Sunshine band performs at tropical resort
Local group plays in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic
While some people go south to escape winter and have fun, the Sunshine band also travels with their music.
The Sunshine band is an offshoot of the Peterborough New Horizons Bands and is dedicated to spreading the joy of music, even while on holiday.
The latest trip was to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and took place Jan. 25 to Feb. 2.
“Every two years, we plan a trip somewhere,” says organizer Earle Henderson.
The trip included 37 band members, spouses and friends combined to 87 people on the trip.
“Basically, anyone who wanted to go, was welcome,” said Henderson.
Two years ago, the group went to Varadero and in 2014, the musical trip was to Cayo Coco, both in Cuba.
The band played two concerts during their recent stay, both lasting about an hour each.
They played to both resort guests and staff.
“It’s not usual that they get a full concert band to play there,” he said.
The music was a combination of Latin selections, calypso and more.
“It was spicy and upbeat,” he said.
Planning the two performances meant a lot of work before they even left the country.
The group chose one of five PNHB conductors to lead the band.
They selected 18 songs for their playlist and practiced at Living Hope Church.
“We practised every two weeks
for four months,” he reveals.
That’s in addition to their regular practices with PNHB, which could be twice a week or more.
They also had two full-day rehearsals in July and August, paired with a potluck meal to make it social, a key ingredient in life at PNHB.
“We had a great time and everyone had fun. We’ll do it again,” said Henderson.
For the PNHB Sunshine band, taking their music to the beach is
hitting all the right notes.
Auditions
The Peterborough Theatre Guild holds auditions for Frankie and Johnny In the Clare De Lune, a romantic comedy-drama by Terrence McNally.
Tryouts are slated for April 2 and April 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Gwen Brown studio at the PTG, 364 Rogers St.
Callbacks are set for April 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. also in
the Gwen Brown studio.
Rehearsals start the week of April 7 and are usually two or three days a week. The play will run July 6 to July 14.
There are just two roles in this play: one male, aged 30 to 50 and one female, aged 30 to 50.
Acting hopefuls need to prepare a short, two-minute monologue to show the ability to present a character without initially reading from a script.
Auditions will involve the
monologue and some reading from the script. Initial auditions will be individual, but callbacks will see actors working in pairs.
For info, contact director Derek Weatherdon via email: derek.can.be.reached
@gmail.com or production manager Marilyn Robinson via email at robinsm@sympatico.ca