After a hiatus that has lasted several years, a longstanding theatre festival is returning to Sackville, New Brunswick with hopes that some culturally starved attendees will be eager for another chance to, once again, take in some Shakespeare. Festival by the Marsh is back for the first time since 2017 and, among other things, will be hosting their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the dramatic and historical backdrop of Fort Beauséjour.
In 2003, Ron Kelly Spurles had just moved to Sackville, New Brunswick. Have just completed his MFA in Directing as well as being Mount Allison University’s newly minted Crake Fellow in Drama, Spurles found himself particularly suited to bringing some theatre programming to one of the province’s most picturesque towns. Eager to do something, he, along with a core group that includes stage managers, set and costume designers, founded Festival by the Marsh.
“I have a background in Shakespeare, and there wasn’t a lot of summer theatre—or really, it seemed, cultural activity—going on at that time. So, I saw a need and opportunity for it. And the University was very supportive,” explains Spurles.
Beginning in 2004 with a “pre-festival” test run of Shakespeare’s Lover and Other Strangers, the event proved to be very successful, and when they fully dove in the following year, it was with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Mount Allison’s iconic Swan Pond which would become their seasonal home for the next half a decade.
“It was pretty great. There was a slope that was grassy and open where the audience could sit, and two big trees as a sort of proscenium at the sides of the stage. And in the background the swan pond,” says Spurles. “People could play around the trees and come from all over onto the stage. I think at one point Titania also cornered Bottom in his donkey head against a tree.”
With that success, Festival by the Marsh would prove to be a great cultivator of many partners—including the also returning Tantramar Blues Society—and a great theatre community for students and residents alike.
“There was a lot of enthusiasm. I think some of the main drawing cards were that we had large casts and a large number of support people. Students, community members, Mount Allison faculty, and staff all got involved,” says Spurles. “And it became one of the things that people felt they should do as part of their experience in Sackville.”
While the festival was able to produce six full Shakespearean productions in the span of five seasons, the festival proved to be a challenge to maintain. Thanks to an abundance of enthusiasm, many aspects of the festival managed to hold on much longer than the theatrical elements, including music, children’s programming, and literary events, but between lives and livelihoods and the ever-enduring struggle for funding in the arts, a pin was finally put in Festival by the Marsh in 2017.
“At that point, we thought it was over and moved on to other things,” says Spurles. “It’s all kind of expensive, and very time-consuming. We worked to fund a model that would provide us with consistent operating funding, but we never quite achieved it.”
But dreams have a habit of never quite dying, and through an expected turn of events (okay, maybe Bill Gates did warn us) an outdoor theatre festival suddenly looked like a pretty good excuse to get out of the house. Festival by the Marsh has been cautiously upgraded from its backburner status to having all the heat of being the only show in town. When Spurle approached members of the community, he found all the old enthusiasm still right where he left it.
“I think people are feeling like outdoor events are both fun but also maybe safer,” says Spurles. “I was a little worried about being able to cast the show and have enough people around to crew it since I’m not involved with the University anymore. But we ended up with a fantastic group of 21 actors and about a dozen support people.”
One major addition to Festival by the Marsh is Parks Canada’s contribution of nearby Fort Beauséjour as a performance space. While the influences of the weather might make for some unexpectedly immersive theatre (there’s still a secondary indoor rain location, if necessary), there are some very clear advantages when it comes to Shakespeare.
“I had thought of it for a few years and they have had some events there. It’s just super striking and very beautiful. And the people from Parks Canada have been very helpful and kind to us,” says Spurles, noting that the location adds immerse elements that naturally lend itself to certain stories.
“Macbeth would probably be pretty spectacular there… It’s a ruin, so there are a few walls left, and some basements. We’re going to be presenting things on top of one of the walls, and have things come out of a couple of the basements. Our main playing area is in front of one of the larger remaining walls. And actors will be coming from different parts of the playing area like behind the audience. It’s not completely immersive but we’re using it pretty well.
“I’m really excited by the idea of people getting out again. And we’ve got some excellent programming. So, I’m really happy the artists and presented are getting to do their thing again.”
Spurles will be back acting as the director for this summer’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but he’s got a team he feels confident will be returning for future iterations of the festival: Sue Rose is president of the festival, costume designer and more, Georgia Forsyth operates as stage manager, and Ron Kelly Spurle’s own sister, Cynthia, serves as both board member, front of house manager, and set dresser.
“I’m pretty confident we’ll want to do something again,” says Spurles. “If this edition goes okay I’d love to see the festival re-established. For programs, I really like seeing how things are created, so the Songwriters’ Circle and Artist in Residence really interest me. But just to get back at it, to make some art. That’s really fulfilling.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream may hold a place of honour at Festival by the Marsh, but it’s certainly not the only thing happening this year. There’s a songwriter’s circle at Mel’s Teahouse featuring Kenny James, Alex Madsen, and Jason Haywood, an evening of blues with The Lockdown Trio, and more. The full schedule of events, running from August 7th to 15th, can be found at festivalbythemarsh.ca, all events are by donation with the exception of the Lockdown Trio, tickets are $20 and can be bought at Ducky’s Pub in Sackville.)