Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival
Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (TNL) is a non-profit organization founded 40 years ago with the goal of creating and producing professional theatre which reflects the lives and diversity of Newfoundland’s West coast. Each summer, TNL hosts the Gros Morne Theatre Festival in the community of Cow Head which features a number of plays such as the S.S. Ethie dinner theatre and Tempting Providence. With the goal of connecting people through storytelling, song, and film, TNL has created a virtual tour of Cow Head. Created in collaboration with local artist Stephanie Payne and local film company PB Productions, the virtual tour starts at the head of Cow Head, travels across the sandbar and ends at TNL’s brand new state of the art facility, The Nurse Myra Bennett Centre for the Performing Arts. Stephanie Payne is a singer, songwriter, musician, and actor who was born and raised in Cow Head. She is the creator, creative director, and a performer in Gros Morne Theatre Festival’s Neddy Norris Night, a traditional Newfoundland music show. PB Productions is a Corner Brook based film company owned by Peter Buckle and John McKinnon. This project has created a beautiful collaboration of song, recitations, stories and local culture.
Gros Morne Theatre Festival’s productions have been delighting audiences in beautiful Cow Head for 25 years.
The film created through this project showcases the unique aspects of Cow Head, an enclave community within Gros Morne National Park – a community of hard working, vibrant and talented people. These qualities that define Cow Head and its people are explored and presented through stories and music. The 30 minute film brings the essence of both the community and the park to life, from jaw-dropping vistas and massive cliffs to spectacular beaches along windswept coastlines. In addition to highlighting the unique geology of the place, the piece reveals stories of the first settlers and their families and also introduces to the world to the new spectacular Nurse Myra Bennett Centre for the Performing Arts. The state of the art facility is named for legendary Nurse Myra Bennett, one of the first medical professionals to work on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula, and located in the heart of the community. Through the film Stephanie interviews her grandmother Gwen and they reveal the strong emotional connection between people and place and showcase our culture through song, recitations and storytelling. Click here to watch.
To learn more about Theatre Newfoundland Labrador and the Gros Morne Theatre Festival, visit the website, follow them on facebook or twitter, or visit their YouTube channel.
