Peterborough Blogs
Electric City Players Inaugural Production Brings Shakespeare to Life With 'MacBeth' at Market Hall On May 23 - 25
/The Electric City Players is taking William Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, Macbeth, to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre for its inaugural production on May 23 - 25.
Photo courtesy of Electric City Players.
Andrew Loeb, a seasoned Shakespeare professor from Trent University, and Jacqueline Barrow, a respected figure in local theatre with notable acting credits and directorial experience will helm the production.
"Like all great endeavors, it began in a pub," said Loeb. “It was something like a dare: 'what if we…?'" This spirit of bold experimentation infuses every aspect of their debut production.”
"We wanted to choose a play that was accessible to a wide variety of audiences and that could be reimagined for a modern audience,” said Barrow. “We think Macbeth was the perfect place to start.”
“We hope people come to the show not because it’s Shakespeare but rather to hear it speak to the urgent crises that we face now—that we have always faced," said Loeb. “Something wicked this way comes.”
For tickets, visit the Market Hall website.
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Peterborough Museum and Archives Announce New Exhibit With Fleming College
/Fleming College students and Peterborough Museum & Archives have launched a new exhibit ‘Words & Beyond: How Communication Brings Us Together’ that started Saturday.
File Photo.
The Peterborough Museum & Archives is curating the exhibit by Fleming College’s Museum Management and Curatorship program students that explores how communication has shaped Peterborough and the surrounding area.
Everyone is invited to visit the exhibit to discover how we connect and the wider world.
It opened in the Heideman exhibit space on Saturday and continues until June 16. The official exhibit will open on April 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., featuring music, snacks and activities.
“We’re excited to share this fun, new exhibit by the talented up-and-coming museum professionals from Fleming. Communication shapes our lives now more than ever, but has also played a key role in our local history,” said Susan Neale, Peterborough Museum and Archives director. “There’s so much to say so come talk about it.”
Admission is by donation. The PMA is wheelchair and stroller-accessible and free parking is available.
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Peterborough Theatre Guild Announces 10 Performances For May Production: Girl in the Goldfish Bowl
/The Peterborough Theatre Guild has announced its May production of ‘Girl in the Goldfish Bowl’ slated for 10 shows from May 3 to 18.
pHOTO courtesy of the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
The production is directed by Kim Blackwell with Lindsay Wilson playing the lead role of Iris.
The comedy is set in the ocean-side, fishery town of 1960s Steveston, British Columbia; Iris takes us back to her 12-year-old self and what she describes as ‘the last few days of her childhood.’
Preoccupied with the impending Cuban Missile Crisis and the obvious strain in her parents’ marriage, Iris is convinced that the death of her goldfish, Amahl, must have brought on these troubles.
Shows are running on May 3, 4, 5*, 9, 10, 11, 12*, 16, 17, 18 at 7:30 p.m. except for matinee dates.
*denotes matinee show at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are available online or by calling (705)745-4211. They are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors and $20 for students.
Art Gallery of Peterborough Releases Event Lineup To Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary
/To celebrate the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s (AGP) 50th anniversary, they have launched their event lineup to commemorate the gallery’s founding in 1974.
director Celeste Scopelites marvels at the piece, “Comfort, Eyes That Speak” by Don Kwan. pHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.
“This is a chance for us to recognize and thank our community, our artists, our volunteers, our talented staff and our partners at the City of Peterborough who have been supporting the Art Gallery of Peterborough for 50 years,” said Debbie Keating of AGP Board of Directors. “The Art Gallery of Peterborough Board sees this year as an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the future of the gallery.”
“A gallery is a pretty major establishment for the continuance of the culture from the perspective that it operates all throughout the year consistently,” said Celeste Scopelites, AGP director. “It becomes a hub for people to come and participate in various things for other kinds of events to be connected with it or an education stream for all ages. It becomes a place of engagement.”
On March 15, 1974, the AGP received its Letters Patent from the Province of Ontario, incorporating the AGP as a not-for-profit charitable organization.
In 1977, the AGP’s Board expanded on these aims and objectives.
“This gallery recognizes that, in a changing environment, its role is not static, but must be open to change; that it must reach out to its community; that it must be both a permanent institution and a ‘museum without walls’,” according to a press release statement.
The following are the announced events to celebrate AGP’s 50th anniversary:
Current Exhibitions: Seams and Strata
Nov. 23, 2013 – March 17
Reflecting on the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s 50th Anniversary in 2024, this juried exhibition invited artists to submit original works of art that resonate with themes of legacy, archives, nostalgia, ghosts, memory, survival and growth.
For Posterity: works from the Permanent Collection
Feb. 17 – March 24
Gathering works from the gallery’s early acquisitions, For Posterity reflects important gifts from key supporters and past exhibitions of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. The works from these early acquisitions chart the path of a nascent and savvy institution, driven primarily by women, dedicated to the creation of something strong and stable. It is a gift to future generations.
Galleria Extravaganza: The Best Sale of the Last (Half) Century
Opening Event: April 5, 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sale Continues: April 6 – 7, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This weekend event is inspired by a fundraising sale hosted annually by the dedicated group of volunteers who supported the Art Gallery of Peterborough through its first decades. In celebration of the gallery’s 50th anniversary, this sale will offer a collection of artful items donated by members and volunteers, making it a great opportunity to find some treasures.
A selection of special items will be available through an Online Auction which begins March 22. Bidding closes April 7 at 9 p.m. during the opening event. Browse the selection in the AGP’s Main Gallery all weekend as the in-person sale continues: April 6 – 7, from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m.
Proceeds from this sale will be directed to the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s Acquisition Fund from which artwork is purchased for the Permanent Collection. The AGP presents changing exhibitions curated from the Permanent Collection in dialogue with current exhibits each year.
50th Anniversary Celebration
August 20
McDonnel Street Community Centre
The Art Gallery of Peterborough is celebrating 50 years of accomplishments and is hosting a gathering at the McDonnel Street Community Centre. Gallery Director Celeste Scopelites invites the public to join AGP as they indulge in reminiscence and look towards thier future.
Special guests will include founders and key members of our community who have made significant contributions the gallery and its ongoing successes.
It’s All About ART Fundraising Auction
Oct. 26, 7:00 p.m.
The Venue
The Art Gallery of Peterborough's annual fundraising auction, It’s All About ART, is an initiative of the Board of Directors. Each year, they raise funds to support the gallery’s outstanding exhibitions and education programs. In honour of the decade of the gallery’s origin, they will be celebrating with a 70s theme.
Upcoming Exhibitions: Exhibitions during the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s 50th anniversary are rooted in intergenerational dialogue, reflecting the AGP’s 50 years of commitment to contemporary artists and emerging practices. This Spring, the AGP will present work by two Peterborough-based artists. Antoine Mountain’s Ets’ehchi’I: Traditional Dene Burial Practices opens with a special event on March 23rd from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Stan Olthius’ Interconnected includes large-scale kinetic sculpture with dance performance and sound to explore relationality, duality and exchange.
Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour – 40th Anniversary
Sept. 28 – 29
The Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour is a two-day event that offers the public a unique opportunity to connect with local artists and makers from Peterborough and the Kawarthas and to learn about their artistic practice with a behind-the-scenes look into the artist’s studio.
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Hometown PTBO: Anne Shirley Theatre Company's 'Catch Me If You Can' Production at Market Hall For March 8-23
/This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with some of the cast and crew of the Anne Shirley Theatre Company and their upcoming production, 'Catch Me If You Can' at Market Hall from March 8 to 23.
City of Peterborough Selects Artist For Miskin Law Community Complex Public Art Installation
/First Nations artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher has been awarded a commission to create artwork for the Miskin Law Community Complex including a twin-pad arena and a library branch.
Dion Fletcher is a Lenape and Potawatomi neurodiverse artist; her family is from Eelūnaapèewii Lahkèewiitt (displaced from Lenapawking) and European settlers. She graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016) with a Master of Fine Arts in performance and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University (2009). Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
Dion Fletcher will create the focal point for the impressive two-storey atrium, featuring an east-facing, floor-to-ceiling window at the main entrance to the Miskin Law Community Complex at Lansdowne and Park streets.
The artwork will build on the City’s commitment to create awareness of Indigenous cultures, peoples, and heritage. The commissioned work will provide insight into First Nations teachings, ethos and spirit of sport and the role sport plays in building relations.
The new work, entitled Analogous Harmony (working title), is composed of three hoops or rings, painted with the visual texture, pattern and colour of quillwork. The rings are abstract forms that invite the viewer to see their experience with sport. The circular form evokes balls, tracks, hoop dancing, and the earth.
“I began by engaging with lacrosse sticks, hoop dancers, and canoes as forms of inspiration. I related these images to the feelings of movement that are evoked by my two-dimensional quillworks…,” said Dion Fletcher. “I now see my quillwork as an invitation to look and see what is within one's own heart and spirit.”
The artwork unveiling will coincide with the grand opening of the community complex this fall.
“Whether it was learning to ride a bike, paddle across a lake, run cross country or playing soccer, for me, sport is a conversation with oneself, the environment, and the creator,” said Dion Fletcher.
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Holy Cross Secondary School Brings Literature to Life With Production of 'Shakespeare In Love The Play' For Three Shows
/The students of Holy Cross Secondary School in grades 9 to 12 are putting on the production of 'Shakespeare In Love The Play' for three dates on Feb. 28, 29 and March 1.
Photo courtesy of PVNCCDSB.
The play is based on the screenplay by Marc Norman, and Tom Stoppard was adapted for theatre by Lee Hall.
It is being produced by Holy Cross teacher Serena McKenna as it is her 24th production.
“There are a number of staff members and students involved behind the scenes which speaks to the supportive relationships that exist at Holy Cross,” she said. “Shakespeare said a good heart never changes and I see this in the staff and students here. We can always count on each other.”
Ella Doris is taking the female lead in playing the role of Viola DeLesseps.
“Having been involved in the previous productions at Holy Cross, I am very excited to see how this show is evolving and being involved in a performance of this size is an overwhelmingly tremendous experience,” she explained. “I am looking forward to opening night and feel proud and grateful of the work that has been put in by the cast and crew. This has been a great experience to have in my Senior year.”
Only one Grade 9 student has an acting role in the production as this play is Xy Pascual's first-ever time taking the stage.
“Being the only Grade 9 in this play is a bit stressful but thankfully I have formed a new relationship with my castmates and I have been made more comfortable in stepping out of my comfort zone,” she said “I am already excited to be involved in the next Holy Cross Production.”
The play is open for the public to watch for all three dates with ticket prices at $20 for adults and $15 for students at the door.
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Hometown PTBO: Jason Wilkins On His Historic Projects and Upcoming Work With the Peterborough Memorial Centre
/This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with artist Jason Wilkins about some of the big projects he's done throughout the years, seeking input for a new mural at the Peterborough Memorial Centre and his business, the Jason Wilkins Factory.
Peterborough Theatre Guild Announced December Production 'The Enchanted Bookshop' For Eight Shows
/Peterborough Theatre Guild is putting on a production of Todd Wallinger’s famed story of ‘The Enchanted Bookshop’ slated for eight dates in December.
Photo courtesy of Colton DeKnock and PeterborougH Theatre Guild.
