Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre is closing its summer season with a reinvented production of the award-winning horror-comedy rock musical Little Shop of Horrors, running for 27 performances from August 11 to September 3.

Directed by the Capitol’s artistic director Rob Kempson, the production stars Amir Haidar as Seymour, Tahirih Vejdani as Audrey, Tyler Murree as Mr. Mushnik, Michael De Rose as Orin, Chris Tsujiuchi as Audrey II, Michelle Yu as Crystal, Taylor Lovelace as Ronnette, Sierra Holder as Chiffon, with Joel Cumber as puppeteer and musicians David Schotzko, Gabriela Laconsay, and Matt Ray performing live music.

“For me, Little Shop of Horrors is the ultimate in camp classic — which feels like the perfect tone for a mid-summer musical,” Kempson says in an August interview with Keith Tomasek for Stratford Festival Reviews. “Our approach to everything at the Capitol is the spirit of reinvention though, so this will be a Little Shop unlike any that you’ve seen or heard before. The goal is to honour the parts of the legacy that speak to us now, without feeling bound by those traditional approaches.”

Original premiering off-Broadway in 1982, the musical is loosely based on the cult low-budget 1960 black comedy film of the same name directed by Roger Corman and notable for a young Jack Nicholson’s small role in the film as a masochistic dental patient (he was 23 years old at the time).

With music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman, the musical follows a hapless florist shop worker named Seymour, secretly in love with his co-worker Audrey, who finds and raises a mysterious plant. After naming the plant Audrey II after his secret love, he discovers it feeds on human blood and flesh.

Menken composed the music for Little Shop of Horrors in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop, and early Motown. The Grammy-nominated score includes several well-known tunes including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, “Somewhere That’s Green”, and “Suddenly, Seymour”.

The musical has since become popular with community theatre groups because of its relatively small cast. A theatrical version of Little Shop of Horrors was released in 1986, directed by Frank Oz starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Green, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and the voice of Levi Stubbs as the flesh-eating plant. It received two Academy Award nominations, one for best original song and one for best visual effects.

“Most people know Little Shop from the 1980s movie or a community production,” director Kempson says in a media release. “I wanted to create a fresh, full-scale version for the Capitol, bringing in some of the country’s most talented actors, designers, and musicians to make our biggest show of the summer an unforgettable night at the theatre.”

Several of the cast and crew in the Capitol’s production have connections with the Stratford Festival. Tahirih Vejdani (Audrey) has appeared in Stratford Festival productions including HMS Pinafore and Treasure Island, costume designer Joshua Quinlan worked on this year’s drama Casey and Diana, and lighting designer Michelle Ramsay worked on Women of the Fur Trade. Choreographer Genny Sermonia has appeared in several Stratford Festival productions, including West Side Story, and choreographed Gypsy on now at the Shaw Festival.

Along with Quinlan, Ramsay, and Sermonia, other creatives behind the scenes include Jeff Newberry (music direction), Haneul Yi (assistant music direction), Deanna H. Choi (sound design), and Brandon Kleiman (set design).

Kleiman, who previously designed the sets for the Capitol productions 9 to 5: The Musical and most recently The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom, is a multiple Dora Award nominee and two-time winner. This summer, his set design can also be seen in Rent at the Stratford Festival and The Sound of Music at Thousand Islands Playhouse.

“The set design for Little Shop embraces the world of the mid-century horror slash b-movies, from which the original film and musical took its inspiration as well,” Kleiman says. “From there, I’ve turned up the volume on the shapes and colours because our horror movie is also a campy musical comedy with a heart of gold. The story is outrageous and the design has to follow suit.”

“Some highlights for Port Hope audiences will be the four puppets we use to Audrey II to life,” Kleiman adds. “As well, I hope seeing the live band above the shop will be a thrill — all the music is live.”

Little Shop of Horrors runs at the Capitol at 20 Queen Street in Port Hope from August 11 to September 3. Evening performances take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 11th (preview night) and Saturday, August 12th (opening night) as well as August 16 to 19, 23 to 26, and August 30 to September 2. Matinee performances take place at 2 p.m. on August 14, 15 and 16, 19 and 20, 22 and 23, 26 and 27, 29 and 30, and September 2 and 3.

Tickets are $48 ($40 for those under 30) plus fees and are available in person at the Capitol box office (open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday), by phone at 905-885-1071, or online at capitoltheatre.com.

For nearly five decades the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts has been an award-winning and much-anticipated annual event, located amongst the pines in the beautiful Kawarthas landscape.

Now in its 46th year, the festival is returning to the Buckhorn Community Centre at 1782 Lakehurst Road from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 19th and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 20th for a full weekend of live music, food, connection, and — of course — lots of art. Admission to the event is by donation.

This year’s festival will include artwork from more than 70 artists spread across 10 acres both inside the Buckhorn Community Centre and outside in the Festival Park. The artwork on display and available for purchase represents a wide range of disciplines and mediums including painting (oil, acrylic, resin, encaustic, and watercolour), photography, ink and graphite, wood turning, mixed media, fused glass, textiles, jewellery, sculpture (stone, glass, metal, and soapstone), and more.

Since its founding as a wildlife art festival in 1978, the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts has grown into a world-class arts festival, with new artists juried into the festival each year to join the many alumni creatives who have been in the line-up for decades. Among the many new artists this year are landscape photographer John Yates and wildlife and landscape artist Harvey Bodach.

Making the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts a truly interactive experience for art enthusiasts, all the featured artists will be on-site throughout the entire weekend.

“Visitors have the opportunity to engage with the artists themselves, rather than just the artwork,” explains Meghan Arnott, the festival’s Signature Event Co-ordinator. “It provides guests with the chance to question the artists about where their inspiration originated from or how they got started, unlike when attending an art gallery where they just get to look and learn about the medium itself.”

For the first time in three years, the Special Exhibit feature is returning to the festival with “Home & Away,” an exhibit that celebrates Regionalism, an art movement with a focus on the natural world that began with Romanticism and continued to evolve both in the U.S. and Canada in the 20th century. Today, Regionalism focuses on the important role of the nature artist in fostering a concern for and understanding of the natural world, especially in an increasingly urban and technological society that often disconnects people from nature.

The “Home & Away” exhibit encompasses 10 artists with a range of works that record the natural world and our place in it, depicting the environment as landscape and the flora and fauna within it as a document for posterity. Those 10 artists include the internationally recognized and award-winning Buckhorn-based wildlife artist Michael Dumas, one of the founders of the festival, and fellow internationally known and award-winning artists W. David Ward, David Foyn, and George Raab — all four of whom first began work on the exhibit back in 2020 when the pandemic hit.

“This year, it is time to tell the story of what we’ve been doing all these years and why we’ve been doing it,” says Ward. “We look forward to the most memorable Buckhorn Festival of the Arts yet.”

Also returning to the festival for the first time in four years is the Buckhorn Fine Art Award. Sponsored by long-term festival volunteers the Wagstaffe family, the $500 award is given to an adult artist, pursuing an education in visual arts at a recognized Canadian art institution, who demonstrates community involvement and is in need of nurturing and support.

Extending the recognition of emerging artists and those just starting out, there will also be an Amateur Art Competition on display throughout the weekend to encourage teens, adults, and seniors to develop their creativity.

Competition classes include teenage, novice, and hobby artist, with winners chosen by a judging panel of art and education representatives and chaired by the Buckhorn Fine Art Competition Committee. Winners will be awarded at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday in the Festival Park.

“The competition helps to recognize and support the further development of the amateur’s artistic ability and provides them with an opportunity to learn from the experience of being judged and critiqued, as well as by being given advice by a team of professional artists,” Arnott says. “It showcases each individual’s creative style, design, and techniques.”

If that’s not enough creativity for you throughout the weekend, talented musicians will also be performing all weekend long, setting a musical backdrop while visitors browse the impressive artworks.

Visitors will be greeted upon entry at the door by tsymbaly (hammer dulcimer) musician Vladimir Gorodkin. Performers on Saturday include Brooke Averill, Radio Flyer, and Bridget Foley, while Sunday’s lineup includes Mike Graham, Down the Rabbit Hole, and Justin Maki.

The festival weekend also features a family-friendly Art Activity Zone with interactive art activities for both children and adults, along with fine food and beverages available for purchase.

There is ample parking including special needs parking, with a free shuttle from the upper parking lot, and accessible washrooms with change tables. Note that no pets are allowed, except for service animals.

For the full line-up of artists being featured in the 2023 Buckhorn Festival of the Arts, visit www.buckhornartfestival.ca. Preview some of the artwork that will be on display and for sale by following the festival on Instagram and Facebook.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

Just as the fall colours start to brighten up the Kawarthas, so too will the artworks on display during the upcoming Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour in September.

Organized by the Art Gallery of Peterborough, and now in its 39th year, the studio tour — one of the longest running in Canada — takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 23rd and 24th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

During the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, visitors will be able to browse (and buy) the work of 47 artists in 36 studio locations across the Peterborough-Kawarthas region. Each studio will offer artwork available for purchase, and visitors will also have a rare chance to interact with the artists themselves.

VIDEO: 2023 Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour

“It’s a really amazing opportunity for people to go and see what it’s like in an artist studio,” says Andrew Ihamaki, Education Programming Coordinator at the Art Gallery of Peterborough. “To have that chance to go in and see the working space of an artist studio really demystifies the process. It’s such an accessible way for people to get a chance to really engage with art, especially local art in our community.”

Ihamaki explains that, while some people enjoy viewing art in a formal gallery setting like the Art Gallery of Peterborough, others prefer the more casual environment of a studio tour. For the artists themselves, a studio tour gives them an opportunity to connect with art enthusiasts they would otherwise not meet in person.

“People come from all over the community and from all over the province, and sometimes internationally too,” he says. “They’re coming to see their work, so artists are gaining connections and building an audience.”

The tour is self-guided, meaning visitors get to decide for themselves which studios they want to visit and when, and which artists they want to interact with. With such a wide selection of professional artists covering a range of mediums, there’s no shortage of places to visit — and all participating artists work within the region.

“Every single artist you see here lives and works in this community,” explains Ihamaki, adding that some are sharing studio space to make the tour more accessible.

“That’s a unique factor for the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour. While other studio tours have guest artists that come from far away, this is an entirely one hundred per cent local tour.”

Not sure where to begin? Pop into the Art Gallery of Peterborough to see the preview exhibition and grab a brochure, or download the free Toureka! app to your smartphone (available for both iOS and Android).

The locally developed app allows you to browse through biographies and art pieces from each of the participating artists on the tour. From there, select the studios you want to visit and plan, track, and navigate your own art adventure.

Several new artists have been juried into this year’s Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, including Megan Cole. As a self-taught portrait sculptor who is inspired by classic European work, Cole is offering a unique form of artwork that hasn’t been thoroughly explored through the tour in the past.

“Megan is bringing a new element to the tour, blending the traditional ceramics that we see with that more traditional portraiture,” Ihamaki says. “It’s really exciting stuff and a little bit different. It’s adding a new flavour to this year’s tour.”

Cole’s studio is Tour Stop 18, located at 25 Albert Street in Lakefield.

Other artists new to the tour include photographer Heather Doughty (Tour Stop 7), acrylic painter Sarah St. Pierre (Tour Stop 8), jeweller and printmaker Tim Laurin (Tour Stop 10), and many more artists who cover a range of mediums.

Joining the artists who are new this year are artists who have been a part of the tour for years, with some working professionally for well over three decades such as oil painter Peer Christensen (Tour Stop 5).

“All of the artists that are on the tour are established in some way,” explains Ihamaki. “They have a studio where they’re producing and selling work. There’s a real mix of artists at various stages in their careers, but all of them are professional, practising artists.”

Providing visitors with even more opportunity to watch artists make their masterpieces and to learn about new forms and mediums, about half of the artists on the tour will be offering live demonstrations right out of their studios. Some of the artists who will be demonstrating their artmaking process include Lisa Martini-Dunk (Tour Stop 4, monotype printing and collage), Kira Robertson (Tour Stop 14, hand-fired glass), Corina Kiefert Chester (Tour Stop 26, print making), and Megan Ward (Tour Stop 17, oil painting).

“You can actually see the finished polished product versus where it started and you can see the process all the way through, which is really exciting,” Ihamaki says. “For a lot of the artists, the studio tour is about making connections with visitors and sharing something they’re so passionate about.”

Can’t wait for the tour and want a sneak preview of some of the artwork that will be on display in the studios throughout the weekend? Check out the “Selections: 39th Annual Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour” exhibit available now at the Art Gallery of Peterborough (250 Crescent St., Peterborough) and running until Sunday, October 1st.

“You’ll get to see a sample of every single artist’s work,” Ihamaki points out. “The artists bring in work that represents more of what you might expect when you go to their studio. It’s really exciting to see them all together displayed in the gallery.”

With over 5,000 people visiting the preview exhibit and another 5,000 visiting studios during the tour, the Art Gallery of Peterborough estimates the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour generates more than $100,000 in combined sales for the participating artists, with more sales following the tour in a ripple effect from the connections made during the tour weekend. As the Art Gallery of Peterborough does not receive any commission from art sales as a result of the tour, all revenues go directly to the artists.

Along with the financial benefit for the artists themselves, economic impact surveys estimate the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour generates another $650,000 for the local economy as a result of increased tourism.

The Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour is made possible thanks to the support of sponsors, including Tour Sponsor Limestone Inn Marmora and Gold Sponsor Birchview Design. The tour’s Silver Sponsors are The Art School of Peterborough, Grady’s Feet Essentials, The Art Shop Lakefield, The Cheesy Fromage, Buckhorn Festival of the Arts, and Lynn Woodcroft – Royal LePage. The tour’s Bronze Sponsors are Curated and Watson & Lou.

As well as downloading the Toureka! app, visitors can begin planning their tours by picking up a map brochure from the Art Gallery of Peterborough or at sponsor locations including Watson & Lou (383 Water St., Peterborough), Grady’s Feet Essentials (231 King St., Peterborough), the Art School of Peterborough (174A Charlotte St., Peterborough), The Cheesy Fromage (25 Queen St., Lakefield), and The Art Shop Lakefield (33 Queen St., Lakefield).

For a full list of artists participating in the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour on September 23 and 24, visit agp.on.ca/kast/. For information about the supporting exhibition on now at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, visit agp.on.ca/exhibitions/39th-kast-selections/.

For updates on the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, you can sign up for the Art Gallery of Peterborough’s e-news or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Art Gallery of Peterborough. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

Update: On Tuesday (August 8), Peterborough Musicfest announced the Glass Tiger with Monowhales concert has been postponed until Thursday, August 17th as Glass Tiger’s lead singer Alan Trew is recovering from a throat infection. There will not be a Peterborough Musicfest show on Wednesday, August 9th.

Those of us ‘mature’ enough may recall that it was Glass Tiger this and Glass Tiger that over a five-year stretch that commenced in 1986 and carried over into the next decade. It was near impossible to not hear, at any time, any one of the pop-rock band’s hits on your favourite Top 40 radio station, not see one of its dance videos on MuchMusic or MTV, or not be greeted by their faces on a record store poster.

On the strength of three back-to-back-to-back monster albums during that period, Glass Tiger was a major player on the Canadian pop-rock music landscape and, to a considerable degree, south of the border as well. Now, some 30 years since those heady years, Glass Tiger’s collective talent and music remains as fresh as the day it was first recorded.

On Wednesday (August 9) Thursday, August 17th, full proof of Glass Tiger’s decades-long staying power will be clear as the Alan Frew-fronted band headlines Peterborough Musicfest, 15 years after first its first appearance at Del Crary Park. Admission to the 8 p.m. concert, with Toronto alt-rockers Monowhales opening, is free.

Formed in Newmarket in 1983, Glass Tiger didn’t take long to make its mark, releasing its debut album Thin Fred Line three years later. That album, on the strength of the hit singles “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” “Someday,” and the title track, was certified quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the United States.

If that success right off the hop wasn’t enough, Frew and his bandmates left the 1986 Juno Awards presentation with three statues for Album of the Year, Best Selling Single (for “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone”), and Most Promising Group of the Year. In addition to that impressive haul, the album’s producer, Jim Vallance, won a Juno for Composer of the Year.

In 1988, Glass Tiger lived up to the Junos’ ‘promising’ tag in the form of the album Diamond Sun. The album was certified triple platinum in Canada with the single “I’m Still Searching” peaking at number two on the charts.

VIDEO: “Someday” – Glass Tiger

Between the two albums came more acclaim from the Juno Award judges in 1987, with Glass Tiger winning Single of the Year (for “Someday”) and Canadian Entertainer of the Year honours. South of the border, tours opening for Journey and Tina Turner brought the band a whole new legion of fans.

Back in the studio, Glass Tiger completed the career-opening trifecta in 1991, recording and releasing the album Simple Mission. Certified platinum in Canada, among its four singles was “My Town,” which featured Rod Stewart as a guest vocalist and soared to become Glass Tiger’s sixth Top 10 Canadian hit. Of note, the town referred to lyrically is Frew’s birth home of Coatbridge, Scotland.

The years that followed saw some lengthy hiatuses by the band and the usual in-and-out-and-back-in personnel changes. It wasn’t until 2018 that new music came forth in the form of the album 31, which was followed in 2019 and 2020 by 33 and Songs For A Winter’s Night (featuring Natalie MacMaster among others) respectively.

While those albums didn’t achieve the remarkable commercial success of their predecessors, they kept Glass Tiger in the game, with plenty of gigs opportunities to choose from. Just this past February, Glass Tiger ran through its catalogue before a sold-out Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough.

In an interview originally published in 2010 on the now-retired on Kickin’ it Old School blog and republished in 2020 on Rediscover the ’80s, Frew noted he took up the guitar in the 1970s and discovered he had “a knack” for the songwriting side of things. He also reflected on how “Don’t Forget Me” (When I’m Gone) was a game changer for the band.

“I knew it was a great with all the elements of a hit but you’re never prepared for it to go through the roof as it did,” Frew recalled. “It put us in the big leagues and brought us (into) the homes of millions all over the world.”

VIDEO: “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” – Glass Tiger

Addressing the fact that many 1980s pop-rock sensations have gone long silent, Frew says Glass Tiger has made the choice to embrace that time and keep it alive for both longtime and new fans of the band, but keeps things in perspective in the process.

“It stays alive simply through our music but that’s it. The ’80s were then and this is now. Looking back is no different than looking at old photographs or yearbooks. You look, you cringe, you laugh, you move on.”

Asked how he keeps his passion for making and performing music all these years on, Frew noted “I love the craft of communicating.”

“I adapt and re-adapt to change consistently and continuously which allows me a fresh approach to my career each and every day.”

VIDEO: “This Is Your Life” – Glass Tiger

That Frew, now 66, is still doing his thing is no small miracle. He had a stroke in 2015, from which he has fully recovered, that came after he suffered a detached retina.

And less than two weeks before embarking on a 2019 tour with Corey Hart, Frew became violently ill, got dizzy and fell, and broke his neck in two places. He underwent surgery six days before the tour started and didn’t miss a beat.

Anyone looking to better understand Glass Tiger’s staying power would do very well to look no further than the determination of the band’s lead singer.

Opener: Monowhales

Formed in 2017, Toronto-based Monowhales has earned its place as one of the most exciting alt-rock bands in Canada, with multiple top 10 singles, millions of streams, and countless shows to its credit.

The recipient of a 2022 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, the Sally Shaar-led trio has lived up to expectations and then some.

Back in 2019, Monowhales’ breakout single “RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down)” made history, charting at number two on the Mediabase Canada Alternative Rock Chart — the only independent, self-managed band to attain that ranking.

During the pandemic, Monowhales didn’t miss a beat, releasing the top 10 singles “All Or Nothing” and “Out With The Old” prior to the March 2021 release of its debut album Daytona Beach.

Having just completed a national tour in support of Mother Mother, Monowhales is enjoying continued success with its latest single “CTRL^^^” from its February 2022 album Tunnel Vision.

The Peterborough Musicfest audience can also expect to hear the band’s new single “Hear Me Out,” which drops on August 17.

VIDEO: “RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down)” – Monowhales

Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”

For more information on this concert and the entire 2023 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2023 season.