PEIL SUM21_issuu

“These stories demonstrate what it takes to be a hero, to put everything on the line, and to fight for those who cannot.” - Adam Brazier, Artistic Director

▲ Old Stock: Ben Caplan (Photo: Fadi Acra)

▲ Robert Harris, Self-Portrait, c. 1890, watercolour on paper, gift of the Robert Harris Trust, 1965, CAGH-205

The Confederation Centre Art Gallery

call described the show as “exploring moments where society has come together to stand up for civil and judicial rights.” The 2021 festival will also host two productions initially staged elsewhere on the East Coast. Those two shows- - Between Breaths and OLD STOCK : A Refugee Love Story -draw on Atlantic musicianship as well. In Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland’s Between Breaths, ECMA-awarded folk trio The Once score the story of twentieth-century whale expert Dr. Jon Lien. “I have always been drawn to true stories in the theatre,” says Brazier. “ Between Breaths reminds us how small we are and the immense influence we can have.” Meanwhile, 2b theatre company’s OLD STOCK pulls from the history of European refugees at Halifax’s Pier 21 and the klezmer music tradition. The production has experienced breathtaking international success since its first staging, and stars co- composer Ben Caplan.

As a whole, Brazier says, the festival lineup revolves around “enchanting, true stories from right here in Atlantic Canada.” To support social distancing, Between Breaths, Dear Rita, and OLD STOCK are presented by relatively small casts. (Festival mainstay Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™ is to be remounted farther down the road.) From a theatregoer perspective, a small-cast season is intriguing-these types of shows spotlight exceptionally talented artists and, often, astonishing performances. Festival attendees should be familiar with the social-distancing policies on Confederation Centre’s website. Audience sizes for indoor productions will be reduced, and during “sold-out” shows, the theatre will remain three- quarters empty-so it’s important to get tickets quickly.

• Give Me Shelter - until June 6 • Gerard Clarkes: A Haunted Land - until June 16 • A Life’s Work: Canadian Artist Robert Harris (1849-1919) - from June 5 • Art in the Open at 10 Years: An Incomplete Archive - from June 12 • BGL: Two Thumbs Up Arts and Crafts - from July 17 The Confederation Centre Art Gallery’s summer programming revolves around Canadian artists from Newfoundland and Quebec, as well as the Island. The exhibitions vary from Clarkes’ and Harris’ beautiful landscapes to fascinating, off-kilter installation works by BGL and a retrospective of the Art in the Open festival. Confederation Centre of the Arts 145 Richmond Street, Charlottetown 902.628.1864/ 800.565.0278 info@confederationcentre.com www.confederationcentre.com

SUMMER 2021 www.pei-living.ca

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