Brian MacDonald Of Peterborough Theatre Guild Reflects On Performers Hard Work Leading Up To The Debut Of 'Annie'

After postponing ‘Annie’ for two years, Peterborough Theatre Guild is set to start it’s week-long performance on Friday, at Showplace.

Brian MacDonald is the musical director and also plays the role of Rooster in the musical. Photo by Luke Best.

While initially slated to run May 2020, the Theatre Guild has had to put Annie on hold since then due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Brian MacDonald, music director and actor in the show, says they have been rehearsing on and off, whenever restrictions would allow it, since then.

“It’s almost surreal, this has been a two and a half year process,” said MacDonald. “Knowing we’re going to have an audience, it becomes real in our minds. There’s a sense of urgency now that just wasn’t there before.”

He notes that most shows take about three months, from auditions to the presentation, and that this is by far the longest ‘rehearsal’ period he has been a part of.

“The one thing you don’t get during a quick rehearsal schedule, is you don’t get to fully know the cast, so we’ve definitely taken advantage of that.”

MacDonald says that while the cast and crew have grown close, they’ve also had to switch roles for various reasons.

Due to the nature of the musical Annie, many cast members are portrayed by children. Having auditioned over two years ago, some of them just don’t fit the role any more, says MacDonald.

“Voices can change so quick, we’ve found that some of our little sopranos have matured into having a beautiful, young-adult, lower voice.”

Now, less than a week away from presentation, MacDonald says he and the cast are excited to finally be able to share their production with an audience.

“Having an audience to be able to interact with, and to be able to have their reactions - that’s the last piece of this puzzle.”

MacDonald notes how supportive Peterborough is of the arts community, and how lucky he and the performers are to have that.

“There are no words to describe the arts community in Peterborough,” he said. “There’s been many times I’ve left Peterborough , but I’ve always came back. It’s a beacon here. There’s just such a community here. The theatre community is somewhere we can go, where we can learn and where we can play. It’s an experience you just can’t get anywhere else.”

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Hometown PTBO: Linda Kash with Klusterfork Entertainment Performing at Market Hall and Her Various Roles Throughout Her Career

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with actress Linda Kash about her upcoming show "April Fools’ Gold – The Joke’s On Us" at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and her many roles during her career.

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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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Peterborough Theatre Guild Presents Annie At Showplace Performance Centre In April

After more than two years without a curtain rising the Peterborough Theatre Guild will present ‘Annie’ at Showplace Performance Centre, in April.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough Theatre Guild.

“The pandemic has had such an indelible impact on, not just one or two, but nearly three lost seasons of the arts in Peterborough. Not only does this have an inexplicable effect on our theatrical venues, creators, and players in an artistic season, it has left us with absence from what is a wellspring to the soul - that is, the stage, and experiencing it together,” Peterborough Theatre Guild wrote in a press release.

The show will run April 29, 30 at 7 p.m. Matinee, May 1 at 2 p.m. May 4, 5, 6, 7 at 7 p.m. Matinee, May 7 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are available by emailing boxoffice@showplace.org or phone (705)742-7469.

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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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Nexicom To Double Donations To 4th Line Theatre Emerging VOICES Program Until March

4th Line Theatre announced on Wednesday that Nexicom is doubling donations to the theatres Emerging VOICES Program until March 1.

Photo courtesy of 4th Line Theatre.

“Through our Emerging VOICES engagement program, local youth are given the opportunity to gain experience, skills and training that will ultimately help them to achieve their goals, artistic and other,” said Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell. “What makes the program particularly unique is that local young people work alongside and learn from, professional artist. And the program is completely free of charge.”

This is not the first time Nexicom has donated to 4th Line Theatre.

“This unique program recognizes the importance young people play within our community, and gives voice to their ideas and stories through their participation in the Arts. We greatly encourage anyone looking to support the arts to consider this wonderful program,” said Lance Nachoff, Sales and Marketing manager at Nexicom.

4th Line Theatre’s Emerging VOICES Youth Apprenticeship Program requires an average of $20,000 in funding annually in order to effectively train youth volunteers.

4th Line Theatre’s Emerging VOICES Youth Apprenticeship Program requires an average of $20,000 in funding annually in order to effectively train youth volunteers.

In 2021, 4th Line’s dedication to students did not waiver despite the challenges of the pandemic: partnering with Trent University’s Traill College, they employed a group of young, diverse regional youth in a new initiative, The 2021 Young Company. These young artists worked with industry professionals to produce livestream virtual play readings and performance pieces. 

 Generally, in the summer season, as many as 60 or more youth actors are engaged in productions, each contributing more than 210 hours, while learning to work collaboratively to achieve artistic excellence. The Double Your Impact with Nexicom initiative will ensure the program’s success in the theatre’s upcoming 30th season.

To donate, click here or call the 4th Line Theatre Box Office & Administrative Centre at 705-932-4445 until March 1st to qualify for a matching donation by Nexicom.

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4th Line Theatre Welcomes Megan Murphy As Associate Artistic Director And Announces New Production In The Works

Megan Murphy has joined the 4th Line Theatre as associate artistic director - special projects, announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of 4th Line Theatre.

Murphy will be guiding all of the company’s 30th Anniversary events and celebrations in 2022.

Murphy will begin researching and writing a play about the Peter Robinson migration from Ireland to the Peterborough region in the 1820s. 2025 will mark the 200th anniversary of the migration of Irish citizens in search of a better life in Canada. 4th Line plans to debut this new play to mark the anniversary.

“I am very excited Megan will be joining us to spearhead our 30th season celebrations. And I am equally excited that Megan will be developing a play about the region’s Irish migration stories,” said Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director. “Megan’s own family originates from these Robinson settlers, so she is ideally positioned to create this play.”

“I am humbled to have the great privilege and responsibility of bringing voice to the Peter Robinson settlers,” said Murphy. “I look forward to uncovering the important stories of our past, with hope and curiosity in how they might inform and inspire our future. As I embark on my first full length play, I must employ some Irish idioms…I’m delira and excira to be sure, it’ll be grand to get the craic and write the whispers of our ancestors!”

Peter Robinson was an architect of an emigration plan which saw thousands of Irish families come to Canada to escape the brutal poverty which they were facing in Ireland. Over 2500 people settled in Scotts Plains, later renamed Peterborough, to honour Robinson. These new Canadians planted deep roots in the Peterborough area and have thousands of descendants both locally and across the globe.

In 2025 there is a call for Peter Robinson descendants to return to the Peterborough area to mark 200 years since the migration. This will be the perfect timing to produce Megan Murphy’s play which will examine the lives of the people who faced unimaginable odds to come to Canada for the chance at a better life.

The 30th Anniversary projects Murphy will be developing include a podcast series which will draw on Murphy’s over 13 years as a professional radio announcer. Other initiatives include a 30th Anniversary gala and the creation of an endowment campaign to ensure the theatre’s financial health for years to come.

“I was 12 years old when 4th Line Theatre was born. As a young, aspiring actress, my mom used to cut articles and audition calls out of the paper for me, and I dreamt of one day being a part of the 4th Line Team,” said Murphy. “It’s a full circle moment for me, to now be a part of the 30th Anniversary season.”

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4th Line Theatre Digital Festival Of Light And Dark Program Has Been Announced

4th Line Theatre has announced the programming for the second annual Digital Festival of Light and Dark, on Monday.

MOSUN FADARE IN 4TH LINE THEATRE'S 2018 PRODUCTION OF BEVERLEY COOPER'S THE OTHER: A STRANGE CHRISTMAS TALE DIRECTED BY KIM BLACKWELL. PHOTO BY WAYNE EARDLEY - BROOKSIDE STUDIO.

The Festival has provided 10 regional artists with micro-grants to create five-minute digital showcases of their work, and will launch on Jan. 24.

The Festival enables audiences to engage with the artists’ creations from the safety of their own homes, through 4th Line’s digital gallery. The Festival is free of charge to watch.

“We wanted to support local artists. That was the genesis for the idea which ultimately became the Festival of Light and Dark,” said Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director. “These short, digital pieces will be a chance for 4th Line audiences to explore the nature of light and dark through the work of regional artists.”

The projects encompass a myriad of artistic styles from experimental music to abstract painting to short film and more. The topics and issues explored include the synesthetic experience of nature; fear of the dark; and finding the light within during the darkest times.

In ‘Letters in Me’, an Adaptation by Nadia Affolter Lee, a woman writes a letter to depression. Through movement and dialogue, she breaks free and finds light and strength from within, realizing she wants there to be a tomorrow.

Senior Moment by Jack Chesla focuses on a senior couple that have a not-so-sweet solution to a potential package thief in town.

In Every Other Weekend by Mike Moring an all-too-brief weekend visit comes to an end and a father and son are each confronted by their own fear of the dark.

To view the rest of the line up click here.

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Internationally Renowned Voice Actress Pays Local Studio a Visit

Voice actress Marina Pratt made an appearance at Treblecock Studios in downtown Peterborough to record a voiceover for a client on Wednesday.

Pratt has her own Youtube channel focusing on health, wellness, spirituality and beauty. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Pratt was lending her voice for an animated marketing series for an undisclosed company in the United Kingdom (where Pratt currently resides).

The Toronto-born actress was in the area visiting family as they own a cottage in Bancroft. She sought the services of David Joyce and Treblecock Studios after finding him on as the first result of a Google search.

“I do a lot of animated series. I do video games. I do all kinds of interesting bookings that require me to be available anytime in any season,” explained Pratt.

David Joyce (left) in front of Treblecock Studios with voice actress Marina Pratt (left). Joyce got the name “Treblecock” from a small coffee-roasting company in Ajax where he was from. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Pratt is no stranger to Peterborough as she has been in town on other occasions aside from family. She has attended art shows and worked in health and wellness expos that were run by her entrepreneur friends.

“What I've always loved about Peterborough is how friendly everybody is,” exclaimed Pratt. “The arts community here is so amazing and I love that any day of the week if you want to experience live music, you can go just go anywhere downtown.”

Pratt as the voiceover for Tresemmé’s latest shampoo commercial.

Pratt has made appearances in films such as And I Feel Fine, Hitman Hobbies: The Magic of Friendship and Belushi's Toilet. She has done voiceovers for commercials and video games including the popular series, Skyrim.

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Hometown PTBO: Linda Kash Discusses Her Most Prominent Roles, East City and How She Made Peterborough Her Home

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks to actress Linda Kash about her most famous appearances in Seinfeld, Fargo and the Philly Angel, East City and how she made Peterborough home.

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