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 Northumberland Players season-ending production of The Last Real Summer at Cobourg’s Firehall Theatre, Get Down Tonight featuring Leisa Way and the Wayward Wind Band at Bobcaygeon’s Globus Theatre, a screening of Dr. Jenny Ingram’s No More Silent Battles at Lakefield College School’s Bryan Jones Theatre, Melissa Payne’s Harmony for Healthcare benefit concert at Campbellford’s Aron Theatre, Trent Valley Archives Theatre’s The Kid from Simcoe Street at Peterborough’s Market Hall, and Chris Tsujiuchi’s Big Gay Cabaret at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre.
Northumberland Players closes out milestone 50th season with “The Last Real Summer” in Cobourg
Back in 1976, with a budget of just $400, the newly formed Northumberland Players staged Woody Allen’s 1966 play Don’t Drink The Water at Cobourg Collegiate West.
Now, 50 years on, the theatre company remains very much a good thing as it prepares to stage another blast from the past for the final production of its 2025-26 season at the Firehall Theatre in Cobourg.
First produced in Edmonton, Alberta in 1981, The Last Real Summer by late Canadian playwright Warren Graves opens a 10-show run on Saturday (May 23). Directed by Brenda Worsnop, the memory play sees recently widowed doctor Elizabeth Wharton take the audience on a reflective journey back to her youth in Alberta during the early years of the Second World War.
Upon Elizabeth’s return to her childhood hometown following the loss of her husband, we’re introduced to teenage “Lizzie” and her parents as her thoughts linger on her encounters and relationship with young Doug Cameron.
Born in London, England, Graves moved to Alberta with his wife and two children in 1964, and within four years became a prominent theatre artist and administrator, quitting his government job to become a self-employed writer in 1974. By the early 1980s, Graves’s writing was being produced at professional theatres and television stations across Canada and around the world.
The Last Real Summer will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on May 23, 28 to 30, and June 4 to 6, with 2 p.m. matinees on May 24 and 31 and June 7. General admission tickets are $30, with all fees included.
Prior to the play’s opening, on May 22, Northumberland Players will celebrate its 50-year milestone at the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall in Cobourg. “A Golden Gala: Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre and Community” starts at 7 p.m. and is a catered event with live music by TOAST. Tickets are $25.
Tickets for both the play and the gala celebration are available at northumberlandplayers.com.
1970s music to get its due from Leisa Way and her Wayward Wind Band in Bobcaygeon
I’m biased, for sure, but the music soundtrack of the 1970s was, and remains, the most diversified of any decade before or since.
Genre-wise, there were ample servings of hard rock, pop, folk, disco and, toward the decade’s late years, punk and New Wave. And quality-wise, it was the best. As I said, I’m terribly biased, but I make no apologies.
So it is that Globus Theatre’s second show of its 2026 season has caught my full attention.
Billed as the ultimate ’70s soundtrack, “Get Down Tonight” will see Globus favourite Leisa Way and her Wayward Wind Band run through the hits that defined the decades.
Artist-wise, the group will deliver hit songs by The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, ABBA, Carole King, Elton John, The Bee Gees, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, CCR, Marvin Gaye, Carly Simon, and many others. Oh, be still my ’70s beating heart!
Having begun her career as an actor, Way has appeared in more than 200 plays and musicals across Canada and the United States. Having founded Way-To-Go Productions in 2009, she turned her attention to telling the stories of recording artists such as Dolly Parton and Gordon Lightfoot via musical documentary concerts.
The Wayward Band is comprised of Bruce Ley (guitar, piano and vocals), Jerome Ransome (vocals), Jeremy Fox (lead guitar and vocals), Mark Dunn (bass and vocals), and John Collins (drums).
Show time is 8 p.m. on May 26 and May 28 to 30, with 2 p.m. matinees on May 27, 28, and 30. An optional dinner is available before the evening performances. Tickets are $50 for the show only, or $100 for dinner and the show.
For tickets, visit www.globustheatre.com. Note that dinner is sold out for all performances, but show-only tickets are still available (call the box office at 705-738 2037 to be added to the dinner wait list).
Powerful dementia documentary “No More Silent Battles” screening in Lakefield
VIDEO: “No More Silent Battles” trailer
During the course of the dark COVID pandemic years, geriatric medicine and seniors’ care trailblazer Dr. Jenny Ingram became increasingly concerned over well-intentioned policies that fell short while blind to their impacts on her patient population.
As she puts it, “Pandemic policies isolated people living with dementia from their family caregivers, from sufficient staff and from basic care, at the doors of hospitals and long-term care … everywhere they turned. That was unacceptable.”
True to form, Dr. Ingram didn’t sit idle, partnering with cinematographer Pawel Dwulit and editor Rob Viscardis in 2025 to produce the powerful documentary No More Silent Battles.
On Wednesday, May 27 at Lakefield College School’s Bryan Jones Theatre, the school and 4th Line Theatre will present a screening of the film, which recounts the experiences of four families navigating the complexities of dementia care, revealing their resilience and resourcefulness while analyzing the critical role of community support. In addition, the film also explores the impacts trained home care providers and the urgent need for policies and funding supporting dementia care at home.
Following the 6:30 p.m. screening, 4th Line Theatre managing artistic director Kim Blackwell will engage Dr. Ingram in conversation, exploring further the film’s messages as well as no doubt touching on Dr. Ingram’s groundbreaking research — a lifetime of dedication that was honoured and celebrated May 7th when she received the Legacy Award at the second annual Luminary Awards hosted by the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets to the screening cost $10, with the proceeds shared by Alzheimer’s Society, Lakefield College School, and 4th Line Theatre. To order tickets, visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca.
Harmony for Healthcare in Campbellford has Melissa Payne on its side
VIDEO: “John Prine Cassette Tape” – Melissa Payne with James Mckenty
When organizing a fundraiser, it’s a good idea to give people a good reason to show up.
The Catholic Women’s League of St. Mary’s Parish in Campbellford has checked that box in a big way, securing the big-time talent of Ennismore singer-songwriter and fiddler extraordinaire Melissa Payne as the headliner for Harmony for Healthcare.
The Thursday, May 28 benefit for the Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation will be held at the historic Aron Theatre on Bridge Street in Campbellford, and will also feature a 50/50 draw and gift card silent auction.
Originally rooted in old-time fiddle and traditional Celtic music, Payne has blossomed into a musically diversified solo artist with three full-length albums to her credit. Her collaborations with Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor, James McKenty, Matt Mays, Natalie MacMaster, cellist Nathaniel Smith, and Jimmy Bowskill speak to her talents as both a live performer and recording studio artist.
Payne’s newest single, “John Prine’s Cassette Tape” (featuring Adam Baldwin, Ian McKeown, Sam Weber, and James McKenty) was just released last Friday (May 15), with the musician performing a release show at the Pig’s Ear Tavern in downtown Peterborough on Saturday afternoon.
However, more telling is Payne’s long track-record of frequently stepping up to help local organizations looking to raise both money and awareness of their important work and projects. That she never mails in a performance is a huge bonus for audiences.
Harmony for Healthcare is a 7 p.m. start, with tickets priced at $35. Visit arontheatre.com to order.
History play “The Kid from Simcoe Street” sees its world premiere in Peterborough
VIDEO: “The Kid from Simcoe Street” promo
There’s nothing like the excitement of a world premiere, but when a local longtime cultural institution is the benefactor, that ramps it up a notch.
Opening Thursday, June 4 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, The Kid from Simcoe Street is the third original history play presented by Trent Valley Archives Theatre as a fundraiser for Trent Valley Archives.
Directed by Drew Mills, the play is based on the 2012 memoir of the same name penned by retired Ontario Superior Court Justice and poet James Clarke, in which he recounts his childhood growing up in poverty on Simcoe Street during the Depression and the Second World War.
Surviving a dysfunctional family, Clarke went on to attend McGill University and Osgoode Hall, practising law in Cobourg for many years before his appointment to the bench in 1983. Clarke served on the Ontario Court of Justice from 1990 to 1999 and the Superior Court of Justice from 1999 until his retirement in 2008. He is also the author of more than 20 books of poetry.
The stage adaptation of Clarke’s memoir was written by Ed Schroeter and Gerry McBride, who co-wrote last year’s Crossing Over, along with David Frances Clarke — James Clarke’s grandson — as script editor.
Of note is the casting of three actors — Charlie Harris, Zoe Shufelt, and Jim Mills — portraying Clarke at the ages of 10, 18 and 72. In addition, Murray Byrne, who befriended Clarke when they played football for St. Peter’s High School, is portraying Clarke’s father.
Co-sponsored by kawarthaNOW and The Gardens Retirement Living, The Kid from Simcoe Street runs for four performances at the Market Hall, at 7:30 p.m. on June 4 and 5 and at 2 p.m. on June 6 and 7. Tickets are $40 for assigned cabaret table seating or $30 for regular assigned seating, and are available at www.markethall.org.
Funds raised from the show will support Trent Valley Archives, a non-profit charitable organization that houses an extensive and growing collection of local historical resources and makes them available to the public. Trent Valley Archives also encourages local and family history research, operates a facility, and raises awareness of local history through historical tours, events, publications, and presentations.
Port Hope celebrates Pride Month with “Chris Tsujiuchi’s Big Gay Cabaret”
When it comes to performance coups, Rob Kempson, the Capitol Theatre’s flamboyant and forward-thinking artistic director, has few rivals locally.
Well, Kempson has done it again, securing creator and performer Chris Tsujiuchi’s newest show exclusively for the Port Hope venue’s wonderfully intimate Sculthorpe Theatre, providing audiences the opportunity to celebrate Pride Month with a hilarious night of music.
Defined as a show that “celebrates the queer community with the anthems that define it,” Chris Tsujiuchi’s Big Gay Cabaret combines Tsujiuchi’s sparkling personality, witty commentary, and soaring voice that’s sure to entertain, whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or as an ally of those who do.
A graduate of Sheridan College’s musical theatre performance program, Tsujiuchi has created and performed critically acclaimed solo shows for more than a decade, as well as touring with Sharron Matthews, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and as part of Asian Riffing Trio (ART). His “Chris-terical” cabaret shows have brought him quite a following and great reviews.
With June being Pride Month, the timing of this show is wholly by design. Good on Kempson et al for making it happen and bringing something new, fun and wholly entertaining to its audience which is looking for the same.
Curtain is 7:30 p.m. from June 4 to 6, with 2 p.m. matinees on June 6 and 7. For tickets, visit capitoltheatre.com.
Encore
- The 37th Peterborough Folk Festival is really taking shape, with organizers set to reveal on Tuesday morning (May 19) the first wave of artists who will perform at the festival from August 13 to 16. Trust me when I say this year’s artists will include Juno Award winners and nominees, Polaris-recognized songwriters, internationally touring performers, and emerging voices who are shaping Canada’s contemporary music landscape — with several of the performers having deep ties to Peterborough. Stay tuned to kawarthaNOW on Tuesday morning for the big reveal.
- The 2026 New Music Awards presented by Sparq and Pet Rock Radio, which celebrate and recognize the best in independent music from Peterborough and the surrounding area, will be held Saturday (May 23) at Market Hall. Awards will be given out in 17 categories, and local artists will perform throughout the evening. The event will see a number of local artists gather, as performers, nominees and, in many cases, both. I’ve got my fingers crossed for some good musical pals of mine, but I wish all a great evening and a happy result. It’s always a win when local talent is celebrated and duly recognized.
