December 2024 | Volume 70
THE HAT GAZETTE
THIS ISSUE: Under the HAT with WESLEY J. COLFORD | NEXT UP AT THE HAT ACADEMY | RADICAL ACCESS PERKS FOR YOU!
UNDER THE HAT: WESLEY J. COLFORD
TOM: Hello Wes! For those who may not be familiar with your work, which would be somewhat shocking, can you start us off with a brief rundown of your relationship to the arts?
WESLEY: I was lucky enough to be introduced to performing at a very young age through Take Note Music School, Cape Breton School of the Arts, and later the UCCB Drama Group (which would later become Class Acts Drama School). Performing was always the thing that got me through the hardest parts of life and the place I really found my joy. I knew I wanted to spend my life in the arts but I didn’t think it would be possible to do so and earn a living while living in Cape Breton. And yet here I am!
TOM: It’s hard to believe we are at the end of our 10 year anniversary year. It’s truly been an amazing run of productions all year long. What have been some of the curve balls and/or positive surprises that popped up along the way?
WESLEY: This has absolutely been a banner year for us in so many ways. It’s the first year since COVID we’ve had a fully programmed, uninterrupted season from January to December with about 20 productions/events that we produced, let alone all the other rental performances and special events. Alongside this output avalanche has been what I consider a really tangible raising of the bar in terms of artistic scope and excellence. The fact that we debuted 3 new works by local female playwrights this year is a huge source of pride for me. Definitely the biggest curveball was the announcement that the ticketing system we’ve used for 6+ years had been acquired by another business and would require a dramatic shift in our admin and ticketing organisation. Thankfully, our team rose to the occasion and it became a natural turning point to launch our newly designed website (thanks Tom!) which will hopefully lead to a more pleasant and user-friendly patron experience across the board!
TOM: (You’re welcome!) Dramatic shift is absolutely right. Holy! Thank you all for your patience as we continue to integrate these changes across the organization. So Wes, is there a particular show from the past year that holds a special place in your heart? And if so, why?
WESLEY: It really has been a year of highlights, so it’s definitely very hard to pick favourites. Funny Girl was an incredible experience with an incredible team that really elevated the bar. It was so much fun to revisit Dream with so many of the original cast but in a whole new space with nearly double the performers. Cheers for 10 Years also featured similar nostalgic joy as we reprised some of the HAT’s greatest hits for a new generation of performers and audiences. It was also a blast to re-visit Panto-Land with our remount of Jack and the continuation of those adventures in Blow Me. I think the show I loved watching the most though was probably Mimikej (created by Sarah Prosper and Shawnee Paul), which felt like an incredible accomplishment and a perfect blending of words, movement, music, and the breathtaking art of Alan Sylliboy.
“A lot of the big surprises of 2025 have already been announced (The Producers and Hairspray), but there’s always more being planned and imagined.”
TOM: I know we’ve talked about this plenty over the years, but I think our readers might be interested in what kind of considerations go into programming a season. Do you have specific parameters you use as guidance when choosing shows? What kind of balance do you try to strike?
WESLEY: Balance is definitely the word I use most as I’m trying to program a Season. There’s a lot of factors, obviously, but I’d say it starts with an examination of who the artists are that we want to work with and what kinds of projects are exciting them. So much of our work revolves around the incredible local artists on this island, so that’s often the first step - whether it be new plays or new interpretations of classics. Sadly, budgets are always a big consideration and we need to make sure a Season has a size and scale that we know we can actually afford to pay for. And then making sure there’s a good mix of the thought-provoking with good old plain fun. I often think of seasons like meal planning: You don’t want a five-course meal that consists only of broccoli, but you also don’t necessarily want five consecutive servings of ice cream. Usually by the time 3 or 4 projects are confirmed, a theme or motif starts to emerge that then guides the final decisions of the season to (ideally) create some kind of cohesive season-arc. I definitely spend more time on this than I probably need to, but programming and season curation is definitely one of the obsessions that occupies my brain more than probably anything else.
TOM: I think this past year has been such a perfect balance and knowing what I know about 2025, I think we are in line for an incredible buffet you’re programmed. Which feels like the perfect time to pivot to our first production of 2025 - Constellations! What drew you to this play and why do you think it’s relevant at this moment?
WESLEY: In a season of stars (and star-crossed lovers), it felt like Constellations was the perfect start to a new decade of HAT. It’s a play that contains multitudes, theoretically infinite permutations of two very human humans trapped in a tragically finite loop. It’s exhilarating, it’s beautiful, and it’s a feast of theatricality. Thankfully we have two incredible actors bringing these characters to life - Bhreagh MacNeil, who hasn’t done a project with us since Little One, and yourself Tom Colford (who we were lucky to have last year as a last minute Punch Up). Seeing the scope of this play brought to life through the imagination of director Alison Crosby is itself a dream come true and I honestly cannot believe the stars aligned to have these three artists back on the island and working together. It’s going to be brilliant.
TOM: I’m sitting next to my script as we speak. Don’t miss this show folks! LASTLY, is there anything coming up down the road that hasn’t been announced yet but maybe you could give us even a cryptic clue towards?
WESLEY: A lot of the big surprises of 2025 have already been announced (The Producers and Hairspray), but there’s always more being planned and imagined. We’re definitely talking a lot about the possibility of a third pantomime for 2025 and it’s very likely you’ll hear an announcement for a new Dinner and a Show at Sacred Heart… perhaps even sooner than expected!
TOM: Delicious. Thank you so much for doing this Wes!
WESLEY: Thank you and Happy New Year all!
Constellations runs January 22nd to 26th and complimentary tickets are available for all RA Donors of $25+/monthly or $300+/annually
Limited FREE tickets are available THANKS TO YOU, our incredible Radical Access Donors!
What PATRONS Are Saying about:
“Oh my this was the best night!!!!!! Meal was very very good and the musical talent was spectacular!!!!!! If you have a chance you must experience this!!”
-EB
“The dancing and singing in this production was of the highest I have seen in NS - on par with off Broadway productions!”
— ASB
“This was one of the best musical experiences I’ve ever attended and I have been to theatre in Toronto, New York and London. It was so well paced, the lighting and sound were beautiful.“
— JM
SNEAK PEEK: CONSTELLATIONS
By Nick Payne
Directed by Alison Crosby (Little One, Sweet Enough, See Jane Run)
Roland (a bee keeper) and Marianne (a theoretical physicist) meet at a party. In that single moment, an unfathomable multitude of universes unfold. In this clever, eloquent and moving story, these star-crossed lovers live a myriad of possible lifetimes, capturing the extraordinary richness of being alive in the universe.
“Who knew that higher physics could be so sexy, so accessible — and so emotionally devastating?” -The New York Times
Starring Tom Colford (Punch Up) & Bhreagh MacNeil (Little One)
Select Seats available for Free every performance while supplies last thanks to Radical Access.
What’s new at THE hat academy?
CLASSES START JANUARY 6th
THE DECEMBER RADICAL ACCESS
TICKET LOTTERY
Each month we hold a draw exclusive to RA donors to remind you how amazing we know you are. The draws are completely random and all donation levels are included.
This month’s prize?
2 tickets to THE EMINEM SHOW - A Tribute to Slim Shady
WINNERS
James MacLellan
Joanne Frost
Beryl Sutherland
It’s been a wild month for HAT folks across the board. From Blow Me, to Over the Rainbow, to A Christmas Carol, Christmas At Sacred Heart Downtown, and lastly A Very Merry HAT Christmas Eve Sing-A-Long Service, there have been 5 productions (some performers in all five). Not to mention our Holiday Film Screenings, Lennie Gallant returning to the HAT stage and a handful of rentals.
December followed suit with the rest of 2024 - FILLED TO THE BRIM with talent proudly on display. Thank you for being there and thank you for making it all possible. We know times are tough and the fact you continue to support us means even more now than ever. It truly makes a world of a difference and we are so grateful to you all. We hope you holidays look exactly the way you like them to and we’ll see you soon in 2025!
REMINDER!
Don’t forget to transfer your donations into the new system and start getting your perks!
Already in action for those of you in the new system, 2 COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO ALL 5 of our upcoming Winter/Spring Mainstage Productions, discounted tickets for Hairspray, and FREE tickets to all of our film screenings. Plus more in the new year!
Not sure if you’re switched into the new system? Email us at info@highlandartstheatre.com and we can let you know!
SHOWING IN JANUARY
