Collingwood-based band Shipyard Kitchen Party will be taking their talents on the road this year during a cross-Ontario tour of their folk musical Tom Thomson’s Wake.
The tour kicks off on Aug. 15, with a six-show run at Meaford Hall before setting out on a run across the province.
“Last year’s performances were so well-received, we just can’t wait to get back out there again to tell this incredible story with this amazing team,” musician John Eaton said in a news release.
Tom Thomson’s Wake follows three of Thomson’s friends – mentor A.Y. Jackson played by Craig Ashton, love interest Winnie Trainor played by Julie LeBlanc, and Algonquin guide Larry Dixon played by Dean Hollin – as they piece together the last years of his life.
“Each character has a different view of who Tom was and what inspired him,” show writer Jason Murphy said in the release. “Part of the musical’s appeal is that the audience can choose one story over the other or take a little from each to create their own portrait of the artist.”
Joining Eaton, Murphy and bandmate Sacha Law will be additional musicians Jason Redman and Victoria Yeh.
The performance also features high-definition images of some of Thomson’s most famous works licensed from the Art Gallery of Ontario.
“You can’t help but get immersed in the visuals, the story and the music,” said Law. “It’s an amazing collection of world-class talent who, inspired by the support of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts and the Town of Collingwood, magically found each other here in our hometown.”
Tour stops include:
- Meaford Hall - Aug. 15-19
- Barrie - Georgian Theatre - Sept. 8
- Gravenhurst - Opera House - Sept. 22
- Peterborough - Showplace Theatre - Sept. 23
- Belleville - Empire Theatre - Sept. 29
- Cobourg - Victoria Theatre - Sept. 30
- London - Aeolian Hall - Oct. 13
- Chatham-Kent - Oct. 14
- Guelph - River Run Centre - Oct. 20
- Brantford - Sanderson Centre - Oct. 23
Full tour locations and ticket information can be found here.
