2025 Workshop Registration is live!
Dive into the River Clyde Pageant creative community! Whether you're drawn to performance, music, puppetry, design, or the health of Island’s ecosystems, our workshops welcome everyone to shape this summer's riverside spectacle, which runs July 24-27 and July 31-August 3, 2025. All ages are welcome, and no previous experience is required, just bring your curiosity, an open spirit, and a readiness to get creative!
Scroll down to discover which workshop speaks to your creative spirit!
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Pageant workshops are offered to the public free of charge. Free arts programming is important to us - it’s a way to give back to the community that helps build the Pageant each summer. Spaces are limited in these workshops, and they fill up on quickly and usually have waitlists. With that in mind, we ask that you consider the following:
If you register for a workshop,make the commitment to attend - put the dates in your calendar and show up.
If you sign up and realize you can no longer attend, email us to withdraw your registration so someone on the waitlist can participate.
Please consider a donation to River Clyde Arts to assist with the administration and material costs of these workshops. Your contributions help us ensure we can continue to offer high-quality, accessible arts programming to the community.
Can't commit to workshops? Join our volunteer team or donate instead!
Natural Pageantry: Exploring the River Clyde’s Ecology
A guided exploration of the Pageant grounds with Daniel McRae
(Workshop is full, accepting Waitlist! )
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The natural world is a consummate storyteller, although we often miss these non-verbal tales. Join Daniel McRae from the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, for a guided exploration of the Pageant grounds in New Glasgow, looking into the past, present and future of the local ecological community. From colourful costumes to magical music, our local ecological actors have been putting on a magnificent pageant for over 10,000 years and counting.
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Saturday, July 5th, 10am-12pm, Outdoors on the Pageant site, 2765 New Glasgow Road
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Daniel McRae started working with Macphail Woods in 2008. Since then he has become an expert in botany, data collection, mapping and forest assessment. Daniel is MacPhail’s lead researcher but is involved with many other aspects of the project including ecosystem restoration, sustainable harvesting and nature education.
Firefly Lanterns with Laura Stinson
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Step into the enchanting world of fireflies and learn to craft your own illuminated sculpture! In this hands-on workshop, you'll work with cloth, paper, and reclaimed materials to create a unique glowing firefly lantern.
Facilitated by Laura Stinson, you’ll learn how to make a sculpted lantern, using cloth, paper, tape and discarded objects. Activities include: designing firefly shapes and coats, sculpting recycled materials and applying light catching fabrics using Eid glue and cornstarch paste.
Open to adults and children aged nine and up, children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
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Tuesday, June 24th 6-8pm
Thursday, June 26th 6-8pm
WORKSHOP LOCATION:
Outdoors on the Pageant site, 2765 New Glasgow Road
The A-BEE-Cs of Beekeeping
Beekpeeking workshop with Cameron Menzies
(Workshop is full, accepting Waitlist! )
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Have you ever seen the inside of a beehive before? Join PEI Provincial Apiarist Cameron Menzies who will guide workshop participants through the A-Bee-Cs of honey bee husbandry. Participants will get to peek inside a beehive to observe the life stages of bees in the colony and the wax comb and honey within the hive. Cameron will teach participants about the role of honey bees within PEI’s ecology as pollinators & honey makers.
Protective beekeeping suits will be provided to all participants. Due to limited equipment, this workshop is restricted to 8 participants and is open to ages 13+ only. Please wear long-sleeved clothing and long pants, as some suits only provide face protection.
Important Notes: This workshop involves interaction with live bees, and while the risk is low when properly suited, bee stings are possible. If you have a known allergy to bee stings, you should not attend the workshop. In the event of cool or rainy conditions, the outdoor hive inspection will be replaced with an indoor presentation at Island Honey Wine about beekeeping.
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Sunday July 6th, 11am-1pm, Island Honey Wine Company, 820 Millboro Rd, Rustico
Co-creating with landscape
A Workshop in Scenic Design with Ian McFarlane
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From boat puppets to living sculptures, the River Clyde Pageant has featured a wide range of landscape performance design over the past decade, creating a unique long form collaboration with the environment we inhabit. This hands-on workshop will continue this legacy and invites new collaborators to contribute. Join long-time Pageant collaborator and scenographer, Ian McFarlane, for a two-weekend workshop intensive in outdoor scenic design. Exploring found and natural materials, participants will be guided through introductory techniques in performance design and invited to create their own scenic elements that will be featured in this year’s River Clyde Pageant. From sketching out initial ideas to building on-site installations, we will explore the full spectrum of the scenographic imagination in the context of the Pageant’s performance site.
This workshop is open to participants ages 14 and up. No previous experience is required.
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Workshops take place both indoors and outdoors in New Glasgow. Indoor locations will be in at the Mill in New Glasgow. Outdoor locations will be on the Pageant site at 2765 New Glasgow Road.
WORKSHOP DATES:
June 6th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm (Indoors at The Mill in New Glasgow)
June 7th, 1pm - 5pm (Outdoors on the Pageant site, 2765 New Glasgow Road)
June 8th, 1pm - 5pm (Pageant site)
June 13th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm (Indoors at The Mill in New Glasgow)
June 14th, 1pm - 5pm (Pageant site)
June 15th, 1pm - 5pm (Pageant site)
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Ian McFarlane is a theatre maker, a puppeteer and scenographer. He first joined the Pageant in 2016 and has since been involved as a producer, a director, a workshop facilitator, and a designer. Previous Pageant creations have included: a giant right whale puppet, a floating river spirit, a swarm of insect masks, a fleet of insect boats, a mythological skeleton creature, and much more. He currently teaches at Mount Allison University as the Resident Designer for the Drama and Screen Studies department.
This Can’t Be the End
An Ecological Creative Writing Workshop with Mike Geither and Kristen Tetzmann
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If the climate crisis has been creeping into your art and writing, or even just your mind, we invite you to take a closer look at it in this new creative writing workshop co-led by Mike Geither and Kristen Tetzmann. Whether you work in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction or playwriting, the workshop will allow you to explore the effects of climate change, activism, pollution, renewable energy and the pessimism/optimism conversation. We’ll spend time generating material through a variety of different prompts, and we’ll share pieces of these works in progress with an eye toward creating informed, publishable and stage-able pieces. Optional out-of-class assignments and reading assignments will supplement in-class work. Open to writers of any level, from any genre!
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Sunday June 8, 2-5pm
Tuesday June 10, 6:30-8:30pm
Thursday June 12, 6:30-8:30pm
Saturday June 14, 3-5pm
The Mill in New Glasgow, 5592 Route 13, New Glasgow
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Mike Geither is a playwright, solo performer and stand-up comic whose work has been seen in San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, New York and London. He is a four-time Ohio Arts Council fellow and has served as a resident artist at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito. Recent works include Thick, a play (U of Ottawa, 2024), The Body is the Best (Lit Youngstown, The River Clyde Pageant, NACL, Chicago Dramatists, 2022), Heirloom (convergence-continuum, 2019), Ismene (U of Ottawa, 2017), The Events of the Warren County Fair as Observed by a Young Astronaut (Independent Production, 2017 - 2019), Objectively/Reasonable (Playwrights Local, 2016/17), Creation Myth(convergence-continuum, 2016), how small, how far away (Zuppa Theatre, Halifax, 2016), Flame Puppy (Playwrights Local, 2015), Tear It Off (convergence-continuum, 2015), and Loki and Lucy (Talespinner, 2014). He is currently a Professor of English at Cleveland State University where he teaches in the Northeast Ohio MFA (NEOMFA) in creative writing and a life-long birdwatcher. His current work focuses on fragmentation, non-traditional narrative and climate change.
Kristen Tetzmann (née Tetzlaff) is a poet and painter from Wisconsin. She is an editorial assistant for the Cleveland State University Poetry Center and a second-year poetry candidate in the NEOMFA program. Her writing has appeared in Bodega Magazine, Furrow, and elsewhere.
Bird Watching
With Mike Geither (Workshop is full, accepting Waitlist! )
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Come learn about bird watching & bird identification on the North Shore of PEI! We’ll walk through local habitats and learn to identify birds through song and sight. Bring binoculars if you have them (some extra pairs will be available) and be ready to walk. Workshop leader Mike Geither is a life-long birder who has been birding Central and Eastern PEI for the past six years during his summers spent here as part of the River Clyde Pageant. This workshop will appeal to everyone from those new to birding, to advanced birdwatchers.
Open to participants of all ages. Kids under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Saturday June 14, 10am-1pm
The Homestead Trail at Cavendish Campground in the PEI National Park
A Sounder, A Swarm: Pageant Music Workshop
A musical storytelling workshop for musicians of all ages and experience levels, led by Garry Williams
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What if trees could speak? What stories would they tell? What wisdom would they impart? Join us for this exploratory music workshop where we'll use movement, space, and imagination to create the unique soundscape of the 2025 River Clyde Pageant.
Led by our Music Director, we'll craft text, develop graphic scores, and engage in playful musical storytelling that stretches our creative boundaries. We'll sing, play instruments, and have fun together while building the musical foundation of this year's outdoor performance.
Open to adults and children 8 and up. Youth under 12 should be accompanied by a music-making adult! No need to read music or have instrument experience—just bring your listening skills, attention, and willingness to work as part of a creative team.
Following the workshop, participants may join either the Pageant Choir or a smaller musical ensemble that will play in the show, which runs from July 24th-27 and July 31-Aug 3.
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WORKSHOP DATES:
Wednesday June 11, 6-8:30pm
Thursday June 12, 6-8:30pm
Saturday June 14, 2-5pm
Sunday June 15, 2-5pm
WORKSHOP LOCATION:
New Glasgow Christian Church is the meeting place and site for indoor sessions. Outdoor work will take place around New Glasgow and on the Pageant site. The New Glasgow Christian Church is located at 617 Route 258, New Glasgow, PEI
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MUSIC ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS:
Wednesday June 18, 6:30-8:30pm
Sunday June 22, 1-3pm
Wednesday July 2, 6:30-8:30pm
Sunday July 6, 1-3pm
Wednesday July 9, 6:30-8:30pm
Sunday July 13, 1-3pm
Wednesday July 16, 6:30-8:30pm
PRODUCTION WEEK REHEARSALS
Saturday, July 19: 9:00-11:30 am; 4:00-8:30 pm - Stumble-Through Rehearsal (staggered call times)
Sunday, July 20: 5:00-8:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Tuesday, July 22: 6:00-9:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Wednesday, July 23: 6:00-9:00 pm - Rain Date Rehearsal
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, July 24 - Sunday July 27: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 1-4
Thursday, July 31 - Sunday Aug 3: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 5-8
Sounds of the Flock:
Pageant Choir
A workshop for singers of all levels of experience, led by Andrea Ellis and Marti Hopson
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Join your voice with others to create the unique soundscape of the 2025 River Clyde Pageant! Participants will explore singing techniques, improvisation, and songwriting - working to create a choral ensemble that will perform at this year's River Clyde Pageant. Over the first few sessions we will build a song together, exploring our environment and our relationships to human and non-human kin. The choir will also learn new compositions, including works by Garry Williams, the Pageant's Music Director. This workshop will be led by Marti Hopson (composer, theatre artist, musician, conductor) and Andrea Ellis (Pageant Choir Director, music educator, pianist/vocalist). Together, the group will weave together a musical fabric for this year’s magical outdoor theatre spectacle.
Open to singers with all levels of experience, age 12 and up. The workshop takes place indoors and outdoors in New Glasgow. Participants should be available for the majority of workshop sessions and rehearsals, and all Pageant performances (see dates below). In recognition of the significant time commitment required for performing in the show, singers are paid an honorarium for their time.
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WORKSHOP DATES:
Tuesday May 27, 7-9pm
Tuesday June 3, 7-9pm
Saturday June 7, 2-5pm
Tuesday June 10, 7-9pm
Tuesday June 17, 7-9pm
Tuesday June 24, 7-9pm
Thursday July 3, 7-9pm
Tuesday July 8, 7-9pm
Thursday July 10, 7-9pm
Tuesday July 15, 7-9pm
Thursday July 17, 7-9pmWORKSHOP LOCATION:
All workshop sessions take place at New Glasgow Christian Church, 617 Route 258, New Glasgow. Some sessions may be conducted outdoors as weather permits.
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PRODUCTION WEEK REHEARSALS
Saturday, July 19: 9:00-11:30 am; 4:00-8:30 pm - Stumble-Through Rehearsal (staggered call times)
Sunday, July 20: 5:00-8:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Tuesday, July 22: 6:00-9:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Wednesday, July 23: 6:00-9:00 pm - Rain Date Rehearsal
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, July 24 - Sunday July 27: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 1-4
Thursday, July 31 - Sunday Aug 3: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 5-8
Introduction to Stilt Walking Workshop
A beginner-friendly introduction to Stilt Walking with Laura Astwood
(Workshop is full, accepting Waitlist! )
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Have you ever watched our stilt performers and wondered what it feels like to walk above the crowd? Here's your chance to find out! This beginner-friendly workshop introduces the fundamentals of stilt walking in a supportive, encouraging environment.
Led by stilt teacher and RCP collaborator Laura Astwood, you'll learn proper stilt safety, mounting techniques, balance, and basic movement skills. By the end of the workshop, you'll have experienced the unique perspective and joyful sensation that comes from standing tall on stilts.
No previous experience required—just a sense of adventure and willingness to try something new. All equipment is provided, along with plenty of guidance and support from our experienced instructor.
Open to participants ages 12 and up, teens, adults, and seniors are all welcome! No previous experience required, and all equipment is provided.
Limited to 15 participants - pre-registration is a must!
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WORKSHOP DATES:
Saturday June 21, 10-1pm
Sunday June 22, 10-1pmWORKSHOP LOCATION:
Gulf Shore School, 185 Hilltop Ave, North Rustico
Puppet Ensemble
Technical training in ensemble-based puppetry and performance with Evan Medd, Sebastien Labelle & Laura Stinson
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Discover the wonder of bringing puppets to life in this collaborative workshop series! You'll learn ensemble-based performance, group movement, mask work, and techniques for operating both large-scale and small-scale puppets in collaboration with the natural landscapes of the River Clyde. You will contribute to the spectacular puppet performance elements of the River Clyde Pageant, working with fellow ensemble members and lead Pageant artists.
This workshop is designed for participants who can commit to performing in the 2025 River Clyde Pageant, participants must be available for all performance dates (July 24th-27 & July 31-Aug 3) and can commit to the majority of the scheduled sessions will be prioritized for this workshop. In recognition of your significant time commitment, puppet ensemble members receive an honorarium for performances.
Open to ages 12 and up-no previous experience required. Advanced registration is required.
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WORKSHOP DATES
Sunday June 15, 2-5pm
Wednesday June 18, 6-8pm
Sunday June 22, 2-5pm
Wednesday June 25, 6-8pm
Sunday June 29, 2-5pm
Wednesday July 2, 6-8pm
Sunday July 6, 2-5pm
Thursday July 10, 6:00-8:30pm
Sunday July 13, 2-5pm
Thursday July 17, 6:00-8:30pm
WORKSHOP LOCATIONOutdoors and indoors in New Glasgow. Locations to be confirmed.
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PRODUCTION WEEK REHEARSALS:
Saturday, July 19: 9:00-11:30 am; 4:00-8:30 pm - Stumble-Through Rehearsal (staggered call times)
Sunday, July 20: 5:00-8:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Tuesday, July 22: 6:00-9:00 pm - Full Run-Through
Wednesday, July 23: 6:00-9:00 pm - Rain Date Rehearsal
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, July 24 - Sunday July 27: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 1-4
Thursday, July 31 - Sunday Aug 3: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 5-8
The Bee Workshops
A creative workshop exploring storytelling, art and craft
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The Bee workshop returns for 2025, bringing together storytelling and collaborative crafting in a welcoming creative space. Like a quilting bee, we'll gather weekly to share stories and work together on simple projects that will bring this year's Pageant to life – from weaving spruce roots to creating puppets, flags, and set pieces through accessible techniques like papier-mâché and basic stitching.
Led by different members of our creative team, The Bee offers a relaxed environment where conversation and creativity flow naturally together. No expertise needed – just bring your curiosity and willingness to be part of our community creation process.
Open to ages 10 and up. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. You can come once, or to all sessions. Please register in advance so we can prepare materials for everyone.
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Workshop Schedule:
Friday June 13, 4-6pm
Friday June 20, 4-6pm
Friday June 27, 4-6pm
Saturday July 5, 2-4pm
Saturday July 12, 2-4pm
Workshop Location:New Glasgow Christian Church, 617 Route 258, New Glasgow, PEI.
Flocking Together: Dance Workshop
A creative movement and choreography workshop with Reequal Smith
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Step into the magic of movement and imagination with dancer and choreographer Reequal Smith. Blending Afro-Contemporary dance traditions and Calypso Fusion with the poetry of birds in motion, Reequal invites participants to explore how bodies move together and apart.
Through playful movement exercises, collective choreography, and guided improvisation, we’ll stretch our senses and discover dance through flocking — the elegant geometry, protective instincts, and movement-based language of birds. Sessions will primarily happen outdoors in New Glasgow (weather permitting), allowing the land, sky, and waterways to shape our creative journey. Let’s take flight together!
No dance experience needed — just come with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to move! Open to adults, teens and kids ages 9 and up. (Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.) This workshop culminates in a public performance as part of the 2025 River Clyde Pageant.
Participants must be available to rehearse and perform in the Pageant. See below for rehearsal & performance dates.
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WORKSHOP DATES:
Sunday June 22, 4-6pm
Thursday June 26, 6-8pm
Sunday June 29, 4-6pm
Thursday July 3, 6-8pm
Sunday July 6, 4-6pm
Thursday July 10, 6:00-8:30pm
Sunday July 13, 4-6pm
Thursday July 17, 6:00-8:30pmWORKSHOP LOCATION:
Meeting place for the first few sessions is at New Glasgow Christian Church at 617 Route 258, New Glasgow, PEI. As much as weather allows, sessions will take place outdoors. Participants must be available to perform as part of the 2025 River Clyde Pageant.
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Participants must be available to rehearse and perform in the Pageant. See below for rehearsal & performance dates.
PRODUCTION WEEK REHEARSALS:
Saturday, July 19: 9:00-11:30 am; 4:00-8:30 pm
Sunday, July 20: 5:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, July 22: 6:00-9:00 pm
Wednesday, July 23: 6:00-9:00 pm - Rain Date RehearsalPERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, July 24 - Sunday July 27: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 1-4
Thursday, July 31 - Sunday Aug 3: 6:00-9:30 pm Shows 5-8
With gratitude to our River Clyde Pageant funders, partners and sponsors
