Multidisciplinary artist Charlie Petch is coming home to Peterborough to perform their new one-person play No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart for one night only at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24th, as the final presentation of Public Energy Performing Arts’ 2023-24 season.

The play, which premiered in a sold-out run at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille in March in a co-production with Erroneous Productions the Toronto Star called “a compassionate, moving piece of theatre,” draws on true stories from Petch’s past as a 911 operator, hospital bed allocater, emergency room clerk, street worker, and — as the play’s title implies — a hot dog vendor.

“Everything I needed to know about emergency health care, I learned as a teenage hot dog vendor in downtown Toronto,” Petch says in a line from the play.

Through spoken word and musical storytelling, Petch shares tales of survival and kindness as a witness to life on the street, as well as the de-escalation techniques Petch has honed over the years.

“I think there would be much less fear if people knew how to stay safe when interacting with people who are having trouble with their emotions,” says Petch in a media release. “In reality, we also need to learn how to de-escalate ourselves.”

Inspired by Toronto street culture in the 1990s and the aforementioned de-escalation practices, Petch began writing No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart during the pandemic as an exploration of the negative perceptions around homelessness and mental health. As the pandemic continued and social and economic divides widened even more, that exploration became increasingly topical and urgent for the artist.

VIDEO: “No One’s Special At The Hot Dog Cart” trailer – Charlie Petch

“I am hoping that giving audiences tools and knowledge about emergency response procedures will help them interact with others better, and that will empower them to resist a system that tells us homeless people deserve police abuse, that street culture is heartless and not a community, and that poverty is a crime,” Petch explains.

No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart is directed by Autumn Smith — who will also be directing the world premiere of Alison Lawrence’s Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook in July — with dramturgy by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, stage management by Flavia Martin, set design by Joel Richardson, and lighting design by Joel Richardson. Fully ASL interpreted, the show features Deaf performer Jaideep Goray from Phoenix The Fire.

Sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $50, tickets are available in person at the Market Hall box office (140 Charlotte St, Peterborough), by phone at 705-775-1503, or online at markethall.org.

In addition to performing the play, Petch — a certified instructor in non-violent crisis intervention — will be hosting a workshop on de-escalation techniques from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th at The Theatre On King. Sold on a sliding pay-what-you-can scale from $5 to $20, tickets are available at eventbrite.ca/e/873425006707 or by contacting Public Energy at admin@publicenergy.ca or 705-745-1788.

A self-described disabled/queer/transmasculine multidisciplinary artist, Petch was born in Peterborough. Their family moved to Toronto when Petch was only six, but Petch returned in 1992 at the age of 19 to attend Trent University’s cultural studies program, mainly because Trent was described as the “bisexual university.”

However, Petch soon dropped out to pursue a career in the arts, initially working at the Union Theatre — Peterborough’s former experimental theatre venue — where Petch won a play-writing contest with Napalm Queen, described as an early precursor to No One’s Special at the Hot Dog Cart. Petch also performed as a stripper in Janet Fiendel’s A Particular Class of Women, a role described as being well-suited to the bawdy side of their nature.

During this time, Petch was also learning the technical side of theatre, becoming the house technician at the Gordon Best Theatre when it first opened before landing a paid lighting gig at the Market Hall.

Also a musician, Petch performed in several bands, most notably Wine With Everything and the Silver Hearts, with the latter showcasing their unique talents on the musical saw.

While Petch left Peterborough again in 1996 to pursue an artistic career in Toronto, they have frequently returned to Peterborough to perform plays and poetry, including as a featured performer at the 2017 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

Petch was the 2017 Poet of Honour for the speakNORTH national festival, winner of the Golden Beret lifetime achievement in spoken word with The League of Canadian Poets (2020), and founder of Hot Damn it’s a Queer Slam.

Their debut poetry collection Why I Was Late (Brick Books) was named “Best of 2021” by The Walrus and won the 2022 ReLit Award. Petch was also long-listed for the CBC Poetry Prize in 2021.

A touring performer, as well as a mentor and workshop facilitator, Petch’s film with Opera QTO, Medusa’s Children, premièred in 2022. Petch is the current writer in residence for Berton House.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a long-time media sponsor of Public Energy Performing Arts.

There are many ways to acknowledge and appreciate Earth Day and this year a group of Northumberland County artists are coming together in one of the most beautiful ways with an evening of song and art in support of local environmental initiatives.

Through music, film, visual art, and spoken word, the Old Camborne School — at 3441 Albert’s Alley in Camborne about seven kilometres north of Cobourg — will be transformed into a space of fun and reflection at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th during “NatureNurture: An Evening of Art for the Earth.”

Organized through sponsorship from Zon Engineering and an arts grant from Community Power Northumberland, NatureNurture tickets cost $20 per person and are available in advance at eventbrite.ca/e/860093190887. A small number of tickets will be available at the door for $20 cash or pay what you can.

“We have always been looking for fun, interesting, and different ways to connect artistically that also speak to the things that are really important to us,” says Shannon Linton, who is the co-organizer of the event alongside poet, writer, and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Katie Hoogendam aka Merkat. “Our art often has a lot to do with the natural world or with climate and people’s experiences of bad situations, so this was a natural fit for us.”

Linton will be performing original songs and “meaningful” covers alongside Toronto vocalist Whitney O’Hearn and indie folk singer-songwriter Jakob Daniel of Cobourg. Called “Murmuration,” the musical pieces explore the common theme of connecting with community and earth for environmental change.

“It’s really focused on the idea of us as humans coming together to make ourselves safer and to make something beautiful the way birds do in murmuration,” says Linton.

For the “Hills Are Alive” segment of the evening, Hoogendam will be screening a short film, presenting her visual artwork, and using language to connect with the audience.

“(Hoogendam’s work) is about the innate dialogue that exists between humans and the natural world, and remembering or returning to actually having a connection to the natural world where it isn’t just something we use for our purpose, but something that we are in a full relationship with,” says Linton. “She sees the world and expresses herself in a way that I don’t know of any other artist that does, so I’m really excited for that piece of the evening.”

While Linton herself has always been conscious of individual things she can do for the planet, it was connecting with Hoogendam, O’Hearn, and other activists in a book club during the pandemic that “lit a fire in her” to become even more vocal in her climate activism.

“Climate solutions require bigger action from government and corporations,” Linton says. “And that has now gone even further into having us think about how we can also create communities that care for one another, because climate change is here. We are not fixing all of it — we cannot fix all of it now. We’re too far gone in some ways, but we still need to be able to have meaningful and beautiful lives and help each other.”

Since the book club, Linton has been joining advocacy groups, volunteering, and is on the environment and climate committee in Hamilton Township.

“I live in paradise, in a beautiful, beautiful natural environment, and I want my two kids to be able to have a meaningful life that includes the natural world,” she says. “That includes community building with people and the connection to earth and to the natural world around this city that is so beautiful and life-giving.”

As a climate activist, Linton ensures that even her merchandise as an artist is environmentally conscious. Not only are her T-shirts upcycled but, rather than selling CDs, for her EP about climate, In Spite of Everything, she chose to release a book of watercolour acrylic paintings from local artist Janita Wiersma to pair with each song. The book is similar to an album booklet, with the album itself available online.

“I think it’s wasteful to just create things for the purpose of getting people to buy them,” she says. “It’s a lot of plastic and a lot of waste, so this book is, to me, another piece of art and a beautiful contribution to the music, and not just a thing for people to buy.”

The proceeds from the merchandise, Hoogendam’s visual art pieces, and ticket sales will all go towards local non-profit organizations. Hoogerdam has chosen for her proceeds to be donated to A Gift of Trees, a fundraiser from Ten Villages Cobourg. The fundraiser’s goal is to plant 10,000 trees equally in the local area through the Ganaraska Regional Conservation Authority and across the country through Tree Canada.

Linton’s donations will be supporting the work of the Northumberland Land Trust and the 14 properties the organization stewards.

“They are doing incredible work — all volunteer — to protect our natural landscape,” Linton explains. “They’re doing all this important work, and it flies under the radar. Rather than hoping the government will take care of everything, smaller groups doing their part are really important and what’s going to get us through.”

Though the April 20th show is the first of its kind, Linton remains hopeful that it might become a regular event that will continue to make audiences think about the climate in a fun and engaging way.

“I love to collaborate and we’re both very committed to continuing in advocacy, so I think it’s fair to say it will happen again,” she says. “But it would never look the same twice, because we’ll always have new ideas.”

For updates, visit the Facebook event page.

Those interesting in donating to the event can support the Northumberland Land Trust, A Gift of Trees at Ten Thousand Villages Cobourg, or email Linton at shannonlinton@hotmail.com.

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 a Canadian folk/country music legend’s upcoming Bancroft performance, a fun take on The Canterbury Tales at Bobcaygeon’s Lakeview Arts Barn, the appearance of Juno Award-winning The Fretless at Lakefield’s Bryan Jones Theatre, Matthew Good in concert at Showplace, Charlie Petch’s No One’s Special At The Hot Dog Cart at Market Hall, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque’s Internationaj Jazz Day show in Peterborough, and the Red Carpet Gala Celebration at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre.

Venerable Valdy brings his musical storytelling magic to Bancroft

There are many ways you can spend $27 and change, but forking it over to experience the music and storytelling of a Canadian folk/pop music legend is a pretty tempting option.

Since launching his solo career in the early 1970s, Valdy — born Paul Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa — has firmly established himself as one of the country’s most influential songwriters. That’s been verified via seven Juno Award nominations, with two award wins as Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year, and four gold albums.

VIDEO: “(Play Me A) Rock and Roll Song” – Valdy

Further to that, Valdy’s signature song, “(Play Me A) Rock and Roll Song” has been recorded by more than a few artists; his “A Good Song” was recorded under the title “I’m A Man” by the great Quincy Jones.

Still touring extensively at age 78, Valdy’s concert at the Bancroft Village Playhouse on Friday, April 19th is one of his 13 performances this month. Truth be known, there are few stages in this country that Valdy hasn’t stepped upon at some point in the past 50 years.

Tickets to Valdy’s 7 p.m. Tweed & Company Theatre-presented performance cost $27.50 plus tax at www.villageplayhouse.ca/valdy. As the date of this column, only a handful of tickets are left.

Chaucer’s epic work receives some fun treatment in Bobcaygeon

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer more than 600 years ago, The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories encompassing more than 17,000 lines of mostly verse, but some prose too.

Fortunately for them, 13 young actors with Globus Theatre’s Youth Winter Arts Program haven’t been called upon to memorize and deliver all those lines. Rather, on Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th at the Lakeview Arts Barn on Pigeon Lake Road in Bobcaygeon, they’ll present a much more manageable take on the 14th-century work adapted for the stage by Lindsay Price.

Under the direction of Rebecca Anne Bloom, this group of travellers, making the trek from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral, pass the time and miles by holding a storytelling contest. Bloom describes what ensues as being “very Monty Python-esque.”

Showing their adaptability, the young actors portray a combined 30 characters. Costume changes abound, as does laughter and adventure and even some dance numbers. There’s a lot going on here.

Part of Globus Theatre’s School of Dramatic Art (SODA), the Youth Winter Arts Program began last year as a pilot program. Hats off to administrators of the Bobcaygeon Legacy C.H.E.S.T. fund, the support of which allows youth to participate in the program free of charge.

Tickets to either one of the 7 p.m. performances cost just $10 plus tax at www.globustheatre.com/soda-home or phone 705-738-2037 to order.

The Fretless brings its awarded folk/roots strings talent to Lakefield

Since forming more than 40 years ago, Performing Arts Lakefield has stayed true to its goal of presenting an eclectic selection of world-class entertainment.

On Sunday, April 21st at Lakefield College School’s Bryan Jones Theatre, that mission will remain fulfilled when The Fretless, a Juno Award-winning folk/roots string quartet, headlines Performing Arts Lakefield’s second-last concert of the season.

VIDEO: “My Moon My Man” – The Fretless featuring Madeleine Roger

Since releasing its debut album in 2012, The Fretless has not only claimed Juno Award success — it won a statue in 2017 for Instrumental Album of the Year — but has also taken home a suitcase full of honours from the Canadian Folk Music Awards. That momentum continued in 2022 with a Juno Award nomination for 2022’s Open House that features several guest artists.

Performing Arts Lakefield has scored quite a coup in securing for its program a quartet that has performed in Cologne and Luxembourg, toured Europe six times, and even performed Down Under. It’s a given that Trent Freeman (fiddle/viola), Karrnnel Sawitsky (fiddle/viola), Ben Plotnick (fiddle/viola), and Eric Wright (cello) will deliver a performance that will stay for a long time with those who come out.

Joining The Fretless will be Winnipeg singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger, who will follow up her critically acclaimed debut album Cottonwood with her sophomore release Nerve this August.

Tickets to the 3 p.m. concert, at $40 ($15 for students) are available at performingartslakefield.org/tickets.

Alt-rocker Matthew Good remains a huge draw after all these years

There are many very good reasons to catch a concert at Showplace in downtown Peterborough, but for fans of Matthew Good’s work, initially as the front man of The Matthew Good Band and as a solo artist since then, that he’s going to be on that stage on April 23 is reason enough.

A native of Burnaby, BC, Good was lead singer and songwriter for The Matthew Good Band — still one of Canada’s most successful alt-rock bands — through the 1990s into the new millennium. When the band folded in 2002, Good went his own way and fashioned a remarkable second music life — one that brought him four Juno Awards garnered from 21 nominations in total.

VIDEO: “Men At The Door” – Matthew Good

Meanwhile, signature songs such as “Weapon,” “In A World Called Catastrophe,” “Alert Status Red,” “Born Losersm” and “Last Parade” continue to enjoy heavy radio airplay. His latest album, 2022’s Moving Walls, prompted one reviewer to opine that Good has filled “the shoes left vacant by Leonard Cohen.” That’s a pretty good endorsement.

At age 52, Good, whose lyrics have consistently given a voice to whom he sees as the under-represented, still has to plenty to say and we’re still more than willing to listen.

Note: Tickets to Good’s full-band concert, which will also feature guest Vilivant, an alt-rock singer-songwriter inspired by artists like Good back in the day, are sold out. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep an eye on social media for tickets that will inevitably pop up. You might just get lucky.

Hot dog cart experience has a story to tell courtesy of Public Energy

Spawned in 2003 from Peterborough New Dance that formed in 1994, Public Energy has brought to the stage more than 2,000 artists of various disciplines, mounted more than 500 events, and put more than 50,000 bums in the seats. If that’s not success, nothing is. Bill Kimball et al, take a bow.

Not resting on its laurels, the performing arts presenter is bringing an original work to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday, April 24th in the form of No One’s Special At The Hot Dog Cart — the final show of Public Energy’s 2023-24 season.

VIDEO: “No One’s Special At The Hot Dog Cart” trailer – Charlie Petch

Written and performed by award-winning playwright, author, and spoken word performer Charlie Petch — a former Peterborough resident now based in Toronto — and directed by Adam Lazarus, it’s a collection of true stories from the past as experienced by a 9-1-1 operator, hospital bed allocator, emergency room clerk, and street worker.

Sharing their personal account of working hot dog stands in Toronto, Petch, as a witness to life on the street, shares tales rooted in survival and kindness.

“Everything I needed to know about emergency response, I learned as a teenage hot dog vendor in downtown Toronto,” Petch says during the performance.

No One’s Special At The Hot Dog Cart had its world premiere in March at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille. It’s gritty and honest in a tell-it-like-it-is way, with its depictions of violence, strong language, and sexual content. But Public Energy has never been afraid to push the boundaries and that remains something that audiences have appreciated most over the years.

As with all Public Energy shows, tickets to the 7:30 p.m. performance are sold on a sliding pay-as-you-can scale ranging from just $5 to $50 at markethall.org.

International Jazz Day Peterborough welcomes Jane Bunnett and Maqueque

With International Jazz Day again be marked April 30, local fans of the genre, and those looking for an introduction, have the opportunity to celebrate early when Jane Bunnett and Maqueque headline at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough on Friday, April 26th.

In securing this concert, the local Jazz Day organizing committee has scored huge. A five-time Juno Award recipient with three Grammy nominations as a side dish, the soprano saxophonist and flautist has received for her work, among other honours, the Order of Canada, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Premier’s Award for Excellence. The Toronto born Bunnett’s fireplace mantle is pretty full.

VIDEO: “Tomorrow” – Jane Bunnett & Maqueque

Fronting the all-female Cuban band Maqueque for this show, Bunnett is continuing her mission of mentoring and recording young and brilliant Cuban female musicians.

So far that has paid a huge dividend in the form of Maqueque appearances at major jazz festivals in Newport and Monterey as well as a Grammy nomination for 2016’s Oddara, with 2023’s Playing With Fire the band’s newest release.

This isn’t your grandfather’s jazz. It’s over-the-top energetic and vibrant, attracting new audiences while satisfying a hunger for something new for longtime fans of the genre. As a bonus, Peterborough’s very own Carling Stephen and Rob Phillips are taking a break from their regular Black Horse stage to open the 7:30 p.m. concert. Tickets cost $36 online at markethall.org.

Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre celebrates upcoming season with gala event

Celebration will be the order of day on Saturday, April 27th at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre as the venue pull out all the stops a sneak preview gala of its upcoming new season.

You’ll read more about future shows in kawarthaNOW as they near, but the Red Carpet Gala Celebration is the focus now and rightly so.

Hosted by audience-engaging Layne The Auctionista, the big night out features musical performances by the likes of Melissa Payne, Jimmy Bowskill, and Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor, a sampling of the theatre’s Billboard In Concert series, an early look at set designs for four upcoming summer shows, an auction of props and costumes from previous productions, and strawberries and champagne.

VIDEO: “Share The Love” – Greg Keelor

That’s a lot and, at $100 for a ticket, a lot costs a few bucks but keep in mind this is a fundraiser for the historic theatre that has, over centuries, been a community hub as much as it has been an entertainment venue.

So dress up in your finest and join the 6 p.m. party. A fun time awaits. For tickets, visit capitoltheatre.com.

Encore

• While she didn’t return home from St. John’s, Newfoundland with a coveted statue from the recent Canadian Folk Music Awards, Amelia “Irish Millie” Shadgett says the experience alone was worth the long trip with her dad and acoustic guitar accompanist Murray. Social media lit up with tons of messages of support for Millie both before and after the awards. Many are disappointed her third nomination as Young Performer of the Year remains a nomination but the consensus is, and rightly so, that her time is coming, maybe as soon as next year’s awards ceremony in Ottawa.
• Patrons of the Black Horse are breathing a huge sigh of relief over the place that live music still has a home at the George Street pub. When former owners Desmond and Maria Vandenberg listed the property for sale last summer, there was a fear the eventual buyer would put a stop to the music in favour of something different. Not to worry. New owner Sajen Ganeshalingam has maintained the status quo, clearly recognizing the value in doing so in a city where live music venues have closed with alarming frequency since before he pandemic. Good on him. If it ain’t broke, don’t mess with it, right?
• For four decades now, “Washboard” Hank Fisher and “Reverend” Ken Ramsden have done their thing off and on, performing their unique brand of music, from classical to bluegrass gospel to everything in between. The term “treasure” is often overused but these guys are uniquely ours, their ambassadorship on behalf of the Peterborough music scene having been extended across Canada. On Sunday, April 28th from 2 to 4 p.m. at Stone Hall on the 6th Line of Belmont in Havelock, the pair will do their thing. Tickets cost $20 advance at universe.com/shs0428.