Peterborough Blogs
Market Hall Gets New Lighting Equipment and Projector With Ontario Grant
/Since Market Hall Performing Arts Centre received a $149,100 capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) late last year, the venue was able to purchase a projector and new lighting equipment to improve visibility and accessibility for future arts presentations.
(From left to right) Joe Grant, Market Hall Board Chair; MPP Dave Smith; Chad Hogan, Market Hall general manager and Jennifer Cavanagh, Market Hall Board member. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Market Hall invited Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP — who presented the grant — back to see what improvements were made from the grant.
“It is great to see the results of the work that Market Hall has been able to do thanks to this grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation,” said Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP. “These funds have allowed Market Hall Performance Art Centre to advance their facility and continue to serve the community by providing a space for everyone to enjoy.”
The grant allowed Market Hall to purchase and install a state-of-the-art projector for film and theatre performances. The theatre was also able to cover the cost for buying and installing new, state-of-the-art lighting elements. These upgrades will help extend the life of the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and provide the community with a terrific space for arts performances according to Chad Hogan, Market Hall general manager.
“We want to say thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their generous support of the arts and culture in Peterborough,” he said. “Filmmakers and community groups alike will be able to screen their films with the highest quality available. And the lighting will improve the visual aesthetic for performances. So, overall, it’s a tremendous visual upgrade for the space.”
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New Stages Theatre Presents ‘Sweat’ by Lynn Nottage
/New Stages Theatre concludes its 25th season with a one-night-only staged reading of ‘Sweat’ starring Christopher Allen, Andrew Chown, Beau Dixon, Kait Dueck, René Escobar Jr., Catherine Fitch, Tony Munch & Ordena Stephens-Thompson June 11 at Market Hall.
photo courtesy of new stages theatre.
Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, SWEAT is set in a small Pennsylvania city, proudly built on its manufacturing industries – a city not unlike Peterborough. SWEAT is the story of factory workers, of friends and family members, who find their fortune and dreams on the brink of collapse. Shifting between 2000 and 2008 financial crisis, racial and class tensions shatter the surface when desperation rises and people feel their backs against the wall. SWEAT is a devastating powder-keg of a play, and a must-see for Peterborough audiences.
This play has an award-winning cast – Christopher Allen and Ordena Stephens-Thompson starred in the Toronto production of Sweat, and René Escobar Jr starred in the Hamilton Ontario production. They are joined by Catherine Fitch and Tony Munch, along with Andrew Chown and hometown heroes, Beau Dixon and ReFrame Film Festival Director, Kait Dueck.
Artistic Director Mark Wallace will be announcing the amazing plays lined up for the 2023-2024 season. Come and SWEAT with New Stages on Sunday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $22, and $11 for students, under-waged and artworkers available on the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street) website.
Content Advisory: this play contains themes of racism and uses words that are offensive and demeaning, including the n-word. Recommended audience: 14+
Séan McCann Celebrates 30 Years of Great Big Sea Band With Market Hall Performance
/Séan McCann will be celebrating three decades of Canadian folk rock band ‘Great Big Sea’ with a Canada-wide tour; singing the Great Big Songbook at Peterborough’s Market Hall on March 19.
The The Great Big Songbook show is expected to be a nostalgic tip of the hat to the shared history of an iconic Canadian band.
Known as co-founder of Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea, Séan McCann has since released six successful solo albums, including his latest SHANTYMAN. This new album features sing-along songs that honour both the recent and the ancient musical past by blending two of McCann’s favourite genres.
Singalong with ‘The Shantyman’ as he sails back in time through stories, foot stomping and traditional favourites at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 7 p.m. March 19.
Tickets are available online using the link.
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Waawaate Fobister Brings 'Omaagomaan' to Market Hall
/Experience the artistry of Dora-award winning contemporary dance artist Waawaate Fobister with Omaagomaan at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
photo courtesy of Public Energy.
Omaagomaan, created and performed by Waawaate Fobister, is described as a multi-genre exploration of ways to stitch a fractured landscape back together through the effects of mercury poisoning and clearcutting. The show is presented by Public Energy Performing Arts, and is set to take audiences on a journey of dance, storytelling, spectacle, surprise and a unique blend of original soundscapes and musical composition supported by a seasoned group of artists and designers.
Fobister embodies Omaagomaan, a two-spirit being, and a manifestation of the earth and man-made poisons that have seeped into the earth’s crust. A shape-shifter inspired by Anishinaabe cosmology, Omaagomaan forces audiences to reckon with the ways the maanaadizi (ugly) and the onizhishi (beautiful) collide.
First performed in 2019, Omaagomaan has now been remounted following the pandemic shutdown, beginning with performances in Munich, Germany, in Nov. and coming to Peterborough in Feb.
photo courtesy of Public Energy.
Waawaate Fobister is a proud Anishnaaben artist from Grassy Narrows First Nation. Waawaate trained and studied Theatre Arts Performance at Humber College, Indigenous Dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, Summer School Intensives at Toronto Dance Theatre, Intensives at Centre for Indigenous Theatre and Kahawi Dance Theatre.
The dancer currently resides in Shoal Lake, and most recently organized the establishment of Canada’s first ever 2SLGBTQ+ Council for an Indigenous governing body at Grand Council Treaty #3.
Tickets for Waawaate’s performance of Omaagomaan are pay-what-you-can between $5 and $30. For more information visit the Public Energy Performing Arts website.
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Market Hall Celebrates 25 Years in Peterborough with Sold Out Concert
/The Market Hall Performing Arts Centre is celebrating 25 years in downtown Peterborough with an all-star line up of musicians for their 25th Anniversary Concert Celebration on Feb. 3.
Photo by Luke Best.
After nearly two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Market Hall is set to celebrate their audience for years of support, and for helping them return “stronger than ever” with in-person performances.
“We wanted to do something to thank the community, and what better way than to welcome them in for a show with so much talent on one stage,” said Market Hall general manager Chad Hogan.
Described as being “one of the most memorable shows to grace (the Market Hall) stage,” the anniversary concert will feature many big names including Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo, Matt Mays, Terra Lightfoot, Melissa Payne, Brooks & Bowskill and local special guests.
The highly anticipated show sold out in under three hours, which Hogan expresses was a “true testament to the support (patrons) have given Market Hall over the years.”
Photo courtesy of Market Hall.
He mentions that the Feb. 3 show will also include a special announcement regarding a substantial equipment update.
“We wouldn’t have been able to survive without our patrons,” said Hogan.
For more information on the sold out show, visit the Market Hall website.
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Hometown PTBO: Kate Suhr On Her Path to Becoming a Performer and Returning to the Stage After a Two-Year Hiatus
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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with songstress and storyteller Kate Suhr about her journey to being a performer and her return to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on March 25.
Séan McCann The Shantyman Will Take To The Stage At Market Hall For A Night Of Irish Celebration
/Séan McCann, dubbed The Shantyman, will take to the stage at Market Hall on March 20 for a celebration of Irish song.
“I love Peterborough,” said McCann. “I’ve always had a great time at Market Hall. I really look forward to coming back, it’s a great little room.”
McCann, who co-founded the band Great Big Sea with Alan Doyle, recalls playing at Market Hall both with the group and as a solo act.
McCann released his album ‘Shantyman’ on Sept. 6, 2021, labor day.
“Sea shanties are historically songs designed to help people do difficult things, by working hard and by working together,” he said. “I’ve been The Shantyman my whole life, I’m very fluent in these songs and I felt like they really had a place today. There’s no way we’ll get through the pandemic, hopefully we’re almost there, but the only way to get it done and to get through it is to do it together. And that’s what sea shanties were meant for.”
On March 20 McCann will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day at Market Hall with both Great Big Sea hits and his own shanties.
“Expect a high energy performance,” he said. “"St Patrick’s day is really St Patrick’s month where I’m from in Newfoundland. The bands are born during St Patrick’s celebrations.”
McCann, who is 10 years sober, notes the heavy presence of alcohol that surrounds both ‘Newfie’ culture and Irish culture, especially during St. Patrick’s day.
“We loose sight of how great Irish music can be. For many years I stayed away from this date, but I feel strong enough now. Just because I’m sober doesn’t mean I can’t sing these great songs. The songs are beautiful, and I’m coming armed with some great Irish songs and some Great Big Sea hits and my own. It’s going to be a great night.”
‘The Shantyman Sings for the Saint: A Celebration of Irish Song with Séan McCann’ is a solo two set acoustic performance featuring traditional Irish singalongs and stories.
Tickets are available online at tickets.markethall.org.
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Have A Tour Of Market Hall This Thursday At Open House
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The crowd at Live and Uncorked This Thursday (April 14th), from 4 to 6 p.m., Market Hall Performing Arts Centre is opening its doors to the public for a tour of the new theatre, including guided backstage access.
This represents the first opportunity for the general public to experience all of the upgrades and renovations the new Hall has to offer, including all new acoustical engineering, retractable stage, sprung dance floor in the main hall and lobby, new seating and balconies, and $9 million dollars in improvements.
"It is this community that has made the wonderful changes to Market Hall possible," says Karen August, Market Hall General Manager. "And we want the community to see what they have helped bring about."
PtboCanada live blogged the "Live and Uncorked" event there recently and got a chance to see inside this world-class facility. Check it out for yourself this Thursday.
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