April 15, 2010, Perth, ON – The Classic Theatre Festival, Ontario’s newest professional summer theatre company, opens its inaugural season this summer in Heritage Perth, Ontario, a picturesque town nestled in the Ottawa Valley, one hour equidistant from Kingston and Ottawa.

Area residents have an opportunity to win a season pass for two to the Festival by entering their names and contact information by email at info@classictheatre.ca, with monthly draws beginning May 1st.

Dedicated to producing classic hits from the Golden Age of Broadway and the London Stage – a time period that spans the 1920s through the 1950s – the Festival is the brainchild of veteran theatre director and producer Laurel Smith. Her lengthy resume includes everything from direction of critically-acclaimed G.B. Shaw productions in Toronto, as well as a variety of shows on the summer festival circuit, to working as Producer of Burning Passions Theatre, Modern Times Theatre, and the massive First Night Toronto Festival of the Arts.

Featuring theatre artists whose work has been seen on professional stages across Canada, including the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, the Classic Theatre Festival will take place from July 9 to August 29 at the Studio Theatre, 63 Gore St. East in downtown Perth, Ontario. Performances are Wednesday to Saturday at 8 pm, with 2 pm matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets are now on sale, with affordably priced seats, group discounts, and a 30% discount for anyone under age 30 (with ID).

This summer’s inaugural season kicks off with the perennial Noel Coward favourite, “Blithe Spirit,” directed by Laurel Smith, followed by the timeless, though rarely produced, World War 2 romance, “The Voice of the Turtle,” by John van Druten, directed by Lezlie Wade. Both Smith and Wade are alumni of the prestigious Shaw Festival Directors’ Project.

For Artistic Producer Smith, “Both works are emblematic of a large body of work that graced professional stages during a 20th century Golden Age, when New York and London saw the kinds of works that expressed an almost universal set of human values that reflected a unique sense of optimism and hope, combined with top-notch writing that illuminated human passions and conflicts in a manner that remains accessible and popular to this day.”

“BLITHE SPIRIT” OPENS INAUGURAL SEASON

Running from July 9 to August 1, “Blithe Spirit” features Jeffrey Aarles (a familiar face on Canadian stages, in numerous CBC TV productions, and in several Burning Passions Theatre productions) as Charles Condomine, the arrogant novelist whose interest in the occult leads him to invite an eccentric medium to perform a séance that unwittingly brings back the spirit of Condomine’s first wife, much to the consternation of his present spouse.

Playing the role of the first wife, Elvira, is Emily Bartlett (lately of the Shakespeare by the Sea company, as well as numerous film and TV roles). Her rival, Ruth, the current wife, is played by Montreal’s Paula Costain (frequently seen at the Centaur Theatre and The Globe). Medium Madame Arcati will be performed by Virginia Roncetti, an experienced actor of dozens of roles in regional theatres through the US and Canada, along with numerous Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows.

William Vickers (a veteran of 21 seasons at the Shaw Festival along with numerous appearances at Stratford) plays Dr. Bradman, and Catherine Bruce, with an extensive background in Canadian film, television and theatre, plays Mrs. Bradman. Edith, the forever anxious maid, is handled by Lindsay Kyte, who has appeared on stages from coast to coast, including Theatre New Brunswick, the Confederation Centre, and Festival Antigonish.

“Coward has always been popular, and the fact that his shows keep on being produced continuously throughout the globe is a testament to his staying power,” explains Smith, who notes that Coward’s greatest output mirrors the era that anchors the Festival’s mandate, the late 1920s through the 1950s. “Whether it’s a summer-long celebration of Coward at last year’s Shaw Festival, the revival of ‘Private Lives’ in London, England this year with Kim Cattrall, or the Tony-award winning ‘Blithe Spirit’ with Angela Lansbury last year on Broadway, Coward’s work rightfully remains front and centre of the theatrical scene.”

Written as the bombs fell on Britain during World War II, the play was Coward's defiant statement that we must laugh at death so that its ever-present threat does not keep us from living.

WORLD WAR 2 ROMANCE

The second show of the season is the timeless romance, “The Voice of the Turtle,” by John van Druten, running August 6-29. This World War 2-era play is the 9th- longest running show in Broadway history, and eventually became a film starring Eleanor Parker, Eve Arden, and a future U.S. President. Each time a company stages this theatrical jewel the critics ask why it isn't produced more often, since its combination of comedy and romance is so well written. A play that truly stands the test of time, its exploration of the changing lives of women on the 1940s homefront says a lot about relationships in the 21st century.

Krista Leis plays Sally, a small-town girl who finds romance in the big city. Leis recently appeared at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in “West Side Story,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Gigi,” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She was also Miss Dance of Canada in the Dance Masters of America competition in 1998.

Sally is best friends with the worldly Olive, who never met a man she didn’t love. Played by Sarah Joy Bennett, a frequent performer at Ottawa’s Odyssey Theatre, Bennett also has the distinction of appearing as burlesque dancer “Miss Cherry Temple” at the 2008 and 2009 International Toronto Burlesque Festivals.

The women’s friendship is threatened when Sally falls for Bill, who is supposed to be one of Olive’s many beaus. Michael Dufays plays Bill, a soldier about to be shipped off to war. Dufays, who has appeared in a wide variety of classical and contemporary roles, is also an accomplished stage combat instructor/director.

“The Voice of the Turtle” is directed by Lezlie Wade, who is also Assistant Director this spring to Artistic Director Des McAnuff on “As You Like It” at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. She is a member of the inaugural Michael Langham Classical Theatre Workshop at the Festival where she attends workshops from world-renowned theatre artists like Robin Phillips, John Doyle, Tim Carroll and Gary Griffin. Wade was also the Assistant Director on “Fuente Ovejuna” at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2008, and formerly was the Artistic Director and co-founder of Theatre in Port in St. Catharines, Associate Artistic Director of Showboat Festival Theatre, and Artistic Director of the Georgian Theatre Festival.

AWARD-WINNING DESIGNERS, STAGE MANAGEMENT

Behind the scenes are an experienced and talented team of designers as well as stage management.

Ivo Valentik, Set Designer for both plays this season, was awarded the Emerging Artist Prize at the 2009 Les Prix Rideau Awards for the haunting set he created for the prison drama “Iron,” a SevenThirty Productions show. This season he has been nominated for the 2010 Les Prix Rideau Awards for both “A Midwinter’s Dream Tale” (Company of Fools and Gladstone Productions), and “The Final Twist,” (Gladstone Productions).

Costume Designer Sarah Waghorn began her career in New Zealand at the Royal New Zealand Ballet and New Zealand Opera, and went on to work for 5 years as Head of Props and Wardrobe for Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. She is nominated for three Rideau Awards this year for her work on “Old Times” for both set and costumes, and costumes for “Peer Gynt,” all with Third Wall Theatre.

Tina Gateley is the Lighting Designer for the festival. Now a Perth resident, Tina has had a wide-ranging career for many years in lighting design and technical production in theatres across the country. She is currently the Resident Lighting Designer and Technical Director at the Studio Theatre in Perth.

Production Stage Manager Hilary Unger spent five years at the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto, where she co-produced over 125 different shows per year, and has provided touring stage management in countries as varied as Brazil, Iran, Germany, the UK, and the United States. A Dora Mavor Moore Award winner, Unger was also a founder of the Fringe of Toronto Festival in 1988.

Stage Manager Natalie Gisele, a former Ottawa Valley resident, worked this past season at Toronto’s acclaimed Factory Theatre.

CLASSIC THEATRE GETAWAY PACKAGES

The Classic Theatre Festival is working with local and regional tourism organizations, along with Chambers of Commerce and a wide variety of packaging partners, to promote Eastern Ontario as a heritage tourism destination.

Current fine dining partners include The Stone Cellar Restaurant, Goodwood Oven, and Mexicali Rosa's. Accommodation partners for 2010 are The Code's Mill Inn and Spa, Perth Manor Boutique Hotel, and Drummond House Perth Bed and Breakfast. In addition, the Festival is paired with Rideau Canal Boat Tours for anyone wishing to spend a full glorious day on Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Rideau Canal Heritage Route.

Downtown Perth, voted by TVO viewers as “the prettiest town in Ontario,” features a variety of heritage sites that have won the town The Prince of Wales Prize for heritage preservation. The charming shops along the lovely streets offer one-of-a-kind shopping excursions, while magical Stewart Park and the beautiful Tay River Basin provide captivating pre- and post-show strolling opportunities.

For more information on the festival, go to: www.classictheatre.ca. Tickets can be ordered either online, by calling 1-877-283-1283, or in person at Tickets Please, located in Jo’s Clothes, 39 Foster Street in Perth.

The Classic Theatre Festival is generously supported by Celebrate Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture) and the Ontario Arts Council.

“Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward

Previews July 9 at 8pm; July 10 at 2pm

Opens July 10 at 8pm

Closes Aug. 1 at 8pm

“The Voice of the Turtle” by John van Druten

Previews Aug. 6 at 8pm; Aug. 7 at 2pm

Opens Aug. 7 at 8pm

All performances:

Wed. to Sat. at 8pm; Wed. Sat. and Sun. matinees at 2pm

The Studio Theatre, 63 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario

Tickets:

By phone: 1-877-283-1283

Online: www.classictheatre.ca

In person: Tickets Please at Jo’s Clothes, 39 Foster St., Perth

For interviews with performers and directors, as well as photos of cast members, please contact us at 877-283-1283, ext. 3.