Empire Strikes a Chord benefit set for Nov. 5

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Oct. 28, 2009.)

By Jenny Cressman

Eclectic roster of musicians have all played at Hideway or former Jay T’s

"He was sitting in the lounge of the Empire Hotel

He was drinking for diversion

He was thinking for himself

A little money riding on the Maple Leafs...."

When Joni Mitchell wrote the classic song Raised on Robbery, some say she was referring to Huntsville’s Empire Hotel, which was ravaged by fire on Oct. 8.

Lyrical links aside, the local building, built in 1947, is a classic. Owner Dave Keay’s patient and passionate work to restore the Empire block in recent years has been a wonderful inspiration to many in the community. At the time of the fire, the historic structure was home to about 75 people, over half a dozen businesses and a long-time entertainment venue that featured many diverse musicians and musical genres, as well as a variety of literary events and improv performances.

The plight of the Empire and its occupants has struck a chord in the hearts of Huntsville residents. The community has rallied in numerous ways, from donating clothing, food and funds to organizing a benefit concert at the Algonquin Theatre. Set for Thursday, Nov. 5, the event will feature performers who’ve played at the Hideaway, or Jay T’s, as the bar was known in a previous incarnation.

TRAGIC EVENT: The Empire Hotel fire on Oct. 8 left many of the building’s residents looking for a place to live with scarce, if any, personal belongings.

Entitled The Empire Strikes a Chord, the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. and tickets will be $20. Patrons will also be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket for an Empire resident, for which they will receive a tax receipt from the Huntsville Festival of the Arts. Tickets will be available through the Algonquin Theatre box office: 789-4975 or www.algonquintheatre.ca. Organizers of the event encourage those who can afford it to buy extra tickets to cover the cost of seats being set aside for the Empire residents, who will be guests for the evening.

Cash donations can also be made at the theatre on Nov. 5 and all proceeds will go into a trust fund that has been set up at the local CIBC branch; these will be disbursed among Empire residents who did not have fire insurance.

Those wishing to donate online can do so via PayPal by visiting www.empirefire.ca. Huntsville radio station Moose FM will also be running a Pledge-A-Thon on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 a.m. until noon. There will be comments from residents and artists participating in the evening concert, and an opportunity for people to phone in pledges.

Cogeco TV has offered to telecast the concert and there will also be opportunities to phone in pledges during the concert.

The Huntsville Art Society (HAS) will be hosting a silent art auction in Partners Hall, in conjunction with The Empire Strikes a Chord stage show. Proceeds from this event will go into the trust fund as well. HAS members will be generously donating their artwork for this purpose, just as the on-stage performers will be providing their time and talent free of charge and the Town of Huntsville is covering the theatre cost. Auction items will be on display Wednesday, and bidding will be possible on Wednesday and Thursday for those unable to attend the concert.

So far, the evening’s highly entertaining line-up includes (alphabetically): Doug Banwell and the Muskoka Jazz Guys, Cabin Fever, Ruth Cassie, Jamie Hassard, Linda and Andy McLean, Jeff Nicholson, Tobin Spring, Bill Stewart, Tina Turley, Wyatt Williamson, the Woodshed Improv Collective and, possibly, James Gordon, a folk musician who wrote a song about another historic Huntsville fire. He performed recently at the Hideaway during one of Linda McLean’s monthly Muskoka Song Nights.

The eclectic roster of musicians set to perform as part of The Empire Strikes a Chord is indicative of the Hideaway’s evolution over the past decade. In addition to the building’s rich heritage, the Empire was home to a third-generation barber named Wayne Baker, who amassed a phenomenal collection of historic photos. Some of these will be displayed during the upcoming Algonquin Theatre event.

Besides photography, art and music, there will be an opportunity to participate in a raffle during the Nov. 5 show. Following intermission, tickets will be drawn for prizes such as a Les Stroud (Survivorman) gift bag valued at $100 and a pair of tickets for any show in the upcoming season of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts.

The Empire Strikes a Chord is being presented by the HFA, organized by board members and other volunteers – Doug Banwell, Linda McLean, Eric Johnson and Tina Turley. This is truly a community event, with costs being graciously donated from start to finish. For more information, please contact Rob Saunders, HFA general manager: 788-2787 or info@huntsvillefestival.on.ca.

Even if Joni Mitchell isn’t truly part of local Empire Hotel legacy and has never graced the local stage, organizers say they will waive that self-imposed criteria, if she wishes to perform in Huntsville Nov. 5 on behalf of the fire victims.

Concert will help Empire Hotel fire victims

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Oct. 21, 2009.)

A benefit concert is being planned to assist those impacted by the Thanksgiving fire at the Empire Hotel.

The Empire Strikes a Chord concert will be held on Nov. 5 or 6 (date to be confirmed) at the Algonquin Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

The Huntsville Festival of the Arts has put together an organizing committee with members of the local musical community who have ties to the Empire building and its owner, Dave Keay.

In addition to a musical extravaganza, the day will feature a silent art auction in Partners Hall, hosted by the Huntsville Arts Society. Proceeds of both the auction and the concert will be directed to a trust fund that has been established for the fire victims.

Although the roster is still being finalized, the organizers plan to primarily feature performers who have played at the Hideaway, as the Empire’s music venue has been most recently known. So far, the lineup of confirmed guests includes, in alphabetical order: Doug Banwell, Cabin Fever (Eric Johnson, Doug Veitch and Dave Hilton), Ruth Cassie, James Gordon, Linda and Andy McLean, Bill Stewart, Tina Turley and the Woodshed Improv Collective. Other musicians who have appeared at the Hideaway are also being contacted.

Tickets for The Empire Strikes a Chord will be $20. They will be available later this week through the Algonquin Theatre box office: 789-4975 or www.algonquintheatre.ca.

For more information, please contact Rob Saunders, Huntsville Festival of the Arts general manager: 788-2787 or info@huntsvillefestival.on.ca.

Calling on all area talent for Peter Pan

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Oct. 14, 2009.)

On the weekend of Oct. 24 and 25 there will be a casting call for aspiring actors who would like to participate in an upcoming production of Peter Pan.

Following the success of The Wizard of Oz, the inaugural co-presentation between the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and The Rotary Club of Huntsville, the two groups have decided to undertake another major production in the spring of 2010.

The chosen play will be Peter Pan, which will appeal to everyone from ages 2 to 92, just as The Wizard of Oz did. Both are magical stories with terrific sound scores that are guaranteed to draw large audiences. Everyone knows the story and many of the songs, from the original 1951 film starring Mary Martin as Peter Pan.

The element of stage flight in Peter Pan will also be a first for the Algonquin Theatre. The play will run over eight performances between April 15 and April 25 next year.

Like The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan has a large ensemble cast of over 50 actors. This gives more local thespians an opportunity to land a lead role or be a member of the chorus.

The casting committee is looking for up to 10 teenagers from ages 12 to 18 to be cast as the Lost Children in Never, Never Land. The successful actors must have strong singing voices and will be expected to learn simple dance routines.

They are also looking for five very strong teenage actors with a lot of stage confidence, excellent singing voices and a desire to fly on the Algonquin stage to play the young leads: Peter Pan, Wendy, Jonathon and Michael Darling and Tiger Lily.

Unfortunately, auditions will not be available for actors under the age of 12 for this show.

Also required are several seasoned adult male and female actors with excellent singing skills to play the adult leads: Mr. and Mrs. Darling, the Darlings’ maid, Captain Hook, Smee and Tiger Lily’s parents. Additionally, there are two animal roles to cast: the crocodile and Nana the dog.

These great parts will require an exceptional athletic ability. Finally, there is a need for 20-plus adult male and female actors in the chorus. Many will have small speaking and solo parts as Pirates or Indians. There will be one cast for all the shows, although the five teenage leads will have understudies who will also be cast as Lost Children in Never, Never Land.

Signing up for auditions will take place between 1 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Partners Hall of the Algonquin Theatre. Between 2 and 4 p.m. that afternoon, all prospective cast members will be introduced to the various roles and their requirements. At the end of that session, applicants will choose what roles they wish to audition for and will be advised of a time, between 1 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, when they will be auditioning. It is likely that all candidates will be asked to sing a song as well as do readings from the script.

In the words of director Gregg Evans, “Most importantly, we are looking for 50 actors who want to have fun and share a great theatrical experience with their community!”

Seeking film funding for summit project

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Oct. 7, 2009.)

By Carli Whitwell

There are 18,000 reasons for the filmmakers of Hello World, This Is Huntsville to produce their G8 documentary: one for each of the residents who will be affected by the international forum next summer.

“This film is important for the community to have,” said Huntsville mayor Claude Doughty at a Huntsville economic development committee meeting last week. “We’ll have this documentary in 20 and 30 years (to show what Huntsville experienced).”

The economic development committee has supported the project in principle, putting aside $8,000 in its 2010 draft budget for the film, a small portion of the shoestring budget film company VQ Productions is hoping to raise.

VQ Productions consists of University of Toronto graduate and Huntsville native Kate Heming; long-time area cottager and former manager of the Canadian Film Festival Brenda Darling; and screenwriter/producer Tanya Campolin. The three women are working in conjunction with the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and, along with the support from the town, are seeking government or private funding to make up the rest of an operating budget of $140,000.

The documentary, they believe, is important not only for Huntsville, but also for the world.

“It’s a snapshot of Huntsville in 2010,” said Rob Saunders, general manager of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, a not-for-profit arts festival. “With a documentary like this, people a world away can get a sense of what it’s like (to experience a G8).”

The filmmakers plan to shadow a handful of residents in the leadup to and aftermath of the consecutive G8 and G20 Summits in the area. These leads, who could be anyone from senior citizens to religious leaders, haven’t yet been picked and likely won’t be filmed until the new year, said Saunders. He was quick to caution that there won’t be open auditions or casting calls; rather, the real-life leads will eventually reveal themselves.

Success for the partners will be reflected in increased tourism and film production in the area and having their documentary aired in major film festivals and on television. But, they’ll also measure it by what they leave behind for Huntsville students.

Saunders said they plan to allow aspiring student filmmakers help film the documentary. Also, any equipment purchased for the documentary — such as cameras, processing equipment and more — may also be lent out to Huntsville High School students.

While VQ Productions has filmed a town hall meeting and interviewed the mayor, major filming can’t take place until funding is in place, said Saunders.