The Festival by the Marsh, which runs July 5 to 26, is excited to kick off its 2023 edition with a presentation of “The Importance of Romance” featuring two one act comedies at beautiful Fort Beausejour in Aulac – just outside of Sackville New Brunswick. The charming love stories, set in the late 1800s, will be performed outside in the 18th century fort. The performances run Wednesday, July 5 to Saturday, July 8 at 7 pm. Please bring your own chair, and bug spray is recommended.

The Festival also features a staged reading of “We’re Still Here: Tales From 2020 and Beyond” written and directed by Charlie Rhindress. The play, which will be presented on July 13 at 7:30 pm at the Sackville Legion, is a moving and sometimes funny look back at the Covid experience based on interviews with dozens of Atlantic Canadians. The performance is pay what you can.

The Festival also features return of the popular comedy “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” for two performances on July 14 and 15 at 7:30 pm at the Sackville Legion. The play, which has received tremendous responses from audiences, is a humorous smorgasbord of love lost, love found, lust, dramatic tension and absurdity with love potions, sleeping potions and death potions!

On July 16, acclaimed jazz musician Mali Obomsawin will perform a concert at the Sackville Legion at 7:30 pm.

Another main theatre presentation for the Festival this year is the world premiere of the thoughtful play “Retrospective” written and directed by Sue Rose, which runs July 21 to July 24 at the Studio theatre (see Festival website for details). Artist Vivan Lake is an acclaimed mask-maker. A prestigious public art gallery has mounted a retrospective of her work. At the opening, she gives a speech before adoring fans and is then interviewed by the overly zealous gallery director whose probing questions cut a little too close to the bone. Who are you when you’re not being true to yourself? Vivan is about to find out!

The Festival also features ““NOW AND FOREVER A Musical Tribute to Anne Murray” on Tuesday, July 25 at the Sackville Music Barn. This play, an intimate evening celebrating the life and music of Canadian icon Anne Murray, is presented by Live Bait Theatre and the Anne Murray Centre and is created and hosted by Charlie Rhindress. Featuring Jennie Del Motte, Mirren Lithwick, Heather MacIntyre and Carley Varner-Joudrey, who all appeared in Live Bait’s incredibly popular tribute to Rita MacNeil, I’m Not What I Seem, will perform over a dozen of Anne’s greatest hits. The evening is hosted by best-selling author Charlie Rhindress, who will read from his upcoming book, Nova Scotia’s Women of Song, and tell stories from Anne’s life.

The Festival also features performances of short historical themed plays and new short plays at the Sackville Farmers Market and in Bill Johnstone Park, Artist-in-Residence Angela Thibodeau, and workshops in drama, writing and fine arts for young people.

For more details on the Festival, or to reserve spaces in workshops or to buy ticket for things that require them, visit www.festivalbythemarsh.com or call (506) 940-2248.