I want to first of all give a shout out to the play Every Brilliant Thing, playing at the Orillia Opera House (OOH) now until Aug. 9.
It’s a one-man tour de force starring the talented and yes, brilliant Matt Pilipiak. It’s directed by the also brilliant Fiona Sauder. It’s one act, less than 90 minutes long, with no intermission. And it flies by. It is engaging, well-paced, passionate, hilarious, poignant, and yes…all the things.
Orillia’s calibre of theatre is getting higher and higher, and this play continues that trajectory. Get your tickets now, you won’t regret it: www.orilliaoperahouse.ca.
Speaking of plays, Duck Soup’s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory continues at the OOH every Tuesday until Aug. 20. This stars the senior youth and even a couple of the teachers in Duck Soup, and will be great quality theatre the whole family can enjoy. Get your tickets now, before they are gone, at www.orilliaoperahouse.ca.
It’s the long weekend, which usually means a bit of a slower time event-wise in town. We do have the circus coming to ODAS Park this Thursday and running a couple of shows a day, until Sunday. There will be high-flying aerial acts, head-spinning jugglers, death-defying high-speed motorbikes in the cage of death, stunning acrobatics, hilarious clowns, and more, apparently. So, you should grab the kiddos and go! You can get tickets at www.benjaminscircus.com. There are great discounts for kiddos and families.
Saturday, Off Topic Publishing and Marion Lougheed present the Off Topic Writers’ Conference 2024, at Lakehead University. This is an opportunity for writers to learn and get inspired by award-winning writers and others in the field. Special lecturers include Drew Hayden-Taylor, Finnian Burnett, K.R. Byggdin, Lindsey Harrington, and more. The day starts at 9:30 a.m. and you can get your tickets here.
Sunday night, the Skyliners Big Band plays the Sunday evening band concert at the Rotary Aqua Theatre in Couchiching Park. The fantastic music gets started at 6:30 p.m., so bring your chairs and your picnic and come enjoy. Bring a couple of toonies as well, for the freewill donation to the Champlain Seniors Club.
Don’t forget about the Gangs, Guns, and Grog walking tours every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. all summer long. Put on by Orillia Museum of Art and History, these tours are a fun way to find out about Orillia’s bad old days, when the population was low, and the number of bars was high. Tours finish off at Couchiching Craft Brewery and include a glass of grog. You can get your tickets here.
No family movie night at the Orillia Public Library this Monday, but it continues next Monday (Aug. 12) with the fantastic Muppets from Space. Free, bring your blanket, it starts at 6 p.m. in the program room.
Of course, Kempenfest happens all weekend long down on the Barrie waterfront. Lots of great music, vendors and fun in this beautiful location. Carpool though, parking is chaos!
Don’t forget about patio night in downtown Orillia, each Saturday night during the summer. Streets are closed, restaurants spill onto the streets, lots of extra activities, live music, some stores and art galleries open as well. Take advantage of these beautiful summer days while we have them.
Coming up in August? Starry Night, Classic Car Show, Pirate Party, more Sunday evenings with bands, and in September, lots of fantastic Orillia Youth Centre fundraisi ... more details coming soon!
Catch Andrew Walker Saturday night and Ian North Sunday afternoon at Couchiching Craft Brewery.
Have a fantastic long weekend and if you have arts news, send it to [email protected] by Tuesday at noon to be included.
