Fred Penner

The folk singers were protesting against the Establishment, against the Man, against the War. As a collective group you made your voices heard. Nowadays, it's not the same. We've lost that purpose. Show less «

You're only as good as your last gig. There's no comparison to anything: every show has its own energy, its own spirit, its own connectivity. And, from an age point-of-view, I can be in an audience of seniors and be as vibrant and as connected as with a school of two-thousand children. Show less «

I think in this day and age, when technology has taken over so much of our entertainment value, that getting together to come to a live performance is becoming more unique than it used to be. In the 1980s, we would go into a community and do three, four, five shows in a couple of days in 2000-seat theaters. Everybody was really excited about coming to that. But the whole thing just sort of changed perspective. Technology didn't do us any good service on that. Show less «

The combination of people who are at a performance is always new. You'll never get exactly the same mix, at the same time of day, or or with the same energy. So you are working with a brand-new palette every time. The audience will always expect certain things and certain songs, of which I never tire. The cat will always come back. That's the joy of live theatre. Show less «