Tuesday the play takes the stageat the Rosseau Community Hall, withthe Port Carling Community Centrehosting the performance on Wednesdaysand Thursdays. All shows start at 8 p.m.Mirador Productions is preparing forits fifth anniversary production of MooseBloop! This original play is the story oftwo brothers in search of their ancestorsin Muskoka.“It’s a collaborative with the membersof the company,” says co-artistic directorGeoff Kolomayz. “Stevie Jay and myself,Marla Brennan, working in conjunctionwith the renowned Robert Morgan andJerry Silverberg, who will be director.”This year the Muskoka Lakes MusicFestival is co-producing the show withMirador and the Rene M. Caisse MemorialTheatre in Bracebridge is offeringsupport.“Stevie Jay is the founder and co-artisticdirector, he grew up in the Muskokaarea, spending summers at the familycottage,” says Kolomayz.Described by Mirador as a play for allages, Moose Bloop! is being performed intwo locations. The performers will takethe stage at the Port Carling CommunityCentre will have on Aug. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8and the Rene M. Caisse Memorial Theatreis hosting the performance on July31 and Aug. 7.Robin Clipsham’s Prism Theatre foryouth is performing Shakespeare’sTwelfth Night on the new stage at AnnieWilliams Park in Bracebridge. Prism utilizesthe talents of young actors betweenthe ages of 13-30.Clipsham, who teaches drama and theatreat Bracebridge and Muskoka LakesSecondary School, is directing her thirdPrism production.“Robin chose Twelfth Night simplybecause it is one of Shakespeare’s funcomedies, complete with love triangles,mistaken identities and a dose of crossdressingthrown in for good measure,”says Cheryl Cooper, a member of PrismTheatre’s board of directors. “Simply put,it will make for wonderful entertainmentin the outdoor, summer theatre in AnnieWilliams Park.”Sponsored by Muskoka Futures, theTown of Bracebridge and theheartofmuskoka.comTwelfth Night is set to runfrom Aug. 10-13 and Aug. 17-19, withall performances beginning at 7 p.m.As these upcoming performancesreveal, there are a variety of theatregroups in Muskoka. Now all they need isan audience to entertain.Brodie Cooper as Malvolio, Billy Wray as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and A.J.Comeau as Sir Toby Belch perform in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.BROTTMUSIC FESTIVALBoris Brott, Artistic Director2O1ODeerhurstBigBandExtr avaganza!SAT JULY 24 8 PMWITH SPECIAL GUESTMICHAEL BURGESSMuskoka’s most anticipatedBig Band blockbuster! Revisit thelong seductive evenings of jazz,swing and Big Band with Canada’sLes Miz superstar Michael Burgess.Join Boris Brott and the 55 pieceNational Academy Orchestraand dance the night away tothe sounds of yesteryear!SINGLE TICKETS: $62 $60 per person*plus taxNational AcademyOrchestr a of CanadaJune 16 - August 20For reservations & info CALL 1-800-461-4393Photograph: Don MacTavishwww.whatsupmuskoka.com July 2010 25