It’s a big new season for County Stage. Though the theatre company has been here in one guise or another — it used to be called Festival Players — since 2006, the hiring a couple of years ago of director, producer and playwright Heather Braaten as Artistic Director is transforming the 20-year-old repertory company in ways that make it feel brand new.

As Greg Sorbara, who sits on the board, puts it, “County Stage has the potential to be as important a theatre company as at Stratford or the Shaw Festival. Not in one, two, or even five years, perhaps, but my ambition is that it become an increasingly important part of what Picton and PEC are known for.”

He has faith in Ms. Braaten. “I’ve spent a lot of time watching theatre. This woman is a great talent.”

That talent, as well as almost a decade in charge of the Stephenville Theatre Festival in Newfoundland, was on abundant display last summer, Ms. Braaten’s second season at the helm here. With a slim five-actor band, the company mounted three full-scale dramatic productions — a musical at The Regent, a historical drama at Mount Tabor, and an extraordinarily exuberant Snow White outdoors at The Eddie.

The big innovation was to mount productions not over two or three days, but over two or three weeks, creating the County’s first real theatre season, with shows overlapping each other across July and August.

“County Stage has the potential to be as important a theatre company
as at Stratford or the Shaw Festival.
Not in one, two, or even five years, perhaps,
but my ambition is that it become an increasingly important part
of what Picton and PEC are known for.”

—Greg Sorbara, owner of The Royal Hotel and County Stage board member

It was a big gamble. “Two-thirds of our audience is local. I was of course terrified that a show offered over ten days might be half empty — or worse — most of those days.”

But the audiences showed up, and so did the tourists. The season was a fledgling success.

This summer promises even more: the company now boasts 7 actors and four productions, three offered this summer and another, White Rabbit Red Rabbit, in October. 

The actors live on site for the full summer of rehearsals and performances. “Having the artists live and work together here is so important — and they are interacting with each other across multiple shows.” 

Each actor performs in two productions, and all of them are in the season centerpiece, the broadway-style musical First Date at The Regent.

“Forty years ago this was one of the most depressed counties in South Eastern Ontario,” notes Mr. Sorbara. “And look at us now. PEC is becoming an important venue for the performing arts. The Jazz and Chamber Music festivals, the Biglake Festival, CAFF, our new film festival, everything at Base31— it all says something about where we are going.

 “If we play our cards right, the County has a particularly bright future.”

The season launches June 19 at Karlo Estates with a Scripts and Sips that will see the entire company perform excerpts from the summer’s productions.

Ticket packages offer maximum value.
A 3-ticket pass for every show is just $90,
while a flex-pass of six tickets to be used at any time is $180.
Individual tickets range from $50 for First Date to $30 for Pinocchio.
Those under 25 can attend free of charge.
Visit County Stage for more information.

The Programme

The whole company features in First Date, a musical about two 30-something New York City singles set up by friends. They have nothing in common: Aaron (Callum Lurie) is a Jewish banker looking for a meaningful relationship, while Casey (Sophie McLeod) is a bohemian artist. The supporting cast acts out their thoughts, wishes, and anxieties, while an interfering waiter tries to rescue the evening for everyone. It’s “quite a piece,” says Ms. Braaten, who directs.

Mouthpiece is a Canadian feminist phenomenon. It’s been performed over the past decade with extraordinary success by its writers, Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken of Quote Unquote Collective. Ms. Braaten, who directs this as well, says, “I’m really excited to be working on this. It’s been on the Canadian theatre scene since 2015. The creators have always been the performers — it’s a big jumping- off point to feature different actors.” 

Set over the space of one day in Toronto, two actors play Cassandra, whose mother has just died unexpectedly. A writer, Cassandra is tasked with helping prepare for the funeral by writing the eulogy, but finds she cannot speak. Flooded with memories, her internal dialogue probes her mother’s choice to mother first, and her own desire to become a writer.

The play has won multiple awards and has been performed around the world to great acclaim, including earning the interest of Jodie Foster, who in 2017 brought the Collective to Los Angeles for a two-show run. It was made into a film by Patricia Rozema, available on CBC Gem until mid-June.

Finally, there’s Pinocchio, directed by puppeteer Seanna Kennedy and staged at The Eddie’s outdoor pavilion. It features five actors, including all four of the company’s men. “I love that young people will see men being so playful on stage, it’s a really nice energy that they bring,” says Ms. Braaten. This lively, funny story about imagination will appeal to all ages. Workshops after select performances invite younger audience members in.

Special features include Annie Lujan and Veronica Hortiguela’s Monks, back by popular demand after last summer’s sold-out shows. Set in a medieval monastery, it is a delightfully chaotic clown show. The three performances, at the Red Barn at the Eddie, promise to sell out.

New this year is an October offering, Nassim Soleimanpour’s global sensation, White Rabbit Red Rabbit. Here for just one night, it opens with an actor walking onstage with no knowledge of the script. A sealed envelope reveals the play, which the actor discovers along with the audience. “It’s wildly popular and has been performed all over the world,” notes Ms. Braaten. “It’s so exciting we are able to do it here.”

Ticket sales finance about 30 percent of the costs of theatre production. 
A new monthly 50/50 raffle 
“is crowdfunding at its finest!” as Ms. Braaten puts it.
The $5 monthly draw is shared between the company and the winner. 
“Every dollar is money directly supporting the arts.
Even $500 coming to us helps — that’s a whole costume.”