NEWS RELEASE
SHIPYARD KITCHENS PRODUCTIONS INC.
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Folk group Shipyard Kitchen Party is teaming up with Mountain Goat Film Company and CHS Productions to deliver a cinematic live-stream experience of their original folk musical, Tom Thomson’s Wake.
The production will be live-streamed from the Simcoe Street Theatre on September 2, 2020, with tickets by donation and proceeds donated to the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts (BMFA).
The production was originally set to tour this year, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency.
“Artists from all industries are under unprecedented pressure due to the pandemic, so coming up with creative solutions to new problems is vital for artistic survival,” said John Eaton of Shipyard Kitchen Party. “We’ve been enjoying online content from artists around the world, so we wanted to team up as artists to produce a live experience that tells a uniquely Canadian story.”
The band has partnered with award-winning filmmakers, Tom and Tracey Strnad of Mountain Goat Film Company, along with acclaimed sound engineer Roger Robinson of CHS Productions, to deliver broadcast-quality live-stream.
“We’ve collaborated with both artists on past shows, and we’re excited to deliver Tom Thomson’s Wake alongside such top talent,” said Eaton.
“What will make this unique is our set-up, with eight digital cinema cameras equipped with high-speed lenses covering the whole performance, said Tracey Strnad. "We want to show how ‘live’ can be exceptional at home, when getting together at the theatre is not feasible for everyone.”
Robinson, who has worked with award-winning artists including Tommy Hunter, Colin James and George Thorogood, agrees.
“Giving home viewers the quality and depth of a live performance’s sound is going to be a big part of the future for the performing arts," said Robinson. "I’m excited to let audiences hear the difference that well-engineered sound makes with a great story-telling musical like Tom Thomson’s Wake.”
The show will be accessible through a “pay-what-you-can” model, with proceeds donated to the Blue Mountains Foundation for the Arts.
“We want to give back to an arts organization that gives so much to this community,” said Eaton.
It’s been a tough year for the BMFA.
“We have suffered catastrophic losses due to COVID,” said Susan Cook, BMFA’s administrator. “Many of our members have lost income, our sponsors have been closed and many have lost revenue, our events are not able to run, our gift shop is running at greatly reduced hours and to compound that, we can’t promote events that would cause a crowd to gather. While we pivot to alternative ideas, we lack the expertise to present digital programming that will produce revenue. We’re hopeful that this event shows a new way forward for arts organizations.”
Tom Thomson’s Wake is a folk musical that profiles one of Canada’s most famous and mysterious artists, Tom Thomson, from the perspective of three of his closest friends.
Starring Craig Ashton as A.Y. Jackson, Dean Hollin as Larry Dixon, and Julie LeBlanc as Winnie Trainor, the show features an original musical score by Shipyard Kitchen Party.
The performance will take place at 7 p.m. on September 2, 2020 via livestream. Tickets can be acquired at: https://tomthomsonmusical.eventbrite.ca.
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