Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

BROADWAY JUKEBOX: Pop Music Meets Broadway

Written and performed by Deb Fitzsimmons and Greg Gibson

July 27th at 7pm

July 28th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 240 Maple St., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Collingwood Toyota & Nissan

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Broadway Jukebox: Popular Music Meets Broadway
When two people with very different musical tastes are friends for over twenty-five years, an appreciation of those tastes is bound to develop over time. When Deb Fitzsimmons and Greg Gibson met in high school, they couldn’t have been more different – her a fan of such iconic artists as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Elton John; and him a fan of Broadway musicals and pop music of the time. This show blends those musical tastes by showcasing artists of popular music who have been represented on Broadway – whether it’s as composers, as performers, or by having their musical catalogues combined into “jukebox musicals”. From artists including ABBA, Alanis Morissette, Elton John, Billy Joel and The Temptations… And from shows including Jersey Boys, Once, Mamma Mia, Rock of Ages and Jagged Little Pill… This show combines those different musical tastes into a program of songs showcasing the evolution of a very special musical friendship.

DEB FITZSIMMONS

Deb Fitzsimmons is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who hails from Collingwood. Music is truly at the centre of everything she does. This life-long love of music led her to York University, where she earned an Honours B.A., specializing in ethnomusicology, music history, and vocal performance. A natural performer, she has been entertaining people in the Collingwood area with jazz, blues, gospel, classic rock, Celtic, and folk music for many years. In her spare time, she is a (very) amateur songwriter and recording engineer for her own solo CD projects.

GREG GIBSON

Greg Gibson has worked as a music director, conductor, pianist, composer, arranger and vocal coach throughout Canada and the United States with companies such as The Shaw Festival, Talk Is Free Theatre, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Theatre Collingwood, The Gravenhurst Opera House and The Weston Playhouse. He visited all seven continents and over sixty-five countries cruising the world as a Band Leader for Holland America Line from 2010-2019. Most recently, Greg was Music Director for the Broadway musical Jersey Boys onboard the Norwegian Bliss. Upcoming: Music Director for Kinky Boots onboard the Norwegian Encore.

www.greggibson.ca

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

DRUMS: A People’s Journey

Written and performed by Rudi Quammie Williams

July 25^th at 7pm

July 26^th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 310 Beech St., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Deb Doherty

SHOW DESCRIPTION

My African Ancestors realized the ability of rhythm to unify the elements of mind, body and spirit and to be a cohesive and healing force in community. Rhythm connects us to our ancestors and to our spirituality. The invention of the drum increased our ability to communicate rhythm more effectively and its journey is our journey. A People’s Journey is a musical and especially rhythmic storytelling that traces the path of my people from our West African origin to the Caribbean and South America through to North America and our present day existence in Clearview Township. Come and dance with us through this celebration of our journey, our rhythm, and our lives.

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

Elvis Pavarotti

Starring Nic Rhind and Accompanist Greg Gibson

July 23rd at 7pm

July 24th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 9 Callary Cres., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Baker Tilly SGB LLP

SHOW DISCRIPTION

Elvis is in the building!  Well not really Elvis……and not really a building.  Rather, a porch and the incredible Nic Rhind!  Nic is an accomplished Canadian actor and classically trained tenor.  Join him and accompanist Greg Gibson for a mix of beloved opera arias, operetta, hummable Neapolitan art songs, and some Elvis – because it’s Collingwood after all!

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

Every Brilliant Thing

Play written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe
From Talk Is Free Theatre

Starring Michael Torontow

July 21st at 7pm

July 22nd at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 275 Third St., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by King Stonecraft & Masonry, Vaughan Newman

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Hugs, the smell of old books, a hairdresser who listens to what you want. The colour yellow, roller coasters, ice cream — as a mother battles chronic depression, a child creates a list of every brilliant thing they can think of, to remind them what makes life worth living. As the child grows, so does the list. Looking back on a life of ups and downs, the man takes the audience on an inspiring journey that celebrates finding joy in the mundane and being grateful for the simple pleasures hiding all around us. At once intimate and interactive, this touching, funny, and uplifting performance chronicles life’s small joys and reveals the lengths to which we will go for those we love. A beautiful piece of work performed by an incredible talent!

MICHAEL TORONTOW

‍While pursuing a double-degree program in Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa, Michael began performing with local community theatre groups and realized he was headed down the wrong career path. He smartened up, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Arts Administration, and immediately moved to Toronto. After beginning his professional acting career on the US National Tour of Mamma Mia!, Michael returned to Canada to play Link Larkin in the original Canadian company of Hairspray and has been gracing stages from coast to coast ever since. He has now taken on the role of Artistic Director for Talk Is Free Theatre.

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

The Aaron Solomon Show

Starring Aaron Solomon

July 19th at 7pm

July 20th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 243 Birch St., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Bird Fuels

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Aaron Solomon is a world class musician and performer based in the Toronto area. Cape Breton born, his passion for music and fiery fiddling style took root at the age of two when he asked for his first fiddle. He has been wowing audiences ever since as an energetic singer, actor, and multi-instrumentalist mastering an astonishing variety of instruments and styles including jazz, swing, Celtic, rock, blues, R’n’B, Quebecois, Cape Breton, bluegrass, folk, ethnic, old-tyme, country, and classical – ever increasing the versatility and dynamics of his performance.

AARON SOLOMON

Aaron Solomon’s musical career has spanned three decades starting as a fiddler who embraced and mastered the world of music becoming an accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist performing on violin, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, 5-string banjo, drums and percussion. He also is an experienced record producer and a trained actor. He performs as a band leader, solo artist, sideman and is a sought-after session musician having worked on over 500 recording projects with producers such as Phil Ramone (Simon and Garfunkel, Billy Joel, Barbara Streisand) and Mutt Lang (Shania Twain, AC/DC, Def Leppard). That experience has informed his own career as a record producer.

Some of the many artists he has performed with include Shania Twain, Big Sugar, George Hamilton IV, Jason McCoy, The Star-Scape Singers, FM, Jeff Healey, Mac Wiseman and many others.

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

From Forensics to Theatre:
being First-Gen in the arts

An open dialogue about Canadian theatre (with some singing and Tap dance, too!)
Performed by Andrew Prashad

July 16th at 7pm

July 17th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 30 York Street., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Jane Moysey | Lorraine McDonald | Sheila Shepherd

SHOW DISCRIPTION

In this unique show, Award-winning performer Andrew Prashad shares his experiences growing up in Canada, the calamity of trying to balance his culture and heritage with white suburbia, and how it all somehow lead him to study Forensic Science… before switching into THEATRE!
Bring all you senses to this one because Andrew will tell stories, sing, Tap dance, and even answer your questions!

ANDREW PRASHAD

Andrew is a solidly trained and versatile dancer as well as a musician, singer and actor. He is one of the
leading Tap dance artists in Canada, teaching and choreographing around the world. He is an award-winning actor, composer and writer, having recently had his self-produced short film officially selected
in 12 festivals around the world and winning 4 awards including BEST SHORT FILM. Recent TV/Film credits include Disney’s film SPIN, the television series THE HOT ZONE: ANTHRAX, a principal recurring on the new series LARRY and a fun jaunt in BLUES CLUES AND YOU with his son.

On stage he’s been a featured singer and dancer on the 20th Anniversary World Tour of RIVERDANCE, originated a role in Mira Nair’s MONSOON WEDDING musical at Berkeley Rep Theatre, played Cogsworth in Young People’s Theatre’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Billy in ONCE at Theatre St John’s in Newfoundland, Boutons in Neptune Theatre’s CINDERELLA where he won a MERRITT AWARD for OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, and originated the role of Jonas in JUKEBOX HERO at the Ed Mirvish Theatre.

After doing HOLIDAY INN at the Shaw Festival he made his Stratford Festival debut with his One-Person show ONE STEP AT A TIME. It is a critically acclaimed, multi-medium show (Tap dance, acting, singing, and video) chronicling his family’s journey with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and has been presented by schools and theatres, raising $11,500 (to date) for SickKids Hospital and Erin Oak Kids. He recently finished playing The Beadle Bamford in Talk Is Free Theatre’s production of SWEENEY TODD. Andrew is a graduate of the University of Toronto at Mississauga with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance as well as French Literature.

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

Person of Interest

Written and performed by Melody A. Johnson
Additional dialogue by Eric Woolfe
Original Direction by Rick Roberts
Produced by Lunkamud

July 14th at 7pm

July 15th at 2pm and 7pm

Location: 66 Georgian Manor Dr., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Collingwood Celebrancy

SHOW DESCRIPTION

“Person of Interest, is a topical tale, about a good, law-abiding citizen like me who hoped to volunteer and so applied for a police background check. It was at that point when I discovered I was a Person of Interest…courtesy of some bad neighbours next door. It was their final act of retaliation.”
Melody Johnson

Debuting in 2018, Person of Interest has been delighting audiences across the country. Those who enjoy the wave of stand-alone storytelling like CBC’s Vinyl Café, and National Public Radio’s The Moth podcasts, will crave this yarn spinning, edgy, comic tale. Theatre Collingwood audiences may remember Melody from when we presented her one woman play Miss Caledonia. She is brilliant and so entertaining and we are delighted to now have her as part of the Porchside Festival.

MELODY A. JOHNSON

I’m from Brantford, Ontario which is mostly known for Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Graham Bell. Not bad company. After I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre at York U, I began travelling and performing all over. I’ve created some wonderful characters in Canadian theatre while working alongside some of the best directors and playwrights around. While working on traditional plays I also monkeyed around in the improv and comedy worlds. Improv great Colin Mochrie hired me for The Toronto Second City Touring Company and that’s how I got to writing, mostly on my feet. After my time as a mainstage actor I began directing Second City’s touring company and mainstage revues, and ‘comedyturged’ south of the border on Second City Chicago’s #DateMe show. As an actor, comedian and storyteller, I honed material for my latest show, Person of Interest at comedy clubs in Toronto and Halifax, and I’m pretty honoured that actors coast to coast are now performing my play Miss Caledonia.

Festival performances are all outdoors, on or around porches in Collingwood.  Please dress for the weather and bring your lawn chair. 

There are no public washrooms on site.  Performances are approximately one hour long.  Please take any garbage home with you.  Thank you.

From Dusty to Dua

Starring Leah Allyce Canali with accompanists Joel Visentin and Mike Meusel

July 12th at 7pm

July 13th at 2pm & 7pm

Location: 288 Beech St., Collingwood

Porch Generously Sponsored by Hearn Beaumont Real Estate Group

SHOW DESCRIPTION

From Dusty to Dua is a retrospective of all of the best British Soul voices ~ Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, and even the Spice Girls! Leah Allyce Canali uses the music of these female superstars to tell her story of working as a touring vocalist and songwriter.

LEAH ALLYCE CANALI

Combining classical training with a signature smokey soulful tone, and a healthy dose of coveted whistle tones, Leah is a multi-genre master. Her voice has been compared to Adele, Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Mariah Carey and Jill Scott but her vocal style is a sound all its own. In addition to her stage life, she is a session vocalist, songwriter and commercial jingle composer. Whether it be a headlining spot on one of the largest stages in the world or an intimate piano bar, Leah has an innate ability to connect vocally and emotionally to any crowd. Her repertoire combines the best of old and new, contemporary and classic with arrangements that will make you fall in love with your favorite music all over again.
Canali has been a touring vocalist since the age of 19. She is perhaps best known for her YouTube channel which in 2016 caught the eye of International drag Superstar, RuPaul, who is an avid follower and sharer of all of Leah’s music. Her cover videos have trended alongside such artists as Madonna, Katy Perry and Adore Delano. Speaking of Drag Race, Leah has become one of the go to vocalists and songwriters for the franchise and she has written, recorded and performed with: Katya, Trixie Mattel, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Priyanka, Cheryl Hole, Tynomi Banks and BOA. Her song Queen of the North, which she co-wrote for Brooke Lynn Hytes, was used as the finale song of Canada’s Drag Race Season 2 which marked the first time, in the history of the franchise, that a non-RuPaul song was awarded this honor. In 2021, Leah co-wrote, produced and sang on The Taste EP which debuted at #5 on the Itunes Pop Charts and featured the song Come Through which went viral on Tik Tok. Performance credits include: The Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Pride Toronto, World Pride, Celebrity Cruise Lines, World Fashion Week, Mirvish Productions (Broadway North), The Official Inaugural Party of Barack Obama.

Leah has also been featured on: VH1, Entertainment Weekly, ET Canada, The World Ballroom Championships, Logo TV’s NewNowNext and the Canadian Country Music Awards. Her debut EP, Light and Dark, was one of only 5 albums featured on Rupaul’s personal Instagram account in 2021.

www.leahcanali.com

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