American Musical Theatre Academy to host musical theatre retreat at Cornwallis Park

The American Musical Theatre Academy (AMTA), a fulltime musical theatre school located in London and New York, has announced a musical theatre retreat for Cornwallis Park.

The local event will take place from August 5 to 19. Run by trained Broadway and West End professionals, the twoweek intensive retreat will include accommodation, meals, training, ground transportation and special external activities. Students of all ages from beginners to advanced are welcome and the summer school will offer day classes for those who live locally.

Co-founded in 2010 by Canadian performers Kenneth Avery-clark and Christie Miller, AMTA was established to bridge the gap between London’s West End and New York’s Broadway creative ideals and have a presence in Europe and the United States.

“We recognized the historic Cornwallis Park as an ideal retreat where students could live and breathe musical theatre in a picturesque, quiet and safe environment,” said Avery-clark. “The Annapolis Basin Conference Centre is the perfect place to host this event and we hope to bring students to Nova Scotia from all over the world. With accommodation, restaurant facilities, a 500-seat theatre and new acting, singing and dance studios, this place has it all.”

The musical theatre retreat will be the first of its kind for the area. At the end of the program, participating students will perform for the public and admission for all is free.

Avery-clark is an accomplished West End actor, writer, director, and producer and an AMTA co-founder. He has shared the stage with Nathan Lane, Liza Minnelli, Elton John, and Olivia Newton-john. He has performed for British Royalty on two occasions.

Miller is another co-founder of AMTA. She is also an awardwinning actress with over 30 years of experience in performance. She was recently assistant director for the Broadway revival version of Godspell on a UK tour and played the nurse in the European premiere of the new play Time Management.

The cost of the retreat is $1,500 plus tax (flights not included). For those who do not require accommodation and meals the cost is $600 plus tax. To register, visit: THEAMTA. com/can (http://theamta.com/ can) .

Art at Acadia is Duly Noted

The Acadia University Art Gallery has a new exhibition, entitled Duly Noted, open until late April.

Duly Notes presents works from Acadia’s permanent collection, says curator Laurie Dalton, to showcase the ways in which artists have responded to social, political and historical moments.

On April 5 at 2 p.m. Dalton will give a talk about the exhibition, followed by a tour.

Famed courtroom drama running

Agatha Christie’s famous courtroom drama, Witness for the Prosecution, comes to Centrestage Theatre in Kentville.

Witness for the Prosecution is directed by George Henry and Peter Booth. The cast includes Melissa Vidito, Mike Kenny, Bryen Stoddard, J. Marc Charrier, Alan Slipp, Rachel Cooper, Darrell Doucette, Richard Richard, Leroy Heffernan, Paul Abela, Nancy Henry, Chérie Zinck and Emily Burton.

This production runs weekends until April 1.

The evening shows begin at 7:30 p.m., with the box office opening at 6:45 p.m. The matinee begins at 2 p.m.

Go online: www.centrestagetheatre.ca

See Anton in Show Business

Acadia Theatre students have their winter production, Anton in Show Business, going on stage this week.

The production begins at 7:30 p.m. in Lower Denton Hall and runs from March 29 to April 1.

Director Robert Seale has reimagined Jane Martin’s Anton in Show Business, where three women pursue every Canadian actor’s dream: performing Chekhov in Annapolis-royal, Nova Scotia.

Winner of the 2001 American Theatre Critics Steinberg New Play Award, this madcap “back-stage” comedy follows them through a myriad of “good ideas” that offer unique solutions to the Three Sister’s need to have life’s deeper purpose revealed.

Catch some flicks at Fundy Cinema

Fundy Cinema will screen I, Daniel Blake on March 29 at 7 p.m.

Awarded with a Palme d’or at Cannes for one of his finest explorations of social realism, Ken Loach tells the story of a 59-year-old carpenter’s struggle to survive in modern day England when he is denied government health benefits after falling ill.

Then, the society will screen Toni Erdmann on April 5 at 7 p.m.

One of the most talked-about films at last year’s Cannes and nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar, the new film from German director Maren Ade is an alternately hilarious and mortifying embarrassment comedy about the relationship between a repressed corporate consultant and her incessantly prank-playing dad.

Films screen at the Al Whittle Theatre, Wolfville. Tickets are $9 and they are available 30 minutes before screening.

Go online: fundycinema.ca

Hear Great Lakes Swimmers

The Great Lakes Swimmers will perform with Megan Bonnell on March 31 at the Evergreen Theatre in Margaretsville.

Those familiar with the decade-long output of Great Lake Swimmers will recognize the thematic threads of beauty in the natural world, environmental issues and explorations of close personal ties that hold us together.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $25 and $10 for students. evergreentheatre@gmail.com (902) 825-6834

Big Band Dance in Halifax

On April 2, two Kings County performers will be aiding in a Big Band event at the Dalhousie Student Union Building in Halifax.

Andy Duinker will revisit the Sunday afternoon, big band dance concept, which was standard fare in Europe during the war years and imported to North America. The Great Big Band features 17 of the finest jazz musicians in the Maritimes.

Duinker and Hazel Walker of Wolfville are the vocalists on a number of tunes. The dance begins at 2 p.m.

Juno-award winning singersongwriter Fearing visits

Juno-award winning singersongwriter Stephen Fearing will perform at Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre on April 7. Showtime is 8 p.m.

In addition to his work with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, he is one of the most respected names in North American roots-rock. Fearing has released two critically-acclaimed albums with Andy White as the duo Fearing & White, as well as 10 albums as a solo artist, featuring many musical guests.

Tickets are $23 in advance or $25 at the door. They are available online at Ticketpro.ca, by phone at 888-311-9090, and in person at Windsor Home Hardware and all other Ticketpro outlets.

Corb Lund is coming

The Deep Roots Music Cooperative, in partnership with the Atlantic Presenters Association, has announced a Corb Lund concert for April 30.

Brought to this community as part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, the winner of multiple JUNO and Canadian Country Music Awards, Lund will perform at the Festival Theatre in Wolfville at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased on Ticket Pro.

Jake’s Gift tours to Berwick

Jake’s Gift is the moving story of a Second World War veteran’s reluctant return to Juno Beach and the young girl who changes his life.

This acclaimed play will be presented at the Berwick Legion on April 1 at 2 p.m.

The play was written and is performed by Julia Mackey. It is directed by Dirk Van Stralen.

Jake’s Gift won “Best in the Festival”, “Best New Play”, “Best Drama”, and “Best Solo Show” in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Victoria.

The production has been performed in over 200 communities across Canada. Tickets are $20 per person.

For further information call the Berwick Legion 902-538-9340.

Go hear Drahda

On April 1, Nova Scotia’s newest Celtic ensemble, Drahda, will premier in the Celtic Hall at Paddy’s Kentville location.

Advance tickets available from both Paddy’s Pub locations in Kentville and Wolfville.

In the Galleries

-Harvest Gallery in Wolfville has its 10th annual printmakers show, PRESS, on until April 8.

- Printmaker Micheline Gushue has her Recent Inspirations show on at ARTSPLACE in Annapolis Royal for the month of March.