Festival by the Marsh is an integrated arts festival featuring high quality theatre and music performances, fine arts displays and demonstrations, other forms of artistic expression, and educational programmes for young people.

Correction:
Stacey Read Plays With Mason’s Tender

The Marsh Music Fest concert on Friday, August 10 will be performed by Mason’s Tender, the popular Celtic band that includes Stacey Read. The band was incorrectly identified as the Stacey Read band in a previous press release.
   Other details of the concert have also changed - it will now be held at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum at 19 Church St., at 7 p.m., and admission is by donation. Seating is limited, so people are asked to phone 536-7898 to reserve a seat.

2012 Schedule of Events!

July 23, 24 and 25
Moncton’s Hubcity Theatre presenting their production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" at the Mount Allison Swan Pond (rain location Sackville Music Hall), 7 p.m. pay what you can

July 26 to July 29
Sackville’s own Performers Company Theatre will present "Toad of Toad Hall" – Thursday, Friday and Saturday 6:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, Tickets available at Rob Lyon Graphics. Phone 536-1904
www.performerscompany.com

August 9 to 11 and 15 to 18
Will O' the Wisp Productions presents "The Little Prince”. Sackville Music Hall, August 9 - 12, 15 – 8. 7 pm evening show, and 2 pm matinee on both Saturday, tickets at their website www.willothewisp.co.cc

August 10
Marsh Music Fest presents Stacey Read Band in concert at George’s Roadhouse, 8 p.m. tickets are $10

August 11
Marsh Music Fest and Tantramarsh Blues Society present Garrett Mason & the Keith Hallet Band, tickets on sale two weeks prior to the concert at Ducky’s in downtown Sackville. For more info www.mta.ca/clubs/tbs/TBS/Welcome.html

Saturday, August 11
KIDS FEST Day 1:

Note: All KIDS FEST activities rain location is the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, 19 Church St.

10:00 am - 11:00 am
Ray's Reptiles at Campbell Carriage Factory Museum

11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Owens Art Gallery Presents "Sackville Swatchbook"/Tantramar Resource Centre/Face Painting/Shinerama BBQ at Bandstand Park

12:30 pm - 1 pm
Windsbreath Retreats presents Pippi Longstockings play for children

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Scotty and the Stars concert for children

2:00 pm
The Little Prince at the Sackville Music Hall

4 pm - 4:45 pm
Wilde About St Andrews – Oscar Wilde’s Imaginary Visit play performance at Bandstand Park

4:45 pm – 5:15 pm
Magician Dustin Hurley at Bandstand Park

7:00 pm
The Little Prince at the Sackville Music Hall

Sunday, August 12
KIDS FEST Day 2:

Note: All KIDS FEST activities rain location is the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, 19 Church St.

10 am – 3:30 pm
Tantramar Heritage Trust presents “Vintage Tool Collector Show and Family Fun Day” at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum

For further information contact Ron Kelly Spurles at sackvillefestival@gmail.com

Two Day KIDS FEST Returns to Sackville

After the successful runs of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Toad of Toad Hall”, Tantramar Pharmacy’s Festival by the Marsh continues through August 18 with more plays, the Marsh Music Fest, and the return of a two day KIDS FEST. This year’s edition of KIDS FEST will be held August 11 and 12 and features plays, concerts, the "Vintage Tool Collector Show and Family Fun Day" presented by the Tantramar Heritage Trust, and many other activities for children and families. All activities, except for the bbq, are pay what you can.

Saturday, August 11 KIDS FEST will begin with Ray’s Reptiles at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, 19 Church St., from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Their program will include a 30 minute formal general reptile show with 30 minutes of hands on after the show, offering 6 animals including a lizard, tortoise, tarantula, scorpion, crocodilian and giant snake.

The remainder of activities on August 11 will be held at Bandstand Park. From 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. the Owens Art Gallery will present "Sackville Swatchbook", the Tantramar Resource Centre will present activities, and there will be face painting, a Shinerama BBQ, and other activities for families.

Bumpy, smooth, rough and patterned, discover the textures that cover downtown Sackville. How many will you find? Visit the Owens table and Pick up a texture rubbing kit and explore Sackville in a whole new way. Gather all the rubbings you make into your very own texture specimen swatchbook to take home. Organized by the Owens Art Gallery, this activity is designed for curious kids of all ages and is free.

At 12:30 p.m. Windsbreath Retreats will present their drama programme final presentation Pippi Longstockings, a play for children, at 1:00 p.m. popular children’s performers Scotty and the Stars will present a concert, and at 2:00 p.m. Will O’Wisp Theatre will present The Little Prince at the Sackville Music Hall.

KIDS FEST DAY on August 11 will continue at 4 p.m. with the play Wilde About St Andrews – Oscar Wilde’s Imaginary Visit on tour and presented by the St Andrews Arts Council at Bandstand Park, and magician Dustin Hurley will entertain from 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The Little Prince will once again be presented at 7 p.m. at the Sackville Music Hall.

Day two of KIDS FEST, August 12, will see the Tantramar Heritage Trust presenting their annual “Vintage Tool Collector Show and Family Fun Day” at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., featuring fun heritage activities and displays for children and families.

For more information, visit www.festivalbythemarsh.ca, email sackvillefestival@gmail.com or phone (506) 536-7898. The Festival by the Marsh is presented by Tantramar Pharmacy, and supported by Young Canada Works, The Town of Sackville, Canada Summer Jobs, the Province of New Brunswick SEED Programme and Festival’s Grant Programme, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mount Allison University, and the Craig Foundation.

Marsh Music Fest Features Stacey Read, and Garret Mason and Keith Hallet

The 2012 edition of Sackville's annual Marsh Music Fest features two more concerts. The Stacey Read Band will be presented by the Festival by the Marsh on Friday, August 10 at 8 p.m. at George’s Roadhouse, and Garret Mason and the Keith Hallet Band will be performing at George's on Saturday, August 11 at 8 p.m.
Introduced to the fiddle at an early age, Stacey Read said she was given plenty of opportunities to perform during her years when she was being taught by fiddling greats Ivan and Vivian Hicks. Read will be performing music from her first solo album in more than 12 years as well as other songs.

Entitled “Not Forgotten”, her recent CD is a tribute album that not only honours the old-time Canadian fiddling greats but is also in memory of her mother Nancy, who passed away this past January. The album, which was recorded at local musician Ray Legere’s studio in April, features a mix of old-time fiddling tunes blended with several of her own original tunes, many of which were written last fall during her mother’s illness. Tickets for Stacey’s concert are $10 and can be purchased at Tidewater Books.

Garrett Mason and the Keith Hallet Band will perform at George’s Roadhouse on Saturday, August 11th, at 8:00 pm “It has been a long while since Garrett came to play for us in Sackville ...mostly because it has been hard to get our respective schedules to synchronize...but we are very happy to say that we have finally managed to do so”, said Roopen Majithia on behalf of the Tanramar Blues Society. Garrett has produced Fredericton native Keith Hallet's recent CD and the two have been playing together extensively for almost a year now and all the reports have been very good. “So we hope lots of you can make it out to welcome back to town one of our favourite bluesmen (as I am sure you will all agree...and for those of you who have never seen him, you will not want to miss this one)”, continued Majithia. Tickets are $15 and will be available 2 weeks prior to the show at Ducky's. For more on the band, please visit: www.keithhallett.ca/keithhallett.ca/Welcome.html

For more information, visit www.festivalbythemarsh.ca, email sackvillefestival@gmail.com or phone (506) 536-7898. The Marsh Music Fest is part of the Festival by the Marsh, which is presented by Tantramar Pharmacy, and supported by Young Canada Works, The Town of Sackville, Canada Summer Jobs, the Province of New Brunswick SEED Programme and Festival’s Grant Programme, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mount Allison University, and the Craig Foundation.

Outdoor Shakespeare Returns to Summer in Sackville

After a reduced season last year, 2012 marks a return of one of Southeast New Brunswick's largest and best loved summer festivals - the full-scale Tantramar Pharmacy’s Festival by the Marsh - this year with a theme of “Back to the Future”. This theme was chosen because 2012 will see a return to the format of fully produced plays, the Marsh Music Fest, a two day KIDS FEST, a drama workshop, and other activities, all stretched over four weeks in July and August (from July 22 to August 18).

This year’s Festival sees a return of the popular outdoor Shakespeare shows which have been a hallmark of the Festival since its founding in 2005. This year, one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will be presented by Moncton’s Hubcity Theatre. Hubcity are presenting their 6th annual Shakespeare in the Park a tradition carried over from England’s Globe Theatre to many cities around the world. Shakespeare in the Park appeals to everyone, young and old.

This year's production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare's most delightful comedies. Hubcity Theatre's rendition is family friendly and will take place July 23, 24 and 25 at the Swan Pond in Sackville. The play then moves to Victoria Park in Moncton on July 26, 27 and 28.

Admission is free and all shows start at 7 pm. This year, the show is going mobile, and scenes of the play will take place at different locations throughout the park. All are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or a blanket. People can join Hubcity on Facebook or email hubcitytheatre@gmail.com for further information on their production.

This year’s Festival by the Marsh also features two other full scale theatre productions. July 26 to July 29 Sackville’s own Performers Company Theatre will present the popular children’s play Toad of Toad Hall, their first summer production, and August 9 to 11 and 15 to 18 Will O' the Wisp Productions will present The Little Prince, following up on last year’s very successful production of Peter Pan.

The Festival also features the fifth annual Marsh Music Fest, this year with Stacey Read on August 10 and Garrett Mason & the Keith Hallet Band on August 11. And this year also marks the return of the Festival’s popular KIDS FEST on August 11 and 12, featuring plays, concerts, Ray’s Reptiles, the "Vintage Tool Collector Show and Family Fun Day" in collaboration with the Tantramar Heritage Trust, plus many other activities for children and families.

For more information, or for a complete schedule email sackvillefestival@gmail.com or phone (506) 536-7898. The Festival is presented by Tantramar Pharmacy, and supported by Young Canada Works, The Town of Sackville, Canada Summer Jobs, the Province of New Brunswick SEED Programme and Festival’s Grant Programme, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mount Allison University, and the Craig Foundation.

Ron Kelly Spurles
Artistic Producer, Festival by the Marsh
Director of Drama, St. Andrews Arts Council