March 2024 Newsletter

Message from the president
spring is in the air!

The Shaw Festival held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 8, 2024.

The 2023 season was the biggest and most ambitious season in our history, but unfortunately, we ended the year with a $5.7 million deficit. Several factors contributed, including ongoing challenges from COVID, and canceled performances at the Royal George due to flooding. But the deficit was mainly due to cost escalations and a shortfall in ticket sales.  Despite this news, people left the AGM with a hopeful view for 2024. We have a fabulous season planned, and tickets are selling well. Plans are in place to streamline operations and address debt.

The contributions of our Guild Volunteers to the Shaw Festival were noted at both the AGM, and the Board of Directors meeting held the same day. Ian Joseph, Chair of the Board, asked me to pass along the thanks and appreciation of the Board, senior management and staff to our many volunteers who donate their time and energy to the theatre. In 2023, our donated hours represented a savings of $67,000 to the Shaw!

The board is also interested in getting feedback from patrons, about the Shaw, our season and what they like or don’t like. Volunteers are often the first person a patron sees at the theatre, and if you have feedback that you would like to share, please email me at president@shawguild.ca. I will consolidate your input and pass it along.

Our 2024 season opens in April, and I’m looking forward to seeing each of you at the theatre!

Mary Mizen, Shaw Guild President

Feel free to contact me president@shawguild.ca

Shaw Festival 2024 Keeping our Workplaces Health Policy

Tim Jennings has recently provided the Shaw Guild with the updated Shaw Festival’s 2024 season policy for COVID vaccination requirements and the requirements for those experiencing illness.

This policy applies to all Volunteers.

In summary, the policy has been broadened to include “all potentially communicable illnesses”.  If you are even feeling slightly unwell, please stay away until the symptoms clear up to avoid potential transmission within the Shaw Festival workplace. If symptoms are related to COVID 19, the Shaw’s policies on that illness will also apply.  All Shaw employees, direct contractors and volunteers must provide proof of COVID 19 vaccination.  This is either the full course of vaccine (e.g., two earlier vaccinations) plus a booster and/or current vaccination (after October 2023).

Have a safe and healthy 2024!

Please click this link to see the full policy (under Resources)

NOTL Spirit Award Winners

The NOTL Spirit Awards event was held on February 27, 2024.  These awards haven’t been presented the last couple of years, and this event took place at Ravine Winery.  It is hosted by the NOTL Chamber of Commerce, and Shaw is a sponsor. President Mary Mizen was in attendance at the Shaw table. 

Many congratulations to Tim Jennings!  Tim received the Peter Ling Award for Business Leadership.  As you know, this award is very well deserved given all the work Tim does both at the Shaw and within the community.

Our own Guild Volunteer and past Guild President, Laurie Harley was presented with the Lord Mayor’s Award of Excellence to the Citizen of the Year.  Laurie is an amazing volunteer - in particular she was awarded for all the work she has done with the NOTL Ambassador program.  Many congratulations, Laurie!

Please make sure you congratulate Laurie and Tim!

Libby Bullock

I just moved into a new home in St Davids last July with my husband, Doug, and we immediately went to every Shaw Production we could. We just love the theatre. Being newly retired, having been a Residential Interior Designer for over 40 years, I was certainly ready for some volunteer work. In Toronto, I was active in a Chef’s Garden at our Yacht Club and being an enthusiastic gardener, I was hoping to find somewhere I could put my energy into gardens.

So, it was perfect when a good friend from our sailing days at the RCYC, Patricia Scrivener, suggested I join her Garden Tour Committee as an assistant to Peggy Bell.  It was such a pleasure to work with Peggy as she lined up the gardens for the tour and I really look forward to touring them all myself in their full splendor.  

After this great experience, I happily agreed to help with the Silent Auction at the Autumn Soiree. Both are great fundraising causes where I can give back to an organization that enriches all of Niagara-On-The-Lake. So after eight months of being in this wonderful small town of NOTL, I find myself with a new home, new garden, a new puppy Chloe, and through the Shaw Guild, a connection to old friends and new. 

Libby, welcome to the Shaw Guild AND to NOTL!

Shaw Guild’s Garden Tour, June 15:
Early Bird Tickets End on March 31!

The 18th Annual Shaw Guild Garden Tour will take place on Saturday, June 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  This year the tour will feature eight gardens, several of which are on historical properties. Master Gardeners will be on hand in each location to answer questions, as well as music and plein air artists for added enjoyment.  Photos for personal use are permitted. 

Have you got your tickets? If not, click the button below. Regular ticket prices go up on April 1.

Guild Members are Winners of the 2024 Ontario Volunteer Service Award

Each year, the Ontario Government recognizes volunteers by the length of time they have continuously volunteered for one organization. The Shaw Festival nominated five Guild Volunteers who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment and dedication to the Shaw, and all five Volunteers are winners of this award! Please congratulation them when you see them volunteering at the theatre!

Alan Walker

Alan has been a Guild Volunteer in various capacities: Guild Garden Tour Convenor, Guild Executive Vice President, President, and now Past President. Alan has worked closely with both Tim Jennings and TC, and served on the Shaw Board of Directors and Shaw Board of Governors while he was Guild President.

Alan’s sense of humor, and strong management and organizational skills have contributed greatly to strengthening the relationship between Guild Volunteers and the Shaw Company.

Susan MacDonald

For many years, Susan was the Guild’s Membership Chair, and part of that role was helping new Volunteers get oriented into the Guild. In 2021, Susan led a team of Volunteers to prepare materials and conduct workshops on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. More than 80% of all Guild Volunteers have attended those sessions!

Currently, Susan is Volunteer Connections and Resources Convenor on the Guild Executive Committee.  She works with the Shaw Education department on programs and collaborations between the Guild and the Shaw where her creative ideas are very welcome.

Margot Devlin

Margot is the unsung hero behind the scheduling wizardry for all Guild Volunteers. She manages the tool that enables Volunteers to sign up for volunteer shifts at the Shaw Festival. Each season includes thousands of volunteer shifts such as Hosting, Greeting, Volunteer Events, Workshops, Backstage Tours and more.

In Margot’s “spare time”, she trains for and runs marathons each year.  In 2023 she ran her 10th New York City marathon.  She has also run the London marathon several times, and in 2021 ran the Boston marathon virtually.

Jane Calver

Jane is a long-time Shaw Guild Volunteer, and over the years has donated her time as Membership Chair on the Guild Executive Committee.  She has also volunteered as a Host, Greeter and Docent. Jane is a terrific backstage tour leader, and her calm and engaging manner is appreciated when the unexpected happens.  Even when double the expected number of patrons arrive for a backstage tour, or several of the tour stops are not available, Jane steps up and handles everything smoothly.

Thanks, Jane, for your dedication to both the Shaw Guild and the Shaw Festival!

Caroline Kindness

Caroline is a Volunteer who sees an opportunity to help and she jumps on it!  In 2023, she offered to take over scheduling of Volunteers working at the Prince Caspian Needs You! family workshops held before each performance.  Caroline worked with Shaw Education to ensure processes were smooth and communications were clear, and children and families had a great time in Narnia preparing for the performance!  She will fulfill a similar role when the family workshops begin this season as part of The Secret Garden. 

Caroline has also volunteered as a Hosting Captain, and been a part of the Volunteer Events team who organize Guild events.  

Shaw Guild Volunteer Carter Simpson wins at Special Olympics Canada Winter Games!

by Caroline Montgomery, Greeter Co-Chair

We want to send a hearty congratulations to our very own Guild Greeter Carter Simpson on his spectacular success at the 2024 Special Olympics Winter Games in Calgary. 

Here are some excerpts from a March 3rd article by Mike Balsom at Niagara-on-the-Lake Local newspaper:

With his family and friends cheering him on at Canada Olympic Park, a legacy facility from the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, the 30-year-old opened the competition with a bronze medal in the Giant Slalom Wednesday afternoon. He followed that up the next day with a gold medal performance in the Super G race on Thursday and completed his trifecta on Friday with the silver medal in the Slalom. AnnLiz Simpson, Carter’s mother, tells The Local that Carter had never even done a Super G race before competing Thursday.

To help him prepare for Calgary, AnnLiz and her husband Mike Sweeny had been taking Carter across the U.S. border to Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, New York, every Thursday to get him skiing on a steeper pitch. “We thought because of that he might have a bit of a feel for it, but we still weren’t sure how he would handle it,” she says. “He surprised all of us. He looked absolutely amazing. His brothers (Palmer and Chandler), former racers themselves, were in shock.”

She says her son seemed undaunted by the fact that he would be skiing the next day on the same slopes used in the 1988 Winter Olympics, or that officials lit the same cauldron from that historic event at the opening ceremonies and were to keep it lit for the rest of the week.

What instead caught Carter’s attention that day was the sight of the famous Jamaican bobsled at the bottom of the ski hill. “He took pictures of it and sent them to all of the family,” says AnnLiz. “He has watched Cool Runnings (the John Candy film about the Jamaican bobsled team) so many times. That’s what really got him so excited.”

No slouching for you in the off season, Carter!  What a great achievement and we're proud of you. We look forward to welcoming Carter and his family back to the Greeting team again this season.

"The Secret Garden" Guild Garden Art Project: Calling all arts & crafts lovers!

by Susan MacDonald, Volunteer Connections and Resources Convenor

This is a project like no other for the Guild.  Imagine artwork made of pressed-flowers that’s unveiled at the opening of TheSecret Garden, continues to grow throughout the run of the play and is seen around our theatres. That’s the challenge the Guild accepted from the Shaw. With the guidance of Judith Bowden, Costume Designer for The Secret Garden, we will build works of art with seasonal leaves and flowers that are assembled into one or more pieces to be displayed in the Gallery behind the Royal George and perhaps other areas around the Shaw.

Workshops will start in April and be held throughout the season to create the pressed flower material, stitch the art pieces and put together installations that represent the four seasons. The workshops will begin in April. Each will be two hours long and held on Monday afternoons. Dates will be announced soon and posted on MVP to sign-up.

Are you interested in taking part? No experience is necessary. Just enthusiasm and a moderate time commitment.

To learn more or put your name forward as part of the Guild Garden Art Project team, please send a message to info@shawguild.ca.

Hosting News

by Janice Coles, Hosting Chair

I’m thrilled that, to date, we have sixteen new hosts trained or “waiting in the wings.” If you wish to join in the fun, please contact me at info@shawguild.ca. Two Hosting Communiqué emails have been sent to volunteers who have indicated an interest in hosting and taken the training. If you haven’t received an email but think you should have, please let me know.

As well, if you haven’t hosted in a while and want a “refresher course,” you are welcome to join a training session. The next one is Saturday March 23 at 10 am in the Festival Library. Please email me if you wish to attend.

I am still looking for a few Hosting Captain volunteers for periods in August and September. Please get in touch if you are interested. Thanks.

Update from the Volunteer Events Team (VET)

by Brenda Weafer, Volunteer Events Chair

Our first event of the year was a great success. Guild Volunteers were able to join the participants of this year’s Slaight Family Intensive for a light lunch in the Green Room on February 22. Everyone really enjoyed the yummy soup and the chance to visit with new and returning company members in an informal atmosphere. Thanks to Green Room staff for a delicious lunch and to Kimberley Rampersad for her support of this event.

Next up is the annual visit to the Scene Shop on March 24 and to see some of where the magic is created! NOTE: this event is full as space is limited.

Tickets for the annual Spring Preview Luncheon will be going on sale on April 1. Watch for the email and sign up quickly as our events are very popular and we do have limited space for some of them. For those of you who are new, we have a wonderful lunch (tickets $35.00) in the Festival Theatre Lobby, catered by the Green Room. That is followed by the chance to get a preview look at the season with Shaw Company members. If you wish to just participate in the “Show & Tell” portion after the luncheon, there will be an opportunity to sign up for ONLY that part in Show & Tell. There is no charge for that presentation. If you do wish to attend either of these events and when you go into MVP you find the event is full, you may email activities@gmail.com to be put on a wait list. Ticket money can be sent by email transfer to shawguildactivity@gmail.com.  Note that the 2 email addresses are not the same!!

Thank you for your interest in these wonderful opportunities. And thanks, as always, to the wonderful VET team who work so hard to plan these for you.

UPCOMING EVENTS (note date changes from the last newsletter are in blue)

  • Spring Preview Luncheon * Show* & Tell – April 22

  • Invitation to a Dress Rehearsal for My Fair Lady – May 3

  • Guild Gear Up Job Fair – May 13

  • Coffee Connections is back! Last Monday of the month from May – September 10-11 am

  • The Shaw Guild Annual Garden Tour – Saturday June 15

  • Garden Tour Appreciation Event Monday June 24. 4 – 6 pm

  • Guild Night at the Pop-Up Patio – July 18,  4 – 6 pm

  • Shaw/Stratford Cricket Match – in NOTL this year! Watch for the date in August

  • Volunteer Recognition Event at the NOTL Community Centre, October 16

  • Shaw Guild Autumn Soiree October 4 at Chateau Des Charmes

  • AGM – Monday November 25, 10 am

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

News from Backstage 

by Arlene Carson, Docent Chair

After a short break, the Docent team was back on board in January and February doing Private and other School tours. In mid-February, 168 students descended on the Shaw for a day of workshops and backstage tours. Once again, they helped to make the day an exciting and educational experience for high school students from across the Niagara region. In March we toured the NOTL Ambassadors, the NOTL Newcomers, Brock University and Niagara College.

The Public Tour season will begin again in May, but before that we are reading scripts and attending training to prepare for the 2024 season. The four new Docents, who came on board last September, have completed their tour “shadowing” and are ready to go.

The Docent team looks forward to seeing you. Call the box office to book a complimentary Public tour for you and a friend!