Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Concert Band Performing In Benefit Concert Fundraiser for the New Canadians Centre On Oct. 27
/The Peterborough Concert Band (PCB) will perform in a fundraising concert with all proceeds to benefit the New Canadians Centre (NCC) on Oct. 27 at Market Hall from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of the NCC.
In 2023-2024, NCC reports that more than 2,000 newcomers received assistance from their organization. It was a 50 per cent increase over the previous year and was the highest number of clients ever. The number included 1216 new clients according to the NCC.
“While Canada remains a global leader in welcoming newcomers, we are sobered by the local and global challenges and conflicts affecting all of us and often the newcomer community even more acutely. The services the NCC provides to clients are making resettlement in Peterborough a little more bearable. The top 10 countries from which newcomers arrive are Syria, Ukraine, India, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Philippines, Iran, Mexico, and Pakistan,” according to a statement from the NCC.
The Peterborough Concert Band is one of the longest-running concert bands in Canada. Their Juno-nominated conductor and composer, Saman Shahi, will lead the band through selections ranging from classical to contemporary.
Following the performance, a reception will be organized by NCC.
Tickets are available through the Market Hall box office, their website or Peterborough Concert Band.
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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.
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.
