Some ‘Old Love’ for Valentine’s reading
Playwright Norm Foster will join Sheila Mccarthy for reading of his romantic comedy
For Valentine’s Day, The Foster Festival is bringing back Norm Foster’s “Old Love” in a new format.
The prolific Canadian playwright will do a virtual reading of his 2008 romantic comedy with Sheila Mccarthy from separate cities. The wistful story spans several years and many meetings between a salesman named Bud and his boss’s wife, Molly.
The reading can be purchased with a dinner option, to be delivered Sunday between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The reading starts at 6:30 p.m.
As she huddles in front of her computer screen this week putting the show together, Foster Festival artistic producer Emily Oriold took time for some Q&A:
The Niagara Falls Review: Of all the romantic comedies Norm has written, what makes this one worthy of Valentine’s Day?
Oriold: “This play is such a beautiful tribute to love. Not just the rose-coloured glasses and whimsical part of love. It also explores the not-so-glamourous side of love and relationships. Ultimately, though, this play will give a lot of people hope that love will always be there — courtship and deep connections are possible at any stage in life.
Love is not just for the young. Of all of the romantic pieces Norm has written, I think this one has the most well-rounded view on love and that’s why I think it is perfect for Valentine’s Day.”
The Review: The company did “Old Love” in 2017 with real-life couple Booth Savage and Janet-laine Green. This time Norm will be in one city and Sheila Mccarthy will be in another. Is it scary relying on your internet connection to pull off a show?
Oriold: “There is definitely an element of worry around streaming live and then losing the internet connection. That being said, I really wanted to do this as a livestream so that we can get that feeling of being at a ‘live performance’ again. A little blip here or there is what gives live performance its edge. We remember where we were when … We do have a contingency plan in place, however, should any major interruptions occur.”
The Review: This is a “reading” as opposed to a performance. What should people expect?
Oriold: “A reading is not as polished as a performance. The actors won’t have their lines memorized, they will remain seated for the duration of the reading and we aren’t using complicated props or anything. However, I think Norm’s works still play extremely well as a reading because he is so good with language. He often writes such witty banter between his characters and doesn’t rely on a lot of action to keep us engaged or move his stories forward. His writing does such a good job of that on its own.”
The Review: The Foster Festival hasn’t announced a summer season for 2021, is it likely we won’t see one until next year?
Oriold: “We are still hopeful that we’ll be able to offer something for our audiences in 2021. With all of the required safety measures in place, of course. We are working closely with the (Firstontario) Performing Arts Centre to get a feel for what their plans or restrictions might be in terms of reopening. Therefore, we do need to wait a little longer before announcing any programming.”
The Review: How do you see theatre coming back from this pandemic? Slowly?
Oriold: “I definitely see theatre coming back slowly. It depends a lot on the rate of vaccination and people’s comfort level in gathering indoors again. We also have to take the artists’ comfort level into consideration. Sometimes we engage artists from out of town, so now we are trying to examine what the housing situation might look like amidst COVID. There are many new variables and moving parts that were not there pre-pandemic, so I predict that many theatres will be waiting until either the fall of 2021 or into 2022 before even attempting to open their doors again. I can see many theatres continuing to offer a hybrid of live and digital events throughout 2021.”