You only have a few more days to see the iconic play “Tempting Providence” in Cow Head

By Keith and Heather Nicol

       “Tempting Providence” has been running for 12 years and has become one of the favourite plays at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival (GMTF) in Cow Head. It has toured internationally and has been performed over 650 times! This  summer it has again played to sold out crowds but you still have a chance to see it this September. We recently saw the play on September 2 for our 4^th time and it is still just as powerful as the first time we saw it 9 years ago. “Tempting Providence” is the true story of nurse Bennett  who was dedicated to serving the health care needs along Newfoundland’s rugged Northern Peninsula for over 50 years beginning in 1921. She was known as the “Florence Nightingale of the North” and delivered more than 700 babies, extracted over 5000 teeth and amazingly reattached a logger’s foot that had been severed in an accident! It has masterful staging (it is hard to believe how many uses a white table cloth can have) and Adam Brake, Colin Furlong, Amelia Manual and Marquita Walsh received a standing ovation for their great performances in this play. “Tempting Providence” was commissioned by Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (TNL) and was written by Robert Chafe and directed by Jillian Keiley. 

The simple set and costumes let story telling stand out in Tempting Providence

      Another bonus is that the TNL and the Shallow Bay Motel have teamed up for a great fall special.  This includes one night's accommodations, breakfast for two at the Shallow Bay Motel and two theatre tickets for “Tempting Providence” all for $149.99 plus tax.  Check out the Gros Morne Theatre Festival September schedule at www.theatrenewfoundland.com, choose your show and call the Shallow Bay Motel at 1-800-563-1946 to book your “Tempting” Fall Package (based on availability). Note that “Tempting Providence” runs until September 13 and that the GMTF season ends on September 21. Also if you are looking for a place to have supper, then look no further than the Shallow Bay Motel. We ate there before seeing the play and we had superb grilled salmon and pan fried cod. And for dessert we had partridge berry and bakeapple cheesecake. Yum, Yum! 

We enjoyed a delicious meal in the Shallow Bay Motel before the show!

  If you are in the Cow Head area and want to go for a beach walk or even a swim then have a look at the Parks Canada day use area at Shallow Bay. It is one of the few sandy beaches in Western Newfoundland and it is just a couple of kilometers north of Cow Head. The beach is 3-4 kilometers long and  Heather spent half an hour swimming on our recent trip and there were several other people enjoying the water as well. There is also a picnic area and playground for kids near the beach. Also birders will enjoy looking for shore birds along the beach.

Shallow Bay Beach was still warm enough for a swim on our early September visit