encoreNOW is a bi-weekly column by Paul Rellinger where he features upcoming music, theatre, film, and performing arts events and news from across the Kawarthas.
This week, Paul highlights Lindsay Little Theatre’s staging of The Psychic, Miss Emily at the Canadian Canoe Museum, Russell deCarle at Havelock’s Stone Hall, Performing Arts Lakefield’s welcoming of Ladom Ensemble, the return of the Peterborough Performs benefit concert for United Way Peterborough & District to Showplace, and the opening of New Stages Theatre’s Brand New Stages festival in downtown Peterborough.
Lindsay Little Theatre delivers a little murder with its mystery
Who doesn’t like a good mystery? Toss in a murder for good measure and you’re really onto something.
Lindsay Little Theatre is banking on our hankering for a fun whodunit, bringing Sam Bobrick’s The Psychic to its George Street venue.
Opening this Friday (February 13), Bobrick’s play follows the chaotic life of Adam Webster, a down-on-his-luck writer who, in desperation to pay his rent, hangs a sign in his apartment window that advertises psychic reading for $25.
That sign draws the interest of a variety of characters — the lovely and conflicted Laura Benson and her shady husband Roy, Roy’s mistress Rita Malone, a gangster named Johnny Bubbles, and ace detective Norris Coslow all take notice. What follows are series of twists that serve to entangle Adam in a mystery with murder at its centre.
Directed by Glenn Ottaway, the Lindsay Little Theatre production stars William J McGinn as Adam, Tarina Koty as Laura, Reilly Smith as Roy, Carolyn MacLean as Rita, Ian MacLean as Johnny, and Anthony Lee as Norris.
The Psychic premiered in March 2010 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California. One of more than 40 plays penned by Chicago-born Bobrick, The Psychic won him the 2011 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Play. No one-trick pony, Bobrick has numerous television writing credits, created the hit teen series Saved By The Bell and, as a songwriter, seen his music recorded by some heavyweights, Elvis Presley among them.
For more than 50 years, Lindsay Little Theatre has brought season after season of theatrical treats to the town. Volunteer-run, the not-for-profit company has provided a vital stage for local talent and a wholly affordable night out for its dedicated audience.
Curtain for The Psychic is 7 p.m. on February 13, 14, 20 and 21, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on February 15 and 22. Tickets cost $25 and are available at www.lindsaylittletheatre.com.
Blues sensation Miss Emily Canadian Canoe Museum-bound
VIDEO: “Glory” – Miss Emily
When The Canadian Canoe Museum announced its inaugural Music in the Museum concert series last March, executive director Carolyn Hyslop described it as “an extension” of the museum’s bid to better position itself as “a community hub — an energetic space where people can connect, learn, share stories and make memories.”
Last May, the museum welcomed Juno Award-winning roots musician Old Man Luedecke, followed, in December, by the indie folk group Great Lake Swimmers. Both concerts were held in the museum’s atrium, a lovely space that is home to the Silver Bean Café.
Confident it’s on to a good thing, the museum is bringing the series back for 2026, with Miss Emily headlining a Valentine’s Day concert this Saturday (February 14).
The Kingston-based musician is a tour de force on the Canadian blues landscape. Resumé highlights are many, including three Maple Blues Awards as Female Vocalist of the Year, and a 2021 Juno nomination for Blues Album of the Year for Live At The Isabel.
Arriving in Peterborough on the heels of the release of her latest album, The Medicine produced by Grammy winner Colin Linden, Miss Emily’s powerful voice will no doubt soar in the acoustics-friendly atrium space where she’ll be joined by multi-instrumentalist Benni Vander. Together, they’ll deliver a mix of originals and covers “celebrating love in all its forms” on Cupid’s big day.
Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. concert cost $50 and are available at canoemuseum.ca.
That’s what the doctor ordered for the mood I’m in
Russell deCarle kicks off Havelock’s Stone Hall Session series
VIDEO: “Tanqueray” – Russell deCarle
Once home to a beloved annual showcase of country music, Havelock remains well worth a visit for local live music fans courtesy of Pineapple Productions’ Stone Hall Sessions.
On Sunday, February 22, former Prairie Oyster frontman Russell deCarle will headline at Stone Hall, kicking off a 10-concert series continuing into late November with performances by the likes of Al Lerman, Washboard Hank and Reverend Ken, Zachary Lucky, and Rick Fines, to name a few.
deCarle is yet another great example of a Canadian musician who has fashioned a very active and successful career after enjoying years of success with a band. More than 50 years ago, the singer and then bass player hooked up with guitarists Keith Glass and Dennis Delorme to form Prairie Oyster, a union that lasted four years before each went their separate ways.
Reunited in 1982 with the addition of fiddler John Allen, keyboardist Joan Besen, and drummer Bruce Moffat, Prairie Oyster subsequently hit its stride commercially, recording eight albums that spawned 10 hit singles, and collecting six Juno Awards and 11 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs) on its way to its 2008 induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Celebrated for his rich baritone voice, masterful songwriting, and reverence for classic country, swing and honky-tonk music, deCarle is no stranger to these parts, his previous appearances consistently selling out. That should tell us something of what to expect on February 22.
Tickets to deCarle’s 2 p.m. concert cost $20 in advance or $30 (cash only) at the door. A better deal, though, is the $150 season pass. Advance tickets and season passes are available at at universe.com/shs0222.
Performing Arts Lakefield welcomes Ladom Ensemble quartet
VIDEO: ” Prokofiev – Dance of the Knights” – Ladom Ensemble
Since its inception in 1981, Performing Arts Lakefield has made a lovely year-after-year habit of presenting very talented musical, theatrical, comedic, and dance artists that we typically might not be exposed to.
That tradition will continue on Sunday, February 22 when Ladom Ensemble performs at Lakefield United Church, Performing Arts Lakefield’s home since 2024 after years at Lakefield College School.
Ladom Ensemble was founded close to 20 years ago by a pair of music students at the University of Toronto. It grew into a quartet of classically trained musicians Pouya Hamidi (one of the two founders), percussionist Adam Campbell, accordionist Michael Bridge, and cellist Beth Silver.
A mini-orchestra of sorts, Ladom Ensemble performs a brand of acoustic fusion drawn from western classical, klezmer, rock, tango, east coast, traditional and classical Persian influences. The quartet has released three albums, with 2025’s Sofreh Tisch the latest, and continues to perform across Canada. Their Lakefield appearance marks Performing Arts Lakefield’s third concert of its four-show 2025-26 season.
General admission tickets to Ladom Ensemble’s 3 p.m. concert are $40 ($15 for students) and are available online at www.performingartslakefield.org, in person at Happenstance Books and Yarns in downtown Lakefield, or at the door.
Peterborough Performs VI raising vital dollars for the unhoused
VIDEO: “Message of Love” – Rick & Gailie’s Peterborough All-Star Band (2023)
When it comes to getting bang for your entertainment buck, Peterborough Performs has proven to have few peers on the local cultural landscape.
Since its debut in March 2020, the local music showcase has raised close to $150,000 for United Way-supported shelters and agencies providing relief for the unhoused. Now all roads are leading to the sixth coming of the fundraiser, with Peterborough Performs VI: Musicians United To End Homelessness returning to Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on Thursday, February 26 from 7 to 11 p.m.
As has been the case since day one, the abundant talent of local musicians remains at the heart of the event, with 14 acts booked to perform on two stages simultaneously — the David Goyette Stage in the Erica Cherney Theatre and the much more intimate Cogeco Studio on the venue’s lower level. The general admission ticket gives attendees the flexibility to enjoy performances in both rooms at their leisure, or stay put in either room. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
On the main stage, emceed by Ella Bates, Rick and Gailie’s Peterborough All-Star Band will kick things off, followed, in order, by The Hippie Chicks and Company, VANCAMP, The Detention Club, The Weber Brothers Band, and Sarah Jayne Riley.
Meanwhile, in the lounge, Mark Beatty will be followed by Georgia Rose, Tom Eastland, Alyssa Morrissey and Kyler Tapscott, Jacques Graveline, Lagan & Derelict, and Dan Hick and Lucy Ferrill, before Maggie Sabyan and Mike McCurdy close things out.
Of note, a virtual auction featuring close to 50 items up for grabs goes live February 12 at www.uwpeterborough.ca and closes the night of the event, which is again supported by a number of sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them as returning digital media sponsor.
Tickets cost $50, but the better deal is two tickets for $40. Visit www.showplace.org to order or drop by the Showplace box office.
Double bill opens New Stages Peterborough’s third annual Brand New Stages Festival
What was floated as a trial balloon in 2024 has blossomed into a regular offering courtesy of New Stages Theatre Peterborough.
Under the leadership of artistic director Mark Wallace, the first Brand New Stages Festival was held that year and proved to be a big hit with audiences. Now the festival is back for a third year from February 24 to March 1 at two downtown Peterborough venues, with five performances at The Theatre On King (TTOK) and three mainstage shows at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.
The festival opens Tuesday, February 24 with a double bill at TTOK featuring staged readings of Ryan Pepper’s I Started Collecting Teacups After Grandma Died, followed by Are We Sleeping?, written and directed by Peterborough’s own Esther Vincent.
Billed as “an interprovincial love affair told through poetic dialogue, friendly banter and the occasional croaking of frogs,” Ryan Pepper’s play starts as an ode to family heirlooms that becomes a remembrance of a great romance with a Quebec separatist. Directed by Mark Wallace, the performance stars Colin Doyle and Andy Trithardt.
Vincent’s script, meanwhile, centres around Florence (Dianne Latchford), a renowned botanist who no longer remembers her life’s work or recognizes her children. While siblings Andrew and Maggie (Mark Wallace and Megan Murphy) navigate the heartbreaking realities of caregiving, Florence drifts between clarity and confusion of dementia. When all is said and done, the play asks its audience “to find grace in small kindnesses and love where memories falter.”
In addition to the opening double-bill, other TTOK events include StorySLAM hosted by Megan Murphy at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, Kennel by Katherine Cullen at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 27, and Picture Day by Madeleine Brown on Saturday, February 28.
The three mainstage shows at the Market Hall include staged readings of Michele Rimi and Micheal St. John Smith’s The Cull at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 26 and 12 Dinners by Steve Ross on Sunday, March 1 and, for the kids and the young at heart, M. John Kennedy’s performance of Munsch Goes Wild at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 1.
The full seven-event festival schedule and ticket links are available at www.newstages.ca/
Encore
- At the beautifully done Celebration of Life for Ann Farquharson held in late November at Market Hall, most were no doubt moved by the powerful singing voice of Carling Stephen. Further, I’m betting more than a few weren’t all that familiar with her talent, if at all, but left wishing they had made it their business to catch her performing before then. Well, that opportunity is afforded each and every Thursday night at the Black Horse, where she pairs up with Rob Phillips for the pub’s long-running Jazz and Blues Night. The duo takes to the stage February 12, 19, and 26. If you’ve never been, make it a point to drop in. Trust me — you won’t be anywhere near disappointed.
- Trent Valley Archives Theatre is holding auditions later this month for The Kid From Simcoe Street, its latest fundraising history play which will have its world premiere in June at Market Hall. Auditions will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on February 23 and 24 in Room 5 at Activity Haven Seniors Centre, 180 Barnardo Avenue. The production is being directed by Drew Mills. No preparation is required, but hopefuls should come ready to read. Walk-ins are welcome, but those planning to give it their best shot are encouraged to register in advance at forms.gle/C8ZWk47s28FKPSAu9.
