Meet the new puppet master
Mermaid Theatre welcomes Danny Everson as general manager
Danny Everson is ready to bring a lot of experience from the art and entertainment world to Windsor’s storied Mermaid Theatre.
Everson currently lives in Maitland with his husband, where they run Bing’s Eatery and Tidal Life Guesthouse, a farm-to-table fine dining restaurant. He originally hails from Virginia and has studied and worked all over North America.
“I started back in March when I came here just to check out this space and found out they were looking for somebody in the future,” Everson said. “And then six months went by, several inter- views later, and here I am.”
Everson received a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Tampa and a masters of fine arts in producing for theater and film from the California Institute of the Arts.
He has a long resume in the entertainment industry, having helmed artistic and development operations at the Wooten Center in Los Angeles, Shriners Hospitals for Children, NBC Universal, and the American Cancer Society before moving to Hants County to settle down and get back to the land.
But he realized that the art world —specifically producing — is where his heart was.
“Even before this, I had an active interest in puppetry. At grad school, I had an opportunity to work with the infamous Janie Geiser, the Jim Henson of puppeteers in the avant-garde world,” he said.
“I had some intensive classes with her and learned quite a bit about puppetry that I couldn’t have even imagined and fell in love with the art form. I think young and old, puppets can be appreciated.”
Everson said he’s hoping to support and continue Mermaid’s success with international productions, as well as empowering Maritime artists.
Fell in love with Nova Scotia
“I realized quickly that Nova Scotians are the salt of the earth. I live in a community where we all look out for one another,” he said. “I mean, there’s not many of us, 351, now 352, there’s been a couple of births, so we’re growing in Maitland.”
Although still new to the Windsor area, he said he’s found people have been extremely welcoming.
Currently he’s working on getting their next new show off the ground, Rainbow Fish, by Swiss writer Marcus Pfister.
It’s going to premier in New Jersey, with a Nova Scotia premier in 2018.
“I’m super excited about that,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the puppets that are coming to life and it’s hard to communicate it until you’ve seen them come to life.”
Everson said he has some new ideas for the company as well, but he’s keeping those plans under wraps — to avoid spoiling things before they happen.
A one-day suicide prevention gathering will take place on Nov. 17 at Brigadoon Village, in Aylesford Lake
Peer Support and Life Promotion is the fourth annual suicide conference hosted by the Annapolis Valley CAST (Communities’ Addressing Suicide Together) Coalition. CAST works to prevent suicide and to support those who have lost a loved one by suicide.
Feeling heard and supported by someone who shares the knowledge of personal experience can make all the difference. Yet, what are the elements of peer support that truly help another? When is a peer or community ready to offer peer counselling, and how can effective peer programs be sustained and nourished? In what way can communities nurture peer support in our communities in order to challenge despair and promote hope?
CAST will explore these and other questions in an atmosphere of inquiry and life promotion
The day will begin with Hey Cuzzins, a drumming and singing group from Lennox Island, PEI, where the members work as a support group for each other. Their motto is “Live by the Drum `Sing for My People `and live in a positive life style.
Featured speakers will include a presentation by Tracey Lynn Skinner, co-chairwoman of the Victims of Institutional Childhood Exploitation Society; Bruce Dienes on peer support as a unique alternative setting for healing and growth; Asha Croggon on peer support as an issue of justice; Laing House on sustaining quality peer support; and Candy O’ Brien on how peer support has affected my life.
Peer Support and Life Promotion will be held in partnership with Nova Scotia Health Authority, Kings County Canadian Mental Health Association, Injury Free Nova Scotia and Greenwood Military Family Resource Centre.
Register on line at www.valleycast.ca. The cost is $30 for the day, with the event running from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Nov. 17.