Shows celebrates city’s cultural capital title

The Fredericton Playhouse is offering a show that will highlight some of the city’s top performers.

Fredericton Onstage aims to celebrate Fredericton’s designation as a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2009. The show, which is on Nov. 27, will fuse together various aspects of the Fredericton arts community.

As part of being named a Cultural Capital, the city will receive funds from Heritage Canada.

“They [Fredericton] received a certain amount of funding for several different projects throughout the year to celebrate the heritage and culture of our city,” said Meghan Scott, Marketing Director for the Playhouse.

Scott said the show will be made up of different performances, highlighting the brightest spots in Fredericton’s arts community.

“We’ve got dancers, we’ve got music of various genres and we also have acting,” she said.

Ross Neilsen is one of the artists asked to perform in the Fredericton Onstage showcase. He thinks any extra focus on the Fredericton arts community is a good thing.

“In any event like this, it draws a little extra focus to Fredericton’s culture even just for a few minutes,” said Neilsen, who referred to the event as a “buffet” of Fredericton’s art scene.

“The city is pretty stacked as far as music and other styles art goes, so it’s good to point a finger in that direction every once in a while.”

Neilsen will be playing with his band, the Sufferin’ Bastards, as well as collaborating with artists like Hot Toddy and Keith Hallett. Currently, Neilsen and the Sufferin’ Bastards are wrapping up a two-month across Canada tour. In January, they will head to Mississippi to record a new album.

Fredericton Onstage will also see the homecoming of dancer Lucy May, who now teaches dance in Montreal. Local actors Tania Breen and Caleb Marshall will add some theatre to the showcase of local talent.

Neilsen emphasizes that it’s important for students to go to local shows to support their community.

“A lot of people, when they go away to school, don’t necessarily take part in the community events because maybe they don’t feel like they are a part of the community,” said Neilsen.

“But the reality is that the money you bring into the community over four years when you’re in school is a vital part of Fredericton’s existence. There’s a lot of stuff that Fredericton has to offer for students that maybe they’re not even aware of.”

Tickets are still available for the show at a student rate of $18. The show is a part of the Playhouse’s Student Rush program, which means that if the show is not sold out the day of, students can get the best seats available for only $12.