Songs, Stockings, and Stories! by PSFT Artistic Director, Liz Gilroy
Traditions: all of us have some, whether passed down from generation to generation or from creating new ones. Being a first-generation Canadian, and having Scottish and Irish parents, many of the traditions I was brought up with stemmed from the Celts. Perhaps that is why I am so chuffed to have The Rowdymen back at Port Stanley Festival Theatre (PSFT) on October 25th. Music was big in our house and all my dad’s people played some type of instrument. Maisie, my mom, could sing the first three lines of just about any song, and she never held back. Having the Newfoundlanders back for a night of songs and stories in October reminds me of an evening in Belfast, in the kitchen of course, with all my relatives telling stories and playing some ditties. Everyone had to ‘sing for their supper’, so to speak. It could be a poem, a tall tale, a limerick, or a song, and everyone had their turn. The Rowdymen make us feel like family, no matter where you are from, much like most of the Newfoundlanders I have met on ‘the rock’. Christmas time at my home had many traditions; flaming plum pudding, stockings hung at the fireplace, turkey and ham, shortbread cookies, and underwear sent across the pond from ‘Marks and Sparks’. But the big one was watching the original A Christmas Carol starring Alister Simms, on Christmas Eve; it usually played at midnight, so I had to beg to be allowed to stay up. I loved it from an early age, and still watch it to this day. This year on Saturday, November 23rd, as part of the Dicken’s Day Weekend in Port, PSFT will perform a staged reading of A Christmas Carol , by Charles Dickens. We’ll have a couple of actors in Dickensian costumes, lights, special effects, and music! Scott Maudsley and Gabe Sclafani will be on stage, creating a new Holiday Tradition for the village of Port Stanley. Come hear A Christmas Carol as it was intended to be performed, as a story read aloud by the fire for family and friends. Now that the Summer Season is officially over, I hope you can join us for all the concerts and shows we have at the theatre all year round. There is a bigger lineup than
ever this year, and there is bound to be something for everyone, from Big Bands, Magicians, Crooners, some Stompin’ Tom, and even Puppets! (‘Cause everyone loves puppets.) I hope you’ll stop by the theatre and start a new tradition with the PSFT family: see you soon.
The Rowdymen playing October 25th.
A Christmas Carol Join us during the Dickens’ Day weekend in Port Stanley for a wonderful yuletide experience for the whole fam ily! by Charles Dickens adapted by Liz Gilroy Saturday November 23, 1pm & 7pm
A STAGED READING OF
Christmas Carol ~A~
On Christmas Eve Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits, who take him on a journey into his past , present and future to show him the errors of his ways.
PortStanleyFestival FestivalTheatre Reserve Tickets 519-782-4353 www.psft.ca Adult, children and family group tickets available.
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