Peterborough Museum & Archives Gala Event Celebrates Restoration of Roy Studio Films

The Peterborough Museum & Archives (PMA) is hosting a special film premiere and gala event of newly restored archival films captured by local film pioneer Frederick Lewis Roy at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Oct. 8.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Gala participants will enjoy an exclusive first look at never-before-seen footage documenting life, people, and landmarks in Peterborough and the surrounding region from the 1930s through the 1950s. Guests will also learn about the history of the Roy Studio and the innovative preservation work that made the films accessible once again. 

During Peterborough’s 2004 flood, 46 films owned by the Roy family sustained water damage and were at risk of being lost. In response, conservators at the PMA froze the films to stabilize and preserve them while a long-term conservation solution could be developed. 

In 2025, the Roy family formally gifted the films to the PMA, which then partnered with Toronto Metropolitan University master's student Bo Pickett to undertake an ambitious restoration project. Together, the team developed an innovative process to safely thaw, clean, restore and digitize the damaged films. Their work has made it possible to preserve these important historical records and share them with the community for the first time in decades. 

“This project represents an extraordinary effort to preserve and share Peterborough’s visual history,” says Susan Neale, Director of the Peterborough Museum & Archives. “These films offer a unique window into our community's past, and we are excited to celebrate both the collection itself and the innovative work that brought it back to life.”

The Film Premiere and Gala event will raise funds in support of ongoing digitization and preservation efforts for the PMA’s motion picture film collection. Proceeds will help ensure the remaining films are restored and protected for future generations.

Tickets will be available in September through the Market Hall box office. Visit markethall.org, call the box office at 705-749-1146 or visit the Market Hall box office located at 140 Charlotte St.  

In addition to the gala event, the Peterborough Museum & Archives will host a complementary exhibition this Fall that explores the history of the Roy Studio, the restoration process, and highlights from the collection, allowing the broader community to engage with this important local story.

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Rocklands Entertainment Pays Tribute to Country Music Legends at Market Hall With "Megastars of Country Music" Show Set For Marcg 29

Rocklands Entertainment is bringing a tribute to country star legends with the Megastars of Country Music to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre announced for March 29 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Market Hall.

The concert features tributes to country music’s most legendary singers and songwriters. It features Larry Turner and Doug Brewin paying homage to the incredible careers of such as Alan Jackson, George Strait and Brooks & Dunn.

Tickets are available in person at Market Hall, located at 140 Charlotte Street on the third floor. The box office is open Monday to Friday from Noon until 5 p.m. Call 705-749-1146 or visit tickets.markethall.org.

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26th Anniversary of "In From The Cold" Benefit Concert Returns In Support of YES Shelter

The ‘In From The Cold’ benefit concert is celebrating its 26th anniversary with two performances at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Dec. 5 and 6 in support of the YES Shelter.

Photo courtesy of Yes Shelter.

The shows run on at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 2 p.m. on Dec. 6.

The performances gather local musicians to perform holiday music with a blend of traditional and contemporary Christmas and winter songs.

This year's lineup features:

• Carried Away – an acoustic string and vocal band known for rich harmonies and creative arrangements of seasonal favourites.

• Convivio Chorus – a dynamic choral ensemble whose performances fill the hall with warmth and joy.

• The Claveer Cousins – bringing lively, heartfelt energy to the stage.

• Special guest Benj Rowland – nationally known, locally-born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who brings a haunting voice and an innate gift for melody to his unique brand of alt-folk music.

“I’m so pumped to have Benj join us this year,” says John Hoffman, In From the Cold co-founder. “His take on any song is always interesting and distinctive so he fits right in with our ongoing passion to present great, rootsy seasonal music you won’t hear at any other Christmas show. I know our audience is going to love what Benj brings to the table.”

The proceeds go to YES Shelter for Youth and Families, to help provide safe shelter, support and hope for youth and families experiencing homelessness in our community. 

In From The Cold tickets are available for purchase at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre or online.

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Hometown PTBO: M. John Kennedy Playing Peter Robinson at the 25th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade On March 16

This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with M. John Kennedy about playing Peter Robinson as Grand Marshall of the 25th Peterborough St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 16, his upcoming roles with the New Stages Peterborough and 4th Line Theatre and Peterborough's popularity with the performing arts.

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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.

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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+

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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.

Photo by Dave Howells.

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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