The Show Must Go On… Line…

When theaters closed, Grande Prairie Live Theatre actors adapted a Shakespeare comedy to Zoom, so people can enjoy it from the safety of their homes. They decided a virus won’t stop our community from reaching out to each other.

Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, was about to open at Grande Prairie Live Theater, when COVID-19 restrictions hit. Thinking it might only be postponed, the actors occasionally practiced on Zoom to stay fresh. But then – they found that the contrast of Shakespearean language, to the technology, was really interesting. So they decided to adapt the play to the technology.

They cut the play to 10 small scenes, turning it into a distancing, video-conference, office romance. And they’re posting an episode a day on YouTube, for everyone to enjoy.
“When this comedy was originally staged, Shakespeare’s actors had to adapt to the bubonic plague,” said one of the actors, Derek Hall, “so we’re carrying on the tradition, to find a way people can enjoy the same show, in our own stressful times.”
“Unfortunately, we all have to deal with more and more video conferencing. And it’s the same-old work meetings, and family chit-chat,” said Derek, “But to hear classical poetic language, over the same technology – the contrast is really interesting!”
“Ben & Bea: A Distancing Office Romance”, is available on YouTube, with a new episode to be released every day. On YouTube, search ‘Ben and Bea Romance’.
Or use this link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpaXKUQlKDFVjDm5I7HPqqQ

Many thanks to and Featuring: Davin Campbell, Derek Hall, Rogan Hall, Esther Koepnick, Michael Litchfield, Lisa Loveless, Amy Retzlaff, Mara Schoorlemmer, Rory Tarant
Scenes from Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Derek Hall and Amy Retzlaff

The 2020 Festival has been postponed to August, 2021.

Here is a message from Sarah Card on behalf of the Bear Creek Folk Music Festival. Her message explains all options available for 2020 Passholders. Contact Grande Prairie Live Theatre at 780 538 1616 to confirm your decisions on transferring to next year, refunding in whole or in part or donating to the Festival.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must reschedule the 2020 Bear Creek Folk Festival until August 2021. We will miss gathering on the hill, listening to fantastic music from well-known names and hidden gems. We will miss celebrating the arts and the Grande Prairie community. And we will miss seeing so many happy faces as friends reunite for such a special weekend.

While we are deeply saddened to have to do this, we cannot in good conscience pursue a large-scale international event like ours this summer. Our festival brings together thousands of visitors from around Canada and beyond, and health concerns surrounding COVID-19 create too great of a risk. The safety and wellness of our attendees, volunteers, artists, and our community at large must remain our first concern. We are planning to be back on the hill August 13-15, 2021, and we look forward to the time when we can all safely come back together!

If you have already purchased tickets for this summer’s festival, we are offering 3 options:

1. You can transfer your ticket to our 2021 festival. If we do not hear from you by Aug. 1, 2020, requesting one of the remaining two options, your tickets will be automatically transferred to our 2021 festival.
2. You can request to donate all or some of your purchase price to the BCFF Society. Even $10 means a great deal to us.
3. You can request a full refund for the entire price of your tickets
please note, even a donation of your ticket’s service fees will greatly offset the cost to our not-for-profit society

This is not an easy time for anyone, including those of us in the music industry. Donating your ticket fee is an excellent way to help the festival prepare for 2021 and support the artists and arts community. For those of you willing to hang tight for 2021, we promise to come back with another amazing festival! And we will not be offering a cheaper ticket price next year than the one you purchased.

For those of you who purchased tickets in anticipation of our first two artist announcements, we can not yet promise that they will be performing at our 2021 festival. However, we have extended them both invitations to perform, and are hoping for the best.

If you would like us to issue a refund, please contact the Grande Prairie Live Theatre Box Office by phone at 780-538-1616 during business hours. Deadline for claiming ticket refunds is August 1st, 2020.

If you are interested in making a donation to help the festival through this hard time, please reach out to us at donate@bearcreekfolkfest.org.

Thank you again for your support, both now and over the years. We will greatly miss seeing you on the hill this summer, but we look forward to next year’s amazing weekend of music and great community vibes!

All the best to you in these challenging times and our warmest wishes of good health.

Kindest Regards,
Sarah Card
Producer, Bear Creek Folk Music Festival”