June 2026 Newsletter

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE - SANDY HENDERSON


Bravo to the Shaw on a successful May Opening Weekend of Funny Girl, Sleuth and Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense. I had the pleasure of attending these fabulous performances, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of these engaging plays and the excitement surrounding their openings! I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of this season’s productions as well.

I know many of you are signed up to support Special Projects. Susan MacDonald has already secured your services with your assistance with the Opening Nights, the Shaw Shivaree and the Mother’s Day Tea. There are many more new projects to be launched this season, with the next one being the Father’s Day Whiskey Tasting on June 21. If you have not yet checked out these volunteer opportunities, please connect with Susan.

The Guild is also gearing up for our special events with our next big fundraising event, the 20th Anniversary of the Guild Garden Tour on June 13. Again, I know many of you love to volunteer at this event but if this is not your cup of tea, please consider buying a ticket and walking through some of NOTL’s beautiful gardens. This year, for an additional cost, a special tour of the McArthur Estate is being offered, where exciting activities will occur. There is one good thing about all this rain—these gardens are all looking fabulous.

An exciting second fundraising event is planned for September 24. A Barbra Streisand Tribute Concert will be held at Ravine Winery. Tickets will go on sale on June 1 and already there is quite a buzz about this event!

The Guild supports the Shaw financially each year, through donations generated by our fundraising efforts. On your behalf, the Executive Committee (EC) has provided the following funding to the Shaw, so far:

  • A Year with Frog and Toad, $25,000

  • Art of Ideas, $10,000

  • Relaxed Performances, $10,000

As the year progresses, we will be closely monitoring our budget and determining additional sponsorships to the Shaw. We will keep you updated on our financial decisions.

As you know in the past couple of newsletters I have shared with you the EC’s decisions regarding volunteer hours, the Affiliate Volunteer Group and the Code of Conduct. I want to share a few updates with you:

  • We now have 19 volunteers who have joined the Affiliate Group.

  • Thank you for your feedback on the new Code of Conduct. We have incorporated some of the feedback into a revised document that will be sent to you via MVP and it will also be posted to the Guild website. The EC has decided not to require you to attest to the Code of Conduct at this time; however we are hoping that you read the code and ensure that your conduct reflects the expectations outlined in the Code.

  • With the new requirement of 10 active volunteer hours and a smaller number of productions this year, the EC has decided to pause accepting new volunteer applications.

To say it is a busy time for everyone is an understatement, but this is what we all look forward to as the season begins. That said, I hope you enjoy a wonderfully busy time!

If you would like to connect with me, please feel free to contact me at president@shawguild.ca. See you at the Shaw!!

FALL FUNDRAISER

The Shaw Guild presents a fall fundraiser….a Barbra Streisand tribute.  Join us as we are entertained with musical notes honouring Barbra’s hits.  Tunes from Funny Girl will sure to be on the list.  Tickets are limited so get yours while you can.

Date:  Thursday September 24, 2026

Time:  doors open at 6:30, first come first served seating. Concert 7:30 to 9:30.

Where:  Ravine Vineyard (St. Davids)

Performer:  Angela Seeger

Tickets:  $50.00 plus fees and go on sale June 1

Visit shawguild.ca for tickets and information

Hope to see you there!!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT - MIKE FOX

Mike and his wife Judy arrived in Canada (from England) just before Christmas 1969 and he started working at Carleton University in Ottawa as a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies for most of the next 35 years.  He and Judy fell in love with NOTL in the spring of 2004, when they toured the Niagara peninsula by bicycle with friends, and the following winter after Mike retired, they purchased an old farmhouse on Lakeshore with views of the Lake.  Their plan was to renovate and open a B and B!

In an effort to meet people in their new community, they joined the Shaw Guild in 2007.  They also joined the NOTL Horticultural Society, a square-dancing group, hiked the local trails as part of the Niagara Nomads and cycled all over.  Although busy, they did indeed renovate their farmhouse but the B and B dream faded.

In 2019 they realized it was time to downsize so they moved to St. Andrew’s Glen in town!  Due to the convenience of their home's carport and proximity to open space next door, they inherited the honour of the neighbourhood Canada Day party being held there shortly after moving in, continuing annually for upwards of 50 neighbours.   Mike and Judy completely settled into ravine life in the Glen.

Mike absolutely loves to volunteer at the Shaw and has been part of the Gardening Crew since 2007 at a time when the Guild was starting to develop the gardens behind the Festival Theatre.  In his words ‘he loves to get his hands dirty’ every Tuesday morning.  For the most part Mike has been a careful gardener although he did have a run-in with a set of pruners one year that involved a visit to the local doctor’s office and numerous stitches on his forearm – admittedly not his proudest Guild moment.

Mike enjoys meeting other fellow Guild volunteers as a Host or Greeter.  And of course, he loves to meet Shaw patrons from ‘far and wide’ – that’s the best part; well, that and seeing all the plays each season!  In particular 2 years ago, the skiffle band in One Man Two Guvnors brought back very fond memories for him as a young Boy Scout in England when Mike joined a skiffle band, making his guitar from a kit!  He took up the ukelele in 2017 “just for something to do”, and during Covid began painting acrylic land and cityscapes.  His calendar was full indeed but then he heard about a new outdoor pickleball group made up of former members of St Catharines Y.  And of course, he joined and plays three mornings a week if the weather is good! 

This past winter Mike and Judy returned to Spain, just south of Malaga for five weeks where they enjoyed lots of walking, great markets and fish dishes.  And as Mike says “it was certainly a lot more pleasant than shoveling snow”.   Between Mike’s social life and his physical, musical and artistic pursuits, and travelling, he is one busy fella, so we are lucky indeed that he finds the time to garden, greet and host for the Guild.  Last year he volunteered almost 40 hours and so far this year he has volunteered almost 20 hours and the season has only just begun.  Thanks, Mike, for your support and dedication to the Guild and Shaw Festival!

TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY GARDEN TOUR!

By the time you read this newsletter we will be less than two weeks away from the Shaw Guild Garden Tour. June 13 will be just around the corner and will be here before we know it.

To the Garden Tour Committee and the many volunteers who have signed up to assist on the day, many thanks.  This could not happen without all of you.

We would love for YOU to join us.  Come stroll through the wonderful gardens where you can enjoy not only the gardens but also listen to musical entertainment and watch artists bring their canvases to life, all within spectacular settings.  What a lovely way to spend a Saturday in June in Niagara on the Lake.

Many special activities have been planned to celebrate our 20th anniversary.  Don’t miss out, come celebrate with us and support this important fundraiser in support of the Shaw Festival.  Get you tickets before June 13th to get the early bird prices.  Tickets will be on sale the day of the garden tour at any of the garden sites through Eventbrite or by cash but will increase from $25.000 to $35.00.  Truly a bargain if you buy early.

The McArthur Estate tickets are $35.00.  But an early bird pricing for both is $55.00.  Take advantage of this pricing before the day of the tour.  Tickets are sold out for the morning but there is some availability in the afternoon.

Check out McFarland House where, as garden tour patrons, you can pre order a lunch or cream tea to be enjoyed in the park.  The park and the facilities will be available only to Garden Tour ticket holders. Orders are being taken now at 905-468-3322.

Go to the Shaw Guild website (shawguild.ca) for all the details.  The link to purchase tickets can be found there as well.  We hope you will check out the website, grab a ticket and be a part of all that we have planned for this day.  It is really going to be a great day.

We’d love to see you there on June 13th to help us celebrate this milestone year.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT? POST SHOW CHATS

The Guild is supporting Education in piloting an exciting new series this season: How Do They Do That? — post-show talks following select Thursday matinees of Funny Girl and Cinderella, inviting patrons to “uncover the creative invention and backstage brilliance behind each performance.”

On May 15th, six Docent and Facilitator volunteers - Barb Babij, Delf Dodge, Tim Dodson, Lorraine Horton, Keith Mills, and Sandra Shearman - completed an intensive 3-hour training with the Funny Girl production team, then developed a 15-minute talk revealing the artistry, technique, and surprises that bring the show to life. The series launched following the May 21st matinee.

These talks are something entirely new: not a Q&A, not a Continue the Conversation discussion — but a snappy, insightful glimpse into the craft behind the production, and a low-commitment way for patrons to sample The Shaw's Beyond the Stage programming.

Once the main season wraps, the pilot will be evaluated to determine if the program will continue the series with  Cinderella  through year's end. We hope you'll join us at the Members Terrace after any remaining Thursday matinee of Funny Girl.

FUN ON THE RIVERBANK!

On May 22nd, before the first preview performance of The Wind in the Willows in the Studio theatre, we kicked off the Family Workshops with a bang! As with any artistic endeavour, months of preparation had gone into making sure everything and everyone was ready to offer a stellar experience for our patrons.  The Education staff, particularly Sabrina, Sydney and Jenette, have been busy for months determining just the right mix of activities to engage families and students before the play.  They nailed it!

This year’s workshops are offered an hour before the play and consist of an imaginative journey to ‘the riverbank” to join Rat, Mole Badger and Toad for a picnic. Participants pass through 3 modules of creative play: Boating on the river, the Transportation Station and the Investigation Station. They are led by the intrepid “Squirrelly” and supported by our wonderful Guild volunteers; known this year as the “River Rats”!  We have over 30 people on this team and they are enjoying themselves entering into the fun with enthusiasm!  If this sounds like your “thing”, and you would like to join the team, just email Brenda at workshops@shawguild.ca and we will be happy to welcome you in!

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