Between leading dozens of kids in summer camps, being a special guest alongside her Girls Nite Out gal pals, taking her own art classes, and — best of all — becoming a first-time grandmother, Peterborough performer and comedian Linda Kash has been keeping busy this summer.
But if you think that means she’ll be taking time to rest up this fall, you would be mistaken. From teaching adult and children’s improv classes to emceeing for local fundraisers to taking on the role of one of the most iconic Christmas characters, she has a full schedule in the months ahead.
“I’m a nomadic person who loves the spice of life,” Kash says. “I love variety and I love changing it up all the time, with the only constant being my family. I’ll sleep in January.”
Though she just wrapped up the summer camps at Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA), which she founded alongside her late husband actor Paul O’Sullivan more than a decade and half ago, she will soon be returning to the classroom to lead the kids and teens improv classes. Foundational for youth with little to no experience with improv, the classes have participants engage in easy-to-learn games which aim to rid them of their nerves and get them working together.
“COVID was hard on kids socially, because now they’re a little addicted to their smartphones and iPads,” Kash explains. “This is the one time they can get up on their feet, there’s no technology and no lines or props. It’s just them, their chairs, and their scene partners. It’s all about imagination, trust, and fun.”
According to Kash, it’s not just kids who go on to become performers who will benefit — all the participants will carry the confidence and communication skills they’ve developed during the class into their future lives.
While it might seem scary at first, honing these skills in a class setting surrounded by peers is a more approachable and safe space to do so.
“Everyone learns at a different pace, and it doesn’t have to be fast and furious,” Kash says. “I set the bar low so that you can surprise yourself. Then the bar goes higher and higher every week, because you gain courage and you’re improvising in no time.”
The classes — there are sessions for young kids to older teens — are led by Kash and other local performers including Jennine Profeta, Mark Rostrup, and George Knechtel, as well as youth assistants who have taken the classes themselves. Classes began in September and are held at St. James United Church in Peterborough.
Since kids can’t have all the fun, Kash will also be leading beginner improv workshops at klusterfork, the entertainment group producing live comedy shows and workshops which she started with Pat Maitland and Ian Burns in 2019. Every Sunday from September 15 to November 24, she’ll be at St. James United Church from 7 to 9 p.m. leading the improv curious through games and activities to encourage — as with the PAPA classes — confidence and fun.
“It’s such an organized party and such a social space,” Kash observes. “People really start to form a community at klusterfork. And working with the newbies is my favourite thing to do, because you see people really come out of their shell and find their voice.”
Intermediate and advanced improv workshops led by Dave Pearce, Kerry Griffin, and Janet van de Graaff are also available. Registration for all klusterfork workshops this fall can be found at www.klusterfork.com.
As she continues to spread her love of improv, Kash will also be leading by example, using those skills to host and perform for various charity events around Peterborough this fall.
One such event is “Here We Come Again,” the next show of Showplace Performance Centre’s annual Legendary Icons Series. This year, Beth McMaster will tell stories about Dolly Parton and Tom Jones while local artists will sing some of their favourites songs by the artists. Along with Kash, other guests include Rob Phillips, Kate Suhr, Bob Trennum, Wayne Robinson, Megan Murphy, and Tom Keeton.
“That is not to be missed,” says Kash. “It’s a great cast and a great time, and last year I had a gas so I know it will be great.”
The show runs at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22nd and at 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 23nd, and tickets are now on sale at showplace.org.
Just a week later, Kash will be emceeing a musical fundraiser for Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough, a free, confidential, 24/7 crisis hotline. Having taken courses with Telecare, Kash says she really believes in the organization and the importance of such a resource for many individuals.
“It was very meaningful to me,” she says. “They are funded through donations and it’s very bare bones, so a fundraiser to them means a whole lot.”
The fundraiser is taking place at the Lakefield College School on Saturday, November 2nd. More details are to come.
Just days later, on Thursday, November 7th, Kash will be making a return to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre to emcee the third annual Cancer Takedown fundraiser alongside fellow Peterborough sweetheart Megan Murphy. In support of Peterborough Regional Health Centre, the “spirit-raising” fundraiser includes performances from local musicians and stories from those who have been affected by cancer. Along with Kash and Murhpy, performers include Melissa Payne, Kate Suhr, Kate Brioux, Anthony Bastianon, and Denise Oucharek.
“It’s a huge honour to bring fun to a subject matter that is so difficult,” says Kash. “Many of the people in the audience are going through a cancer experience — whether they have cancer or their family members do — so it really is this communal opportunity to get down and dirty with this thing, but also have some power, some agency, and talk about our experiences.”
Despite the subject matter and purpose of the fundraiser, Kash promises the event will be “fun” and a place to connect.
“The last thing you want is for anyone to feel alone when affected by cancer, so this is one of the most uplifting fundraisers that I do because everybody feels like we’ve got each other’s back,” she says.
To end off the year with something extra hilarious, in December Kash will take on the ultimate holiday role, playing the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol Comedy produced by New Stages Theatre. Starring just Kash as Scrooge and Kerry Griffin as everyone else, the production is a twist on the classic Charles Dickens’ tale, and according to the New Stages website, mixes “shades of Monty Python with the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future.”
“The story is such a part of my childhood, and it’s just imprinted on me,” Kash says. “I love the story, I love the journey, I love the characters. It’ll be really fun to do it in a two-person show with a bit of improv in it as well. But for a character this known, I want to take the opportunity to really dive into the character and find the voice so you’re not seeing Linda as Scrooge — I want you to see Scrooge.”
A Christmas Carol Comedy will be staged at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre from Wednesday, December 11 to Sunday, December 15 with both evening and matinée shows. Tickets are now on sale at markethall.org.
If that’s not enough, all the while Kash is readying herself to take to the stage in Toronto with her brother, actor and director Daniel Kash, for the first time in close to 30 years next May.
Though she says she’s “nervous” for the show, she is already looking forward to it. If there’s one thing that’s true of Linda Kash, it’s that even if she’s bouncing between shows, classes, and other projects, her family is the one constant that she will always return to — and, with the addition of her first grandchild, that constant is only growing.
“Something I always tell my students is it’s always important to come home to what is most meaningful to you,” she says. “No matter how good this adventure is, you need the other part of your life to be solid and, for me, a grandchild is really just such a nice gift. It’s a whole new relationship and new dream.”
For more information about Linda Kash, visit www.lindakash.ca.
