Blyth Festival aims for early August opening on outdoor stage
Gil Garratt gazes fondly out on the converted soccer field that will be where the Blyth Festival stages its plays this summer.
“We are building an incredible outdoor stage. This will not just be a way for us to survive the current pandemic, but also a way for us to build into the future,” says the Blyth Festival’s artistic director.
Work began on the outdoor stage, located in the Blyth campgrounds, last week. It’s expected to be completed by the end of July, with performances to begin as early as Aug. 9-10.
At least that’s the hope.
“There’s still a lot of question marks. We don’t know yet what size of audience we can welcome. We don’t know yet the timelines on when those kinds of decisions will be made. So, there’s a lot of guessing going on at this point. But, I feel like a lot of it is more educated guessing than we were doing a year ago,” says Garratt.
That indecision is apparent in Stratford, as well. Like the Blyth Festival, the Stratford Festival is planning for outdoor performances, to try to make up for losing the entirety of the 2020 campaign.
“We’re concerned we may be looking at a way smaller season in terms of allowable capacity. Anywhere from 25 to 100 per show, and that’s a far cry from the 7,000 seats would usually be able to sell on a regular day on a regular season,” says Antoni Cimolino, the Stratford Festival’s artistic director.
One thing both Garratt and Cimolino agree on, is that the 2021 season must go forward, because patrons are telling them they are craving the “feel” and “intimacy” of live theatre.
“You just can’t get that feeling from your streaming service or TV at home. It just doesn’t cut it. Folks are so hungry for it. So, I think this will be a chance for us to revitalize,” Garratt says.
Garratt expects Blyth’s outdoor season to last from early Auguest to early October.
The outdoor stage will be permanent. Garratt envisions staging both indoor and outdoor plays in Blyth in the coming years.
In Stratford, with fewer patrons in attendance than usual this summer, the Stratford Festival will be filming their 2021 plays for people to watch from home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.