Outdoor summer theatre arrives

 

 

A brave new project that is the culmination of thousands of volunteer hours is set to launch tonight (Thursday, July 19^th) in our community. The Viva Musica Society has gone through a lengthy soul searching process and has evolved into the “Kelowna Summer Musical Theatre Festival”.

They will be offering two outdoor theatre shows 4-5 nights per week between July 19^th and Aug 10^th.

The shows will be located on the outdoor stage at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

GOLF: The Musical

had its Off‐Broadway premiere in 2003 and was remounted last fall at the Midtown Theatre in New York City. While as a sport golf may be exasperating for some and exciting for others, in the world of GOLF: The Musical, "what you don't know about golf won't hurt your enjoyment of this show, and what you do know will only enhance it" (TheaterMania).

The show celebrates the fun, frustration and elation of this popular sport.

 

 

Fortune's Fools

by New York playwright, Frederick Stroppel.

Taking aim at modern adult relationships, the play is about two couples, the first about to be married and the second intensely wary of committing to marriage. The result is a rocky road to romance for all involved. The New York Post praised the show’s playwright as one who “knows how to create immensely likable characters…a fun play indeed.” 

Tickets are available at the following link: http://www.selectyourtickets.com/event.php?event_id=809

Artistic Direction for the plays are provided Neal Facey and Roslyn Frantz.

For more information you can go to their website or simply take in a performance: http://www.kelownasummertheatrefestival.com./index.html

Supporting emerging actors:

The following was written by the KSMTF president Peter Kaskak when I asked him about their philosophy of paying the emerging theatrical talent:

"This has been an idea that our artistic director, Neal Facey, has had for some time. That is, helping emerging artists while putting on a theatre festival. The young people are actually young theatre professionals just starting their careers. It can be tough to get gigs and to get some decent money for those gigs at times. Sometimes they just come out with a new experience and something to add to their resumes. We are putting some money in their pockets and we are helping them to keep some of that money by providing accommodation for the six weeks they are here. Either through billeting or subsidizing or a combination. It isn’t a lot of money but one of our actors told me that this is the first time he has been paid weekly for an acting gig. We think it is important to give young emerging artists some help in getting their careers started, so we have deliberately chosen to hire actors who are either recently finished their post-secondary education or will be continuing their studies. It can be pretty rare for a student to get a job like this in the summer, so this is a fantastic opportunity we are providing. And the actors seem pretty happy to be here! We have also hired a few technical staff who are also students, plus one musician. In all, we have created 8 summer jobs, while providing locals and visitors with 4 weeks of highly entertaining and fun-filled theatre."

- Peter Kascak, President, Viva Musica Society & the Kelowna Summer Theatre Festival

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.