Director That Documented Balsam Lake Tragedy In 1926 Makes A Stop At Aron Theatre In Campbellford

Brotherhood, a film depicting the 1926 tragedy on Balsam Lake, was screened at The Aron Theatre in Campbellford on Thursday morning for high school students, and will show again at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Director Richard Bell and actor Gage Munroe. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Director Richard Bell and actor Gage Munroe were there Thursday morning to present the film and answer questions after the screening.

“It’s particularly meaningful that young people are coming to see this movie because usually our audiences skew a bit older - that’s the era that still goes to the movie theatre,” said Bell. “So it’s great that they’re coming today because this is a young person story.”

The story focuses The Brotherhood of St Andrews, a boys leadership camp on Balsam Lake. As the boys and their leaders take off by canoe, a freak summer storm hits and what follows is a combination of light and dark, as viewers learn more about the characters and their past.

“Older audiences are seeing it because they remember the halcyon days of summer and that camp experience but I want younger people to see it because it’s a young person survival story. Seeing that kind of heroism that these young people exhibited 95 years ago is very meaningful. I hope it makes kids go ‘would I do that?’,” said Bell. “I think that’s why we go to the movies - to see stories and think ‘would I do that?’.”

Though Brotherhood was filmed in 2017, being set ten years after the Spanish Flu pandemic, themes that arise throughout the characters stories might be somewhat reflective of the world today. High school students in attendance on Thursday had the opportunity to reflect on The Great War, the Spanish Flu, and ‘what it means to be a man’.

The screening at The Aron Theatre is the final stop in the South East Ontario Brotherhood Roadshow.

Bell, along with various actors, made stops at The Regent Theatre in Picton, The Loft in Cobourg and at The Empire in Belleville.

“I am so pleased that our local independent cinemas have all enthusiastically come on board to support this Canadian film,” said Russ Christianson, founding President and General Manager of the Aron Theatre Co-op. “Coming out of the pandemic, people in our communities need to have opportunities to get out again to socialize and decrease their pandemic-enforced isolation. We are excited about this opportunity.”

Tickets are still available for the 7 p.m. screening on Thursday, which will be followed by a question and answer period with Director Richard Bell and actor Gage Munroe.

Tickets are $10 online and $12 at the door. Seating is unassigned. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Purchase tickets here.

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Lindsay Little Theatre Returns From Hiatus With New Shows

After being sidelined for a few years, Lindsay Little Theatre makes its return to the stage with a new comedy production called “Men Are Dogs” announced Tuesday.

Lindsay Little Theatre has been active since the 1960’s. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Little Theatre.

The production will run on two separate waves on March 31 - April 2 and April 7 - 9 with tickets available for $20.

Written by Joe Simonelli and directed by Seamus McCann, the play is about Cecelia, a successful psychologist who runs a support group for single and divorced women according to the theatre company.

She brings a "volunteer" role-player to help her support group but becomes the victim of all their pent-up frustrations from past relationships.

Tickets are available online on Eventbrite including their next show, Paradise Lost.

Lindsay Little Theatre is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community theatre, located at 55 George St. W., Lindsay.

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Hometown PTBO: Kate Suhr On Her Path to Becoming a Performer and Returning to the Stage After a Two-Year Hiatus

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with songstress and storyteller Kate Suhr about her journey to being a performer and her return to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on March 25.

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Painted Paddle Art Exhibit Returns To Downtown Windows

The Downtown Business Improvement Area will be celebrating local art and our connection with the waterways here in the Nogojiwanong/Peterborough area with the second annual Painted Paddle outdoor public art exhibit in March

Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA.

The Painted Paddle self-guided outdoor exhibit will include a series of 33 paddle art installations in Peterborough’s central entertainment and shopping district. During the month of March, locals will be able to tour the paddle art exhibits by visiting a number of storefront windows scattered throughout the downtown, as part of an art crawl experience.

“We are so thrilled for the return of the Painted Paddle outdoor art exhibit. This is the kind of positive intervention that livens our downtown shop windows during what many consider a more dreary month in the Canadian calendar,” said Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Peterborough DBIA. “With the world opening back up, people are eager to get out and explore again and the Painted Paddle is slated to capture that enthusiasm for adventure while highlighting the incredible wealth of artistic talent we have right here in Peterborough.”

Local businesses providing window space for the paddle art installations include: The Boardwalk Game Lounge, Cork and Bean, Watson and Lou, Cottage Toys, GreenUP Store, Pammett’s Flowers, The Earth Food Shop, Fork It and many more.

Each paddle will be as unique as the artist, showcasing the many talented visual artists we have in the area. Paddle artists and organizations contributing art for the Painted Paddle include: Trent Gzowski College, Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, Empress Gardens Retirement Residence, Beth LeBlonc, Jason Wilkins, Miguel Hernandez Autorino, Rachel Dyck, Kate Irwin, Brianna Gosselin, and many more.

“I am so excited to take part in this project to support our city and the power that art can bring, especially when different artist come together,” said Cree artist Nuin-Tara ᓄᐃᓐᑕᕋ. “This piece is significant to me because it tells a story I have learned along my journey of connecting with my Cree culture. I think it’s important for connections to be made, and art is one way to bring people of all cultures together.”

The Painted Paddle exhibit will be on display until March 30. Exhibition paddles will be available for auction from March 11 at 8 p.m. – March 25 at 8 p.m. ahead of the First Friday event on April 1. All proceeds raised through the online auction will support the Downtown Green Team, a DBIA partnership with the One City Employment Program to create a downtown horticultural crew and create two seasonal positions for people who are experiencing barriers to traditional employment. For the virtual auction visit https://www.32auctions.com/boropaintedpaddles.

To participate in a self-guided tour of the Painted Paddle, community members can access a full map of paddle exhibit locations by visiting the Love For The Boro website online at https://linktr.ee/LoveForTheBoro.

For more information on the Painted Paddle project contact the DBIA Placemaking Project Manager, Dawn Pond by email at dawn@ptbodbia.ca.

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The Art Gallery of Peterborough to Reopen on Friday

After undergoing month-long renovations, the Art Gallery of Peterborough and Gallery Shop are reopening on Friday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The gallery has been closed since Feb. 2 for the installation of a new lighting system. The reopening includes exciting new exhibitions according to the Art Gallery.

The shop sells ceramic, glass, jewelry and more. Their items feature artists and makers from the Peterborough-Kawartha region and beyond.

For more updates visit www.agp.on.ca

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Public Energy Makes A Return To Market Hall With In-Person Shows Beginning February 17

Public Energy Performing Arts is coming back to the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre for in person shows beginning on Feb. 17.

Melika Dez Photography.

After a 23-month period in which Public Energy presented just two events in their busiest venue, they are back with three major presentations over three months.

From Feb. 17 to April. 20 audiences will be able to enjoy cutting edge artists from across Canada with works of dance, theatre and interdisciplinary performance.

Being aware that this is a time of particular financial difficulty for many, and with a goal of eliminating cost as a barrier to attending the performing arts, Public Energy is instituting a pick-your-own-price policy for these three events.

Audiences can pick a price according to their ability to pay, starting at $5 and going up to $30. Tickets available through the Market Hall website: markethall.org or by email to admin@publicenergy.ca or phone 705-745-1788.

On February 17 and 18 is the urban dance company Ebnflōh from Montreal, the hotbed of Canadian dance.

The second show in Public Energy’s Market Hall season is the hard-hitting OUFF from Montreal transdisciplinary artist Alexis O'Hara on March 24. Tackling themes of white privilege, late capitalism and perimenopause with humour and a disconcerting honesty.

The final show in Public Energy’s Market Hall season is Deafy by Edmonton actor and playwright Chris Dodd, being presented April 19 and 20. Deafy is a poignant and humorous storytelling piece blending ASL, the spoken word and surtitles which reflects on the experience of what it is like to be a Deaf person in a hearing world.

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Buckhorn Festival Of The Arts To Be In Person In 2022

After two years of virtually hosting, the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts is set to be in person in 2022.

The festival, which was established in 1978, takes place at the Buckhorn Community Centre.

The festival showcases artists from all over Canada and gives visitors the opportunity to purchase art, listen to music and enjoy food from various cooks.

For the last two years due to COVID-19, organizers have taken a virtual approach to showcasing artists. On Monday they announced on social media that the festival will be in person in August 2022.

Dependent on the COVID-19 situation, the festival will run August 13 -14, 2022.

For more information click here.

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4th Line Theatre Announces Call for Proposals for New Interdisciplinary Residency Program

4th Line Theatre announced on Tuesday a call for applications for its new Interdisciplinary Residency Program for regional artists.

Megan Murphy at the Winslow Farm by Jess McDougall. Photo courtesy of 4th Line Theatre.

Four residencies, which will provide an opportunity for artists, based in Millbrook, Peterborough, Lakefield, Port Hope, Cobourg and the surrounding environs, will be awarded to develop a new work.

The successful candidates will be announced in December 2021.

The 2022 Interdisciplinary Residency Program will foster artistic development and engagement between 4th Line Theatre, local artists and community member in theatre, music, dance and film.

“In our continuing effort to give regional artists opportunities to explore and create new work, we have developed these longer form residencies for just that purpose,” said Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell.

They are seeking project proposals from local artists/collectives to create original works or develop existing works during their residency. Priority will be given to artists who explore the history of the region, in whatever medium they chose to work.

Special consideration will also be given to artists who look to follow 4th Line Theatre’s mandate which is to develop and present original Canadian works of artistic excellence that explore regional themes, history and heritage, and to present this work in a politically-responsible and culturally-sensitive manner.

Four grants of $2,500.00 will be awarded to four successful candidates in the above stated performance forms.

Applications must include a 500-word description of the proposed project, what category they are applying under, and the artist(s)’s CV/Bio. The deadline to submit proposals is December 13, 2021 at 5 p.m.

All proposals must be emailed to 4th Line’s Artistic Administrator, Jess McDougall, at jess@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

Successful residency applicants will be notified by December 20, 2021. The four residencies will begin in January 2022. 4th Line Theatre will feature a hybrid (digital and live) presentation in October 2022. The presentation will showcase a performance from each of the four resident artists.

For more information regarding the residencies, please contact Jess McDougall by phone at 705-932-4448 or by email at jess@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

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Art Gallery of Peterborough Launches Inaugural Youth Art Mentorship Program

The Art Gallery of Peterborough has launched its inaugural Youth Art Mentorship program, announced on Thursday.

Spencer J. Harrison in his studio. Photo courtesy of the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

This program will give youth entering their final years of high school the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and insights into the arts profession.

Led by artist, activist, and educator, Spencer J. Harrison, students will explore the profession through educational and training workshops, all culminating in a group exhibition at the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

This program is comprised of two phases. Free Portfolio Reviews, designed to offer critical feedback to youth. Youth must register for this program by Nov. 24.

Successful applicants in the juried Call for Submissions will work with Artist Mentor (Spencer J. Harrison) and their peers to develop a body of work to present in a group exhibition at the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Applications for this program open on Dec. 1.

This program is open to all youth currently enrolled in Grade 11 and 12, living in the City and County of Peterborough.

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New Peterborough Screening Collective Canadian Images in Conversation Collective to Host Online Screening

The Canadian Images in Conversation Collective (CCIC), a new screening collective in Peterborough is hosting it’s next online screening of “Mining (and Manipulating) the Home Movie” from Oct. 16 - 23.

Still image taken from Louise Borque’s film Imprint. Courtesy of the Canadian Filmmakers’ Distribution Centre.

Featuring works by the filmmakers Christina Battle, Eva Kolcze, Philip Hoffman, John Kneller, Amanda Dawn Christie, Sara Angelucci, Freda Guttman, Louise Borque and Lindsay McIntyre, Mining (and Manipulating) the Home Movie critiques the value of the home movie as a source of historical evidence and a window into our collective past.

Containing personal and found home movies, as well as other types of source material, the films in this program reflect on the complexities of home movies and the realities they depict through the ways they incorporate and manipulate their source material. Emphasizing themes of memory and decay, the films raise questions about how our collective history should be remembered

A panel discussion with the filmmakers whose works are in the program will accompany the screening, taking place on Saturday October 16 at 7PM. It will be recorded and will be available to watch throughout the week.

Canadian Images in Conversation is a new collective that is inspired by the legacy of the Canadian Images Film Festival, which took place in Peterborough between 1978-1984. With support from the ReFrame Film Festival, Trent University, and the Ontario Arts Council, CIIC aims to showcase Canadian films and filmmakers through regular screenings and artist talks. Although its programming will be diverse, it will emphasize work by underrepresented, marginalized, racialized, Indigenous, gendered and queer artists and filmmakers.

This screening is free to all members of the public and available worldwide. Sign up for a free account with Eventive in order to access the films and the panel discussion. For more information, visit CCIC’s Facebook page or email them at canadianimagesinconversation@gmail.com.

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