It’s Not A Cult, It’s A Salon
Recently, I spent a fascinating evening at The Leonor and the memory has been haunting me ever since.
The occasion was a reading of a work in progress by Canadian actress and, yes, superstar, Chilina Kennedy. The piece she is developing with the dramaturgical assistance of playwright Robert McQueen, is a response, if you will, to Jean Cocteau‘s 1930 The Human Voice.
That piece was a monologue for a woman, speaking on the telephone (at the time a relatively new technology) to a former lover who had left her and was about to marry someone else.
Kennedy’s work in progress imagines the man’s side of the conversation, but transposed to the present day, on a mobile phone.
I found it fascinating, especially since Kennedy began the evening by performing Cocteau’s play. She was, not to mince words, brilliant.
The fact that this took place in a space the size of your average living room for an audience of about 25 people sipping artisanal tea blends made the experience extraordinary.
Kennedy and McQueen were eager for feedback and I was impressed by the insightful contributions of the audience.
Some time back I wrote about The Leonor with the cheeky title “We’re A Cult,” which I cribbed from Sara-Jeanne Hosie or Lauren Bowler (I can’t remember), two of The Leonor’s founders. The third founder is Deanna Horton.
The Leonor is a hard place to describe in a sentence or two. I urge you to visit the site and then The Leonor itself to venture your own pithy description. In that earlier blog post I described it as Stratford’s new “third space.”
After that evening with Kennedy and McQueen I think the term “salon” comes closer to the mark, at least aspirationally.
The Leonor offers a variety of experiences, from tea room, to used book emporium, to a showcase for arts and crafts created by Stratford’s theatrical community, to improv comedy, to mah jong lessons.
It also has the potential to create a very special setting for performing artists in the Stratford area to spread their wings, try new modalities, and seek the encouragement of a sophisticated audience of theatre lovers. The possibilities for enriching conversations are tantalizing.
Of course the big IF here is if The Leonor can survive. Any new commercial venture is a crap shoot. I can only imagine that given its location (across the street from the Avon Theatre) the rent is substantial. And the price of admission to events like the one I just enjoyed is extremely modest.
So I urge you, if you are local to Stratford or just visiting, to patronize the Leonor. It’s a classic “use it or lose it” situation. Stop by for tea on Friday and Saturday (12 to 5). The blends are inventive and delicious. Take some home. Buy a used book. (I should have grabbed the complete works of Tennyson!) Browse the boutique in the back room.
Above all, attend some of the events listed on their calendar. I’ll be back, with friends, for Chilina Sings BROADWAY! on September 13. See you there.
For a complete index of reviews CLICK HERE.
Don’t miss another review or blog post! SUBSCRIBE HERE
