More than three years after Gordon Lightfoot's death, his music filled St. Mark's Anglican Church as a sold-out audience gathered to celebrate the Canadian icon through the voices and instruments of musicians who knew him.
More than 40 years after the debut of this British farce on the Shaw Festival stage, "One for the Pot" returns with excellent performances that contain the elements needed to make this for-the-masses comedy a laugh riot, writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
Sal Fasullo, a retail team member at Peller Estates, says he wanted to do something with the corks the winery was throwing away every day. "I started to collect them," he says. "Suddenly, I had more corks than I knew what to do with."
With the trial of her accused abuser behind her, singer-songwriter Catherine Leniarsky is sharing a piece of what she's been through in her new song, "House of Cards."
"Matters of etiquette, rules and styles of play inform. To Wodehouse, the only way to really find a true character is to play golf with him," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
In response to editor-in-chief Richard Harley's July 31 editorial, The Lake Report, writes Garth Turner, "embraces the size, the massing, the demolitions, the height, the truck bays, the big-box architecture, the gobbling-up of a residential street and the three or more years of construction chaos involved."
"The next round of renderings will offer a fuller picture — complete with streetscapes, gardens, and trees — so you can better visualize the theatre as part of the community fabric," write Tim Jennings and Tim Carroll.
A selection of 12 woodcut prints from "Konjaku Monogatarishū" ("Tales of Days Gone By"), a collection of thousands of Japanese folktales, displays the artist’s conceptual skill and storytelling abilities.
Jessica Sevier is set to open for Tenille Townes at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre for this year's Summer Concert Series, on Aug. 21. "It's going to be a very fun, high-energy acoustic," she says.
Yellow Door's theatre director hopes audiences will embrace a little “hakuna matata” when his cast of young performers takes the stage in "The Lion King" on July 19.
Two of Niagara-on-the-Lake's young artists are getting a boost from the local arts community this summer, as they ready to take their creative work to the next level at university this upcoming semester.
The Visiting Artist Program launched last December for Queenston Pottery’s holiday show, and the success of that collaboration inspired its permanent place at the studio.
"'Tons of Money' has a strong farcical plot, fine performances by a talented cast, stunning set and 1920s costume designs ... It simply needs to more cohesively come together," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
The Laura Secord choir is recognized nationally through MusicFest Canada and the CBC Canadian Music Class Challenge, but choir leader Katryna Sacco said getting to perform for the community is a uniquely special experience: "It’s really nice to extend our reach throughout the community."
From stained glass and ceramic dishes to abstract paintings and self-portraits, last weekend offered art lovers and creatives a chance to explore the diversity of work made by Niagara-on-the-Lake’s artists.
"In our current period of uncertainty, not entirely dissimilar from the 1930s, this timely Shaw production of 'Anything Goes' has audiences erupting in a catharsis of cheers, whoops and whistles of appreciation," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
The Shaw Festival's efforts centre around two main projects: the demolition and restoration of the Royal George Theatre and the creation of a new campus called the Artists' Village, to open next May.
The fair included several outdoor activities for kids, including face painting, mini-games and bounce houses. But the most exciting part was Crossroads principal Kate Fish in the dunk tank, as seen by the line of students waiting for their turn to make the perfect shot.
"The town and the Shaw have grown together, welcoming first tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of patrons every year, helping this little corner of Ontario become one of the most cherished destinations in Canada," write Tim Jennings and Tim Caroll from the Shaw Festival.
Artists and gardeners in the Chautauqua neighbourhood opened their homes and backyards to visitors this past weekend for the Chautauqua Art and Garden Tour, giving visitors an intimate view of their artistic worlds.
Inspired by a similar project in California’s Salinas Valley, Ron Clavier’s plan calls for a series of 16-foot-tall aluminum-composite paintings. Each would depict an individual or group significant to the development of agriculture in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
On June 13, NOTL comedian Joe Pillitteri will take the stage for a comedy night in support of Red Roof Retreat, running from will run from 7 to 10 p.m. at Pillitteri Estates Winery.
Markvart, a self-taught artist living in the north Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, has a background in film production and environmental studies, with degrees from Concordia University and the University of Waterloo. Her work is now on display until June 22.
Matsubara studied art in Japan, then travelled to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh as a graduate student in 1961, when she discovered her connection to woodblock painting — and has been working with the art form for six decades since.
Next week, Profit will be paying a weeklong visit to Queenston, arriving May 26, where she will connect with the village's active art scene and be available for commissions.
Shoppers descended on Lakeview Wine Co. last Saturday, as 29 small business owners transformed the Niagara winery into a bustling Mother’s Day market of handmade treasures.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Joe Pillitteri is back to emcee a night at the seventh annual Garden City Comedy Festival, taking place next weekend in downtown St. Catharines, on May 24.
