Well folks, as we finish off April and move into May there are literally so many arts and culture events and so much arts and culture news that I actually don’t know how to put it into words. Orillia is exploding with arts and culture and all we can do is get out and enjoy as much of it as we can, all of us.
Before even getting into the weekend, there are several events coming up I know you won’t want to miss. First off, Thunder Years, at Twin Lakes Secondary School. This is a special musical production showcasing five decades of Twin Lakes productions, and you remember and know how good they are.
There are two shows, April 27 and April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Twin Lakes, and you can get your $10 ticket through the Twin Lakes office, 705-325-1318. There may be limited tickets at the door, but I wouldn’t count on it. This is going to be a goodie!
Also this Thursday, at 8 p.m., the inimitable Hawksley Workman is coming to St. Paul’s Centre. This is another great show brought to us by Inside the Music, who brought My Son The Hurricane to St. Paul’s last month.
“I love St. Paul’s Centre, I love the acoustics, the vibe, and the feeling there," said Ryan Andersen of Inside the Music. "I have been wanting to use this gem of a centre more, and a once-a-month Thursday night music series seemed like the perfect vehicle. I am very pleased with the reaction to both shows so far, it seems to be a hit!”
Inside the Music is also bringing Chris Murphy from Sloan, in a solo show, to St. Paul’s on May 25. We Orillians are indeed lucky people.
For tickets to Hawksley Workman this Thursday, click here. For tickets to Chris Murphy, click here.
Not to be outdone on the Thursday night party, Arts Orillia is having its Theatre and Cross Creativity community presentation this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre at the Orillia Opera House.
A group of local storytellers have been working with a great director this week to bring you this special event, so come check it out. This is a pay what you can ticketed event and you can grab your tickets here.
And now, we come to the weekend, so hold onto your hats. Friday night, Ian Thomas and his full band are coming to the Orillia Opera House. Thomas is a very popular performer here in town, so you should grab your tickets now, I am sure there aren’t too many left.
Friday night also brings the Rob Watts duo to Couchiching Craft Brewery, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Also on Friday night, repeating on Saturday, from 7 to 9 p.m., Creative Nomad Studios and Arts Orillia peeps Sean Rees and Kate Hilliard present Floe and Story Creatures, two parallel exhibits focusing on ecological themes.
This dynamic duo features photography by Sean Rees and an immersive multimedia installation by Kate Hilliard that includes movement, spoken word, projection, and light. Once again, these folks are bringing something incredible to Orillia. You can view the Floe exhibit anytime without a ticket, until May 7, but if you want to see Story Creatures, you need to grab a ticket here.
Also, don’t miss Empty Space Empty Time Worlds Within, cello and dance, at the OOH May 10 at 7:30 p.m., also brought to you by Arts Orillia. Tickets here. Both will be amazing events, I hope to see you out there.
This Saturday the Orillia Opera House presents Against the Wind, the Ultimate Bob Segar experience, an all-star tribute band evening out. Tickets are through the OOH box office.
Also Saturday, Couchiching Craft Brewery presents Campfire Circle featuring Cruisin’.
The Orillia Museum of Art and History presents its spring exhibits, including the ever-popular Women’s Art Show. The opening reception is from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Also new and opening that day are an exhibit on Elizabeth Wyn Wood and Homage by Donald Stuart. This will be a wonderful day of new pieces and exhibits in our own awesome museum. Come check it out.
Sunday, Mariposa Folk Festival’s Showcase event is on at St. Paul’s Centre. It runs from 1 to 6 p.m., and features nine bands who will play vying for a spot at Mariposa this summer. It’s free and always awesome to check out new and upcoming bands, so you can say you saw them when…
Finally, Monday, May 1, The Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival Encores show is happening at the Orillia Opera House at 7:30 p.m. This free concert features all the great acts from the three-week-long festival, which ended just a few weeks ago. Come check out the next great performers. Donations to the festival gratefully accepted.
Can you believe that that’s only the events of the next five days? Now we get into the other news…
Mariposa Arts Theatre is having a Queer Cabaret. Audition date for this sure to be awesome event is April 29, starting at 1 p.m., at the MAT Warehouse at 12 Brammer Drive. MAT strongly encourages all gender identities, and 2SLGBTQ folks to come audition. To reserve your audition time, email [email protected].
Danny Webster, AKA Livers, has released a two-song EP titled Soon.
“My EP Soon is two songs I recorded in my bedroom about envy and ambitions/success," said Livers. "I’ve been trying to make a career out of my music for a while now, and these songs are kind of about some feelings I sometimes have surrounding that.”
He continued, “The first track, Lie, is about envy and my anxieties that tend to compare myself to my peers and other artists that I idolize. The second and more upbeat track, Soon, is a song reminding me to keep at it and that my work will pay off one day. My biggest inspirations for this were Glitter Party and Tame Impala. Currently, I am working on a folk-rock album that I’m hoping to release next winter!”
You can check out Livers Music through all the major streaming platforms, including YouTube here.
Also future times plug, don’t miss Empty Space Empty Time Worlds Within, cello and dance, at the OOH May 10 at 7:30 p.m., also brought to you by Arts Orillia. Tickets www.orilliaoperahouse.ca. For an extra treat, Arts Orillia is offering two free tickets to this excellent event to Orillia Matters readers. All you have to do is send your name and email to [email protected] to be entered in the draw. Hurry! Contest closes May 8.
Finally, last week the city revealed a couple of the nine major public art works that will be installed throughout the city by June 30, as part of the “Crossroads, Connections and Intersections” project, made possible by grant money from the feds.
So far, Endorphin by Camille Rajotte is at the Orillia Recreation Centre. Stephen Cruise’s Hotel Echo Sierra is at the Storm Water Pond at the West Orillia Sports Complex, and a welcome mural by Soon Cho is on the water side of the Orillia Water Filtration Plant. Stay tuned for lots more amazing artwork all over the city.
Hats off to the city's incredible manager of culture, Jacqueline Surette, for stickhandling the project and getting the grant, as well as to our awesome public art committee. A great addition to our city, well done.
I also want to thank Jacqueline for all the work she has done for the city over the past 10 years as Manager of Culture, as she is leaving us to pursue other work. She has been a tireless advocate for arts and culture in our community and has worked so hard to elevate everything arts and culture here. She will be very badly missed.
Have a great week and if you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included.
