Following a hugely successful (limited) Summer Season which saw almost 1600 people seated for 32 physically-distanced performance, the Highland Arts Theatre plans to continue their “new normal” of small productions with a newly announced 2020 Fall Season.

“We were waiting to see what would happen in September, so everything is of course very tentative.” said HAT Artistic & Executive Director, Wesley J. Colford. “So far we’ve been extremely lucky and it’s been months since we’ve had new COVID cases in Cape Breton.”

If things continue on track, the Fall Mainstage Season will start Oct 6^th with the debut of a new play by local playwright Lindsay Thompson called “Sweet Enough”.

The play is a warm and charming look at the relationship between a young girl and her ageing neighbours. It was originally developed for the Elizabeth Boardmore One-Act Play Festival at Cape Breton University and has since been expanded with the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre.

November will feature the Cape Breton premiere of the beloved Canadian wartime musical, “Billy Bishop Goes to War” by Eric Peterson and John Gray.

This theatrical tour-de-force toured the country for years after its conception in the late 1970’s. It documents the life and wartime foibles of legendary Canadian fighter pilot, Billy Bishop. This will be the first time the musical has been produced in Cape Breton and it will be directed by Ron Jenkins with Mark Delaney as the titular character.

Lastly for the Mainstage series, there will be high comedy in Santa’s Mail Room this December at the HAT premiere’s a brand-new play by Canadian Comedy award-winner Rebecca Northern, best known for her incredible show Blind Date, which she has toured for more than ten years.

This World Premiere follows Ginger, a Jr Elf in Santa’s Mail Room, who dreams of being promoted to the Toy Factory. But when a mysterious parcel arrives addressed to Santa on Christmas Eve… she cannot resist indulging her curiosity. Naturally, comic hi-jinks ensue.

These three Mainstage Productions are all being supported by the HAT’s new Radical Access program. The fundraising campaign is currently at 94% of its total goal. If it can reach 100%... all Mainstage productions will be free of charge for the entire year.

All Radical Access donors will also get advanced access to reserve their tickets starting September 14^th for $50 per month donors and continuing throughout the week. Tickets for the general public will be released two weeks prior to the opening of each Mainstage show.

In addition to these three Mainstage Productions, the HAT also announced to Bonus productions:

Starting October 27^th, the HAT will produce its very first site-specific play: a psychological thriller called “Little One” by Halifax-based playwright, Hannah Moscovitch. Rather than gracing the HAT stage, this play will be presented in a (possibly haunted) house in Whitney Pier, just in time for Halloween.

The play features actors Tayves Fiddis (Mary’s Wedding) and Bhreagh MacNeil (Werewolf) and will be directed by Alison Crosby, who will also direct “Sweet Enough” as the HAT’s first official Artist-in-Residence. Tickets will go on sale soon at $20 each and with only 15 audience members per performance, the run is expected to sell out quickly.

Lastly, the HAT is thrilled to announce that its annual tradition of “A Christmas Carol” will live on, although in a slightly different format. Since its first year, HAT audiences have become used to the spectacle-filled, large-scale, musical production of Charles Dickens’ classic story. In the age of physical distancing, large casts are not possible, and so the HAT has committed to presenting a re-imagined production for this year.

This year’s Carol will feature only five dynamic performers, playing the dozens of roles that make up the Industrial world of Ebenezer Scrooge. It will also be a dinner theatre, allowing families and “bubbles” to book entire physically-distanced tables for family celebrations or work parties.

While the details are still being developed, this will be another “off-site” production (not at the HAT) which will hopefully allow for slightly larger audiences at separate tables. Expect more details to be announced soon, with tickets likely going on sale by the beginning of October.

For full information on #RadicalAccess fundraising goals, as well as information on how to make your donation pledge, visit the HAT website at: www.highlandartstheatre.com

Highland Arts Theatre

40 Bentinck Street, Sydney, NS B1P 1G2

902.565.3637

[email protected]