Seasons in the Bight 2011

Conceived & Written by: Donna Butt & Rick Boland
Directed by: Donna Butt

The anchor event of our festival, The Pageant takes you on a magical journey through the lanes and roads of Trinity. The whole summer company will entertain and enthral you every step along the way. You will meet an array of colourful characters as our past unfolds in story and song. You will long remember Dustabella Durdle's first winter here, Peter Easton and his band of pirates, the Minister consoling his parishioners at St. Paul's Church, the raucous mischief of the old traveling court, the heart wrenching stories of hardship and privation, and above all, the strength, courage and humour of our people. And you will surely sing the Ode to Newfoundland as you bid farewell to a great and grand recreation of our cherished past. For seventeen years The Trinity Pageant has been hailed by all who see it as a moving and joyous tribute to our beloved New Founde Land. Showtime is 2pm outside the Interpretation Centre in Trinity. Please prepare for the possibility of inclement weather. As it is an outside walkabout, proper footwear is suggested, and we cannot guarantee that walkers and wheelchairs will always have an unobstructed view. If you have special requirements, please contact our Box Office.


By Amelia Manuel & Petrina Bromley
Directed by Stephen Drover, musical direction by Petrina Bromley
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

On October 1, 1964, while the free speech revolution launched in Berkeley, California, a movement of another kind was happening in Newfoundland. The Art Andrews Dance Party lit up television screens from coast to coast, bringing the beat to the teenagers...the Rock was ready to roll. Hosted by Trinity Bay native Art Andrews, young Newfoundland bands were broadcast live into living rooms across the province, making instant celebrities of the musicians and their dancing fans. A sound you couldn’t dismiss, breaking down religious barriers, uniting townies and baymen – rock ‘n’ roll was here to stay. Young people gathered around for some swinging, swaying and records playing, some dancing on TV! A runaway hit last season. This play was created in memory of Art Andrews.



Adapted by Petrina Bromley from the book by Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

Petrina Bromley has skilfully adapted this magnificent book of photographs and monologues gathered from around outport Newfoundland. Petrina’s adaptation blends beautiful, stirring photos with traditional Newfoundland songs and stories that capture an outport way of life disappearing before our eyes. Trinity has the perfect group to present this feast of sights and sounds.


Premiere Production
A Musical Composed by: Dean Burry
Director: Stephen Drover
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre
In partnership with Destination Gander and The Joseph R Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre in Gander

On Sept 11, 2001, the famous hospitality of Newfoundlanders was tested as thousands of airline passengers diverted by terrorist attacks landed at Gander International. Amidst the darkness and fear, of that day complete strangers found a safe port in the storm and a hand of smiling faces. The lives of five anxious Americans and a young female pilot interweave with those of Newfoundlanders waiting on the ground with open arms and loving hearts. The warmth, kindness, and humour of our people created lifelong friendships with our neighbours to the south. Featuring a fabulous cast led by Petrina Bromley, Michael Power, and Justin Nurse, it is not to be missed.

Beacon of Light will also play in Gander September 8 and 9 at the Joseph R. Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre as a part of a month long tribute to those most affected by that terrible day.


Written by: Mike Heffernan
Adapted by: Joan Sullivan

On the night of February 15, 1982, the Ocean Ranger, the rig they said they could never sink, toppled into the sea, creating one of the worst tragedies in Newfoundland's history. There were no survivors. The whole province mourned. We were gripped in a sadness, an anger and a collective sense of pain. Mike Heffernan's relative was on the rig that night. His book simply and eloquently, in the words of those affected most, captures the many facets of the terrible night and its aftermath. Joan Sullivan has edited his book with sensitivity and an eye to juxtaposition. This will make a moving companion piece to February.

Also, watch for special performances of Rig at the Basement Theatre at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre in September. Dates to be announced.


By Michael Cook

Terese’s Creed is a tribute to the women of Newfoundland and Labrador who, through hard work, humour and indomitable spirit, survived the good times and the bad in small outports in the early 1960s. Find Terese, played by our Artistic Director, at her old wringer washer and eavesdrop as she talks to herself about her fisherman husband, her kids and a time passed but much missed. She’ll make you laugh and she’ll make you cry – she might even make you wring out the laundry.


By Ed Burry, directed by Donna Butt
Based on the novel The Loop, published by DRC Publishing

The Loop, set in around Trinity from 1914 to 1945, is a story of childhood wonder, love, mystery, and tragedy brought to life through the experiences of Billy Bartlett, a curious and adventurous boy, in search of his place in the world. Uncle Fred, who has lived with Billy’s family since returning from the Great War, is haunted by the demons of his past that run deeper than the trenches he left behind in Europe. His brother’s family hopes that in time, with love and support, Fred will recover. Years pass and as the Bartlett children grow, the strange ways of their sad and lonely uncle are taken for granted by all except Billy. His unwavering curiosity and an inexplicable affinity with Uncle Fred will not allow him to accept the man as he is without knowing why. Eventually Billy begins to break through the wall around his uncle until he discovers a explosive secret that shakes the family to its core. The Loop is ultimately an uplifting story of redemption and the healing power of love and truth. It is a sweet tale well-told with humour and drama.


By Lisa Moore, adapted from the novel by the author
Produced in partnership with Winterset in Summer Literary Festival
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

February tells the story of Helen O’Mara, a mother of four whose husband has died on the Ocean Ranger. The story, set in the present, shifts back and forth in time, following the path of memory, to the sinking of the Ocean Ranger in 1982.
We watch Helen and her son John as they learn to deal with grief, the commitments of family and the demanding, rewarding, humbling power of opening oneself up to love again after a great loss.

February is the stage adaptation by Lisa Moore of her novel by the same name, which was nominated for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards and the Winterset Award and long-listed for the Booker Prize.

February will premiere at the Winterset in Summer Literary Festival in Eastport on August 14, and will return for special performances in Trinity – check with the box office for times and dates. You will not want to miss this extraordinary work by one of Newfoundland’s finest writers.



Written by: Kevin Major
Directed by: Donna Butt
Designed by: Frank Lapointe
Adapted from the novel published by Doubleday Canada
Original play now available in print by Flanker Press
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

July 1, 1916 is remembered as the day the best and brightest of a generation of Newfoundland men were virtually wiped out. From every bay, cove and town, from fishing stage to merchant's home, they marched off to the Great War, proud members of their own Newfoundland Regiment, never suspecting what one terrible morning of treachery would bring. Our soldiers were part of the immeasurable toil of war, yet as they travelled to distant lands they were never without the spirit and humour they brought from their homeland. You will see why this July morning will never be forgotten. A large ensemble company. A show that is one of our anchors of our season.

Saltwater Moon

By David French

This delightful hit returns for its sixteenth season. It takes us back to a lovely summer evening in 1926 when the moon is full and young Jacob Mercer has come home from Canada to win back his sweetheart. Mary Snow is about to marry the merchant's son but Jacob will have none of that. Told outside under the stars, this funny and moving play will warm your heart and put a twinkle in your eye.


Premiere Production
By: Frank Barry
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

Inspired by the story of Lewis Carroll, our Alice, an outport tomgirl from Capelin Cove, falls down the rabbit hole right at the time of Confederation and meets all manner of characters from Bucktooth Ottawa to Gabby O’Dea and her baby bonus brood. A show that will delight all ages.

Special school performances throughout the fall.

The Lone Randells

By: Des Walsh and Ruth Lawrence
Directed by: Charlie Tomlinson
Commissioned by Rising Tide Theatre

Jack Randell was a self made adventurer, a sea captain who lived in his own image of his own world, a world that included rum-running, ship-racing and overseas battles. His sister Mae, whose house still stands in Port Rexton, was a nurse in WW1 who never married and returned home to teach school where she fearlessly lived outside the conventions of the early 20th century. Two stories interweave with brother and sister for whom homeland, family and place mean very different things. One evening as the harbour is about to celebrate Captain Jack’s return a stranger arrives and everyone’s perceptions are changed forever. A poet, film writer and playwright, Des Walsh is a Newfoundland icon and Ruth Lawrence an actor, writer, and director every bit his equal.



Fun, laughter, music. Great comedy and wild antics. Let the company entertain you with a celebration of the ‘golden age’ of life in the Newfoundland outports. You will be a guest at ‘The Wedding’ – and it will be like no wedding you’ve seen before. Great home cooking is topped off with the arrival of a band of mummers. Dinner is served indoors at our beautiful Arts Centre overlooking Trinity Harbour.

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Special Presentations
Written by: Larry Barry

Be prepared for gritty, gripping theatre in this premiere of Larry’s tough new play about a crowd of young Newfoundlanders making their way in the rough and tumble of Toronto. They have all had their troubles on the island and now they find themselves adrift in a city where drugs, drink and temptation are all too present. The central character in this humorous and hard-hitting story is a sensitive character from back home trying to seek a better and different life than the one he finds himself in. WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE.


Written by: Larry Barry & Rory Lambert, with Donna Butt
A co-production of Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity Historical Society, and The Coaker Foundation

William Coaker was one of the most controversial figures in Newfoundland history and To Each His Own was the motto of the union he built. It all started one cold November night in 1908 when Coaker dared to organize the fishermen and free them from the control of the merchant. Along the way he built a movement, a business empire and a political party. To some he was a great reformer, to others a tyrant and hypocrite. To all though, he and his Fishermen’s Protective Union were a force to be reckoned with. Performed in The Factory, the restored FPU premises in Port Union, this is history with wit, warmth and drama.

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Fall Season

Autumn in Trinity Bight is as magnificent and breathtaking as Summer. Come join us as we carry Summer favourites, new shows and exciting special events into the Fall. Find scheduling information on our BRAND NEW website as it becomes available, or contact our box office at any time: 1-888-464-3377. It will be a Fall to remember, so stay in touch!