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What is the value of an apology? That is one of the questions that JUNO-nominated singer and songwriter Khari Wendell McClelland is exploring in his new concert, We Now Recognize. The show, which consists of all new songs, will tour six Canadian cities for Black History Month. It comes to the Lincoln Alexander Centre in Hamilton on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m.
We Now Recognize is a partnership between McClelland and Project Humanity, a non-profit organization that uses the arts to raise social awareness. The two collaborated in 2017 and 2018 to create the documentary theatre musical of the Vancouver-based artist’s debut solo album, Freedom Singer. Freedom Singer interpreted songs that might have accompanied McClelland’s great-great-great-grandmother Kizzy as she escaped from slavery via the Underground Railroad.
This show is another personal work, although McClelland originally took inspiration from the current sociopolitical landscape. The number of political apologies that have occurred struck him in the past decade or so and especially in Justin Trudeau’s term. He began to question what constitutes a substantive and meaningful apology.
In writing the show, McClelland found himself reflecting on being wrong and the extent of his compassion for those who do wrong. He considered how recognizing wrongdoing feels and how to move forward from it. With this, he also thought about the relationships he has with the generations of men in his family.
“[I was] looking at my grandfather and my father and my brother and even considering what it would be to be… a father and what the implications might mean for a larger society… [I]t's men who are exerting power and have a lot of control in society… What are some of the ideas… I grew up with that I have at different times perpetuated in my own life and trying to figure out like what that might look like through a generational lens,” said McClelland.
The show explores other ideas that McClelland cares about, such as community and the way we wield power over the natural world. In bringing different ideas in proximity with one another, McClelland sees the work as an assemblage like a quilt or collage.
McClelland sees being able to explore a multitude of ideas as a way of celebrating Black life. Unlike his past work with Freedom Singer, which tackled the history of slavery head on, We Now Recognize, is a subtler approach to Black history that it more rooted in the present and in the future.
“I feel like there are ways in which black life can be can be understood as a monolith, that black people in Black communities aren't allowed to have a diversity of experiences and perspectives. I'm very curious… about creating some kind of radical subjectivity around Black life, like being able to be all these different ways that we are just as human beings,” McClelland said.
Not only will the concert allow McClelland a chance to bring forth the multiplicity of Black life, it will allow him to stretch himself and grow as an artist. The personal show will force him to be vulnerable in a way that he hasn’t been before with the communities across Canada that has supported him.
McClelland sees the connection to music as something that erodes for many people over their lifetime. For him, however, it is something that he hasn’t stopped doing ever since it became a part of his life as a kid growing up in Detroit. It moves him in a way that isn’t necessarily positive or negative, but just is. He also sees the medium as essential to building community.
“I feel like healthy communities move together. That they practice together, that they have rituals together… [O]ur connection to artful practices actually has the potential to heal us as communities and individuals coming together… has this real potential for a deep kind of healing… I think it is just a deep medicine in the way that we come together and make music and make art,” explained McClelland.
McClelland is looking forward to this tour to see how audiences connect with the new songs. He is eager to see the way in which people are moved by this meditation on wrongdoing and apology, whether positively or in a way that is a little uncomfortable.
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By: Natalie Clark
Hamilton has been getting its fair share of the winter weather this season, so in what better way to embrace it than to explore all that Winterfest 2019 has to offer?
Winterfest is a two-week long affair that features winter events in and around the city. Beginning Feb. 1, there will be free and paid events held throughout Hamilton such as open skate, live music and various themed events. Take a break from studying and enjoy the winter weather while taking part in this timely Hamilton tradition.
Juno Award winner and Hamilton born indie rock singer/songwriter Matt Mays will be performing at Hamilton Central Public Library on Feb. 10. Mays is currently on his Dark Promises Tour and will be making a pit stop in his hometown for an intimate show. Head on down to Hamilton Central Public Library for some of the best music Hamilton has to offer. This is a paid event and tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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Frost Bites is a four-day event in partnership with Hamilton Fringe featuring some of Hamilton’s best theatre performers. Each night, artists will perform “bites” of theatre shows that are meant to last no longer than 20 minutes each. The festival will also be taking place on Feb. 14 to Feb. 17 at two community locations, the New Vision United Church and St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church.
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On Feb. 13, Winterfest will be holding a lecture featuring guest speaker Kojo “Easy” Damptey, an afro-soul musician and scholar-practitioner. Born and raised in Ghana, he attempts to address societal issues and enact change in the world with his lyrics. He will be speaking on behalf of stories of existence, resilience and resistance. The event is free and will be held at the Historic Ancaster Old Town Hall. All are welcome to join the celebration and commemoration of Black History Month.
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Stressed? Bored? Dying to pick up a new hobby? If any of those resonate with you then this beginners knitting course may be up your alley. For $90 you’ll learn the basics of knitting over the course of three classes, running on Wednesdays from Feb. 13 to Feb. 27. Grab a group of friends and head down to the Art Aggregate in East Hamilton for all the tips and tricks you need to know about knitting.
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In honour of the beginning of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 5, Barton Stone Church will be hosting a Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi Open House on Feb. 9. This event is free and includes a demonstration and class, as well as various hot drinks including tea and apple cider! There will be volunteer staff available to chat with you about their class schedule, as well as information about the benefits of Taoist Tai Chi. The event is sure to be a warm evening full of new learning experiences.
The Canteen is one of Hamilton Winterfest’s signature events. Featuring live music from a variety of artists, including Hamilton-based singer/songwriter Ellis, a cozy fire, winter marketplace and various other events, this event is worth the trip to the Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site on 77 King Street West. The location is also known as one of Canada’s most significant monuments of the War of 1812. Aside from participating in the event’s attractions, you are also welcome to explore the museum and historic grounds on site. This is an all-day event taking place on Feb. 16 starting at 10 a.m.
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It has been said that life is a dance. No one knows that better than celebrated Canadian dance artist Peggy Baker whose dance installation Move captures the duality of caregiving. The free installation will be performed on Feb. 2 at the Art Gallery of Hamilton as part of McMaster University’s Socrates Project.
The dance installation takes place in a 28 by 28-foot square surrounded by a frame. It is 70-minutes long and is organized into four cycles. The cyclic nature of the piece and the fact that it rotates throughout means audience members can take it in from multiple angles.
The performers are not necessarily dancers by trade but members of the community who love dance. There are 16 of them dancing in pairs that reverse roles with each cycle. They were selected in November 2018 during a two-hour workshop and audition.
The story of Move began 10 years ago when Baker first presented the dance as part of Toronto contemporary art event Nuit Blanche. At that time, the dance was 20 minutes long and done on the hour every hour for 12 hours with 12 pairs of professional dancers. When Baker put on Move for the second time at the Art Gallery of Ontario a couple years later, she decided to extend the length of the piece and do it with fewer dancers.
It was while doing the dance at the Art Gallery of Ontario that Baker thought about using community members as the dancers. She has since put on several performances of Move with non-professional dancers, staging the entire performance in five three-hour rehearsals.
Baker’s own experience with caregiving formed a part of the inspiration for the installation. She was the primary caregiver to her late husband, who had primary progressive multiple sclerosis. She found that caregiving involves a beautiful rapport between the one receiving and the one giving care.
Baker was also inspired by art and dance itself. While teaching in Philadelphia, she was struck by the beauty of partnership when she had dancers pair up and help another during some difficult movement sequences. Also while in Philadelphia, she saw an exhibition of paintings by American painter George Tooker and was inspired by the images of people embracing one another.
The dancers changing roles throughout the piece represents the inevitability of being on both sides of caregiving. The choreography for the piece overall is formal and highly organized, mimicking the ritualized elements of human lives. The choice to have four cycles mimics the cyclic structure of the seasons and the fact that there are four cardinal directions.
“[I]t’s something universal. We all receive that kind of intimate physical care and physical nurturing as infants and children. We may all find ourselves in a position where we where we are called upon to give care to a parent or a partner or a child. And we may all eventually need to receive care,” explained Baker.
KITCHENER, Ont. (09/04/18) - Victoria Park
The electro-acoustic soundtrack, composed by musician and composer Debashis Sinha, is also organized into four cycles. It is subtle and atmospheric, not quite music but a sonic landscape for the audience and dancers to reside in.
Baker encourages audience members to walk around the square performance space, close their eyes or turn their back to view the art in the gallery. The space allows viewers to feel comfortable arriving after it begins or even leaving before it ends.
“I like it to be in a public place. I like it to be in a place that already is claimed by the community as being a place in their town or city like this is… an art gallery, a foyer of a theater, a market… [I]t needs to locate itself in the heart of the community… [I]t's about community building basically,” Baker said.
At the end of the piece, the dancers pour water for one another and drink it. One of the dancers in the group, a ceramic artist, suggested that the group each makes the vessel that they drink out of. At the end of one of their rehearsals, she guided her fellow dancers through making their own bowl.
The creativity and passion brought on by these community dancers give this installation of Move a unique tint. However, the beauty of Move is the universality of the theme and the way in which it can move anyone.
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This weekend, the McMaster figure skating team hosted their first meet in several years. The team, led by one of Mac’s captains Emma Bonafiglia, came in fourth place overall. Ontario University Athletics gold medalist Belvina Mao came in first once again for the Senior Silver Solo Dance category.
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We caught up with the two Marauders below:
Belvina: Third year, kinesiology.
Emma: Fourth year, kinesiology.
B: My main reason was for the kinesiology program because it’s one of the best in the country. I was also really attracted to the fact that everyone who came to Mac loved the community feel it had.
E: I originally decided to come to Mac to join the [synchronized swim] team in my first year. I also chose Mac because it is close to home and I heard about its reputable Kin program.
Tell us a bit about the McMaster Invitational.
E: It’s a lot of work to host a tournament, but this year myself and the other captains wanted to host one. The process was a bit challenging, but overall we ended up figuring everything out and it ran smoothly the day of. In terms of skating, we came fourth overall, which is good but it’s still the beginning of the season so we have a lot to work on.
B: It was really nice because alumni, family and friends were able to come out and support [us]. Normally, they’re not able to because competitions are so far. So to be able to perform in front of them was really nice. Even though there was pressure being on home ice, it felt more like a showcase than an actual competition.
As the defending OUA Senior Silver Solo Dance gold medalist, it’s no surprise you came in first in the same category this weekend. Tell us a little about that.
B: The person who was behind me was a little close for comfort, but I was still able to skate to the best of my abilities so I was really proud of myself.
If you had to tell us one thing about yourself that people don’t know what would it be?
B: I am part of the McMaster Musical Theatre and it’s really fun to be part of something outside of school and skating. (MMT upcoming show “Company” is Feb. 22)
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E: I don’t like chocolate, but my go-to sweet treat is anything sour.
Lastly, what are your goals for this season?
B: I am hoping to defend my title as OUA champion for the Senior Silver Dance and to continue to just skate the best that I can.
E: For the team, our goal is to come top three at the OUA championships in February, and for myself, I hope to come first in my solo dance event.
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Next up, the McMaster Figure Skating team will head to the University of Toronto to take the ice.
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By: Drew Simpson
Without any lights on in L. R. Wilson’s Black Box theatre, it can be a dark void and clean slate waiting to be molded. Three school chairs sat staggered, two up front and one centered and backwards. On the attached desk were three dark-red bricks formed into a cross.
The chairs sat in front of three projector screens, one facing forward and the other two diagonally placed to enclose the space. A quote by John A. Macdonald calling for industrial boarding schools sat on the main screen. Projected images of the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School portrayed different rooms onto the screens.
The Mush Hole performance is a reckoning to express the depths of tormented realities faced within the Mohawk Institute without traumatizing members of the audience with lived experience. The project aims to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action.
Of the five characters, each represents a survivor’s story. They each have names, or as the Mohawk Institute identified children with, a number. Number 48 and 29 were Ernest and Mabel who met at the residential school and became father and mother respectively to number 34 and 17, Walter and Grace. The fifth character is number 11, the girl without a name or family, as she was a runaway from the Institute.
After some brief introductions by the director of Indigenous studies at McMaster and by Santee Smith, the artist producer of the Mush Hole Project, the lights that allowed the audience to find their seats dimmed into the darkness. And we, the audience, became part of the void as we watched their stories.
The show started with choking. Everyone was constantly choking because they were constantly silenced by the Institution. Another constant was starvation, as one scene clearly projected the mush they ate. At first it resembled oatmeal, but that breakfast dish does not call for maggots. The maggot-infested mush was all the children ate in the Institution, inspiring the name given to the institution by survivors as well as the title of the performance.
While the characters were often all within the same room together, they moved in lonesome. Often the characters mimicked trying to hug each other but never being able to actually touch the other person as if a force field blocked them.
There was an incessant longing to comfort one another which sadly was retaliated with violence. This violence was conveyed upon themselves in the form of slapping their own hands away, scrubbing at themselves or even upon each other as the children fought.
Smith explained that in such a prison-like atmosphere, survival and self-preservation become priorities over human connection. Agonizingly, all I could do was sit and watch siblings Water and Grace constantly reject each other’s tried comfort or condolences. Even when Walter needed it the most trapped inside a boiler room.
The introduction to Walter’s solo was a visual backdrop and sounds of steam and other sounds to set the tone of the boiler room. As every character had a solo in a specific room, this solo was gutting. He danced as if trying to escape and to stop whoever was stripping him. The solo was suggestive, but it was the fear, guilt and trauma in his eyes and his hands as they reached out during his dance that communicated he was being abused.
Every person suffered in the Institute. The girl labelled number 11, was lucky enough to run away, but it was suggested she did not fully escape. At the end of her solo, the screen showed her laid in the snow, her hair covering her face.
In another scene Mabel and Ernest sat at their kitchen table, playing popular 1950s music as Ernest drank and Mabel carefully pushed the chairs under the table, tapping at imaginary heads and smiling. Sometimes she motioned to spoon-feed the imaginaries in their seats. Ernest pulled and shoved the chairs away, urging Mabel to drink.
In the inescapable prison, Grace used her taught Christianity to cope. In one scene she loudly sang a gospel as number 11 and Walter rumbled and choked in their seats.
The show communicated multi-faceted torment, discussed the ideas of identity, self-hatred, inter-generational trauma, abuse and overall the effect of such a prison-like system that was the Mush Hole. Above all, it was conjoined stories of resilience for surviving every room and every lock and key.
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By: Hafsa Sakhi
Just off of King Street East on Steven Street lies the Pearl Company, one of Hamilton’s premier performance centres. Run by musician and artist Gary Santucci and arts activist Barbara Milne, the company is in the midst of their latest production, Here’s Johnny, a tale that explores the lives of locals facing poverty, addiction and trauma.
Santucci was inspired to use the play as reflection on his life in Hamilton, and the theatres surrounding neighborhood on Steven Street.
“Here’s Johnny came from our time here, living and working and running the Pearl Company, so the inspiration or the trigger was initially the environment around us, the feel of living here, and many social issues that crop up in living and working in a sacrifice zone,” said Santucci.
HERE'S JOHNNY! Rave Reviews! Thumbs-up everywhere. An effing fine play about what happens on #HamOnt streets after dark. Some swearing.... pic.twitter.com/EVrc5IU1cp
— The Pearl Company (@ThePearlCompany) October 20, 2017
A sacrifice zone is a neighbourhood which has been left with permanent environmental damage or economic downturn, often marked after the departure of large local industries.
“A lot of things are here where they’re not really tolerated elsewhere… there’s a whole diverse situation of community to many wounded people who need help and services,” explained Santucci.
“The majority of what is portrayed in the play is derived from reality, things that have happened. Bob, the main character… represents a composite of me and my interaction on the street… that idea of me sweeping the streets and being out there and looking after our neighbourhood. [Then there’s] the older street [sex worker], the survivor.”
Actress Robin Zee plays the older sex worker Ginger, and a real-life survivor of human trafficking and street prostitution. Santucci says Zee was a catalyst for the play to finally be shown, after eight years in the making.
“Getting to know her and her experience helped me validate my assumptions… so I could write in that perspective, not simply from an older white guy’s point of view, but it was validated by someone who had gone through everything and come out the other side intact.”
The process of writing Here’s Johnny was cathartic for Santucci, as he and Milne face their 12th year on Steven Street, along with the possibility of moving the company in the future.
“We’re booked up till next year, the end of next year, and then maybe more, even longer… but from the perspective of telling [the story of Here’s Johnny], Barbara being there, through our experiencing it, that's our shared story in a way. All the protagonists and characters on the street, that's their story too,” said Santucci.
“[Currently, today] is the most creative time in my life, really, I’ve been challenged… had issues with our city government, with regards to zoning, with our building. We’ve had to fight for our own existence and operate and do this beautiful stuff we do here, have live concerts, live theatre, which contravened a bylaw, so we’ve fought that to stalemate in the courts. Half my waking time was fighting government, half was creating beautiful things, and I always try to balance the two and always have the beautiful things at least add a little more weight.”
Santucci hopes his play will stimulate people’s questions and thinking around certain issues, from street prostitution to drug abuse, violence, and homelessness.
“Our role as artists is to really reflect the truth about what we see… it in some artful way that people can relate to it in a specific manner that's not threatening, that's not an argument… a play is not an argument, a play is a story, you listen and observe and then you reflect on it, so putting ideas forward… [a] lifelong pursuit of knowledge and education… this what I advocate.”
Here’s Johnny puts a face to a name, of the people which inhabit and work in low-income, high crime neighbourhoods. The message is clear: the vulnerable should not be ignored.
Here’s Johnny will be performed at the Pearl Company Theatre October 25-28. Tickets are $25, and $20 for students and seniors.
By: Vanessa Polojac
Established from a study conducted within the Hamilton community, McMaster associate professor of Social Work Mirna E. Carranza collaborated alongside Toronto based, Persian-Canadian actor, singer and writer Izad Etemadi to create a story that explores the re-occurring struggles, sacrifices and issues that many newcomers to Canada face, particularly women.
In partnership with the Immigrant Working Centre, Emergency Support Committee and Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Carranza’s research was developed through a series of interviews focused on immigrant women, their partners and children. The interviewees ranged from two to 35 years since their immigration to Canada. The objective was to understand the intersection between immigration, integration, trauma and mental health.
The idea of popular theatre was then brought to the attention of Carranza by the women whom she had interviewed.
“The women wanted an impact, rather than writing a report or a paper. I then began thinking, what can I do differently?” explained Carranza.
During this time of her research, Carranza met Toronto playwright Eternadi when he mediated a panel about Syrian refugees at the immigrants working centre. The two instantly bounded over their passion for storytelling and began conceptualizing performance ideas.
In May 2016, the process had began. Eternai was given transcriptions and transformed them into a piece of theatre. The play centres around four young women and intersperses monologues with group scenes, telling emotional and memorable stories of their experiences of being new residents to Canada.
Some of these stories include: a young women who had fallen in love with a Canadian while on vacation and was forced to leave everything behind in her home country, a 12 year-old girl who moves to Hamilton with her family and sees the city as a terrifying place and a women who had just immigrated to Canada and is being stripped away from her ethnicity to conform to the new society she is now apart of.
“I just readjusted some of the wording to create a narrative. Everything came from the mouths of these women,” explained Eternai.
We Are Not The Others was first performed by McMaster students at the Art Gallery of Hamilton during the time of the American election.
“You could see the mood change within the audience. It was such a vulnerable topic for the time,” said Ethernai.
“The women wanted an impact, rather than writing a report or a paper. I then began thinking, what can I do differently?”
Mirna E. Carranza
Associate professor of Social Work
Due to an overwhelming response from the first showcase, Ethernai and Carranza decided to hold open casting calls for young actresses within the local community. The cast was then composed of Rashanna Cumberbatch, who is a first generation Canadian actress to Guyanese parents, Heath V. Salazar a Columbian-Canadian Dora award winning trans writer, actor, singer and dancer, Sima Sepehri, who had immigrated to Canada from Iran at the age of six years old and works on shows such as Private Eyes, and Angela Sun Chinese-Canadian multi-talented performer who has been apart of SummerWorks, Paprika, and InspiraTO theatre festivals.
We Are Not The Others was one of 50 plays to be chosen to be apart of Hamilton’s 2017 Fringe Festival running from July 20 to 30. The vast majority of people come to this country with the idea of hope.” said Carranza. Using music, poetry, and the real words of immigrant women, We Are Not The Others took audiences into the world of immigration that is full of struggles, pain, tears and hope.
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On the outskirts of campus, McMaster graduates prepare a story of an apocalyptic diner to be performed at the fourteenth annual Hamilton Fringe Festival. For many of those involved, ???????????????????? ???????????????????? preludes the next big step in pursuing a career in the local theatre industry in Hamilton and beyond.
Full story is available at https://www.thesil.ca/
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On the outskirts of campus, McMaster graduates prepare a story of an apocalyptic diner to be performed at the fourteenth annual Hamilton Fringe Festival. For many of those involved, First Class preludes the next big step in pursuing a career in the local theatre industry in Hamilton and beyond.
First Class was first shown as part of the McMaster Theatre Programs’ graduating classes’ Honours Series Performances, and was selected via lottery to show alongside over 300 live performances from July 20 to July 30 at this year’s Fringe Festival.
The drama centers around three strangers trapped in a diner just days before the world ends. The three fight over the news of a spaceship, which is set to give the lucky few a first class ticket to a new, habitable planet.
McMaster Commerce graduate YiJian Zheng plays Benny, a young, gifted inventor with a villainous disdain for the poor, and who has had the privilege of having his ticket purchased for him by his parents.
Theatre program graduate Christina Stolte plays his foil. Her character, Callie, is a single mother, who is frantically finishing her application to earn a spot on the ship for her and her son.
The diner owner, Deejay, mediates the two and is played by Mohawk television and broadcasting student Funsho Elegbeleye.
The story explores themes of privilege, immigration and seeks to explore the grim question of who deserves to live or die when given the choice.
“I've always wanted to pursue a more artistic career. Singing, and [now] acting. I came to Mac mostly because my friends were here and they took commerce and my parents wanted to me have a commerce degree so that's what I chose. [But] my real passion is acting …"
YiJian Zheng
Co-writer and co-director Omobola Olarewaju was able to insert her own experience as a former international student into the characters.
“Coming from privileged background in Nigeria I was able to have both ends of the privilege [experience] … So I was privileged back home and came here and the international student life isn’t quite as [privileged] as what I came from I noticed there are a lot of limitations based on the fact that I'm not a citizen,” said Olarewaju.
“Deejay's character is kind of in the middle … I put a lot of my own experience into because he is also an international … an immigrant at the end of the world. [He] doesn’t have food ration rights, doesn’t have any of the normal things that people are entitled to, but still makes things work.”
This year, Olarewaju graduated from theatre and film and the economics programs at Mac, and like other members of the First Class team, she is immediately seeking to further her career in the theatre or film industry. She is currently working on a book, continuing her life-long practice of writing, while also seeking opportunities to work in television and film.
Unlike his fellow cast members, Zheng entered McMaster planning to pursue a career in commerce. In his third year, this changed when an extra male role needed to be filled for the McMaster School of The Arts’ production of Lady In The Red Dress.
“I've always wanted to pursue a more artistic career. Singing, and [now] acting. I came to Mac mostly because my friends were here and they took commerce and my parents wanted to me have a commerce degree so that's what I chose. [But] my real passion is acting … so when my friend told me about this opportunity with Lady in the Red Dress I took it."
Zheng resides in Richmond Hill, and currently has a full-time job to support his endeavour into a potential full time acting career. He hopes that opportunities to work in theatre, whether that’d be finally landing a role in a musical or working in the technical aspect of production, and that those opportunities present themselves close to the GTA.
The Fringe Festival is a means of showcasing the Hamilton theatre community, and it is this community that has both Stolte and Elegbeleye hoping that they can launch their careers in Hamilton specifically.
“[Hamilton] might not seem like the place to go if you were looking to be a skilled actor but I feel like it will get there, and aim hoping to be part of the people who find that, inspire that or who bring that to life ... I feel that Hamilton is going to be [my starting point]. ... it already is. People see that at the Fringe,” said Elegbeleye.
Elegbeleye has been acting in a variety of different productions since childhood, and has performed for two years at McMasters’ African Students Associations’ Afrofest. Currently, he is working a working on a web series titled Catalyst.
“[Hamilton] might not seem like the place to go if you were looking to be a skilled actor but I feel like it will get there, and aim hoping to be part of the people who find that, inspire that or who bring that to life ..."
Funsho Elegbeleye
Stolte has been part of school and community theatre productions since her childhood. Originally hailing from Burlington, she also sees Hamilton as a place for making connections with theatre industry veterans.
"Some theatre in some location is awesome, but not so much in a career sense — more in a recreational sense. In Hamilton, I have a very distinct feeling that it is very productive in a career sense where you could get a lot of really good experience ... that will then help with furthering a career in acting or anything to do with theatre really,” explained Stolte.
While this may be the last chance to see First Class, it may not be long before the names behind the production appear again in Hamilton’s theatre and independent film scene. For these artists, writers and technicians, Hamilton continues to be an increasingly attractive place to hone their craft.
First Class will be play at Mills Hardware from July 20 to July 30. Show times and more information about the Fringe can be found at http://hamiltonfringe.ca/
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