This past weekend saw two live theatre performances take to the stage in Island communities. Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) students produced the musical comedy ‘Something Rotten’ to hilarious effect before packed houses, while a Treaty Six troupe delivered plenty of song and dance, Indigenous style, with a decolonized version of the popular 1978 musical ‘Grease’ called ‘Bear Grease.’
Those productions add to the upcoming new Burn’s Wharf Theatre Players production (this May), the repertoire offerings of Gore Bay Theatre that take place this summer and the mainstage productions of Debajehmujig Storytellers in Manitowaning.
But what is truly encouraging to Island patrons of live theatre is the huge number of talented students (mostly from MSS, but with a couple of elementary students thrown in) who so obviously enjoyed entertaining their audiences. This bodes well for the future of live theatre on the Island.
The recent formation of a musicians’ group that gathers monthly in Providence Bay is another promising development. There has always been a strong live music contingent on the Island with the likes of the late Bill Omnet, Hardy Peltier baa, Ron Wakegijig baa entertaining crowds both on- and off-Island and although so many of the old guard have passed on, many new faces, either home grown or imported from away, have since stepped up to the mic.
Speaking of live music, the popular Café in the Woods venue is currently working on the spring lineup. Stay tuned (pun intended).
With so much of the world of entertainment taking place online these days, there is something comforting in the fact that live performances remain vibrant. Now that most people are able to leave their Zoom screens behind, the pent-up demand for in-person live programming is ensuring appreciative audiences will attend and our Island’s quality of life is all the better for it.
Nearly all of these live performances are the product of the hard work and dedication of an army of volunteers without whom live performances would not be possible. So it bears saying, once again, to each and every one of those volunteers, thank you very much, chi-miigwetch.
March Break calls for increased vigilance on the roads
March Break will soon be upon us. The annual weeklong late winter respite from classes, books and teachers’ looks starts this coming Monday and calls for an increased vigilance on the part of drivers as children will likely be out and about at hours when they usually would be in school.
Of course, it is understood that drivers should always be vigilant, but March Break provides an added caution to watch for young people who might not always exercise good judgement on the road.
