Hastings The Musical in Bancroft - AKA Date Night

    Parenting is this funny thing.  No one ever warns you how tough it will be.  Everyone prepares you for the sleepless nights with newborns, and they warn of teething and colic.  No one warns you about the sleepless nights as they get older.  The worry about who their friends are, knowing that you can no longer dictate who their friends are.  Those are the sleepless nights, the ones that you now know you will not outgrow unlike the teething.  When the kids were little, we would dream of the days when they were old enough and independent enough that we could have date nights without having to pay a sitter.  The kids are now old enough and independent enough to watch themselves, and their little sister.  The problem lies now in that they are older and so independent that they have lives.  Date nights do not happen as often as we would like, but that seems to make them all the more special.  The rare times that we are able to indulge in date night, it is always worth it, and last night was no exception.

    Last night Christopher and I traveled to the town of Bancroft, Ontario to see Hastings the Musical.

http://www.bancroftvillageplayhouse.ca

    We had seen Hastings in it's inaugural run at the Tweed Pavilion.  It has been quite a privilege to watch Tweed and Company grow and just get better and better every single year.  I am so proud to call Tim Porter a native of my home town, and to see him grow his fantastic vision of his theatre company.  This season celebrates their 10th season, and this is quite an accomplishment.   For those of you not in the know, this group of uber talented young performers not only performs plays, they write the scripts, original music, direct, create the sets and all of it original.  They create a musical commentary on life in Canada.

     We drove into Bancroft, not really knowing what to expect of the theatre.  Bancroft is a picturesque town that explodes with cottagers during the summer months.  The town itself boasts many cottage related quaint stores, and restaurants (although they can boast not one, but two Tim Hortons Coffee Shops).  We pulled up to the theatre, and it looked like it had been transported from a rural mountain village in Germany or Switzerland.  The bright red paint on the outside draws you in, and makes you want to explore.
   On the porch as we entered we saw Tim.  His face exploded into a massive smile of recognition.  There is something to be said for that kind of a beautiful welcome.  That familiar face, told me right then and there that we were in for a wonderful night.  He politely left his conversation and came over to greet us with a big hug.   Through the doors the bright red beckoned us forward, encouraged us to explore.  My eyes danced around, trying to take everything in.  We climbed up a narrow staircase, and I did not know what I would find as I climbed up to the top.

     My jaw dropped as I came into the theatre.  It was beautiful, like a warm retired rustic barn/ theatre. Stings of market lights, danced above us.  It was beautiful, and I wanted to sit that little bit closer, love my husband just a little bit more.  It was the setting you might expect to see in a romantic movie.  That air of romance hung like a fragrance.  We sat in anticipation of the play, but at the same time just happy to share the ambiance and each other's company.  As we sat, we were approached by a familiar face from the Tweed and Company (the people who don't take the bows on stage, but who are integral part of making the company run).  This warm, red haired lady asked if we could do a survey about our experience thus far, had we seen other performances?  How likely would we come to see another Tweed and Company production?  This one warm and welcoming team member told me (in actions not words)that The Tweed and Company Theatre had now outgrown their growing pains and were hungry for more growth.  It struck me as such a smart and professional thing to do, conduct a survey.  Don't just assume that everyone thinks you're great, work hard and be great!

    As 7:30 drew near, I looked around the theatre.  On opening night there were just a few empty seats.  I felt a lump of pride in my throat.  There were whispered conversations throughout the audience of people voicing their expectations.  I sat an eavesdropped quietly, the pre-show buzz was good.  The lights faded and an etherial blonde woman stood up at the front of the stage.  She was personable and funny and introduced herself to the crowd,as Barb Shaw.  She then went on to share with the audience what makes the theatre we were sitting in so much more impressive than I first thought.  The Bancroft  Village Playhouse is completely unique.  It's uniqueness comes not just from it's appearance and charm, but in it's internal beauty.  The Bancroft Village Playhouse is a fundraising device for Hospice North Hastings.  http://www.hospicenorthhastings.com

    I dazzled at the stunning beauty of this theatre, the phrase "beautiful inside and out" comes to mind.  On their website, Hospice North Hastings calls it "caring through culture", and that is a beautiful notion.  It subliminally confirms that hospice is not about dying, it's about living and providing comfort.  It is contributing to their community and allowing wonderful productions and movies to fill their cultural centre, all the while helping to ease suffering.  It is such a beautiful arrangement.

    For the next two hours I was transported back through history, the history of the place I call home. Again and again I was dumbstruck by the incredible talent of this cast.  I say it almost every time I see a Tweed Theatre Company, but each and every cast member could easily hold their own in a Broadway production.  As I watched I kept thinking "oh I must remember the name of this song so that I can point it out as my favourite", the problem was that they were all my favourites.  The set was  beautiful and simple.  The small amount of props did quadruple duty.  To me The Tweed Theatre Company's strongest talent is the vocal abilities that Tim picks out for his cast.  The acoustics in the theatre were perfect and it felt like their voices drifted out from the stage and permeated into my  very soul.

   The production was so very much better this time around even from what I remembered it last year.  The choreography, the set, the music, everything was better, more mature, better refined.  The audience loved the production.  Their clapping filled the theatre like thunder after each remarkable number.  At first I wondered how they would ever be able to replace the role of Suzanna Moody that Tricia Black had made her own.  How could anyone else find that same impeccable timing, that same huge stage presence, those where large shoes to fill.  Danielle Leger apparently has exceptionally large feet, because those giant shoes that Tricia left behind appeared to have no wiggle room.  The crowd only needed to see Danielle and began to chuckle and then erupt into great belly laughs, they could anticipate the punchline, and rolled with it.
   
    The premise for the production is that of the ghosts of lovers who might have been but never were. It is a love story, but not just in the way that we think of romantic love stories.  Hastings, is a love story about this place we live, about where Tim grew up.  It is the love of our history and what a big part of our country's history, our little rural community played.  It is the love story of a small town boy who made his way into the world to pursue his dream of theatre.  That small town boy put together a cast of talented fellow actors, who it is obvious over the ten year run have all become friends.  It is the love of our country and making his mark on it's theatre history.  Hastings is a love story.

    

    This week, go and do yourself a favour.  Go, no matter the length of drive to Bancroft.  Go early and look around that pretty town, bursting with transplanted holiday people.  Go and feel yourself reeled in by that bright, happy, German looking building that is The Bancroft Village Playhouse.  In this oppressive heatwave, go and enjoy the cool that draws you further into the red beauty.  Spend that paltry $30 and be transported to the past.  Drink in the homey atmosphere and delight in the simple yet brilliantly set for this play.  Allow yourself to feel every single note of that beautifully crafted and impeccably executed music.  Indulge in a glass of wine or beer (just one if you are driving).  Feel blessed for this gift that you have.  As your feel yourself coming back to your body at the end of this wonder performance, feel good about it.  This is a tremendous gift that you have given not just to yourself.  The gift to yourself is seeing this high caliber of performance in a beautiful rural setting, and have an indigent evening that didn't break the bank.  The second gift is the gift you have given to the Tweed and Company Theatre.  Your support gives them not just financial gain, but it sends the message that their hundreds of hours of blood sweat and tears are worth every single second that they have lovingly given.  It validates their pride in producing Canadian plays that are crafted by Canadians and for Canadians.  Lastly you give the most beautiful gift to people that you may never know.  You give the gift of love. You allow the dying dignity and those who love them permission to take a second to appreciate that loved one without the exhausting care for that person themselves.  Giving to hospice is a beautiful gift that helps so many.  Your beautiful evening out, that delightful glass of wine or beer, it all contributed to someone getting the palliative care that they very much need.

https://tweedandcompany.com

Go to the Tweed and Company website and take a peek at what's coming up, 

and do yourself a big favour and mark September 19 - 29 on your calendar.  

It is my favourite play that they have done to date.