 May 10, 2022
It’s A New Stage for Theatre on the Ridge with Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Funds Theatre on the Ridge is excited to announce not just a new location, but a whole new look and performance space for its 2022 summer season. With the support of a $149,500.00 Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund grant, Theatre on the Ridge will rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 by hiring a summer venue manager and purchasing a tent, portable stage and equipment to move its summer festival to Scugog Shores Museum Village creating an improved performance space for artists and patrons. “This is beyond exciting for us” says Theatre on the Ridge Artistic Director and General Manager, Carey Nicholson, “We made it through the past two pandemic years as nomads, performing in parking lots, but it was worth it to keep our summer seasons live and accessible for our patrons. Now, thanks to the OTF Resilient Communities Fund support, we look forward to creating more exciting theatre this year, providing an even better, safe theatre experience for our company and audiences, in a new outdoor home, with new equipment and new programs in partnership with the Scugog Shores Museum.” Shannon Kelly, Recreation & Culture Coordinator, Scugog Shores Museum Village & Archives agrees, “Over the last couple of years, the Scugog Shores Museum Village and Theatre on the Ridge have had to pivot and adapt their programming with the changing climate. We are now looking forward to a bright future, and are so excited to expand on our partnership which will bring live theatre to the Museum on a regular basis, and introduce new people to our beautiful historic village.” The box office opens May 30th for the 2022 summer season, which includes an original collaborative physical theatre work, Punch Up by Kat Sandler and a new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, carried over from the cancelled 2020 season. Find ticket information, venue location and programming details at theatreontheridge.ca, or sign up for regular updates at newsletter@theatre3x60.ca and follow Theatre on the Ridge on social media.
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 Join us for our first Dinner Theatre Golf Tournament
at Sunnybrae Golf Club, Port Perry
Gather a team together and enjoy an entertaining afternoon of golf (9 holes) followed by a BBQ dinner on the patio, complete with live theatre, prizes and giveaways. Registration is limited to 72 golfers who will compete for the largest tally of donations, and golfing accolades. Theatre on the Ridge will host a dinner theatre to entertain and recognize the support of the golfers and donors afterwards. Proceeds from the tournament will support the community programs of Theatre on the Ridge, now in its 9th year of bringing captivating live theatre to Scugog and Durham. Members of each team receive a complimentary pair of tickets to any production of the 2022 summer season, opening in early July. Team registration is now open! Full event details can be found here or by scanning the QR Code with your phone camera. A minimum of $250 in donations is required to attend golf. A minimum of $500 in donations is required to bring a guest to dinner. For more information contact us at info@theatre3x60.ca.  Announcing the Theatre on the Ridge Summer 2022 line up and our new summer home!
Theatre on the Ridge has kept theatre live in Scugog and Durham all the way through the pandemic and, in both 2020 and 2021, produced modified, Covid compliant summer seasons. The summer of 2022 is almost here and, once again, Theatre on the Ridge continues to adapt and keep captivating theatre happening in Scugog. As the province reopens, while always keeping a watchful eye on pandemic changes, we are excited to announce that we remain outdoors again this summer, but are moving to the grounds of the Scugog Shores Museum Village, allowing us to better serve our audiences and artists and deliver high quality programming. And what’s onstage this summer? Audiences will be treated to three very different Canadian created theatre experiences. First up will be Something From Nothing Beyond Words, our annual new play workshop created and fully staged with a physical twist by guest artist Andy Massingham. Next on the slate is Punch Up, a life or death tragicomedy by Kat Sandler, directed by Theatre on the Ridge artistic director, Carey Nicholson. The season closes with the classic story of unrequited love, Cyrano de Bergerac, originally scheduled for our 2020 season, adapted and directed by Durham based theatre artist, Liam Lynch. In addition to these exciting mainstage offerings, we’ve got plans for music cabarets, more plays from the past, interactive workshops and our children’s summer theatre camps in partnership with Scugog Recreation. The summer box office will open in late May. Follow us on Facebook, visit us at theatreontheridge.ca or receive updates on all our activities by signing up for our newsletter at newsletter@theatre3x60.ca.  Theatre on the Ridge is pleased to announce that, through Employment and Social Development Canada’s New Horizons Program for Seniors, the company will launch a theatre based program for seniors to offset the negative mental and emotional impacts of Covid.
Funds in the amount of $25,000 will be used over the next year to give seniors a diverse opportunity to connect with themselves and others while enriching their life skills and regaining social connections. Through engagement and education, this program will provide seniors with access to creation, performance and behind the scenes experiences to expand their knowledge of theatre process and performance through a variety of workshops and programming. Participants will also enrich their audience experience by attending local theatre productions with facilitated pre/post performance conversations to encourage participation on a deeper level, enhancing their enjoyment of theatre. Theatre on the Ridge artistic director, Carey Nicholson says, “This is an exciting opportunity to re-emerge from the pandemic and re-establish that community engagement and enrichment that has been so difficult over the past two years, and we can’t wait to get started putting the program details together!” The details will come together through project coordinator, Michael Serres and the establishment of a program committee, made up of interested seniors, who will play a key role in determining the specific program content and activities within the program’s framework. Michael, well known locally as a theatre artist and educator is looking forward to being a part of this project and says “Theatre on the Ridge is blazing a trail of psychological recovery from this pandemic through this program, providing the means for seniors to re-connect, and to once again grow and flourish through new learning and new experiences. Program committee members in particular will play a vital role in shaping these experiences by sharing their knowledge and unique perspective on igniting our passion for living through creativity." Recruitment for committee participants is already underway and program activities will begin later in the spring, running through to March 2023. Anyone interested in joining the committee or learning more about the program are invited to contact Michael Serres at info@theatre3x60.ca for more information.  Uju Umenyi will bring the story of Samuel Stout to the stage in 2022 Theatre on the Ridge is pleased to introduce Uju Umenyi as the playwright in residence for our The Story of Samuel Stout Project 2022. Together, Ms. Umenyi and Theatre on the Ridge will collaborate to create a new play based on the life of Port Perry’s first black resident in 1866. This project has been made possible with producing partner Ontario Culture Days, as part of their Creatives in Residence program, and the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now program. Samuel Stout was an escaped slave, who arrived in Scugog as a barber, married a white woman, became an important member of the community, and died a centenarian and the oldest man in Scugog. “Upon reading about Samuel Stout’s life and history the pieces came together for me.” says Umenyi. “I love the strength I see in Samuel Stout. I see a resonance with my own family history of migration, resourcefulness and ultimately finding joy in circumstance that can at times, be and seem very hard.” For Umenyi, the story of Samuel Stout “is about triumph. (He) defies all perceptions of who he should be and his legacy does not stem from a desire to prove to others his worth, but to achieve on his own terms.” Music is also plays a large role in Samuel’s story and Umenyi wants “to convey the importance of music as a means of healing and forging community for the Black community.” Theatre on the Ridge Artistic Director, Carey Nicholson says, “We are thrilled to get this project underway. It is our biggest new creation work to date and will be a huge but very satisfying challenge for the company. Taking artistic risks through the support of new artists and the production of challenging, new and thought-provoking works from diverse perspectives is one of the core values of Theatre on the Ridge. Uju is an emerging playwright and we are very excited with the concept that she has proposed to tell a little known story of our local heritage. We believe our audiences will be entertained and informed, and that Samuel would be pleased!” The research process of this project is already underway and workshopping of the first drafts will take place early this year. As the play develops, the community will be invited into the project with a series of workshops around both theatre process and thematic material from the play. In September of 2022, as part of the Ontario Culture Days festival, the public will experience the first full performance of this new work. Follow Theatre on the Ridge on social media to share in the journey of bringing the world of Samuel Stout to life. For further information, contact Theatre on the Ridge here.    Our first Port Perry Snapshots Short Play Festival is a wrap!
This year, Theatre on the Ridge chose to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the settler incorporation of Port Perry by inviting playwrights to submit to the first Port Perry Snapshots Short Play Festival, held October 14 – 16, 2021. For the Festival’s first slate, we put out a call for plays that celebrate the moments that can define a single life and/or life in a small Ontario town. Such moments are the subject matter of three paintings by Scugog visual artist, Carol Matsuyama – Reflection, Bingo Ladies and Doris Shoes. Each of our six selected paintings were inspired by Carol’s work and captures a snapshot of a genuine moment in Port Perry, or possibly anywhere in small town Ontario. We have just closed the Snapshots Short Play Festival and it was definitely a success; enjoyed by artists, playwrights and audiences. We received wonderful feedback, including: “ really well done, such talent. The characters were well rounded…a lot of great dialogue.” “…took me to the heart of of living in a rural community – the relationship between community members.” “Wonderful evening. Well thought out plays. Loved the creativity from the artist, playwrights and actors. An unforgettable evening of live theatre.” We agree completely! The Snapshots Short Play Festival may have just closed, but we are already making plans for another festival next year and will be presenting a virtual encore performance of the 2021 Festival early in the new year. In addition to the public presentation, playwrights had the opportunity to workshop with our casts and further develop their scripts. Through the generosity of a private donor, three plays (one/painting) received a cash award of $100. An Audience Choice award and a TOTR Presidents Award, each for $50, were also presented. Awards Inspired by the painting Doris Shoes – Three Inch Heels by Ron Davies, for creating a deep authentic relationship between two people and the community they share. Inspired by the painting Bingo – Wild Turkey Bingo by Peter Paylor, for its ability to take the audience on a rollercoaster filled with small town dynamics and characters, and conveying a strong sense of place with very few words. Inspired by the painting Reflection – Old Buds by Nathan Simpson, for bringing the authenticity and rawness of a youthful voice to its characters and for its depth of resonance to the source material. Audience Choice – Wild Turkey Bingo by Peter Paylor, with Three Inch Heels by Ron Davies as a very close runner-up. TOTR Presidents Award – “I” On The Prize by Trudee Romanek, for capturing 1) the belief of Theatre on the Ridge in the power of theatre as a universal language and medium of entertainment, self-expression and communication to broaden understanding and empathy between individuals and communities; and 2) our mission, through theatre, to tell stories that contribute to our community’s sense of well-being and connection. Port Perry Snapshots Short Play Festival Awards Selection Panel Carey Nicholson, Artistic Director, Theatre on the Ridge, theatre adjudicator Trevor Lundy, President, Theatre on the Ridge, director Joseph Szekeres, Theatre Reviewer, Inside Looking Out, Toronto Theatre Columnist/Critic/Reviewer for OnStage Blog To receive updates on Snapshots and all Theatre on the Ridge news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter at newsletter@theatre3x60.ca.  Theatre on the Ridge receives Ontario Trillium Foundation
Community Building Fund grant Theatre on the Ridge will continue to keep theatre live with a $49,900 Community Building Fund – Operating Stream grant over the next 12 months. These funds will allow Theatre on the Ridge, Durham Region’s only not for profit professional theatre company, to continue delivering experiences and programs for Ontarians through new staff hires, an upgraded website and offset rental expenses. The company will also be able to continue adapting to the impact of the pandemic by purchasing health and safety and digital equipment. “With the Community Building Fund grant generously received from OTF, Theatre on the Ridge will be able to continue to produce high quality theatre and theatre programs for the residents and visitors of Durham Region while exploring new and innovative ways to present theatre to the world. This will include employment opportunities along with reinvestment of these dollars within Durham Region to help to strengthen our community” comments Theatre on the Ridge board president, Trevor Lundy. Artistic Director, Carey Nicholson agrees and adds, “After the ongoing challenges of presenting live theatre during the pandemic, and adapting and pivoting our way through the last 18 months, this is very welcome news and we are incredibly grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support and for their recognition of the importance of the work we do and our role in the community.” Grant activities have already begun and Theatre on the Ridge looks forward to sharing the positive impact of the grant initiatives with their artists and patrons over the next year and beyond. For more information on the company, their programs and productions, visit – www.theatreontheridge.ca . The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. OTF awarded $108 million to 629 projects last year to build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario. To learn more about upcoming events and projects, visit Theatre on the Ridge at www.theatreontheridge.ca  The weather may be cooling down but we’re not!
Here's what's coming this fall - indoors, outdoors, live and virtual October 3 to 9 – Culture Days Monsters and Milfoil: A Tale of Lake Scugog Virtual Screening Release It’s hard being the only monster in a small town lake, not to mention the lake’s only caretaker, but in Monsters and Milfoil, monster Scugie shares the history and importance of Lake Scugog through interactive fun and song. Our first original theatre for young audiences production is now available to view online for free during Culture Days from October 3 to 9. Click here for details. The original production of Monsters and Milfoil was made possible in partnership with the Scugog Lake Stewards and with the support of the Scugog Council for the Arts. This digital presentation has been made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now program. Port Perry Snapshots Short Play Festival October 14 to 16 Port Perry Anglican Church of the Ascension 266 North St., Port Perry Live Staged Readings at 7:30 pm Celebrating Port Perry's Sesquicentennial! Join us October 14 to 16 at the Port Perry Anglican Church of the Ascension for the first public readings of six new short plays inspired by scenes of Port Perry, as captured by local visual artist Carol Matsuyama. Share your thoughts in our post show feedback sessions and have your say by voting for your Audience Choice favourite! Tickets are $25/person and purchasing in advance is recommended. Only a limited number of seats are available and tickets will be sold at the door subject to availability. Performances are indoors and all provincial and regional mandated Covid restrictions and protocols will be in place, including the wearing of masks and required proof of double vaccination + 14 days, with photo ID. Click here for details. Port Perry Snapshots has been made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now program and an anonymous donor. October 17 to 24 – Culture Days Pine Grove Plots Onscreen Virtual Screening Release Our popular historical walk goes digital and several stories of Port Perry’s past are now available to view online, including Before The Flood, The Diary of Elizabeth Christie, Major Forman, Searching For Samuel Stout and The McCaw Sisters. Free viewing is available as part of Culture Days from October 17 to 24. Click here for details. The original Pine Grove Plots project was made possible through the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. This digital presentation has been made possible with funding from the Ontario Arts Council’s Arts Response Initiative program and in partnership with the School of Media Art and Design - Durham College. October 29 & 30 Scary Story Walk 2021 Leaving at 6 pm and 8 pm from the Scugog Arts Space, Port Perry 175B Queen St., Port Perry Our popular Scary Story Walk returns this year with more tales of the macabre, supernatural and suspenseful. Our guides will safely escort you on an evening walk around downtown Port Perry where our story tellers will be waiting at various locations to entertain and unsettle you with local, Canadian and classic tales seasoned with a little fright and a lot of fun. Tickets are $25/person and only available in advance. Only a limited number of spaces are available. Performances are outdoors and all provincial and regional mandated Covid restrictions and protocols will be in place. Please bring a mask and dress for the weather! Click here for details. Our First Read Club Last Thursday of the month, 7:30 pm Scugog Arts Space 175B Queen St., Port Perry October 28 - We give stage fright a new meaning with a little seasonal horror November 25 – It’s time to remember the impact and aftermath of war December 30 – Something fun and festive to end the year The First Read Club is an informal “book” club and a great way to get your theatre fix, connect with other theatre folk, and discover new plays as you become one of the company and explore the treasures and challenges that lie within the text of a play. Please register at least 24 hours in advance with a $5 minimum donation for refreshments and materials. No previous theatre experience required. The First Read Club takes place indoors and all provincial and regional mandated Covid restrictions and protocols will be in place, including the wearing of masks and required proof of double vaccination + 14 days, with photo ID. Attendance may be capped to comply with current Covid capacity restrictions. Click here for details.  Our final summer production runs until August 14th!
The Ends of The Earth by Morris Panych August 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 @ 7 pm Scugog Arts Courtyard (behind 175 Queen St.), Port Perry We're entering the final weeks of our 2021 summer season and what a journey it has been! Even with pandemic restrictions loosening, we have migrated our rehearsals from parking lots to picnic shelters and open grass, with set, costumes and props stuffed into a single van and with one eye always on the weather to bring Morris Panych’s The Ends of The Earth to life. This surreal comedy tells the story of Frank, an unremarkable person and Walker, an unlucky one and reminds us all that fear can be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Winner of the 1994 Governor General’s Award for Drama, this hilarious and insightful, Kafka-esque work seems presciently well suited to the world we find ourselves in today. The production is directed by Carey Nicholson and features the entire summer company of local and Durham based artists - Isabelle Blanusa, Reid Martin, Christopher Noonan, Jacqueline Plante, Daniella Reid, Nathan Simpson, and Angela Zieleniewski. Tickets are $35/person available through our box office at www.theatreontheridge.ca and are advance sale only with limited seating (bring your own chair!). Performances take place outdoors behind Scugog Arts at 175B Queen St., Port Perry. An alternate rain location is available in the event of inclement weather and performances will run rain or shine. Theatre on the Ridge is a member of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario Safe Travels Stamp program and observes all mandated gathering restrictions and protocols. For more information, contact the Box Office at boxoffice@theatre3x60.ca.  ,
Live theatre returns to Port Perry this summer as we present our second Something From Nothing season. We’re bringing three Canadian comedies to the outdoor stage in downtown Port Perry, a collection of Victorian plays from the past to Scugog Shores Museum and a return to our popular Pine Grove Plots historical walks. Our summer company of artists feature familiar and new faces, and guest artists Amanda Jane Smith and James Dallas Smith. Amanda has previously appeared with Theatre on the Ridge as Sharon in The Valley (2019) and Veronica in God of Carnage (2015) and plays Maureen Poole in Cottagers and Indians. She is joined by James Dallas Smith playing Arthur Copper. In 2019, James was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award for outstanding performance for his work in Soulpepper Theatre’s production of The Almighty Voice and His Wife. In addition to Cottagers and Indians, we are presenting The Ends of The Earth by Morris Panych and a new play by Trudee Romanek, created and workshopped with our summer ensemble. Rounding out the season are two historical offerings – Plays From The Past and our own Pine Grove Plots by Graeme Powell. The online box office is open now and all necessary Covid protocols will be maintained through the season to ensure that our artists and audiences remain safe, on and offstage. Theatre on the Ridge is proud to display the Safe Travels Stamp to reassure our patrons that they will always have an entertaining and safe experience, and our extensive Covid safety measures can be found on our website along with ticket sales information. Here’s how we’re keeping it live this summer! Plays From The Past staged readings July 6 & 8, 7 pm and July 11, 3 pm Scugog Shores Museum Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor July 13 – 24, 7 pm Water Street Parking Lot #5 (Water & North Sts.), Port Perry Something From Nothing New Play by Trudee Romanek July 28 – 31, 7 pm Scugog Arts Courtyard (behind 175 Queen St.), Port Perry The Ends of the Earth by Morris Panych August 4 – 14, 7 pm Scugog Arts Courtyard (behind 175 Queen St.), Port Perry Pine Grove Plots Historical Walks July 18 and August 8, starting at 6 pm Downtown Port Perry Visit our What’s On page at www.theatreontheridge.ca for full production and casting details, Covid protocols, ticket information and direct box office links.   We Kept the Doors Open in 2020 and We're Keeping it Live in 2021!
- The Great Canadian Giving Challenge Returns Watch our new video - Keeping The Doors Open to see how we made it through 2020 and, for as little as $1 you could contribute $20,000 to our recovery in 2021! We had an incredible year in 2020. Not our biggest slate of plays, not our largest houses, not our most viable season, but certainly one of our most memorable! 2020 is a year to be proud of. And we’re building on what we learned to help us make it through 2021. Different year, same pandemic, different challenges and opportunities, but this year we know we can do it! We’ve had no access to an indoor performance space for over 425 days, but we successfully moved outdoors in 2020 and we’ll stay outdoors again until the province reopens indoor theatre venues. We’ve had gathering limitations keep our audiences to less than 25 per show, but we know that the majority of our patrons are eager to return to theatre. We’ve had stringent physical health protocols to maintain in rehearsals and in performance, but we know we kept everyone safe and now also have Safe Travels Stamp accreditation. We’ve been unable to present many of the productions planned for last year and this year, but we know that we can find new productions, new ways to keep telling stories live, and we’re bringing last year’s scheduled opening summer production, Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor to our outdoor stage this July. We also know how great our community is and how important we are to our artists, patrons and supporters. We know we can play an active role in helping our community and local businesses recover from the negative impacts of Covid 19. This June, the Great Canadian Giving Challenge returns and we want to take the whole month to celebrate our many accomplishments, acknowledge everyone who has helped to keep our doors open and remind ourselves that we’re not out of the woods yet. Each milestone and appreciation is a good reason to make a donation of any size through CanadaHelps this June. Every dollar of every donation made between June 1 and June 30, will enter our organization into a draw for $20,000. Think of it - a donation of a little as $5 gives us five chances to win $20,000…and that $20,000 could be the difference between surviving and thriving through our pandemic recovery. Want to know how we got through 2020? With the partnership support of Central Counties Tourism and Gray Bear Creative, we’ve created Keeping The Doors Open, a short documentary video of our 2020 summer season. It’s a great reminder of an exceptional year and an exceptional company, and we’d like to share it with you now. Please take a few minutes to watch Keeping The Doors Open and mark June on your calendar to join us in the Great Canadian Giving Challenge to make 2021 even better. See you soon at the theatre! Watch Keeping The Doors Open now!  Our 2021 Summer Season Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor July 13 – July 24 Something From Nothing Season #2 July 28 – August 14 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe adapted by le Clanche du Rand Private performance tour Box office and ticket sales open June 1st! We’ll be back this July and August for our second Covid summer of theatre in Port Perry. If you joined us last year, you’ll remember how satisfying, and safe it felt to experience live theatre with others in the open air. Once again we’ll be outdoors and observing all mandated physical distancing and gathering protocols. And once again, we will be making the health of our performers and patrons our top priority - we are now members of the TIAO (Tourism Industry Association of Ontario) Safe Travel Stamp accreditation program and will be welcoming a Covid Compliance Coordinator to our summer staff. And we’re supporting physical safety with our play choices as well. Our line up is building on the Something From Nothing model we put in place to adapt to the sudden changes and challenges of last year. Rehearing virtually and live, our summer artists will bring another new comedy to the stage in week one and deliver a program of mixed work in week two. In our third week, we will wrap the season up with a yet to be confirmed ensemble work that entertains and captivates while observing all protocols. Our opening production this summer – Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor, was originally scheduled for our season last year. Cottagers and Indians has a cast of two and explores the politics and issues around the harvesting of wild rice in the Kawartha Lakes region. It is a powerful mix of comedy and commentary on contemporary confrontations between environmentalism and consumerism, Indigenous and non-Indigenous sensibilities. Cottagers and Indians is being presented with the support of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Throughout the summer, we’ll also be offering a delightful touring production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, perfect for families and young audiences. With minimal set, costumes and props, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe comes to life with a cast of two and a lot of imagination. This 45 minute show can be packed up and taken on the road, and that’s just what we’re going to do. We’re making a number of performances available for private outdoor home viewing and will bring the show to your driveway or lawn, maintaining all mandated regional and provincial gathering protocols for performers and audience. Public performances are also now being tentatively scheduled for later in the summer. The box office opens June 1. Watch for more details coming soon on tickets, times and venues. All productions remain subject to change and to taking place only in accordance with Covid health restrictions. Receive the latest information on our summer shows, and all our productions, by subscribing to our newsletter at newsletter@theatre3x60.ca or following us on Facebook @theatreontheridgeportperry.  This summer Theatre on the Ridge brings live theatre to your door!
Our unique production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is perfect for outdoor home performances in June, July and August. The pandemic has made keeping theatre live very difficult for over a year as rehearsal spaces and theatres remain closed and Theatre on the Ridge continues to meet the challenge. This June, we’re moving outdoors to bring a unique travelling adaptation of C. S. Lewis’ beloved children’s classic, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to life. With only a cast of two, and minimal set, props and costumes, the story of this beloved children’s classic is told through clever staging and engages the imaginations of audience of all ages. A heroic tale of love, faith, courage, giving, and the triumph of good over evil, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a perfect production to introduce young audiences to the joy and magic of theatre and the perfect play to bring to your driveway or lawn this summer. Directed by Theatre on the Ridge artistic director, Carey Nicholson, the cast of Frances Loiselle and Michael Williamson are familiar with creating magic on stage - audiences will remember them as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan from the Festival 2018 season. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe can easily be packed up and taken on the road, and that’s just what we’re doing. We'll bring the show to your driveway or lawn, maintaining all mandated regional and provincial gathering protocols for performers and audience. A limited number of public performances may be scheduled for late May and early June; however, at the time of this release, location, performance dates and times are yet to be confirmed and subject to Covid health restrictions. Receive the latest information on this, and all our productions, by subscribing to our newsletter at newsletter@theatre3x60.ca or following us on Facebook @theatreontheridgeportperry. For details on booking a home performance, contact us directly at info@theatre3x60.ca.  Theatre on the Ridge
Playwriting and Creation Opportunities Spring 2021 Seeking Expressions of Interest from Playwrights Something From Nothing Workshop – Season 2 Submissions accepted until May 15, 2021 “For a playwright, there’s only one drawback when you work with the great people at Theatre on the Ridge in creating something from nothing. It’s the fact that you can’t do it all the time. Eventually, you have to go back to writing alone at your desk. Having a cast and a director and a stage manager in the room as you write is at least twice as rewarding as you can imagine it to be. And at least twice as much fun. It’s creative collaboration at its best. Don’t pass it up.” Peter Paylor – Something From Nothing guest playwright, 2020 Last year, in response to reinventing our summer season due to Covid, we created the Something From Nothing new play workshop. What started as an impromptu solution to keeping our summer artists busy became one of our favourite projects of the year. Now we are planning Something From Nothing – Season 2 and are inviting playwrights to submit their expression of interest. We are seeking a playwright up for some fun and the challenge of working collaboratively off the cuff in a short turn around timeframe, and, of course, open to creating something from nothing. Learn more at http://www.theatreontheridge.ca/create-with-us.html Call for Submissions Port Perry Snapshots Festival - Short Playwriting Competition Submissions accepted until June 15, 2021 2021 marks the sesquicentennial celebration of the settler incorporation of Port Perry and Theatre on the Ridge is recognizing this event by inviting playwrights within and outside Port Perry, Scugog Township and Durham Region to submit to the Port Perry Snapshots Short Play Festival. Port Perry Snapshots is a playwriting competition celebrating the moments that can define a single life and/or life in a small Ontario town. Such moments are the subject matter of three paintings by Scugog visual artist, Carol Matsuyama – Reflection, Doris Shoes and Bingo Ladies. Each painting captures a snapshot of a moment in Port Perry and provides the inspiration for a series of new original short plays to be performed later this year. Full submission details, painting images and application form available at http://www.theatreontheridge.ca/create-with-us.html Call for BIPOC Playwright Commission for New Play to be presented in 2022 Submissions accepted until June 30, 2021 Theatre on the Ridge is pleased to announce that we will be commissioning a new theatre work by a BIPOC playwright to be inspired by the story of Port Perry’s first black resident, Samuel Stout, who arrived in the community in 1866. The story opens up avenues to explore how history has been written and erased, interracial marriage, white privilege, and the face of racism of small town in Ontario. In conjunction with play development, a series of interactive audience and community engagement workshops will be presented with a focus on both the theatre creation process and related local black history and diversity programming. The project will culminate in the first formal presentation of the new play in the fall of 2022. This project is open to BIPOC playwrights writing and living in Ontario. A play development commission of $5,000 is available for the selected playwright, with support for securing additional funding also possible. Interested playwrights may contact us at info@theatre3x60.ca for full project details and information, and to request an entry package, which will be ready in early May. Theatre on the Ridge receives provincial funding support to continue bringing local history to life in 2021 and 2022
In spite of theatres remaining closed due to Covid restrictions, Theatre on the Ridge has kept theatre alive since the beginning of the pandemic, and now will continue to do so into 2022 with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario Culture Days. The Ontario Arts Council recently awarded an Arts Response Initiative grant to Theatre on the Ridge, allowing the company to adapt its popular Pine Grove Plots theatrical walk program to virtual safe self guided tours, accessible on personal devices. In addition, there is the potential over the next year to develop new tours profiling other notable heritage and community stories in Scugog. The original Pine Grove Plots was written by area playwright, Graeme Powell from the book, Pine Grove Cemetery by Paul Arculus. Both live performances and the launch of the virtual tours are expected to take place this summer. Looking ahead to 2022, Theatre on the Ridge has also been selected for the Ontario Culture Days Creatives in Residence program. Funding from this program will support commissioning a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour) playwright to create a new play for Theatre on the Ridge, inspired by the life of the first black resident in Port Perry. Professor Samuel Stout arrived in our community in 1866 and although part of his compelling story has been told briefly in Pine Grove Plots, both the man and his life in this community are worthy of much greater exploration and awareness. In conjunction with the play development component, the project includes a series of interactive audience and community engagement workshops with a focus on both the theatre creation process, related local black history and diversity programming. The workshops will take place in the summer of 2022 and the project will culminate in the first formal presentation of the new play during Culture Days the same fall. Playwrights wishing to submit a proposal for consideration should contact Theatre on the Ridge at info@theatre3x60.ca to request a detailed project package, which will be available in early May. Theatre on the Ridge would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario Culture Days for making both these projects possible. In the face of the devastating, ongoing challenges to live theatre, including complete shutdown, brought on by Covid 19, opportunities to safely create new work and new platforms for staying relevant in our community and connecting to our audiences are greatly needed and appreciated. For more information on the virtual Pine Grove Plots project, the call for submissions for the Samuel Stout project, and other upcoming theatre productions and events, visit our website at theatreontheridge.ca.  Spring 2021 and a second Something From Nothing Summer
Theatres may still be closed but we will continue to make theatre happen, including taking our summer season outdoors for the second year, and are now accepting applications for the following positions: Actor/Instructor - up to 6 positions available 9 weeks, full time – June to August, 2021 Stage Manager - 2 positions available 9 weeks, full time – June to August, 2021 Production Manager - 1 position available 23 weeks, part time – May to October, 2021 Media & Communications Coordinator -1 position available 23 weeks, part time – May to October, 2021 Production Assistant - 1 position available 23 weeks, part time - May to October, 2021 Curatorial Assistant - 1 position available 9 weeks, full time – June to August, 2021 In spite of the onset of the third wave of Covid, the new VOC’s and the most recent stay at home order, we are still committed to keeping theatre live as long as we can and as safely as we can. We’ve got a second summer planned based on our successful ad hoc season last year. Something From Nothing season #2 will include an artist and playwright workshop residency and a modified repertory performance slate (readings/productions/virtual) of collectively curated work. With the support of the Ontario Arts Council, we will also be revisiting our Pine Grove Plots theatrical walks, adapting this popular program to both Covid safe live performances and a virtual experience. In addition to employment positions, we are also offering a limited number of performance apprenticeships, and student co-op and unpaid intern placements in several production, front of house and media areas. Please visit our website here for full position descriptions, Covid related priority criteria and application deadlines. Note: At this time, all positions are subject to funding and mandated Covid health and safety restrictions. “Theatre 3x60/Theatre on the Ridge is committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring and recruitment practices, and encourage applications from culturally diverse persons, Indigenous persons, deaf persons, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression. We welcome applications from persons with disabilities to the extent possible with the physical spaces of our venues, current resources and requirements of the positions available."  Mary's Wedding by Stephen Massicotte
Online February 13 & 14! February is the month for love and great love stories, even in lockdown! And we’re making one of our favourite past productions available for this year’s pandemic Valentine’s Day. For 48 hours only, we are streaming our 2017 production of Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicotte. The archival video of this popular play, featuring Manon Ens-Lapointe and Duncan Gibson-Lockhart, will be streamed on our private Youtube channel Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14. Through vivid and poetic language, this Canadian play tells the poignant story of Mary and Charlie, who discover a charming first love, filled with innocence and humour in 1914 as the world collapses into a brutal war. Proceeds from the evening will support Theatre on the Ridge returning to the live stage in 2021. Viewers can receive access to this archival video for only $15. Purchase your link and password here  We'd like you to help us light up our Christmas Tree on December 1st!
This year, we’re asking for your help to trim the tree and light the lights. December 1st is Giving Tuesday and every donation of $20 or more will light one of the 25 lights on this lovely hand drawn Christmas Tree by Theatre on the Ridge artist, Frances Loiselle. Each December, Giving Tuesday brings the global community together for an influential day of positive impact that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. It’s a great way to start your holiday giving by making a transformational gift for your community and we hope that you’ll put us on your gift list. As a member of our theatre family, you know that Covid 19 has had a dramatic effect on all performing arts and cultural organizations, including Theatre on the Ridge. Yes, we’ve been able to gather together to share live theatre when restrictions have permitted, but not in any way that is viable on an ongoing basis. With your help we can keep bringing you live stage readings, productions, more podcasts and community events. We can continue to support local and emerging theatre artists and adapt to the ongoing challenges of Covid by exploring more virtual and online presentations and programs. We can even stage a reimagined Festival 2021 next summer! Now, more than ever, we need your support, to keep our theatre live, so please join us next Tuesday, December 1st, to light our Giving Tuesday “tree” and end 2020 on a festive note! Donate here  Live performances, online shopping and more...
At Theatre on the Ridge, we’re keeping theatre live all the way through 2020. Right now, we’re getting into a festive mood to celebrate with some great seasonal events and performances, but once again, the tenacity of this pandemic and the everchanging information and restrictions have made it necessary to modify some of our activities for the immediate safety and longterm well-being of our artists and audiences. The Christmas Tree by Norm Foster returns! The good news is that we are remounting our live production of Norm Foster’s The Christmas Tree outdoors to the Scugog Arts Space on December 19 and 20. Only 40 minutes long, this delightful story, filled with laughs, heartache and good old-fashioned Christmas spirit, is the perfect break from the bustle of holiday preparations and shopping in downtown Port Perry. Tickets on sale now! On the downside, we’ll be putting our First Read Club on hold for December. We hope this monthly book club for theatre lovers will return in the new year. For the moment, we've also put our live staged reading of The Patron Saint of Stanley Park by Hiro Kanagawa on December 12 on hold, but still hope to still share this wonderful play in some way, so stay tuned! This uniquely Canadian Christmas family story will likely be presented as a livestream or virtual event, but we know that, even online, it will still soften the hardest heart! Shop our Backstage Bazaar Online If you aren’t able to attend one of our live events but still want to support Theatre on the Ridge as it keeps theatre live, check out our new online Backstage Bazaar for great gifts and gift certificates. Check out our online store here! You can also find the handwork of our artists all month at The Scugog Arts Christmas Market at 175B Queen St. Port Perry, or join us on Giving Tuesday, December 1st by making a donation to light the lights on our Christmas Tree. Now, more than ever, we will need your support to make it through to the spring and summer of 2021. Pandemic or not, we've still got a lot going on this December. Tickets and quantities are limited for all live events and some items, so purchase early!  Keeping it Live This November!
A Staged Reading November 7, 3 pm & 7 pm Anglican Church of the Ascension 266 North St., Port Perry Theatre on the Ridge brings Rob Corbett’s moving comedy Outside the Lines to the Anglican Church of the Ascension with two staged reading performances on November 7th. Physical distancing and other Covid protocols will be maintained as part of the company’s commitment to the health and safety of its performers, crew and audiences while keeping theatre live. Leaving politics and pandemics aside, Outside The Lines is the story of two people, whose lives are impacted through a chance meeting. Linda is a passionate volunteer out to save the world, while Harrison is a charismatic but self-centred and irresponsible artist not even interested in saving himself. Full of wry humour that explores the consequences of living within and outside the boundaries of convention and expectation, Outside The Lines reaffirms that there is always room for friendship, compassion and growth. Playing Linda and Harrison are Carolyn Goff and Craig Martin. Carolyn delivered a powerful performance this past February as Maggie in the Borelians Community Theatre production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Craig has performed previously with Theatre on the Ridge in Art and God of Carnage Playwright Rob Corbett grew up in Uxbridge, was a founding member of the Uxbridge Players, and worked with both the Borelians and Scugog Choral Society in Port Perry before moving to Toronto. Rob has been a professional theatre artist for over thirty years working as a playwright, director, actor, and artistic director. His plays have been performed throughout Southern Ontario and in New York City. He holds an MFA in Creative writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches Scriptwriting and Acting at a number of colleges across the GTA including Sheridan, Seneca and Humber. This is the second work by Rob that has been presented by Theatre on the Ridge. In 2016, the company staged a reading of Frozen Assets, a delightful film noir detective farce. Tickets for Outside The Lines are $25, sold in advance, online only. Proceeds from ticket sales will support Arts at the Ascension activities and Theatre on the Ridge. Click Here for more information on Covid protocols and to purchase tickets.  Friday & Saturday, October 30th & 31st
leaving each evening on the half hour 6:30 pm, 7 pm, 7:30 pm & 8 pm from the Scugog Arts Space, 175B Queen St., Port Perry Hallowe’en is going to be different this year, but look no further for your scary fix than to join Theatre on the Ridge on an evening walk around downtown Port Perry. Our guides will escort you to various locales around Queen St., where our company members will entertain you with local, Canadian and classic tales full of suspense and macabre humour. There will be four tours each evening, leaving on the half hour starting at 6:30 pm from the Scugog Arts Space at 175B Queen St. in Port Perry. Each tour group will be limited to no more than 10 persons and current Covid safety protocols and procedures in accordance to Region of Durham guidelines will be maintained, including physical distancing. The wearing of masks by audience members is also strongly recommended. Tickets are $25/person, available online only and sales are limited to 10 persons/timeslot. Recommended for ages 12 and up. All proceeds from the Scary Story Walk will benefit the vision and programs of Theatre on the Ridge. For more event details, Covid protocols and ticket purchases click here.  It’s been quite the journey for Theatre on the Ridge over the past 6 years – from our launch as Theatre 3x60 with a production of Vimy by Vern Thiessen to our critically successful 5th summer festival season with 6 exciting productions last year. And, so much in between as well! – Durham Minifest one act play festival, Pine Grove Plots cemetery walks, many staged readings, ongoing community engagement with partners such Scugog Arts, Scugog Lake Stewards, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, Ontario Black History Society, Elder Abuse Ontario and Durham Regional Police Services…and now navigating our very future through a global pandemic.
We’re glad that so many of you have been part of Theatre on The Ridge from the very beginning and now we’re asking for your help in mapping out our next three years as we develop our next strategic plan. Unfortunately, we can’t meet in person at the moment to hear and share your feedback, so we’ve set up a short, confidential, 10 question survey to help us get started. We value your opinion, and appreciate the support you have given us in so many ways and we hope that you will participate in this important step in determining what the future holds for Theatre on The Ridge. All responses are confidential and will be used to develop the key strategies and actions that will see us go forward successfully over the next few years. The survey can be accessed here!  Big Theatre For Small Spaces Update! Please note the change of dates for The Grand To Do and for Food For Thought. All performances start at 7 pm and will take place outdoors in the rear courtyard of the Scugog Arts Space. We are going LIVE this summer! Theatre on The Ridge is proud to present its Big Theatre for Small Spaces series July 28 - August 14 Scugog Arts Space, 175B Queen St., Port Perry It’s been a long wait, but we will be presenting 3 unique live staged readings in the very intimate setting of the new Scugog Arts Space this July and August. In accordance with public health regulations, and in consultation with our public health advisor, we have modified our programming to bring you captivating theatre with your safety in mind. Our first production, running July 28-30 is a premiere reading of The Grand To Do by Belleville playwright Peter Paylor. Our second performance will be a mixed program titled Food For Thought, running August 4 - 6. The series will close with performances of The Huns by Canadian playwright Michael Ross Albert taking place August 12-14. All performances will follow public health measures regarding social distancing protocol, gathering size restrictions, and sanitization protocol. Performances will occur at the new Scugog Arts Space at 175B Queen Street, and will start at 7 pm and will run approximately one hour each. Tickets are $25 each and, due to current restrictions, are limited. They will be sold online, on a first come first serve basis only, and will be available at http://www.theatreontheridge.ca/ as of Monday, July 20th. Full production details at http://www.theatreontheridge.ca/whats-on.html  When Will We See You Again?
You are a vital part of the theatre we create and we want to share our work with you as soon as safely possible. Please take a moment to complete our audience response survey to help us gather again safely. Take the survey now! COVID-19 is impacting all Canadians, and businesses like Theatre on the Ridge in the performing arts sector are being hit especially hard. We’re not only looking at how we manage the here and now of a reimagined summer season, we also have our sights set on how we can get back to live theatre, and our audiences, as soon as it is safe to do so. To help us open our doors again, we have created a short survey to better understand what’s important to you, our audience, to engage in our programming again. Getting a better understanding of what you need to feel safe to return, and how COVID is impacting you will greatly help us plan for future programs and performances. This survey will help us serve you, and welcome you back, in these challenging times. We are counting on your valuable input and thank you for participating. The survey is confidential and should take you only about 5 minutes to complete. Take the survey now! The survey is now open and will close at end of day Monday, July 6th, 2020  Supporting Theatre on the Ridge does more than bring great plays to the stage! June is coming to a close and we’re coming to the end of the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, where every donation dollar is a chance for Theatre on the Ridge to win $20,000 and keep our programs happening! Did you know that the generous contributions from supporters like you have already helped us:
Learn more here! Monthly or one time only, we welcome donations large or small* through CanadaHelps. Especially in these uncertain economic times for the performing arts, every donation counts and even as little as $5 brings us closer to the $20,000 Great Canadian Giving Challenge donation prize! You can donate here now! If you have already made a donation – Thank You! Please consider sharing this call for support with someone who may also want to contribute to the valued work we are doing. Together, even through the pandemic, we can continue enrich lives through theatre on and offstage. *Any donation over $3 will count as a ballot, dollar for dollar, in the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, closing June 30th, 2020.  |
