Hannah Ziss in Myth of the Ostrich Photo by Shane Wilkie Photography
The summer is the busiest time of year for Theatre Baddeck. They have Matt Murray’s Myth of the Ostrich playing there until July 25th, and then Mark Crawford’s The Golden Anniversaries playing August 6th until September 4th. They are also in their new home, the Greenwood Arts Centre, which is in Phase Two of its development. I had a chance to sit down and chat with Co-Artistic Producer and actor Hannah Ziss about all the exciting things happening for them in Baddeck this year.
Myth of the Ostrich is directed by Mary-Colin Chisholm and stars Geneviève Steele as Holly, Christy MacRae-Ziss as Cheryl, and Hannah Ziss as Pam. The play is a remount of a 2022 production that had a short run just as folks were transitioning out of the pandemic. “Even when we closed we always felt like we hadn’t really saturated our audience for it, and we always kind of kept it in our back pocket as something that would be really great to bring back, and… the stars aligned… so we’re so excited to bring it back with the same [cast].” Ziss says that they have gotten to delve deeper into the production this time and make improvements. “It’s super fun to do as an actor,” she says, “it’s such a joy to bring it back. I love the team; we had a fantastic opening, and now we are excited to spend July in the world of Holly’s apartment.”
The show is set in Toronto in the 90s, and the play unfolds in real time. Holly is a progressive mother of a teenager, and one day Pam, a more conservative parent of another teenager arrives at her door. As the play unfolds Holly realizes that Pam is operating under some misconceptions about the nature of their children’s relationship, and Holly is trying to meet this moment in a way that is best for her child. This becomes more challenging when Holly’s more outrageous friend Cheryl, a Cape Breton ex-pat, arrives, and somehow a politely awkward first meeting between parents leads to three adult women building a blanket fort together. “Matt’s writing is so sharp,” says Ziss, “I call it a high farce because, of course, a lot of the comedy comes as a result of the situations- there are misunderstandings, but it’s also a total character comedy as well. These three women are quite well drawn, and the ways in which they misunderstand each other, but also still manage to find common ground I think is what really draws people to the story, and I think it’s why it sticks with people.” She says that even just reading the play before they started rehearsals she was already laughing out loud at Murray’s writing. “When the audience is really with you, and they’re really laughing, and the way that they’re taking in the surprises of it, and sort of anticipating certain parts, and being surprised by other parts is the most joyful part of live performance that there is,” she says. She also adds that the sight gag that ends the show is one of the funniest she has ever encountered.
Ziss describes her character, Pam, as a Catholic churchgoer from Alberta who has recently moved to Toronto. “At first glance she is a fairly conservative woman, who lived a pretty conservative lifestyle, but what you discover over the course of the play, especially as certain things remove her inhibitions, let’s say, is that she’s somebody who wants more for her life, and I think this is, in many ways, a play about parenthood. I think that her deep love for her child is how I think that she can be broken out of the strict confines of her own life. I think she’s sort of seeking new experiences, and she certainly gets one on this fateful afternoon at Holly’s apartment.”
Ziss says of the apartment set that “there was a strong sense of wanting it to reflect the magic of the experience that [the characters] have.” It also gives us some insights into Holly’s character, and it roots the audience very much in the 90s, as it is the exact same shade of purple Benjamin Moore paint as the iconic apartment where Monica and Rachel live on Friends (1994). Ziss says that this choice also captures how similar the comedy in this play is to a sitcom, with the comedy coming from “many situations compounding on each other.”
Director Mary-Colin Chisholm has characterized the play thus, “One afternoon in a basement apartment feels both epic and intimate, as these three find unlikely common ground. Let’s hope every kid has moms and aunties like this in their lives, lionesses who accept them, fight for them, and love them as fiercely as these gals do.”
The lighting design by Bea Crowther is more extensive in the remount because Theatre Baddeck has moved into their new venue, the Greenwood Arts Centre, which has a much great technical capability than their original home. “On January 1st, 2025 Theatre Baddeck became the longterm tenants at Greenwood United Church at 98 Twining Street. We began renovating [the church] to create what we are calling the Greenwood Arts Centre, and the reason for a title that is separate from Theatre Baddeck is that the venue will function as our permanent home, but we will also run it as a touring venue, and a rental venue for a variety of different uses, including it becoming a movie theatre. There is no movie theatre within an hour radius, so we will screen movies there.” Ziss says that the centre will function similarly to the Chester Playhouse in Chester, the Astor Theatre in Liverpool, or the Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney. “I feel like we’re really on the cusp of something that could be quite big for this community. We started this company because we felt that this specific village with its tourism economy really had the chance for that economy to be further jumpstarted by a high quality professional entertainment offering. This [renovation] is a continuation of that, an acceleration of that mandate because it’s going to increase our own production values, but it will [also] increase our sustainability because it will allow us to earn revenue throughout the entire year, as opposed to just the summer months, and it will also make us a massive contributor to winter tourism in our area, which is really a critical part of continuing to drive prosperity in our region.”
Historically Baddeck has been one of those places in the province that is busy with tourists between October and May and then sort of shuts down for the winter, but Ziss says that Theatre Baddeck is just part of an ongoing push in the community to make it a place that is busy year round. They weren’t at full capacity last winter in the new space, but they were able to host musicians during Celtic Colours and had the Turnbull Brothers in their space for a concert in February. “It was the dead of winter. Snow, Snow, Snow, and we sold it out like that,” Ziss says, snapping her fingers. “I think… the pandemic proved that there is always going to be a need for live entertainment and live performance at all times of the year.”
Two of Shawn Bisson’s Renderings for the Greenwood Arts Centre
Between January and June the first phase of the renovations were completed, which included bringing the space up to building code, a new fire and life safety system, and making the main floor completely barrier-free, and adding additional washrooms. “The most exciting part for me about the first phase of renovations is the creation of the quite stunning new lobby and bar area.” This is especially exciting because in their former venue there really was no front of house to speak of. “The beautiful new lobby really accentuates the existing architecture. The building is a century plus old church; there’s a lot of really beautiful aspects to it, including beautiful stained glass and hardwood [floors].” They removed the pews and the pulpit, put down plywood floor and made an empty box. The temporary seating arrangement now includes the riser system from their previous venue, and they are still renting their lighting equipment. The design for the final stage of the theatre space was designed by Shawn Bisson, former Technical Director at Neptune Theatre, who is now an architectural engineer. “Theatre has quite specific needs, and so sometimes when you have people designing a building [like this] who don’t work in theatre, things get missed. That is not the case here with someone like Shawn. He created these stunning renderings that show what the venue will look like when it’s finished.” Of course the budget cuts to the arts and social fabrics of our province by the current Tim Houston government have impacted the rate at which Phase Two can be completed, but Theatre Baddeck has raised $400.000 and counting to go toward the project, proving how much support the development of an arts centre has in the community. “We are feeling optimistic,” says Ziss. “It was kind of a tough winter, but now we’re feeling quite optimistic about where we’re going next. More work will get done in the Fall, and then a huge chunk of work will happen between January and June, 2027, and a lot of that will be on the technical side. It will involve the installation of the lighting grid and the purchase of the lighting equipment.” The projection equipment will come earlier so that they can start screening movies as early as the Fall. They will then install their permanent seating area for patrons.
Ziss points out that the Arts Centre won’t just service the people who live right in Baddeck, but because of its geography folks from surrounding communities come and see their plays every summer too. Some folks coming in from further away stay overnight and make a vacation out of it, which further contributes to the village’s economy. “There’s a real chance for us to continue to forge ourselves as a ‘third place.’ The idea of you have home, and you have work, and then you have a third place where you gather with people, and where you find community. I think a cultural centre like this could have a real chance to do that.” She says that having their own year-round venue also allows them to do more arts education, which is really filling a void in the small community- especially for youth who are interested in fostering their own creativity and developing their own artistic talents.
Ziss was born in Sydney, Australia where she lived until she was nine, and then she and her parents moved to Kitchener, Ontario, but throughout her childhood they always spent their summers in Baddeck. Her mother’s family is originally from Cape Breton, although she grew up in Truro. “Nova Scotia has always been part of my roots,” says Ziss. Theatre Baddeck was really her mother, Co-Artistic Producer Christy MacRae-Ziss’ brainchild.
MacRae-Ziss was working in theatre while in Australia, but Hannah Ziss had her big moment playing an iceberg in Titanic: the Musical once they had moved to Canada. Once Ziss had graduated from the University of Windsor with a BFA in Acting her mother started putting plans in motion to return to their summer home and to build a professional theatre there. Early in the process of founding Theatre Baddeck and becoming part of the Cape Breton community Ziss decided it would be advantageous to go to business school to get her MBA. “I was the only BFA graduate in my MBA class. I think it’s always good to have experiences that put you outside of your own industry, and puts your industry in the right context. It was a great experience. It was just one year, and that was super fruitful.” She says that learning about financial and organizational management has been very helpful in her work as a producer, and that marketing and entrepreneurship were the primary concentrations of her degree. “I think you really see how critical live professional culture is, and how important it is in how people live, and to not think of it as niche, that it’s not just for certain people, that it really is for everybody. But, also perhaps conversely to that, to figure out what is the unique value of what you have? And who is it for? And how do you find those people and tell them that the value is for them? How do you be specific in your messaging?” Certainly all important and transferrable skills for someone running a professional theatre.
Later this summer Samantha Wilson directs The Golden Anniversaries by Mark Crawford starring Christy MacRae-Ziss and Todd Hiscock. “This is a sweet Mark Crawford comedy about a couple who have been married for 50 years. I think it will be deeply relatable for our many patrons who are in long-term partnerships, and all the trials and tribulations that sort of come with that. I think even if you’re not, you’ll recognize your parents, your grandparents- I think that the trials and tribulations of long term partnerships come down to what it means to try to be in relationship with other humans. I think that’s something we can all relate to. It’s super funny, very sweet. We have Lucas Arab doing the set design, and we are so excited to have him for the first time here, and our amazing lighting designer Bea Crowther is back doing the lighting design, so don’t sleep on that one either.”
Ziss recommends that if you come to Theatre Baddeck from elsewhere on the island or from the mainland to make day of it. “Baddeck just did a massive renovation of its waterfront with a lovely new boardwalk. It’s gorgeous down there; there’s also stairs right off the boardwalk so you can walk right into the water, so you can swim right off with beautiful views. You can see Beinn Bhreagh, Alexander Graham Bell’s house from the boardwalk. If you want to do a boat tour you can do that too. You can go to Winstar. John, the driver of the boat, he tosses a fish so you can see a bald eagle. It’s amazing.” She recommends the lobster sandwich at the Herring Choker Deli, which she calls “sandwich heaven.” “You can stop at Big Spruce Brewing, which is also a stunning place to stop. They have awesome craft beer, and they have live music.” They also have a food truck and “stunning views.” You can also take a ferryboat to Kidston Island beach where you can see the lighthouse. She also recommends Telegraph House for supper, or you can go to the Baddeck Lobster Suppers. If you want to go for a drink after the show she recommends The Narrows at the Inverary Resort or the Bras d’Or Yacht Club. She mentions that, of course, Baddeck is home to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and National Historic Site where you can learn all about his life and career, and that of his wife, Mabel Hubbard, and why they were so attached to this part of the world. For hiking the Uisge Bàn Falls are just 20 minutes away by car, and it is not a long hike. She also says not to feel daunted by the Cabot Trail; you don’t have the drive the whole way to get to Baddeck unless that’s something you’re excited to do.
In a decision I made that made sense at the time I didn’t review any of the shows I saw as a Merritt juror back in 2022 because I was still limiting my access to the theatre coming out of Covid. One of the shows I saw that summer was Myth of the Ostrich, which I remember really enjoying and laughing a lot. I wrote in my notebook back then that it is “the perfect play for summer in Cape Breton,” so I hope that lots of folks will add Baddeck to their itinerary, will check out the places that Hannah Ziss has recommended here, and will check out Theatre Baddeck’s new venue and these two fun comedic offerings.
Myth of the Ostrich by Matt Murray directed by Mary-Colin Chisholm plays at the Greenwood Arts Centre (98 Twining Street, Baddeck) until July 25th, 2026. Performances run Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinees on Saturdays, Wednesday the 15th, and Sunday the 19th. Tickets are $22.81 for Youth, $31.58 for Seniors, and $35.09 for Adults (including fees). They are available here, by calling the Box Office at 902.412-7122 or visiting in person at 98 Twining Street in Baddeck. Content advisory: coarse language and mature themes.
The Golden Anniversaries by Mark Crawford directed by Samantha Wilson plays at the Greenwood Arts Centre (98 Twining Street, Baddeck) from August 6th to September 4th. Performances run Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinees on Saturdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. Tickets are $17.54 (including fees), and available here, by calling the Box Office at 902.412-7122 or visiting in person at 98 Twining Street in Baddeck.
From the Theatre Baddeck Website: ACCESSIBILITY: We are committed to welcoming patrons with disabilities. Should a support person be required to accompany the patron, we will waive payment of the ticket amount for admission to the theatre. The theatre can be entered via ramp and is fully barrier-free. Any seat in the front two rows can be removed to accommodate a wheelchair. Since seating is general admission, we will happily reserve seats for you if you need seats removed, cannot climb stairs, or need to be close to the stage. Contact us at 902-412-7122 or boxoffice@theatrebaddeck.com to make these arrangements – we are here to help!
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