Well folks in week one million of lockdown, our creatives are really stepping up to the plate and keeping us sane with live music, virtual art tours, colouring books, and more.
Some of our local creatives are using this time not only to entertain the rest of us, but to raise money for local causes.
Heartworks Children’s Studio, in collaboration with Creative Nomad Studios, is seeking drawing submissions for a special colouring book in the Art with Heart charity project. The colouring books will raise money for The Sharing Place Food Centre. Interested artists are asked to email [email protected] for more information. Deadline for submissions is April 30.
Sarahannadipity is also running a fundraiser, for Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. Owner Sarah Moleme is making beautiful grey agate and amethyst mandala bracelets. These gorgeous bracelets have a silver heart charm as well. They are $50 and $15 of that will be going to the OSMH Foundation to purchase needed COVID-19 supplies.
Sarah also has beautiful handmade cards for $7 that she will deliver, and $5 of that amount will be going to OSMH as well. To take a look at her wares and order a bracelet or card, click here.
A group called Orillia Artists Care is putting together a series of online concerts, called The Essential Concert Series, to raise funds for the OSMH Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness Fund. The first show is April 16 at 8 p.m. Local musician Michael Martyn is hosting, and you can find out more at the Facebook event page here.
Other local artists are changing their game through offering delivery, curbside pick up, switching their focus, and more.
Three Crows Speak Studio is offering online order and free delivery in Midland and Orillia of their line of handmade soaps and other accessories. Sylvia has an amazing range of soaps and who doesn’t want to be really really clean these days? Go here to check out her line of soaps, moisturizers, jewelry and more.
Hip Chick Design here in town has pivoted from focussing on repurposed handmade clothing, to making cloth masks and gloves for those scary excursions outside of our homes. Beth is offering curbside pickup from her home in Orillia. For more information and to order click here.
Local artist Xavier Fernandes has recently pivoted to woodturning, and has beautiful candleholders to make your home a special socially isolated place to be. Check out his Facebook page here.
Otter Art Club and Shadowbox are hoping to help each other out and get an online art supplies store going, check their website periodically to see how that is shaping up.
Congratulations go out to Mariposa Arts Theatre on its fantastic production of Urinetown, last fall. During its run, the show was adjudicated by the Association of Community Theatres - Central Ontario (ACT-CO), and in a live-stream of the ACT-CO Festival THEA Awards ceremony the show was nominated for, and won, in many categories.
MAT’s Urinetown won the Adjudicator's Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance - Musical (Entire Acting Ensemble); Best Costume Design - Musical (Phyllis Johnson); and Best Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role - Musical (Natasha Paquin).
MAT’s show was also nominated for the Adjudicator's Award for Outstanding Young Performer - Musical (Bella Francis); Best Choreographer (Sheri Nichols); Best Stage Manager - Musical (Vanessa Leslie); Best Director - Musical (Valerie Thornton); and Best Production - Musical (Kaleb Suave, Producer).
Congratulations to everyone involved in the show, and thanks for this great news to brighten a quiet spring. Looking forward to more great MAT productions, hopefully in the fall.
MAT has decided to reschedule its production of Rabbit Hole, which was supposed to be on stage in November at the Orillia Opera House. Fingers crossed!
Looking ahead, this year is Mariposa Folk Festival’s 60th anniversary, and plans were in the works for a real shindig, featuring John Prine and Mavis Staples, among other great musicians.
Now, COVID-19 has interfered, and John Prine has sadly passed away from this terrible virus. Mariposa has been mum in recent weeks, but given that Winnipeg Folk Festival has just cancelled, and it runs later in July, it’s my guess that we will see a sad announcement from Mariposa very shortly. Stay tuned.
A ray of sunshine in the gloomy cancellation notices we are seeing daily, URGNT LIVE is teaming up with cancelled and postponed Ontario Music Festivals to present a series of shows featuring Ontario artists, live and virtual in their homes.
The first one is this Friday, and features Digging Roots, whom you might remember from Roots North Music Festival, another one of our events that is postponed to next year. URGNT is also looking at a one-day online festival with several acts on May 8 as well as hopefully a national festival starting May 15 with partners from across the country. This is sponsored by McLean’s and there is a Go Fund Me page as well.
Since March 16, URGNT LIVE has been presenting Toronto musicians in closed Toronto clubs and bars, and this latest series is a go big or go home initiative they have taken. Good for them, well done!
For more information on this developing online festival and concerts, and to see the shows, go to www.urgnt.ca, or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/urgntmusic/.
So much information! Despite our ongoing social isolation, our creatives are still nurturing themselves and us with their talent. Please support any way you are able, stay safe and stay home.
Send your arts and culture news, by Tuesdays at noon, to [email protected].
