After 15 months of the curtain being closed, Theatre By The Bay (TBTB) is lifting the curtain on the 2021 season by unveiling four plays that will be performed in-person and virtually.
A virtual 2021 Season unveiling was held live on the TBTB YouTube channel Tuesday night.
The company's artistic director, Iain Moggach, told BarrieToday that theatre and live performances have been decimated, with some major companies losing lots of money or even shutting down.
“Someone said to me it has been like the pandemic was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, which has a lot of truth in it,” said Moggach. “With us being a smaller company, we didn't lose as much as those much larger and we’ve been able to take a break and regroup. It has helped us adapt for the future as well.”
That adapting has manifested into the anticipated 2021 summer theatre season with four plays representative of different aspects of local stories.
The Ghost Watchers is based on a concept by Michael Whyte and written by Emily Adams, Mary Barnes, Rhiannon Hoover, Rochelle Reynolds, and Trudee Romanek. The event is also in partnership with Tourism Barrie.
“This will be an in-person event, that will be much like a walking tour that encounters the ghosts of Barrie’s past,” said Moggach. “We’ll be taking all social health precautions but have made this a very fun, augmented reality event where you will see the ghosts on your phone as you take the tour, which includes nine stops.”
The Simcoe County Virtual Theatre Initiative, featuring the RBC Emerging Artists Program, presents two productions in August.
The project provides two emerging directors from the Simcoe County community with the opportunity to receive unprecedented training in theatre directing, culminating in the creation and presentation of two new plays.
Juncture is directed by RBC Emerging Director Alexandra Gaudet and written by Mary Harris. The play follows Christine, a widowed woman in 1930's Barrie.
Christine recalls her life and how exactly she ended up in the arms of George Rogers, the man who derailed the life she once knew.
Two Girls, One Corpse is directed by RBC Emerging Director Keara Voo and written by Michelle Blanchard and Marissa Caldwell.
This goofy comedy-mystery follows two girls who attend the wedding of an ex-boyfriend, drink until they black out, and wake up in their apartment with a dead body.
The fourth play is titled Mno Bimaadiziwin, and is set to debut in the fall.
Based around the experiences of a group of Indigenous people entering a sweat lodge, Mno Bimaadiziwin (meaning, ‘A good way of living’) is a story about the resiliency of love, healing, and of community in the face of trauma.
Written by Ziigwen Mixemong and directed by Herbie Barnes, Moggach said Mno Bimaadiziwin will be presented live at the Orillia Opera House as well as filmed for digital viewing.
“We found the Orillia Opera House is able to have an audience with proper procedures, whether it is a smaller crowd that is allowed, or a larger one,” said Moggach. “Orillia is very much a part of the community of stories we want to tell and including the city in this is definitely part of our initiative.”
Moggach said while holding events online have helped, nothing beats being live.
“We have learned so much about what we can do as a theatre company and about what it takes to survive,” said Moggach. “We are very happy to present the 2021 season, but can’t wait to have large crowds back.”
The 2021 season’s dates, times and ticket information can be found on the TBTB website soon.
