Arts Scene

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com



Acadia students on stage

Opening Nov. 15, the Acadia Theatre Company presents its first production of the season, Tony Kushner's acclaimed play The Illusion. Freely adapted from French dramatist Pierre Corneille’s original comedy of 1636, The Illusion remains one of Kushner’s most produced plays.

Kushner is one of the leading playwrights of this era. A Pulitzer Prize winner, he’s well known for Angels in America, A Bright Room Called Day and Slavs. The Illusion spirits the audience away to a world where nothing is quite as it seems and surprises wait around every corner.

The company welcomes guest director Jennifer Capraru, artistic director of the award-winning Theatre Asylum and associate dramaturg at the Factory Theatre. As established director and dramaturg, her recent credits include Gas at the Banff PlayRites Colony, Metamorphoses for the University of Victoria, and script supervising on the film Shake Hands with the Devil in Rwanda.

Set and costumes for The Illusion are by the well-known designer Denyse Karn, lighting design by Susann Hudson and sound design by Lisa St.Clair.

The cast features Nicole Bischoff, Abigail Bower, Mary Fay Coady, Daniel Franck, Abigail Georgitis, Donny Kitson, William Lang, Meaghan McGibbon, Ashlea Oldfield, Rob Patton, Jeremie Saunders, Katherine Sirman, Virginia Veale and Maia Whitehouse.

The production will run for two weeks: Nov. 15-18 and 22–25 at 8 p.m., with matinee shows on Saturdays at 2 p.m. Performances will take place in Lower Denton Theatre, Acadia University.

Ticket prices are $12 and $10 for students/seniors, cash or cheque only. Tickets are available at the door, at the Box of Delights in Wolfville, or by calling the Acadia Theatre Company reservation line at 585-1766.



Fundy Film

The Fundy Film Society continues its Edge series with Kings and Queens, the parallel story of two ex-lovers.

In French with English subtitles, it will screen at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville Sunday, Nov. 5 at 4 and 7 p.m.

The society continues its Documentary series with Who Killed the Electric Car?, a behind-the-scenes account of GM’s decision to suppress its fleet of electrical vehicles.

It will screen in Wolfville Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

For further information, see www.fundyfilms.ca">www.fundyfilms.ca">www.fundyfilms.ca or call 542 -5157. Tickets at $8 are available a half-hour prior to the film.

The society has a special event coming up Nov. 18, when it will offer a special screening-plus-dinner event with a two-part screening of The Best of Youth. This multiple international award-winning Italian film (La Meglio gioventù) is a passionate epic that follows two Italian brothers against a wider backdrop of profound political, historical and cultural change (1960s to the present).

This film is a must-see on the big screen, according to Fundy spokesman Bill Zimmerman.

Tickets for The Best of Youth are $15, HST included, and are on sale prior to earlier Fundy Film screenings. Select local restaurants will also be offering discounts for ticketholders and details are available on the Fundy Film Society website www.fundyfilms.ca">www.fundyfilms.ca">www.fundyfilms.ca) or by calling 542 5157.

Nearly seven hours long, The Best of Youth will screen in two parts: 1-4:20 p.m. and 7 p.m. until 10:20 p.m. Please note that Six-Pack or general admission tickets aren’t valid for The Best of Youth, as it is not considered a part of the regularly scheduled Autumn 2006 series.



Night Kitchen is back

Night Kitchen is indeed back again for another fall season and the opening event is a much-anticipated Rick MacNab CD release concert.

The concert is set for the Horton Community Centre in Grand Pre Saturday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5.

In addition to Rick’s performance, there will be open-mic slots available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 542-4747



Cottars here

Ciarán and Fiona MacGillivray of the popular young quartet, The Cottars, will be in Wolfville Nov. 17 for their final concert tour.

In a remarkably short period of time, The Cottars became Cape Breton's musical success story. This dynamic Celtic band is comprised of four young teens that have been playing traditional music since childhood.

During the summer of 2001, the youthful quartet performed for hockey legends Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull and Joe Sakic at a private banquet.

Later that year, during a concert tour of the Boston area with John McDermott, The Cottars received standing ovations for every selection they performed.

The Cottars were presented with The Tic Butler Music Award for the preservation of Cape Breton culture. In 2002, the band recorded its first CD (Made In Cape Breton), and later toured New England again, giving private performances for Senator Ted Kennedy. Back home in Canada, a CBC-TV Special entitled "Meet The Cottars" was aired across the country.

During 2003, The Cottars won an East Coast Music Award, two MIANS Awards and were nominated for a prestigious Gemini. They made concert appearances in over 10 U.S. States. After tours of eastern and western Canada, the band performed (to rave reviews) in Denmark and Japan.

Their second CD, On Fire, was released the next year, when The Cottars taped a CBC-TV one-hour special with the world-famous Chieftains of Ireland.

In 2005, The Cottars won their second ECMA Award and performed in New York City and at the Folk Alliance gathering in Montréal. They also recorded their third CD in studios in Nashville and Cape Breton.

This year The Cottars completed a 25-city tour of the USA with the Chieftains, finishing up in famed Carnegie Hall, where they were joined by Elvis Costello.

Their Convocation Hall performance takes place at 8 p.m.



Coming up



Nov. 9

Jill Barber and David Myles, Al Whittle Theatre, Wolfville, 8 p.m.



Nov. 10

Appalachian Echoes, an evening of music and poetry, Wolfville Baptist Church, 8 p.m.



Nov. 10 – Dec. 9

The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, CentreStage Theatre, Kentville, 678-8040.



Until Oct. 31

Salute to the Arts, Annapolis Art, Main St., Wolfville



(Send Arts items to: welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca)