All the city’s a stage

In the classic Lerner and Loewe play, Brigadoon, Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas are two American hikers exploring the Scottish highlands. Unexpectedly, they encounter something that is not on their map — the lost, enchanted village of Brigadoon. This magical Scottish village comes to life for only one day each century. Albright falls in love with one of the women in the village, Fiona MacLaren. The problem is that if Albright stays in the town for more than a day, he can never return home to New York.

This is a play that small theatres can do effectively with a bit of ingenuity because of the simplicity of the settings. In many cases, a tiny set on the perimeter is effective for the New York scenes, and a simple spotlight allows Brigadoon to be a world away. Elaborate moving sets would just get in the way, whereas the clean use of spotlights and simple blocking advance its allegorical beauty.

We see Brigadoon as an apt metaphor for theatre companies in Kawartha Lakes. Focused, clear and intent on providing audiences with outstanding entertainment, none of them do quite the same thing in quite the same way —  but simplicity reigns.

As we outline in one of our feature stories this month, Globus Theatre’s capital campaign is pushing this theatre company to new heights. It’s professional theatre in a rural setting that typically features a small but mighty cast. And over in Fenelon Falls, the stunning outdoor Grove Theatre — which we highlighted last month — is bringing new artistic energy to the area. Lindsay Little Theatre showcases impressive amateur productions and the grand old Academy has new stability with a recent long-term funding sponsorship from Flato Developments.

Unlike the lost village of Brigadoon, Kawartha Lakes communities will be front and centre as we grow larger and more diverse. There will be more demand than ever for artistic and cultural assets like these fantastic theatre companies that work so hard to offer the magic we all want to experience.