Garden Party Fun at The Mill!

We had a lovely afternoon and evening of music, socializing, games and delicious food at Sunday's Garden Party at The Mill. We're thankful to everyone who came out to join us, and to the incredible staff at The Mill, who volunteered their time to prepare and serve the locally-sourced, four-course meal. It was scrumptious!

Catherine Hennessey was our roving historian and star of our "Who's Your Father/Mother?" booth, telling stories to our guests about their Island family history. 

Catherine Hennessey, gin in hand, gleefully spills Island secrets

We had live music throughout the evening from local musicians, including some of our Pageant performers. Brad Trivers and Party Mix got the party started with rollicking cover tunes, Scott Parsons and Gerry Edge kept the music going on the deck, and then Sarah Segal-Lazar and Nick Doneff serenaded us throughout dinner.

The event was an enormous and inspiring success, and we were lucky to spend the evening with friends, neighbours, collaborators, family members and supporters. We're so excited by the generosity and spirit of the community, and last night felt like just a taste of what's to come. 

We've posted a whole album of photos over on our Facebook page...take a look!

Stilting around Charlottetown

Stilt Workshops are happening this weekend with Ottawa-based stilt teacher and performer Laura Astwood. Workshops are free, and stilts are included! The workshops will take place in Charlottetown at the following times:

• Saturday June 4, 2pm-6pm
• Sunday June 5, 10am-1pm
• Wednesday June 9 & Thursday June 10, 6pm-9pm
• Saturday June 11 & Sunday June 12, 12pm-4pm

To sign up for the workshop, send us an email (riverclydepageant@gmail.com) and provide details including age and contact information. We’ll send you location details.

Upcoming Pageant Events

It’s happening!

It’s been a year of planning, but here we are, about to dive into the creative work of making the River Clyde Pageant. We’re so excited to start rehearsals and workshops, and we wanted to share some important dates and upcoming events with you.

Making a bit of a scene in Charlottetown on a Sunday afternoon

Get Involved!

There are lots of opportunities to participate in this year's River Clyde Pageant! We are seeking performers, musicians, puppeteers and puppet builders, dancers, costume makers, stilt walkers and more. Production volunteers will also be needed. There are roles for all ages and levels of experience.

We are hosting two info sessions in the coming weeks, and we encourage you to attend one! These meetings will outline the process, the schedule, and the various opportunities for involvement, and will be a chance to ask any questions you might have about getting involved. The first meeting is in Charlottetown on May 29, from 2-4pm at the Schurman Family Studio at Confederation Centre for the Arts. The second meeting is in New Glasgow on June 5, from 2-4pm at The Mill. Here's the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/475239915998543/

The next thing on our schedule is our first stilt workshop! Ottawa-based stilt teacher Laura Astwood is leading a six-day workshop for people interested in performing on stilts in the Pageant. Laura will teach the group how to walk and move safely on stilts, and we will begin to create performance material on stilts together. The workshop dates are:

• Saturday June 4 2pm-6pm

• Sunday June 5, from 10am-1pm

• Wednesday June 8 and Thursday June 9, from 6-9pm

• Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12, from 12-4pm

To sign up for the workshop, send us an email at riverclydepageant@gmail.com and include your age and contact information. We’ll get back to you with information on the location and other details.

And last but not least: We’re having a Fundraiser Garden Party and dinner at The Mill on Sunday June 26, from 3-8pm. There will be live music by Nick Doneff, Scott Parsons, Sarah Segal-Lazar, and local band Party Mix, as well as outdoor games and a delicious three course buffet dinner prepared by Emily Wells. Socializing, games and entertainment will happen throughout the afternoon, with dinner served at 6pm. Tickets are $50 per person and $100 for a family. Share a meal, share your New Glasgow stories, and meet some of the folks involved in the making of the Pageant. Mark your calendars – we’ll have more info on tickets and reservations in the coming weeks.

If you can’t make it to the Garden Party, but have stories, recollections or anecdotes related to Island rivers and waterways, please get in touch with us via email. We’re gathering material for possible use in the Pageant, and your stories could be part of that!

We look forward to seeing you soon – at an info session, at our garden party, in rehearsal, or at the performance!

The River Clyde Pageant is a Go!

We are excited to share some updates about the River Clyde Pageant, including great news about funding, date changes for the pageant performances, and a request to help us with a Spring Funding Drive to make this exciting community arts event happen in the most spectacular and satisfying way possible. So, the great news first:

• We were successful in our application for a Canada Council grant! Last month we received word that we’ve been awarded a grant from the Canada Council Artists and Community Collaboration program. Although we received less than we applied for, it’s enough to cover the basic costs of the pageant, and it means that for the first time since we started dreaming over a year ago about a magical community performance on the beautiful River Clyde in New Glasgow, we know for sure it’s going to happen! Another great thing about the grant – it wouldn’t have been possible with out the many letters of support we received from project collaborators in the local community, expressing their commitment to the project. CBC broke the news about our successful funding application a couple weeks ago.
   
• The dates of the Pageant have changed slightly. Originally, we had planned to have pageant performances in mid-August 2016. We have adjusted the performance dates to Saturday July 30th and Sunday July 31st. That means we’ll start workshops for the various aspects of the pageant on June 25th, with stilt-walking workshops beginning earlier in June.
   
• We’ve launched a Spring Fundraising Drive to cover the difference between our original project budget and what we received from the Canada Council. We’re hoping to raise $10,000 by May, and we have already received $1500 towards this goal. If you’d like to donate, or you know someone else who might want to support the River Clyde Pageant, please let Megan know at riverclydepageant@gmail.com. Any size donation helps! 

We will be posting further updates and news about the many options for pageant participation. In the meantime, if you have questions or ideas about any aspect of the pageant, please get in touch with us, via email or using the handy contact form on this site.

We also have a brand new facebook page! Like us to follow along as we begin this exciting process!