P R I N C E E D W A R D I S L A N D ’ June 2018 S G U ANNIVERSARY ISSUE I D Section A E T O W H A T ’ S G O I N G O N / B U Z Z O N . C O M Karen Gallant Page A 2 The BUZZ June 2018 The BUZZ June 2018 Page A 3 Page A 4 The BUZZ June 2018 Profile: Debbie Atkinson by Jane Ledwell Debbie gets to every show she can— “certainly every day of the festival.” This year, she is especially looking forward to “reprise” shows Cynthia MacLeod has organized, to bring back shows from past years that people particularly loved. Music lover Often, Debbie says, “I have to emcee a show, or take tickets or serve food. We have to do whatever we have to do.” Sometimes, at a late-night, post-show jam, she will add her own guitar to the melee of instruments. “I’ve played guitar for years, as a church youth leader, around campfires and with youth groups. I play guitar in a rock band at church. It’s great for mental health. Some people cook, some people garden—I like music,” she says. When the PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls begins, “I’m just a cog in the wheel,” Debbie insists, but she laughs, “I’ve been a constant cog—I’m the only original cog left. “Every year for the festival, we have to hire new staff, and they are often 20- somethings with not a lot of knowledge of traditional music, Debbie says. She gets to see them awaken to it, just as she did, to discover “the value of music handed down from one generation to the next.” This happens “in rural kitchens every - where,” Debbie says, and she’s proud to support small halls across PEI that are like kitchens more people can fit into. Z Z U B Debbie Atkinson volunteered for the first Neither is involved now, but they East Coast Music Awards that came to invented the festival; they were the Charlottetown, in 1996, out of love of brains, and I was the admin at first.” music and challenges. Debbie says: “I That first festival “worked, and it caught on with traditional music, and I worked well.” didn’t know I would. I didn’t think I would love fiddles.” Debbie has now been part “People would be amazed how many of bringing live traditional music and sto - people come to PEI just for the cultural rytelling to every corner of Prince Edward experience,” Debbie says. “On PEI, we Island for ten years, as festival manager of have talent that can rival anywhere in the PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls. the world.” Debbie credits festival pro - grammer Cynthia MacLeod for “a fan - Despite growing up in Charlottetown tastic Festival this year,” adding, “I am surrounded by music, “I had never real - deeply indebted to her for her work for ly been put in front of really good fiddle many years with the Festival.” Cynthia music,” Debbie says, “but I could see the programs 40% from “away” and 60% talent of these guys. They were not just artists from here; they put on 40+ shows, out of the barn.” year after year, and people come out and pay to hear the locals as much as the Debbie volunteered in the office for the “from aways.” 1996 ECMAs because “My kids were growing up, and I didn’t have a job that The festival and its sponsors have a rural year,” she recalls. Electrified by the tal - feel, Debbie says. “I grew up in ent she saw, she continued work in the Charlottetown,” she says, “and I didn’t music business, as performance coordi - know where Lot 7 was, or Lot 16 or nator for the “huge production” of Munn’s Road. And now I’m running the Bridge Fest in 1997, and as event manag - roads, seeing these gorgeous venues in er when the ECMAs returned to PEI in beautiful places, and the sweet hospitali - 2001: “I was terrified I was going to fail, ty. It’s a typical ‘Island’ thing to do.” but I didn’t.” Many of the small halls across the Island are run by volunteers, and Debbie says, The timing was right in 2008 when Ray “I’ve loved getting to know them. I Brow and Ward MacDonald dreamed never imagined that I would know the up a traditional music festival for small Island like I do now.” halls across the Island. They approached Debbie just six weeks out She smiles, “I’ve moved to Cornwall from that first proposed festival. “I have now, but in my mind, I’m in the to pay homage to Ray and Ward. country.” The BUZZ June 2018 Page A 5 Charlottetown Festival Open House Anne opens June 23 Indian River Festival June 8 54th season at the Confederation Centre of the Arts The Pavilion at the Indian River Festival The Indian River Festival, now in it’s 23rd year, includes folk, jazz, blues, roots, classical, choral, traditional, and contemporary music in historic St. Mary’s Church in Indian River. The season starts with an free open house on June 8 at 1 pm. Opening cere - monies start at 1:30 pm with guests and musical performances. Pianist Sarah Hagen and singer will perform Christine The cast of Anne of Green Gables—The Musical™ in rehearsals for the Charlottetown Festival Campbell, and others. Food will be pro - vided by Samuel’s Coffee House, Open Eats, Island Stone Pub, Broadway 45, The Charlottetown Festival opens its 2018 A free performance is presented daily in The Table, O’Neil Home Gallery and season with a production of the the Tim the outdoor amphitheatre with the TD Cafe and others. Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber rock opera, Confederation Centre Young Company. The lineup of artists for 2018 Indian Jesus Christ Superstar . This timeless story Entitled Aqsarniit (“awe-saw-nee”), the River Festival summer season is set. It with a modern twist explores the last Inuktitut word used to describe the includes: Sarah Slean with the Atlantic week of Jesus’ life through the troubled northern lights, this production will be a String Machine, Michael Kaeshammer, eyes of Judas Iscariot. high-energy, musical performance that Sirens, Lennie Gallant, Amanda Jackson, re-examines the stories of Canada’s past Mike Biggar, Payadora Tango Ensemble, Sharing the mainstage is Anne of Green and explores what stories we hope are Chris Norman, Trio Tangere, Justin Gables—The Musical ™, now in its 54th told in the future. Nozuka, The Sweet Lowdown, Marc season. Audiences will enjoy a different Djokic & Isabel Bayrakdarian, Dave visual experience this year with a 360- Rounding off the Festival are two solo Carroll, Dennis & Kinley,The Ennis degree revolving stage. autobiographical performances with Sisters, Meaghan Blanchard, Nick tour-de-force artists New Brunswick Doneff, Alicia Toner, Hillsburn, The Festival has developed new original actor Shawn Wright in Ghost Light with Ensemble Made in Canada and more. musical works for this summer season. and actor/comedian Sheldon Elter in All summer concerts takes place in St. Mary’s Church on Hamilton Road in First is On the Road with Dutch Mason Métis Mutt . where audiences go on a road trip Indian River and doors open one hour prior to concert time. across Atlantic Canada in the back seat The Festival Season opens June 7 with www.IndianRiverFestival.com of a Cadillac El Dorado and find out select dates until September 22. For tick - what it takes to love, laugh, and live the ets and information visit: confedera - blues with Canada’s “Prime Minister of tioncentre.com/whats-on/. The the Blues.” Charlottetown Festival extends thanks The 902 to Government of Canada for their sup - Visitors to PEI should know what The second premiere is Stories from the port; to The Charlottetown Festival title Islanders have learned to do when mak - Red Dirt Road where four Island stories sponsor, CIBC; Production Sponsors, ing a phone call on PEI. Dial 902 first are woven together through the musings Tim Hortons, CAA, Honibe, and Key unless otherwise indicated . The Buzz of familiar Island characters and the Murray Law; and Location Sponsor, does not print 902 with the PEI phones in music of heartfelt songs about life on PEI. Confederation Court Mall. order to save the keystrokes. Page A 6 The BUZZ June 2018 at The Mill in New Glasgow. Three Leadership Award Luncheon fundraiser lunches will be held from 12 –3 The 17th Annual Dementia Friends Meal s pm on June 10, June 16 and June 17. Enjoy Leadership Award Luncheon will be held a three course meal with all proceeds June 22 at 11:45 am at Rodd etc going towards the 2018 Pageant. Make a Charlottetown, 75 Kent St, Charlottetown. reservation by calling The Mill at 964-3313. Book your seats at Vernon Bridge Lobster Pancake Breakfast www.eventbrite.ca/e/17th-annual-demen - Supper tia-friends-leadership-award-luncheon- Passion for Impact, a volunteer group, St. Andrew’s United Church Women will tickets-44793275894#tickets. Info: Kate partners with the Canadian charity Live Shreenan, 370-3136 hold its annual Take-Out Lobster Supper Different which provides housing, on June 2. Tickets can be purchased from schools, and children’s homes for com - Pot Potluck Party UCW members or the Church Office (651- munities in Haiti, Mexico, Thailand, and In 1978 the Federal New Democratic Party 2009.) Ham plates are also available upon the Dominican Republic with the goal of established a policy that called for the request.