ARTS EAST

The People Who Stay   is a tale of love and redemption in which the heart of family beats like the relentless tide against the rugged Newfoundland shores. Recently e spoke with author Samantha Rideout about the novel and her passion for writing. When and why did you want to be a writer? As my mother can attest courtesy of the hundreds of exercise books and binders filled with loose-leaf stories, I have been a diligent writer since I learned how to print. I was always mesmerized by the process of creative writing and how a few blank pages could transform into a something beyond reality. Plus, I was big fan of Robert Munsch. That guy spins a good story; comedy, heart, he has it all! My first grade teacher, Mrs. Barnes, was able to find me his address so I could send him fan mail. I think it’s the only fan mail I ever felt compelled to write, probably (in part) because mail is a fading out as vehicle to express admiration, but I wanted to write him because I was impressed w...

While Salt Water Moon is dubbed a love story, it is most the furious of love, the divine, the epic. Mo Duffy Cobb tells us more. Set in the 1920s in Newfoundland, the play opens outside the home of Mary Snow (played by Marli Trecartin). Her eyes are on the stars, as she tilts her headback into her telescope. The tension is high as young Jacob Mercer (played by Fraser McCallum) comes up the lane and into the yard: Mary arches her back, pierces her eyes, crosses her arms and looks away. “The least you could do is make a fist,” says Jacob. The audience is immediately drawn into the other side of passionate love - relentless conflict. “Black Beauty”, as her spyglass is affectionately known, spies the satellites of Jupiter as the two spar through their speckled history, up on Jenny’s Hill one night they shared together, “the new moon like a smile over the birch hills.”  The two were entwined, satellites moving towards the same sun, until Jacob up and moved to Toronto lookin...

Mo Duffy Cobb shares the magic of Spoon River, running until August 20 at the Charlottetown Centre of the arts. Welcome to the magic of Spoon River , a production of movement and music that transcends life and invites us into the hereafter. From the Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto to Confederation Centre’s The Mack, the stories of Spoon River come alive: a series of fictional epitaphs of the long-dead residents of the community. Adapted by Mike Ross and Albert Schultz, the production showcases the verses of Edgar Lee Masters from his 1915 publication, Spoon River Anthology . The show centers around the wake of a loved one, Bertie (played by Amanda LeBlanc) and the voices that have “carved our town”. From the moment the audience is greeted, there is mystery and intrigue. During the eerie opening, we are ushered through a graveyard where several tombstones stand in a lonesome grove of birch trees. The unusual setup peaks our interest even before begin the show, and remin...

In the summer of 1914, Daniel Beresford’s innocent love affair with the merchant’s daughter is discovered, forcing him to make an impossible decision to save his family from financial ruin. Recently Newfoundland author Melanie Martin spoke with us about her first book, A Splendid Boy. When and why did you want to be a writer? When I was in grade seven I wrote and illustrated my first mini book (it was clear from that point on I would never be an artist) and put the book together with cardboard from a cornflake box. I covered the outside flaps neatly with blue wrapping paper (circa 1986 design) and cut to size the white paper, which I sewed into the seam of the cardboard. I was serious! My parents shipped a box of belongings to me a few years ago, while clearing out our family home, and there were dozens of old notebooks with half-written stories in them. Every computer I’ve ever owned has the beginnings of a different story there too. I’ve had a fascination ...

Until July 30, Chester Playhouse presents Ruthless! ~ a campy cult favourite in which the beautiful and talented 12-year-old   Tina Denmark   will do ANYTHING to play the lead in the school play … ANYTHING! The show famously spoofs Broadway musicals such as   Gypsy   and   Mame , as well as classic films including   The Bad Seed   and   All About Eve . Ruthless! is a 90 minute hilarious romp through the world of Broadway, child acting, parenthood, and unbridled ambition. Recently we spoke with actress Amy Reitsma about what audiences can expect during the run. When and why did you get involved with theatre? I started getting involved when I was 9 years old. My mom had many friends at the old Neptune Theatre, so we used to go to plays and musicals quite a bit in my youth. I always loved acting and watching theatre, but wasn't bitten by the bug until I met a young actor (who was probably 11, but seemed 18 and completely worldly at the ti...

Halifax composer, arranger, vocalist and pianist Zoe Leger has just released her debut recording The Girl From Yesterday . Recently we spoke with her about her passion and profession. What inspired you to take up music? Music has always been the answer to my questions. I’ve been singing since I was a little girl and am very fortunate to have always had family and mentors that have supported my musical endeavours. I don’t think there was ever a time in my life when I doubted what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. When the time came to choose which direction I wanted to take my career, I suppose there wasn’t really a choice to be made - music was my only answer! Are they the same reasons you do it today? Yes and no. Music is still what brings me the most joy and sense of purpose in my life, however when I was young I think it was more about my personal experience writing and making music. Now, I see the joy and excitement that comes from creating music with o...

In the 1970s, artist Gerald Squires moved, with his wife and two young daughters, into the abandoned lighthouse keeper's house in Ferryland, NL. Shortly after their arrival, they had a visitor - one who claimed to be the former constable of the area and who regaled them with stories of the place and its previous occupants. A visitor, they soon learned, who was more than he appeared to be. Acclaimed children's writer Charis Cotter tells the tale of this mysterious visitor from the perspective of Esther, the youngest daughter. In beautifully crafted language, Cotter captures the delight of a curious young girl discovering her new landscape, the excitement of living in a lighthouse at the edge of the ocean, and the haunting mystery of the visitor himself.   Renowned artist Gerald Squires has contributed paintings and drawings of the lighthouse and its surrounding landscape, as well as family photographs taken during the lighthouse years. The result is a book of striking beauty ...