‘Full of the Blarney’ Songs and Storytelling St. Patrick’s Day Event With Megan Murphy and Kate Suhr

Shake the winter blues and embrace the St. Paddy’s Day green with an original show of Irish themed stories and songs from storyteller Megan Murphy and singer/songwriter Kate Suhr on March 17 at the Showplace Performance Centre.

photo courtesy of the verandah society.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with two shows in the Nexicom Studio at Showplace at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Suhr and Murphy will be joined by fiddlers Melissa Payne and Saskia Tomkins for the event, presented by The Verandah Society.

Tickets are $39 adults and $25 for youth, available online or by calling the box office.

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The Verandah Sessions – Songs From The Verandah Society Album Now Available To Download

4th Line Theatre has announced the release of a new album – The Verandah Sessions, comprised of songs from The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre created by Megan Murphy and Kate Suhr.

The album cover design was created by Jennifer Moher.

The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre had its world premiere at 4th Line Theatre in the summer of 2021. The play was first developed as a way for Murphy and Suhr to connect with and perform for people during the pandemic, as they traveled around the region to perform on people’s porches, verandahs, and backyards.

“I am really excited for everyone to hear Kate’s transcendent songs, which she created for last summer’s production of The Verandah Society at 4th Line Theatre,” said Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director. “For those who were not able to see the show, Kate’s songs will give you a real sense of the beauty of the work. And for those lucky enough to see the production, this music with transport you back."

"It was an unbelievable gift to be able to create art with my dear friend Megan Murphy at the Winslow farm this past summer,” said Kate Suhr. “After immersing myself in Meg's inspirational stories and then spending time with my own thoughts and feelings surrounding the last few years - 4 new songs were born. I am truly thankful for 4th Line Theatre's generosity and continuous support. I am also indebted to the incomparable Saskia Tomkins and James McKenty for embracing my music and breathing life into everything I was hoping to convey. Without all of these wonderful people, this recording, and these songs would never have seen the light of day. I am humbled and I am grateful."

The album is available for download on Bandcamp and Apple Music.

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The Verandah Society Presents Back Home for the Holidays

Showplace Performance Centre will be turning their lights on for this first time since March 2020 to host The Verandah Society; Back Home for the Holidays, on Dec. 11 and 12.

After a summer of performing at the 4th Line Theatre, The Verandah Society will move indoors, and be joined by Irish Millie, Dan Fewings, and the orphans from the upcoming production of Annie with the Peterborough Theatre Guild.

The audience will get to listen to festive songs, stories and camaraderie, while being the first to try out the new seats at showplace.

The show runs approximately one hour and 15 minutes, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.

For tickets visit showplace.org.

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4th Line Theatre Announces Return to Live Performances With Summer Production

Live performances are back at the Winslow farm in August for “The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Megan Murphy (left) and Kate Suhr (right) have appeared as guests for PTBOCanada in the Hometown PTBO series. Photo Courtesy of Tristan Peirce Photography and 4th Line Theatre.

Megan Murphy (left) and Kate Suhr (right) have appeared as guests for PTBOCanada in the Hometown PTBO series. Photo Courtesy of Tristan Peirce Photography and 4th Line Theatre.

The production is created by Megan Murphy and Kate Suhr who also star in the show. It is directed by Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell with musician Saskia Tomkins joining the duo onstage playing music.

Performances will run Tuesdays through Saturdays from August 17 to August 28 as tickets go on sale starting Monday and are available to purchase through 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office.

Murphy and Suhr created the first version of the show in the summer of 2020 to connect with and perform for people during the pandemic. They traveled around the region to people’s porches, verandahs and backyards performing their captivating show for intimate gatherings.

“I am filled with excitement to be hosting Kate, Meg and Saskia at the Farm this summer. The Verandah Society shows in 2020 gave our community much-needed art and was a balm on our souls in a dark time,” explains Blackwell “This summer, the songs and stories that Kate and Meg have created will bring art back to the Farm as we begin to recover from our time of isolation. I cannot think of three better artists to guide us forward.”

“We're so thrilled to be collaborating with the 4th Line team this summer,‘ said Murphy and Suhr. “To have the first show back after COVID at the Farm is an absolute delight. We can't wait to have a live audience join us safely on the verandah.”

Saskia Tomkins (left), Megan Murphy (middle)  and Kate Suhr (right). Tomkins plays the violin, viola, cello and nyckelharpa for the show onstage. Photo Courtesy of Tristan Peirce Photography and 4th Line Theatre.

Saskia Tomkins (left), Megan Murphy (middle) and Kate Suhr (right). Tomkins plays the violin, viola, cello and nyckelharpa for the show onstage. Photo Courtesy of Tristan Peirce Photography and 4th Line Theatre.

The 2021 season will be 4th Line’s 29th season of producing outdoor theatre on the 170-year old Winslow farm.

The Winslow farm venue concession stand and picnic area will be open when the site opens on performance days at 4:00 PM and local food vendors will have sweet and savoury treats for sale before the show. Cash only.

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The Verandah Cafe With Megan Murphy And Kate Suhr Is What Peterborough Needs Right Now

As we eagerly await the reopening of performance venues, local entertainers Megan Murphy and Kate Suhr are coming together to bring art and music to our audiences at home through The Verandah Cafe.

In keeping with the tradition of Irish storytellers, Kate and Megan will come to your verandah, (or yard), and share tales, music and comradery with friends in our community.

Megan and Kate

Megan and Kate

Their performance is about a half hour in length and will be performed from a safe distance. Call your friends, family and neighbours, and share some quality time on the verandah! Each performance is open to a maximum of 15 people.

Email
here to book Megan and Kate for day or evening performances. Just remember to BYOB, er, BVOV—Bring Your Own Verandah

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"Murphy's Law" Documentary World Premiere Screening At Showplace June 18th

UPDATE (April 13th): Watch the awesome trailer just released for Murphy's Law...

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ORIGINAL POST

"A girl broken, her dead parents, a lost and found journal, a 40 year old bicycle, Ireland, some Guinness and hopefully, a little redemption."

That is the premise of Murphy's Law, a new documentary with a world of potential, screening at Showplace June 18th by Peterborough-based radio personality/actress/comedian—and now filmmaker—Megan Murphy.

Still from Murphy's Law

Still from Murphy's Law

In this much anticipated doc, Megan is sharing her story about retracing her late Dad's bike trip in Ireland in 1973—and learning more about herself in this journey of self-discovery.

Megan tells PTBOCanada there is something really special about showing this doc in her hometown, in this community that's been so supportive of her:

"I'm nervous and excited and incredibly humbled to premiere my film in my hometown," she says. "They say it takes a village to raise a child. Peterborough is my village. I am her child. I hope I make her proud!"

Still from Murphy's Law

Still from Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law screens, appropriately, on Father's Day weekend—on Saturday, June 18th at 7 p.m. at Showplace. Megan will be doing a Q & A after the doc with audience members.

Still from Murphy's Law

Still from Murphy's Law

Stay up to date with news on the documentary by following Megan on Facebook and Twitter. For a look back at what lead Megan to do the doc, click here and listen to her being interviewed on PTBOCanada Live With Mike Judson last year.

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Peterborough DJs Pitch "Dead Air" Show To CBC's ComedyCoup Competition

UPDATE: November 3rd -> Megan Murphy informs us that Dead Air is now in the Top 55 nationally for this CBC competition! Voting for the Top 15 begins this Thursday and runs through Sunday. So make sure you vote for this great local talent right here!! Learn more about the show on their Facebook page.

Learn more below about the show in our original post...

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ORIGINAL POST:

Jay, Megan & Linda

Jay, Megan & Linda

Three Peterborough radio personalities—Megan Murphy, Linda Kash and Jay Sharp—are pitching CBC's national ComedyCoup Competition, which gives fans the power to help their fave comedy show concept turn into a half-hour special for CBC prime time. The trio's show is called Dead Air, and they describe it as WKRP in Cincinnati meets The Office. It's about a small town radio station full of big city egos. The star character is "Mike Street", a middle aged morning show host at “The Lizard 90.3”. Mike had big dreams of making it to a major radio market but grew to enjoy the attention of being “The Morning Mayor” in his hometown. Dead Air follows the perks and pitfalls of being a small town celebrity, and all the social discomforts it brings. Watch their pitch video here for their sitcom pilot, and follow them and rate them on the social media widgets at their CBC page, share their page with others, and sign up to be a CBC ComedyCoup fan. They need all the shares they can get to help advance to the next stage of voting!

You can follow Dead Air on Twitter here or "Like" them on Facebook.

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A Beautiful Story About A Peterborough Woman's Plan To Retrace Her Late Dad's Bike Trip In Ireland In 1973

[UPDATE (July 7th): Huffington Post picks up our post.]

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ORIGINAL POST (July 6th)

Peterborough's Megan Murphy was broken and lost when her mother and father passed away—her Dad, Marty, in 2004 at age 57, and Mom, Mary, in 2012 at age 65.

She was depressed after their deaths—both lost battles with cancer, and Megan had been by their side all along—and had lost her spirit for life. She could barely breathe. And so, she did this a lot...

Her parents had been everything to her...

On the eve of her 35th birthday, she found herself returning her engagement ring to her newly titled “ex”-fiance after a five year relationship, packing up her small car with all her belongings, and moving back to her childhood home after her Mom's death...

Once there, she began going through all her parent's old belongings...

Among the belongings, tucked away in a long ignored box, was a diary of her Dad's she’d believed had been lost years before in a house fire. She read the diary. She was enthralled. In the wonderfully descriptive journals, her father wrote about a solo bicycle trip he had taken through southern Ireland in 1973 at age 26 when he was trying to "find himself". The diary chronicled his trip in the beautiful country, his ancestral home, and how this essentially became his journey into manhood.

Megan also found his 1973, 10 speed Peugeot hanging in the rafters of the family garage. It was on this bike, she writes, that her father discovered on his Ireland trip "the beauty of the country that was his ancestral home, the sacredness of solitude, the sting of loneliness, the joy of laughter and the value of his fellow man. He stopped. He took a moment to stand on the precipice and just breathe."

Megan became obsessed with the idea of re-creating her Dad's trip. 

"Maybe if I go backwards and recreate this journey, I can find my own path forward," she writes. And live again. Be this Megan again...

Megan took that old, 40-year-old bike with such a rich history and refurbished it. And now it's this...

She brought it back to life and is training on it because she has an amazing plan. A beautiful plan. She's taking the bike, his journal and a film crew to Ireland to retrace his steps. To find her lost spark—"to find my whimsy again," she says.

Megan now, her Dad then

Megan now, her Dad then

Megan, an actor, comedian and radio show host in Peterborough, is calling this documentary she'll be doing in Ireland, appropriately enough, Murphy's Law. She's funding it through inheritance money from her parents, and by raising money through an Indiegogo campaign. Her goal is $25,000, and she has raised more than $8,000 so far. She needs your help to keep the momentum going, and there is plenty...

Because really, her journey isn't just a personal one about finding herself and learning more about her Dad, her parents, her life, and what makes her happy. It's a universal one we all go through with finding ourselves, finding the meaning of life—and where we're supposed to fit in that. One Hollywood ending could have her meeting an Irishman and riding off into the Irish countryside on that bike with him...

And maybe marrying that Irishman, and having an awesome wedding and marriage like her parents...

Another narrative could be Megan just finding her true purpose in life. And being this again...

...and not this..

As Megan writes, an Irish proverb says “Some journeys aren’t meant to be taken alone." So, yes, somehow it feels like we're all taking this journey with her.

Every day.

post by Neil Morton

Give to her campaign here, follow her journey here, and watch her Indiegogo video below...

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