Monday, March 30, 2009

March 2009 Feedback

Did you see any of the following performances at Horizon Stage in March...
Hotel California on the 15th?
10 Lost Years on the 20th or 21st?
The Horizon Players: Disney's 101 Dalmatians on the 26th, 27th or 28th?
Did you like, or dislike, the artists, the venue, the volunteers, the staff?
Please let us know your thoughts regarding your visit to our theatre.

Please Note: Comments will be moderated and course language will not be posted.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Great Canadian Jazz Pianist to Perform at Horizon Stage

Enjoy an intimate evening with Oliver Jones in Spruce Grove on April 3rd

Oliver Jones is considered to be one of the best Canadian jazz pianists in history. Now at age 74, this member of the Order of Quebec and Order of Canada, Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards recipient and Felix and Juno Award-winner continues to tour and record. He will make a highly-anticipated stop in Spruce Grove on Friday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Oliver Jones was born and raised in Saint Henri, a predominantly working-class area of Montreal, just a few blocks away from fellow pianist, Oscar Peterson. As a youngster he would sit on the Peterson family’s porch, listening to the older boy practice. Oscar’s sister, Daisy Peterson Sweeney, eventually became Oliver’s first piano teacher, and twelve years of lessons with her solidified his already considerable skills. He began performing publicly at the age of five and made his first nightclub appearance at age nine. Oliver Jones’ six-decade musical career has been rich and varied. He has released 16 albums and toured across North America, Europe, Cuba, Brazil and Africa, He has performed and recorded with the likes of bass legend Ray Brown, drummer Jeff Hamilton, bassist Skip Bey, trumpeter Clark Terry and singer Ranee Lee. After retiring at age 64, Jones was lured back to the stage in 2003 by the opportunity to play a duet with his friend Oscar Peterson at the Montreal Jazz Festival's 25th-anniversary event. He has since recorded the CD, One More Time.

Horizon Stage is an intimate 318 seat theatre in Spruce Grove. Recently renovated in the summer of 2008, it is a cozy and comfortable venue. With a thrust performance space, sitting in the comfy seats at Horizon Stage almost feels like being in your own living room. And, with only eight rows in total, this isn’t the kind of theatre where you need binoculars to see details. Every artist is truly Up Close and Personal, and that’s Horizon Stage’s motto. Performers and audience members alike enjoy the intimacy that they share when they are so near each other.

Tickets to see Oliver Jones at Horizon Stage on Friday, April 3 are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors and are available through the Horizon Stage Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Call 780-962-8995 to reserve your seat for this incredible concert.

www.justin-time.com/authors/oliverjones

Special thanks to the sponsors of this event: The Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Canadian Heritage, Servus Credit Union, CKUA Radio, The Edmonton Journal, Royal Inn Express and Birdsell Grant Gardner Morck Barristers & Solicitors

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

10 Lost Years Update

A limited number of seats have been released for 10 Lost Years on Saturday, March 21.



This production was directed by Northern Light Theatre founder Scott Swan. NLT co-founder Merrilyn Gann is performing in it. Former Theatre Alberta Dramaworks and Citadel Theatre school coordinator Cheryl Swan (ne Matheson) is also performing in it, and NLT co-founder Angela Gann is the music director. This is not the same play that was produced in Toronto in the 70’s. It is Scott Swan’s own adaptation of the Barry Broadfoot book.

Monday, March 02, 2009

February 2009 Feedback

Did you see any of the following performances at Horizon Stage in February...
Jim Byrnes on the 5th?
Marc Atkinson Trio on the 7th?
Ballet Jorgen Canada's Romeo & Juliet on the 14th?
Cranked on the 25th or 26th?
The Nylons on the 26th?
Mud Bay Jugglers on the 28th?
Did you like, or dislike, the artists, the venue, the volunteers, the staff?
Please let us know your thoughts regarding your visit to our theatre.

Please Note: Comments will be moderated and course language will not be posted.

Country Music Star George Fox added to Horizon Stage Season Line Up

Tickets for his Friday, April 24th concert are on sale now.

If you’re a fan of Canadian country-music star, George Fox, rejoice. Horizon Stage has made a late addition to its 2008/2009 season. Mr. Fox will be performing in Spruce Grove on Friday, April 24th at 7:30 p.m.


With three Canadian Country Music awards, three Junos and nine Big Country awards on his mantle, George Fox has certainly made it to “the big time”. He has recorded eleven albums, written a book and had a string of chart-topping hits, including “Clearly Canadian”, “First Comes Love”, “What’s Holding Me” and “Wear & Tear on My Heart”. His most recent CD, With All Due Respect, is a tribute to some all-time great artists and songwriters from John Denver and Dean Martin to Eddie Arnold and Don Messer.

Born in Calgary and raised in Cochrane, Alberta, George is still an incredibly down-to-earth kind of guy. He now lives in Southern Ontario with his wife and two daughters on an expansive acreage and farms winter wheat, soybean and corn. Besides music and farming, his hobbies include hockey, carpentry and reading.

Spruce Grove loves George Fox. In 2005 he performed for a huge, enthusiastic crowd at our Canada Day celebration. He was last seen at Horizon Stage at Christmas 2006, when he sold out not one, not two, but three concerts! That is why when Horizon Stage discovered he was available in April they invited him immediately!

Tickets to see George Fox Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage on Friday, April 24th have only just gone on sale, but they aren’t expected to last. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students and seniors. Call the Horizon Stage Box Office at 962-8995 for more information and to reserve your seats before the show sells out!

Be sure to visit www.georgefox.com & www.horizonstage.com

Special thanks to the sponsors of this event: The Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Canadian Heritage, Royal Inn Express and Birdsell Grant Gardner Morck Barristers & Solicitors

Horizon Stage adds a Second 10 Lost Years to its Line Up

March 21 performance sold out, March 20 performance added

Based on the book by Barry Broadfoot, 10 Lost Years is a powerful play about real people and communities during the “Dirty 30s”. It is a compilation of stories about hard times and resilience in the face of extended drought and economic depression. Produced by Vancouver’s Seacoast Productions, 10 Lost Years has already sold out one performance at Horizon Stage on Saturday, March 21st. Now, a second performance of this wonderful production has been scheduled on Friday, March 20th, at 7:30 p.m.

Barry Broadfoot traveled Canada in 1973, asking people in bars and train stations, on planes and buses one simple question, “What do you remember about the Depression?" Initially, many of them weren't able to recall anything. But, gradually, as his tape recorder rolled, memories filled with humour, emotion, tragedy, love, and courage were unlocked. He collected those stories, published them word for word, and 35 years later they are still substantial, gripping and awe-inspiring. They were the experiences of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents and they should never be forgotten.

Vancouver director Scott Swan bought Barry Broadfoot’s book and, as he read it, he was amazed by the honesty and simplicity of the stories and the humour and stoicism of the men and women telling them. He decided to produce a performance that focused on the people themselves. Using just the actors, images from that era, music and the audience, he created this incredibly compelling piece of theatre and toured it across Western Canada.

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this compelling production for yourself. Tickets to see
10 Lost Years at Horizon Stage on Friday, March 20th are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Call the Horizon Stage Box Office at 780-962-8995 for more information. Reserve your seats before this show sells out too!

“This production touches the heart and enlivens the spirit of everyone who sees it…”
Gail Barrington-Moss, City of St. Albert

“Sitting in the audience, we forget we are watching actors on the stage and are transported to another time.“
Vivian Elias, Athabasca

Special thanks to the sponsors of this event: The Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Canadian Heritage, Servus Credit Union, The Edmonton Journal and Birdsell Grant Gardner Morck Barristers & Solicitors