Summer field trip series offers full-day, interactive theatre experience in rural Nova Scotia

The artistic director of Dartmouth’s Eastern Front Theatre chats about their summer field trip series.

The Eastern Front Theatre summer field trip series isn’t just for kids.

The Dartmouth, N.S., company is taking theatre enthusiasts on a road trip, by bus, to experience a production at one of the province’s thriving rural theatres. The trips include picnic lunches and surprise stops along the way.

Eastern Front’s artistic director Kat McCormack said she organized the field trip series because it was something she always wanted to do as a young actor.

“I was always trying to get out to see the shows in rural Nova Scotia that all of my friends were doing,” McCormack said. “I kind of dreamt of like, well what if I just hire a school bus and we all go out together.”

McCormack said now that she and her friends have a theatre company, she can see the dream through.

The company started the field trip series three years ago as part of a co-production with Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro, N.S. They wanted to bring their audience in Dartmouth to see the play in Parrsboro, so they got a big bus with a bathroom, air conditioning and Wi-Fi and turned it into a full day experience with stops at popular destinations.

Eastern Front is holding three field trips this year. The first was on July 12 and two more are scheduled on July 26 and Aug. 9.

The company visits Shelburne, N.S., next to see “Area 33” for their first trip to the Osprey Arts Centre. The play is about the 1967 Shag Harbour UFO sighting in Nova Scotia. During the trip McCormack said they will be joined by Laurie Wickens at the UFO museum in Shag Harbour who witnessed the crash in 1967.

“He’s the one who called it in,” McCormack said. “He’s going to hop on the bus with us.”

The play was written by award-winning playwright Natalie Meisner from Nova Scotia. Her plays have been featured on stages across Canada.

The 12-hour schedule for the field trip includes:

• 7 a.m. depart Alderney Landing
• 8 a.m. farmer’s market
• 10 a.m. Shag Harbour UFO Interpretive Centre
• 12 p.m. The Emerald Light lunch at District 33 Winery
• 2 p.m. Area 33 performance at The Osprey
• 4 p.m. post-show artist chat
• 7 p.m. arrive at Alderney Landing

For the last field trip of the year, Eastern Front travels to Ross Creek to see a nighttime fireside performance at Two Planks and a Passion Theatre.

• 4 p.m. depart Alderney Landing
• 5 p.m. stop at Hennigar’s Farm Market
• 6:30 p.m. Blomidon Lookoff
• 7 p.m. picnic lunch at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts
• 9 p.m. fireside performance at Two Planks
• 12 a.m. arrive at Alderney Landing

The nighttime show is an appropriately spooky musical adaptation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving.

“People really have a good time,” McCormack said. “It’s really heartwarming to go.”

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