Alexis Milligan Stars in Any Given Moment at Ship’s Company Theatre

Alexis Milligan, Claudia Gutierrez, and Wally McKinnon star in Any Given Moment, a Ship’s Company Theatre co-production with Theatre New Brunswick. The play runs from August 8 - September 2. 

"It's about three strangers who find themselves, through circumstance, trapped in a church basement together because there’s been a bomb threat," says director Natasha MacLellan. "They’re a homeless man, a yoga mom and really angst-ridden teenager. So they do not gel, but they end up having really interesting conversations. It goes to a beautiful place.”

Alexis is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School. A three-time Talent Trust scholarship recipient, she’s forged an impressive career as an award-winning director, choreographer, teacher, and actor in film, television, and theatre.

She’s also active as a jury and board member with organizations including Theatre Nova Scotia, Arts Nova Scotia, and Dance Nova Scotia. We're happy to have Alexis as a current board member of the Talent Trust.

Ticket Information

Box Office & Theatre: 18 Lower Main St. Parrsboro, Nova Scotia

Call 1-800-565-SHOW (7469) or purchase online

Shows start at 8:00 p.m., Sunday matinee is 2:00 p.m.

Adult:  $30.00

Youth (25 & under):  $10.00

Every Friday (except Opening Night): Adult  $20.00

Previews: Pay What You Can

Patrick Simms Performs in Midsummer Night's Dream at Halifax Summer Opera Festival

Patrick Simms will perform the role of Lysander in Benjamin Britten’s 1960 opera A Midsummer Night's Dream. The opera is presented by the Halifax Summer Opera Festival.

Patrick received Talent Trust scholarships from 2013-15. After studying opera at Dalhousie University, he performed with the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and played the tenor role of Prince Charming in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon at Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto in 2016.

Britten’s operatic setting of Shakespeare’s play, where nothing is as it seems, is performed in English, with projected libretto, accompanied by piano.

Performance Dates and Times

Sir James Dunn Theatre
Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue, Halifax

Saturday, August 4, 2:00 pm

Tuesday, August 7, 7:30 pm

Friday, August 10, 7:30 pm

Sunday, August 12, 2:00 pm

(dates and times subject to change)

Tickets

$30 for general admission
$20 for student (aged 13 to university)
$5 for children under 13

Tickets will be available in advance online from TicketHalifax.com, in person at The Coast offices, and by phone with credit card at (902)-422-6278 ex. 50

The Halifax Summer Opera Festival box office opens outside the Sir James Dunn Theatre at the Dal Arts Centre from one hour before show time, and any remaining tickets are available to purchase then. Cash, cheques and Visa/MasterCard are accepted at the door. For more details, see their Ticket Information Page.

Shanice Skinner Performs in Don Giovanni at the Halifax Summer Opera Festival

Shanice Skinner - photo courtesy of Halifax Summer Opera Festival

Shanice Skinner will perform the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Sir James Dunn Theatre in Halifax. The opera is presented by the Halifax Summer Opera Festival.

Shanice, a soprano born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2017. 

She was Nova Scotia’s alto selection for the 2014 National Youth Choir, and soprano for the 2016 National Youth Choir tour in Alberta.

Shanice won the Talent Trust Portia White award in 2016.

Here’s the Halifax Opera Festival’s description of Don Giovanni: 

“One of Mozart’s greatest operas, Don Giovanni is the story of the women (and men) damaged by a philandering, roguish womanizer, all set to glorious music. Our #metoo modern-dress production will demonstrate just how relevant this 231 year old opera still is.”

The opera will be performed in Italian, with projected English translation, accompanied by piano.

Performance Dates and Times

Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre

6101 University Avenue, Halifax

Saturday, August 4, 7:30 pm

Sunday, August 5, 7:30 pm

Thursday, August 9, 7:30 pm

Saturday, August 11, 2:00 pm

(dates and times subject to change)

Tickets

$30 for general admission
$20 for student (aged 13 to university)
$5 for children under 13

Tickets will be available in advance online from TicketHalifax.com, in person at The Coast offices, and by phone with credit card at (902)-422-6278 ex. 50

The Halifax Summer Opera Festival box office opens outside the Sir James Dunn Theatre at the Dal Arts Centre from one hour before show time, and any remaining tickets are available to purchase then. 

Cash, cheques and Visa/MasterCard are accepted at the door. For more details, see their Ticket Information Page.

Helah Cooper Hosts Open Studio, Workshop, Show in Lunenburg

Helah Cooper will be hosting a series of events in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where she’s participating in the NSCAD Community Studio Residency Program.

Open Studio

July 31, 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Old Fire Hall, 42 Duke Street

Rope Walk
(Free drop-in rope-making workshop)

August 6, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

The Boardwalk, Lunenburg waterfront

Year End Show & Reception
August 21, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Old Fire Hall, 42 Duke Street

Helah is an interdisciplinary artist from Toronto who incorporates costume, drawing, sound and craft in her practice. She creates tactile sculptures that are made to be played with and touched, and collaborates with other artists to facilitate play and performance. She constructs non-linear networks between objects and people to find unexpected points of connection and create queer narratives.

A recent graduate of NSCAD University, Helah received a Talent Trust scholarship to participate in the 2018 Residency Program. 

Jennifer King in Concert - Music at the Three Churches, Mahone Bay

Jennifer King is joined by Tara Scott to perform Four Hands, One Piano, a concert at Trinity United Church in Mahone Bay. The event, part of the Music at the Three Churches 2018 season, takes place Friday, August 3 at 8:00 p.m.

Jennifer holds a Masters of Music degree in solo piano performance from McGill University, postgraduate diplomas from the University of Reading in the UK as well as the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. 

She was awarded Talent Trust scholarships in 1992 and 1993, and received an Award of Appreciation from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia for her contributions to musical life in the province.

In addition to being a skilled performer, Jennifer is a respected adjudicator, coach, and clinician, and a member of the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association (NSRMTA). She’s currently a private piano instructor and faculty member of the Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Halifax. 

Tickets for Four Hands One Piano are $25, $10 for students and free for children twelve and under.  

Tickets may be purchased at the door of the church on the night of the performance or in advance at Kinburn Pharmasave (Mahone Bay), Shop on the Corner (Lunenburg) or Strings and Things (Bridgewater).  

To reserve tickets, please call (902) 634-4280 or email threechurches9@gmail.com. Visit the website for more information at www.threechurches.com.

Karen Myatt in Thorgy’s Thorchestra! with Symphony Nova Scotia

Photo by Michèle Parent of Chèle Photo Couture

Karen Myatt is a busy woman. She's about to make her Symphony Nova Scotia debut as guest vocalist for the highly-anticipated Thorgy and the Thorchestra!

The show, part of Halifax Pride 2018, is described as a "thrilling, thoughtful, and hilariously theatrical show featuring the fabulous Thorgy Thor, famed worldwide from the hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race." 

Performances are Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax. 

For tickets, call the Symphony box office at 902.494.3820, visit 6101 University Avenue, or you can purchase tickets online.

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships in 2003 and 2004. She studied at the Randolph Academy in Toronto and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Her appearance with Thorgy and the Thorchestra! follows a recent pair of soirées at the Halifax Distilling Co., with a third show in that series on August 17, plus an upcoming concert on Friday, July 20 at Sandy Cove's Zion United Church, which is part of the Cove Summer Music Series.

For more information on Karen's music and upcoming concerts, visit karenmyatt.net.

Violinist Jennifer Jones in Concert - Music at Three Churches, Mahone Bay

Jennifer Jones photo courtesy Symphony Nova Scotia

Jennifer Jones will perform in the Music at the Three Churches concert series in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia on July 20.  

Presented by the Mahone Bay Summer Concerts Society, the 2018 season begins with a program of string quartets by Mozart, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky.

Alongside Jennifer on violin will be Halifax musicians Philippe Djokic (violin), Etienne Chenard (viola) and Benjamin Marmen (cello).

Jennifer received Talent Trust scholarships from 1987-90. She studied at the Maritime Conservatory of Music and Dalhousie University, and completed her Master of Music degree in Performance and Pedagogy at Indiana University.

She’s performed as a soloist with the NSYO, Dalhousie Chamber Orchestra, Chebucto Orchestra, Saint John Symphony and Symphony Nova Scotia. She’s currently Assistant Concert Master at Symphony Nova Scotia.

The String Quartets Concert takes place Friday, July 20 at St. James Anglican Church in Mahone Bay at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance at Kinburn Pharmasave (Mahone Bay), Shop on the Corner (Lunenburg) or Strings and Things (Bridgewater). To reserve tickets call 902 634-4280 or e-mail threechurches9@gmail.com.

Barbara Hannigan Named Finalist for 2018 Masterworks Award

Barbara Hannigan is among the five finalists for the 2018 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award. She's nominated for her award-winning album Crazy Girl Crazy.

Crazy Girl Crazy is Barbara's debut recording, which was released in 2017. The work is a new arrangement of music from Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, and Berio’s Sequenza III for solo voice. 

Barbara combines the roles of conductor and soprano soloist throughout the album, which was recorded with the innovative musical collective LUDWIG Orchestra.

The New York Times named Crazy Girl Crazy one of the 25 Best Classical Music Recordings in 2017, which went on to win both a Juno and Grammy award for classical music in 2018. 

Barbara received a Talent Trust scholarship in 1993. She's carved out an impressive career since completing her studies, performing  with renowned orchestras such as The Berlin Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony, and at iconic venues including New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s Royal Opera House. 

She'll take on the role of Principal Guest Conductor with the Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden for their 2019-2020 season. 

Barbara's won numerous accolades during her career, including the Order of Canada in 2016.

The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award recognizes the excellence of a work of art or design from any medium. The work must have made a significant impact through its public presentation and have contributed to the historical development and contemporary practice of the art form. 

The Masterworks Award was established by the Honourable Myra Freeman in 2005. To learn more about the five finalists for 2018, visit the Masterworks website.

NAT chantel and Lux Habrich in VANS Mentorship Exhibition

NAT chantel and Lux Habrich are among the artists in Conversations, Visual Arts Nova Scotia’s 2017-18 Mentorship Exhibition. 

NAT chantel is an African Nova Scotian emerging artist in multimedia, textiles and sculpture. Her work speaks to imposed societal structures that inform identity, and the erasure of body and self through communication, and conditions within the environment. 

NAT was a contributing artist and instructor for the Peace Warriors Art and Wellness Festival in 2015, and participated in the group installation The Unkindness at IgNight the Night Art Festival that same year. 

She received a Talent Trust scholarship in 2017 to study privately with interdisciplinary artist Kate Ward. NAT had her first solo exhibit MUD at Afterglow Bridgewater Festival on September 30, 2017. 

Lux Habrich moved to Atlantic Canada from Montréal in 2012 to complete an Interdisciplinary BFA at NSCAD University. She received the NSTT Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/VANS Award in 2016. 

Lux finds frequent inspiration in her urban upbringing, mixed race identity and immigrant legacy. While at NSCAD, she discovered the immense narrative potential in craftwork, with its highly political nature as a domestic, feminine and often undervalued form of production. 

Founded in 2006, the VANS Mentorship Program pairs emerging artists with established artists in a 10-month mentorship. This working relationship provides emerging artists with an exceptional opportunity to develop both their creative process and professional skills, enabling them to build a foundation for a successful career in the visual arts. 

Conversations 
The Craig Gallery, Alderney Landing, Dartmouth, July 12 - 29 Opening reception: Wednesday, July 11, 6 - 8pm 
Mentee Artist Talk: Saturday, July 14, 2pm

This story originally appeared in the Talent Trust June newsletter. Click here to subscribe!