New Stages Theatre Presents 3rd Annual Brand New Stages Festival Starting Feb. 24

New Stages presents its 3rd annual Brand New Stages festival, bringing new Canadian works to the stage with 7 plays in 6 days and over 40 artists featured at 2 venues from Feb. 24 to Mar. 1.

All photos courtesy of new stages.

From gripping dramas to absurd comedies and family-focused fare, there is something for everyone at the Brand New Stage Festival. New Stages promises a community of local and national theatre artists gathering to develop new work for the stag.

The festival includes 3 main stage shows at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and 4 events at The Theatre on King (TTOK).

The Cull

A staged reading by Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith

Feb. 26, 7 p.m. at Market Hall

A group of old friends gather to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary in the B.C. mountains, where wildfires burn, secrets spill out and a wolf cull is underway. First produced by Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre, The Cull is a timely modern drama in an exciting new stage of development.

Directed by Peter Pasyk (Hamlet at the Stratford Festival, Old Times with Soulpepper), The Cull is a powerful new drama with a powerhouse cast, featuring some of Canada’s top talent on stage and screen today: Michael Riley, Tina Jung, Sergio Di Zio, Jenny Young, Matthew Edison and Sarah Wilson. 14+ (strong language)

Munsch Goes Wild

Stories by Robert Munsch, adapted and performed by M. John Kennedy. Directed by Dahlia Katz

Mar. 1, 10:30 a.m. at Market Hall

A fun one for the family! Join M. John Kennedy on a Sunday morning for an all-new, high-octane theatrical storytelling event for the young (and young at heart)! Featuring four of Robert Munsch’s most beloved tales, told in the most creative and energetic ways. If you saw Fireside Munsch in 2025, these are all-new stories being told. Every seat is just $12.50 all-in, incl. venue fees. 4+ (silly language)

12 Dinners

A staged reading by Steve Ross, directed by Randy Read

Mar. 1, 7 p.m. at Market Hall

An acclaimed semi-autobiographical play about a series of dinners that Steve shared with his parents during a particularly eventful time in their lives. Directed by founding Artistic Director Randy Read, 12 Dinners showcases Steve Ross’ meteoric emergence as an exciting Canadian playwright. Previously produced at Stratford’s Here for Now Festival and in Barrie with Talk is Free Theatre, 12 Dinners is catching the eye of theatres across the country. The reading features the original cast from the Stratford production: Jane Spidell, Geoffrey Pounsett, and Ben Skipper. 12+ (mature themes)

An Evening of One Acts (staged readings)

Feb. 24, 7 p.m.

I Started Collecting Teacups After My Grandma Died

By Ryan Pepper

An interprovincial love affair told through poetic dialogue, friendly banter, and the occasional croaking of frogs. Starring Colin Doyle and Andy Trithardt, directed by Mark Wallace. 14+ (strong language)

Are We Sleeping?

Written and directed by Esther Vincent

Florence, a renowned botanist no longer remembers her life’s work or recognizes her own children. Starring Dianne Latchford, Megan Murphy and Mark Wallace. 14+ (mature themes incl. dementia).

Story Slam 2026

Feb. 25, 8 p.m.

Story Slam 2026 hosted by Megan Murphy. The theme is “Well, that was unexpected.” Experience an evening of communal storytelling. Bring a true story to share (5 minutes max) or sit back and enjoy. All are welcome to participate.

Kennel

By Katherine Cullen

Feb. 27, 7 p.m.

An absurdly comic staged reading, directed by Mark Wallace. A kitten, a doggie and a guinea pig take the stage, but this play for young audiences goes way off the rails in its search for an ending. Definitely not for young audiences! Starring Hilary Wear, Stew Granger, Amy Keating, Annie Lujn and Jeff Yung. 14+ (strong language)

Picture Day

By Madeleine Brown

Feb. 28, 7 p.m.

It’s picture day at an elementary school, but when the school photographer doesn’t show up, a principal’s lie cascades into a series of disasters, as this brand new farce reaches hilarious heights. Starring Marc Rico Ludwig, Mark Rostrup, Dreda Blow, Linda Kash, Megan Walsh and Oaklen Conroy. 14+ (strong language)

Visit the website for festival info and to buy tickets, or visit the Market Hall and TTOK websites.

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Peterborough-Born Playwright Brings Midnight Madness To The Peterborough Theatre Guild This Month

Canadian playwright and Peterborough native Dave Carley presents Midnight Madness, coming to the Peterborough Theatre Guild starting Feb. 27.

photo courtesy of the peterborough theatre guild.

The witty and heartfelt comedy is set just minutes before midnight on the final night of Bloom’s Furniture’s going-out-of-business sale. Midnight Madness unfolds in the store’s upstairs bed department where Wesley, the department manager, is closing up for the very last time; alone, overlooked and facing the end of a career that never quite lived up to his hopes.

Then a blast from his past comes charging up the stairs.

When Anna Bregner arrives in Wesley’s domain, she has no idea the salesman is a former classmate. Wesley, however, remembers her all too well. He has kept tabs on all his former classmates. Anna, despite early setbacks, has put herself through law school and returned home to Ashburnham to begin her legal career. Her fresh start collides poignantly with the end of Wesley’s.

As the night unfolds, Anna and Wesley revisit the humiliating high school events that drove them both away before graduation. Together, they discover that some burdens can finally be let go.

Show dates include Feb. 27 and 28, March 1 (matinee), 5, 6, 7, 8 (matinee), 12, 13 and 14. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., while matinees start at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $20 to $30 including fees can be purchased online.

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4th Line Theatre’s Box Office Opens Feb. 9 For Summer Season Ticket Purchases

The 4th Line Theatre box office will open to the public Feb. 9 to purchase play tickets for the theatre’s 2026 Summer Season.

wild irish geese returns to the 4th line stage after its sold-out 2025 premiere. photo courtesy of 4th line theatre.

Tickets, gift certificates and charcuterie snack boxes can be purchased by phone, toll-free, online and at 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office (9 Tupper Street, Millbrook.)

Schoolhouse

Set in 1938 in rural Ontario, Schoolhouse unfolds within S.S. #1 Jericho, a one-room school just outside the fictional village of Baker’s Creek. When 18-year-old Melita Linton takes on her first teaching position, she encounters a lively group of students and a community rooted in tradition.

Her resolve is tested by the arrival of Ewart, a withdrawn youth recently released from a reform school and sent to work on a local farm. As Miss. Linton strives to reach him, she uncovers the deep bonds and quiet fears of small-town life. Rich with humour and humanity, Schoolhouse beautifully evokes a vanished era in Canadian rural history.

Wild Irish Geese

Back by popular demand after its sold-out 2025 premiere, Wild Irish Geese returns to the 4th Line stage with a powerful story of migration and starting over. In the 1820’s, Peter Robinson led an emigration scheme that brought hundreds of Irish families to Canada as they fled famine and poverty. More than 2,000 arrived in Scotts Plains (later known as Peterborough) and began their lives anew. Wild Irish Geese reflects on the courage, displacement and enduring spirit of those who journeyed far to survive.

Through hardship and hope, these new Canadians forged a fragile beginning in a complex colonial landscape. Planting deep roots in the Peterborough area, these Irish emigrants now have tens of thousands of descendants both locally and across the globe.

“As we look ahead to our 34th season, we are excited to bring back two amazing plays from the theatre’s canon of work,” says Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell. “Both productions explore resilience, hope and the universal search for home.”

Visit the website to learn more.

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New Stages Theatre Presents Women of the Fur Trade

New Stages Theatre presents a staged reading of Frances Koncan’s Women of the Fur Trade, coming to Market Hall Jan. 24.

photo courtesy of new stages.

Set in “18 hundred and something-something,” the story revolves around the lives of three women, Ojibwe, Métis and British, all of whom speak in a 21st-century slang.

The playwright, Frances Koncan, found that historical accounts of the fur trade were written by men and decides to feature the perspective of “unheard voices”; three women during the time of the fur trade and the Red River Resistance.

Directed by Patti Shaughnessy, Women of the Fur Trade’s cast includes Michelle Bardach (seen recently in Rez Gas in Port Hope), Sera-Lys McArthur and Megan Murphy, featuring Mac Fyfe as Thomas Scott and Chris Mejaki as Louis Riel. The play is stage managed by Sarah Lazzarino.

The 7 p.m. show runs for approximately two hours and is suitable for ages 14 plus.

Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling the Market Hall box office. If preferred seats are not available, call the box office and join the waiting list, as some new seats may become available in the days leading up to the show.

Tickets are $30 plus a $4 venue fee, available on a sliding-scale of ticketing options.

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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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TASSS Students Bringing 'Mean Girls' High School Drama In Theatrical Production For December

The famous film and book ‘Mean Girls’ is being brought to life by the students of Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School (TASSS) in a theatrical production slated for four December dates.

Hannah-Marie Toll (left) and Mattie Davies (right) rehearse for TASSS’s upcoming production of the popular film/book, ‘Mean Girls.” The production is slated for four shows on Dec. 7, 8 and 9 (twice). Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Director Jessica Sisson and music director Michaela Hetherington have been preparing for the production since June — and informed the students then — and have worked diligently to prepare the production for December.

The students have worked equally as hard according to both Sisson and Hetherington.

“We have a certain standard here that we like to meet each year. We help support students and push them towards meeting that standard and they have not disappointed,” said Hetherington. “They give up lunches, after schools, they've given up their evenings; there are some upcoming weekend rehearsals that they're going to have to attend and participate in.”

“For many of them, this is their first time doing something like this so they're learning curve is so substantial,” said Sisson. “For me, that makes it even more rewarding because to watch them go from never having sung on stage to belting out a number as a lead is pretty incredible to watch.”

Twenty-five cast members will receive two course credits for being involved in the production —vocal and acting/dance — and are mainly comprised of Grade 11 students. The workload of acting in a play and juggling other courses teaches time management to the actors and actresses, including grade 11 student Kelly Hoang, who plays Cady Heron as one of the lead roles.

“A lot of it comes down to planning my time and knowing when everything is,” she explained. “If I have an English essay due tomorrow, then maybe I should focus more on that rather than focusing on this which has a further deadline.”

The production has several musical numbers and choreographed dances. Any funds raised from ticket sales and concessions fund the school’s next theatrical production. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

More than 70 students in other grades are contributing to the school’s production.

Grade 12 students are aiding in the play’s development in a production class. Behind-the-scenes work such as stagehands, dressers, ushers and front-of-house concessions are done by Grade 9 and 10 volunteers.

Dance students aided in choreography, the construction class helped create set pieces, those studying fashion did costume design and anyone in media aided in the technology aspect.

“As much as it’s a class that we teach, it is a whole school journey that happens to bring it to the stage,” explained Sisson.

With only eight days away from the first show, the numerous rehearsals and heavy workloads have helped the students bond and create chemistry to provide genuine quality theatre.

“It's been phenomenal,” exclaimed Emma Robertson, Grade 12 student playing Glenn Coco. “We're always complimenting each other which is awesome. I feel very comfortable with the team.”

“We all support each other and cheer each other on,” added Hoang.

Performances are scheduled for the following dates and times:

• Dec. 7: 7 p.m.

• Dec. 8: 7 p.m.

• Dec. 9: 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased for $20 through School Cash Online or at the door at TASSS (cash only).

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Folk Under The Clock Presents Adventure Stories and Songs with Adam Shoalts and Ian Tamblyn

Folk Under The Clock is bringing Adam Shoalts and Ian Tamblyn to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre for an evening of adventure stories and songs Nov. 25.

photo courtesy of folk under the clock.

Adam Shoalts has been declared one of the ‘greatest living explorers’ by Canadian Geographic. He is a professional adventurer and the author of four national best-selling books. ‘A History of Canada in Ten Maps’, ‘Alone Against the North’, ‘Beyond The Trees’, ‘The Whisper On The Night Wind’.

His career has included mapping rivers, leading expeditions for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Mountain Equipment Co-op, archaeological digs, tracking endangered species and completing a 4,000 kilometre solo journey across Canada’s Arctic.

In 2022, Shoalts canoed and hiked a 3,400 kilometre solo journey from Lake Erie to the Arctic and his story is featured in his upcoming book, ‘Where the Falcon Flies’ to be released in October.

Ian Tamblyn is a musician, adventurer and playwright. He has been a working musician since 1972 and has released over 34 albums as well as acting as producer for many other artists. He has also written fourteen plays and over one hundred theatre soundtracks.

In 2012 he was made a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society for his guiding and creative work in the Canadian Arctic. He has worked with many Adventure Tour companies where he guided, sang and studied wildlife from Scotland to the Arctic and Antarctic. In 2022, Tamblyn was appointed an Officer of The Order of Canada.

His songs have been covered by numerous artists and there is a tribute album of his work entitled, ‘Coastline of our Dreams’ featuring artists like Lynn Miles, Susan Crowe, Hart Rouge and Valdy. His song ‘Woodsmoke and Oranges’ is a Canadian classic known by most canoers.

Tickets are $45 incl. HST and fees and the show begins at 8 p.m. For more information, visit the website.

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New Stages Theatre Announces Eight Contemporary Professional Shows for the 2023-2024 Season

New Stages Theatre has announced the launch of their largest season to date, including a staged reading series, cabaret tribute to founding Artistic Director Randy Read, a week-long festival of new work and a holiday production in December at Market Hall.

photo courtesy of new stages theatre.

The full season line-up includes: 

October: THIS IS HOW WE GOT HERE by Keith Barker

A staged reading at Market Hall. A beautiful drama by Métis playwright Keith Barker about two families in north Ontario grieving a tragic loss, when they are surprised by a mysterious visitor.

November: LET’S GET RANDY

An outrageously fun cabaret tribute to Randy Read’s 25 years as the founding Artistic Director of New Stages. With all-star performers gathering from near and far to sing and sling stories, get ready to get randy!

December: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY adapted by Joe Landry.

A holiday production with a unique twist on the beloved classic, our play is set in a 1940s radio studio, with 5 actors playing all the roles and creating all the sound effects in front of you, the live studio audience. It’s going to be a wonderful night at the theatre!

February to March: BRAND NEW STAGES

From Feb 27 to March 3, enjoy a week-long festival of exciting new work, including:

LOOKING FOR LEAR by Dreda Blow and Brad Brackenridge. Presenting a family-friendly workshop production by Nervous System at Market Hall.

LIFE WITHOUT by Steve Ross. A staged reading of this riveting family drama at Market Hall.

TUSSAUD/ANTOINETTE. Written and directed by Jody Christopherson. Presenting a staged reading at The Theatre on King. 

May: LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally) and Delia Ephron

A staged reading at Market Hall, directed by Linda Kash. An intimate collection of stories told by women about pivotal moments in their lives and how they were shaped by the clothes that they wore.

June: YELLOW FACE by David Henry Hwang.

A staged reading at Market Hall. A satirical play about the once-common practice of casting White actors to play Asian roles on stage and screen. At once wickedly funny & vital viewing.

For subscription package and ticket details, visit the website.

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‘The Cavan Blazers’ Is Back By Popular Demand at 4th Line Theatre This August

4th Line Theatre is presenting a remount of its flagship play ‘The Cavan Blazers’ by Robert Winslow, coming back by popular demand this August for the theatre’s 31st summer season.

photo courtesy of 4th line theatre.

The Cavan Blazers was the first play produced by the newly-formed 4th Line Theatre in 1992. Its epic scale, including a cast of 44 actors, horses, chickens, fire and fights, established the theatre’s long-time aesthetic of presenting epic theatre on the outdoor stages at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook, Ontario.

The play explores the settler experience and what happens when the old hurts and angers from the homeland are brought over to a new country. The Cavan Blazers chronicles the religious conflict between the Catholic and Protestant Irish settlers in Cavan Township in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Violence erupts when a Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers tries to stop a Catholic Settlement from being established. This gritty and intense play will have the audience on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

“The story inside The Cavan Blazers is one as old as time and as modern as the recent conflicts in Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Ukraine. It is a cautionary story of what can happen when people become entrenched in a way of thinking and are then unable to free themselves from that thinking,” said 4th Line’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell.

Returning to the 4th Line stage in The Cavan Blazers are JD “Jack” Nicholsen as Patrick Maguire, Colin A. Doyle as Dane Swain, Thomas Fournier as Charles McCarty, Matt Gilbert as Father Phelan, Justin Hiscox as Elijah Coe, Mark Hiscox as Thomas Rutherford, Ken Houston as a horse rider and King William of Orange, Robert Morrison as William Grandy, Kelsey Powell as William Armstrong and Julia Scaringi as Martha Cooney. 4th Line Founder, playwright and actor Robert Winslow will portray Justice John Knowlsen. The Cavan Blazers will feature actress Katherine Cullen as Ann Maguire, and musician Jason Edmunds, making their 4th Line debuts this August.

Community volunteer actors include: Indigo Chesser, Jasper Chesser, Michelle Chesser, Logan Coombes, Lily Cullen, Peter Dolinski, Michael Field, Andria Fisher, Cadence Fisher, Eli Fisher, Linda Gendron, Sierra Gibb-Khan, Cody Inglis, Josh Lambert, Adrianna Malloy, Deirbhile MacQuarrie, Caoimhe MacQuarrie, Riordan MacQuarrie, Saoirse MacQuarrie, Siobhán MacQuarrie, Ayla McCracken-Reed, Venessa McCracken, Ian McGarrett, Brogan McKellar, Darragh O'Connell, Zach Newnham, Zack Radford, Mikayla Stoodley, Phil Stott and Evan Tsimidis.

The creative team includes Set Designer Kim Blackwell, Fight Director Edward Belanger, Costume Designer Korin Cormier, Musical Director Justin Hiscox, Choreographer Rachel Bemrose, Sound Designer Esther Vincent, Directing Intern Shelley Simester and Assistant to the Director Sierra Gibb-Kahn. The stage management team includes Emily Brown and Gailey Monner.

Queensville Players Theatre Group to Host Benefit Concert for Rowghan MacHart’s Transition Home June 17

The Queensville Players community theatre group is hosting a benefit concert for cast member Rowghan MacHart on June 17; raising funds to support the re-fitting of her home with wheelchair accessible features.

photo courtesy of the queensville players.

After a collision on Hwy. 7 claimed the lives of 52-year-old Stefphanie Hart, 46-year-old Jonathan MacDonell and 18-year-old Riddick Hart in November of 2022, the Queensville Players of Keswick, Ontario are hosting a benefit concert for now 14-year-old Rowghan Hart who suffered life-altering injuries as a result of the accident.

Karin Simpson, president of the Queensville Players group and musical director for the show said that all four family members had roles in their production of Disney’s High School Musical, with Riddick playing Troy Bolton.

“Over the course of three months, we would rehearse anywhere from nine to twelve hours a week, and the MacHart’s would come all the way from Peterborough to Keswick,” Simpson said. “For the three hours (round-trip) to get there, and the three hours to rehearse, they came as a family. It was important to them that they did the show together.”

A week before the show started, Simpson says the crew was in the theatre everyday rehearsing. She says she remembers how close they all grew to each other as the MacHart family would stay at her home on occasion.

On Sunday, November 20 the group had another run of their show at the Stephen Leacock Theatre.

“People came from all over to see the show and were left raving about it, but (the cast) was really sad on that Sunday because we knew it wouldn’t be until Wednesday that we’d get to see each other again,” recalls Simpson.

It was that Tuesday, November 22 that the accident happened on Hwy. 7 near Drummond Line.

The next day, Simpson and the cast of the High School Musical production gathered at the theatre with a trauma team, sharing fond memories of the MacHart family. At the time Simpson recalls not knowing if Rowghan was going to live due to the injuries she sustained.

“We stayed there in the theatre and just held space with one another,” she said. “We had to cancel the show, there was no way we were going to go on with the level of grief that we all felt. Their roles were not replaceable.”

It was after the tragedy that Simpson says the Queensville Players knew they needed to do something for the MacHart family.

“When a tragedy like this happens you always feel helpless because you want to help so much, but of course the one thing that everybody wants in the world is the one thing that you can’t do- to bring them back,” said Simpson. “So with this (concert) we just want to wrap Rowghan in as much love from the community as possible and support her financially, emotionally and physically through whatever we can do.”

The Queensville Players High School Musical cast having a reunion lunch with Rowghan earlier this month. Photos courtesy of Karin Simpson.

As a part of the event, two Ed Sheeran concert tickets to his June 17 show at the Rogers Centre in Toronto were raffled off, and on the day of the benefit concert there will be more raffle items and a 50/50 draw to participate in.

All proceeds from the Rowghan MacHart Benefit Concert will go towards the renovation of her home, making it wheelchair accessible.

“She’s going to face a lot of challenges, and there are many things that we’re not going to be able to foresee happening in this moment,” said Simpson.

She says the Queensville Players intend to support Rowghan through a similar benefit concert next year as well.

“The need for support will be an ongoing thing and the desire to be there for her will also be everlasting,” she said.

The matinee concert will take place at 2 p.m. June 17 at the Stephen Leacock Theatre in Keswick. Tickets are available for purchase using the link.

For those who wish to donate to the MacHart family GoFundMe, follow this link.

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