Real stories from the Stratford community will be brought to life by artists and musicians.
Provocation Ideas Festival is hosting True Tapestries Redux featuring multiple actors, musicians and artists performing true stories and poems submitted by residents.
The ensemble includes David Stones, Marcus Nance, Peggy Coffey, Barbara Fulton, Robert King, Evangelia Kambites, Kale Penny, Lauren Bowler, Kaitland Gray and Heidi Sander.
Festival founding director Mark Rosenfeld said the idea was inspired by Stuart Mclean’s Vinyl Cafe show.
“Every show he would say ‘send us your stories, make them short, make them true, make them compelling.’ I used to enjoy those stories immensely and I thought well in Stratford, there are so much creativity here and stories that can speak to peoples experiences and open the door to others to understand those experiences.”
Event curator Jennifer Paquette told MyStratfordNow they received 70 submissions, double the amount from last year.
She said the 13 chosen are diverse – some are funny, some will bring a tear.
“The diversity of the titles of the stories, how they were written, what they’re about tells us that people have a lot to say about what home is to them, and what change means to them.”
Paquette added the stories are about memories of parents and childhood, the grief of losing a child, homelessness (multiple submissions focused on that topic), wildlife and their habitats, alcoholism, belonging, the hope of coming to Canada and whether changes in technology are helpful to people as they age.
She described the event as a relaxed setting, with a ‘sharing stories at your kitchen table’ vibe.
“It’s a humble show.”
Actors will sit amongst the audience before coming up and reading the stories. Musical performances will take place in-between that reflects the stories.
Rosenfeld said because of the strong reception to last year’s show, they will hold three performances this year instead of two.
Performance dates are Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.
