Committee is inviting suggestions for boosting young artists

(The following Trumpeter column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Wednesday, February 21, 2007.)

By Suzanne Riverin

“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” the queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again; draw a long breath and shut your eyes.”

Alice laughed. “There is no use trying,” she said, “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for at least half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast….” (From Alice in Wonderland)

The Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) wants to help young people believe in the power of the arts to make the impossible possible. A few weeks ago, in an interview with our intrepid general manager, Rob Saunders, it was noted that the HFA was involved in supporting educational opportunities for students of all ages. Rob’s examples included: the Kaleidoscope program taking shape at Spruce Glen; the Grade 9 Concert Band’s first presentation in December; the Feb. 23 performance of the a capella musical quartet Cadence; and the Slam Poetry event to be held in late April. Additionally, we are pleased to announce that the HFA has taken its commitment to youth one step further and created a committee solely focused on educational outreach. The committee’s mandate is to seek ways to support youth and the arts and, while still in its infancy, it is nevertheless examining a variety of new venues and strategies.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful and engaging experiences for anyone involved in the performing arts is to work behind the scenes. This immersion presents a wonderful prism through which the realities of performance come to life, and where the close collaboration between the multiple communities of players involved in live theatre (stage managers, lighting/sound technicians, house managers) can be experienced and understood. With this in mind, plans are underway to bring students into the Algonquin Theatre for an introduction to the wonderfully compelling complexity of performance and performance support. This will, hopefully, help encourage students to join the ranks of the volunteers, a theatre’s lifeblood.

Additionally, the committee will be seeking performers who want to work with youth to inspire and motivate students to continue to grow and expand their art forms. We are presently working with high school media teachers to create a showcase of film talent this June with the input of local professionals Virginia Hastings and Jeremy Munce.

Finally, nothing is more appealing to creative students than to be able to take part in a theatrical production. HFA is delighted to support Stina Nyquist’s play, Dinosaurs and Dreams, at the Algonquin Theatre, March 30 to April 1. This fantasy aims to amuse all ages while presenting a humanitarian message using outrageous and hilarious happenings and characters.

We invite all and any suggestions involving youth and educational outreach, and to help us make the impossible possible.

Suzanne Riverin, e-learning consultant for the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, has been on the HFA board of directors for five years.

The Trumpeter is intended as an informational forum for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts. Please visit www.huntsvillefestival.com to learn more.

"I am a gracefully evolving woman of eclectic good cheer!"

(The following Trumpeter column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Wednesday, January 31, 2007.)

By Kareen Burns

The words eclectic, facilitate, evolve, teamwork, fringe, and nurture are for me essential in putting my stamp on a successful, dynamic and evolving Huntsville Festival of the Arts.

I was invited to join the Festival board in September, 1997 by past mayor Hugh Mackenzie and I have loved every new and exciting season.

My first association with the Festival came exactly one week after my arrival in Huntsville as a Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s franchisee. I attended my first Festival show as a co-sponsor with The Huntsville Forester of a young, dynamic and as-yet fledgling family group called Leahy. The Swiss Chalet chicken even played the fiddle! Need I say more? I was hooked.

My Festival interests gravitated toward the artistic, ultimately becoming vice-president of the committee. My passion was introducing fringe to the Festival lineup. Please note the largest fringe festival in the world is in Edinburgh and as I was born in Glasgow, bonnie Scotland, it’s in my blood.

Every year we have added new fringe events – the Arts Splash, Arts Walk, Jazz in the Garden, Novel Marathon, Monday Night at the Movies, Poetry Café and, last year, Beverley Hawksley’s absolutely wonderful ‘Sub-Plot.’

Since retiring in July, 2005 from my beloved Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s to re-discover my creative self, I have had the freedom to fully immerse myself in the Festival and most recently the delight of beginning my role as president.

My vision is threefold: evolving development of our summer Festival program to celebrate our 15th season; facilitation of strong alliances with other art groups in Huntsville; and development of new ‘avant garde’ fringe events, while nurturing young local talent, watching them grow and develop through our key and very focussed Festival Education Outreach committee.

Overall, mainstage artistic direction is a board decision which leads, at times, to a very creative discussion. Committees focus on sponsorship, promotions/marketing, fringe mosaic, administration and our May Marché, which is our biggest fundraiser of the year.

Our wonderful general manager Rob Saunders is the glue that makes our Festival such a success every year.

What pride I feel, kindred spirits! My vision will only be achieved with a strong creative board that fosters both individuality and community and, most importantly, laughter and good cheer.
A special thanks to our generous sponsors, whom we could not be without.

I eagerly look forward to the future and I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please do not hesitate to contact me at capercailliecallum@gmail.com.

‘Aw ra best’ for our upcoming 15th exciting season and a bientot.

Kareen Burns is the current president of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts board of directors.

Welcome to the online Trumpeter!

This Huntsville Festival of the Arts blog is the online version of a column by the same name, "The Trumpeter," which appears in The Huntsville Forester each month, usually during the last week. We decided to use the same name because the blog will include the newspaper columns, among other things, and because the intent for both forums is the same – to provide information about the Huntsville Festival of the Arts beyond merely promoting upcoming shows.

The name also has historical significance for our organization. "The Trumpeter" was used for an earlier Huntsville Festival of the Arts newspaper column and, since the July 2007 season will be our 15th year of celebrating the arts in Muskoka, a touch of history seems appropriate.

In the past decade and a half, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts has grown beyond the original summer series of performances, staged mainly in the Grandview Resort recreation complex. It has bloomed into a pre-eminent promoter the arts in Muskoka, hosting shows throughout the year in addition to the core festival in July. And, with the construction of the Algonquin Theatre, there is now a properly equipped venue and no longer a need to oust athletes in favour of artists. This summer's festival will run during the first three weeks of July, as usual, with performances primarily hosted at Huntsville's new downtown theatre.

The 2007 festival program is still being put together but, it's safe to say, there will be something for everyone. There will be an eclectic selection of musical presentations, as well as other entertainment and some participatory art activities. Many popular Huntsville Festival of the Arts features from previous years will be back this July – such as the Arts Splash, Jazz on the Water, Music at Noon, Jazz in the Garden, the Poetry Cafe, the Muskoka Novel Marathon and Last Night at the Proms. Some musicians will be performing in Huntsville for the first time and others will be returning to our welcoming stage.

Until the summer line-up is finalized, those wishing to support the Huntsville Festival of the Arts should plan to attend our May Marche on May 25, to be hosted at Huntsville's Deerhurst Resort again this year. Money raised at this event assists our charitable organization in providing top-notch entertainment and in promoting the arts in our community. And, this annual gala is always a lot of fun, whether you participate in the silent auction or just munch on the gourmet food and beverage offerings. The artwork created for the cover of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts 2007 brochure will also be officially unveiled.

Be sure to check the online Trumpeter for more information about upcoming Huntsville Festival of the Arts shows and other projects. And, watch for the next Trumpeter column in an upcoming edition of The Huntsville Forester.

Trumpeting the arts,
Jenny Cressman
Huntsville Festival of the Arts board member