Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023 with an extended season of plays, music, and comedy. Kicking off with a gala celebration in April, the 2023 season features nine mainstage shows and four one-night-only performances from May through December at the Lakeview Arts Barn at 2300 Pigeon Lake Road in Bobcaygeon.

Globus Theatre has been producing professional theatre in the Kawartha Lakes since it was established in 2003 by wife-and-husband team Sarah Quick and James Barrett. In 2006, Globus became the company-in-residence at the Lakeview Arts Barn, a former cattle barn transformed into a comfortable and contemporary 150-seat theatre with an attached restaurant.

In May 2022, the registered charitable organization announced it was launching a $2-million capital campaign to buy the Lakeview Arts Barn and had already raised $1.1 million towards that goal. The total raised is now at $1.33 million.

“We are very excited to be embarking on our 20th season here at Globus,” says Barrett, Globus’s artistic producer, in a media release. “When Sarah and I founded the company in 2003 we could not have predicted the path that Globus would forge over the next two decades, especially given the tumultuous past few years.”

“Globus is thriving,” Barrett notes. “Over the course of the last three years, we have seen an increase in new audience and a renewed vigour in the interest and support from our long-time patrons. With an extended celebratory season and the continuation of an exciting capital campaign to purchase our venue, 2023 marks a milestone year for Globus and we look forward to sharing it.”

Globus is marking the launch of its 20th anniversary season on Saturday, April 22nd with Starlight Ball, a gala black-tie fundraiser at the Lakeview Arts Barn featuring canapes and a three-course meal, live music and dancing, as well as appearances by favourite Globus performers. The season kicks off from May 10 to 20 with Mending Fences, a poignant comedy by Canadian playwright Norm Foster, a favourite of Globus audiences.

“Norm cut the ribbon for us when Globus moved into the Lakeview Arts Barn 18 years ago,” recalls Quick, Globus’s artistic director. “Since then, one of his plays has featured almost every season. It is only fitting that it is one of his, Mending Fences, that kicks off our 20th season.”

The first musical mainstage show of the season sees Rick Kish’s The Crooner Show, featuring the music of iconic singers like Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, run from June 6 to 10. This will be followed by the return of Michele Rimi’s hit comedy Sexy Laundry, a decade after it first wowed Globus audiences, from June 21 to July 8.

Globus Theatre has become known for its original murder mysteries, and Quick’s The Great Palm Tree Beach Tiki Bar Tragedy premieres from July 19 to 29.

“We have produced over a dozen original murder mysteries to date,” Quick says. “We used to do them solely in the off-season but, two years ago as we were pivoting all over the place, we produced one in the summertime, and it was a smash hit. We like the variety it brings in terms of staging and theatricality. We have people who come out for dinner theatre, some that come for plays, others only for concerts, but we have a growing legion of patrons who come to everything we do and to that end we like to offer something different each time they come.”

From August 2 to 12, Globus will present the new play Tip of the Iceberg, a comedy set in Newfoundland and the first play written by Norolk County trio Chris Rait, Jeannine Bouw, and Mark Williams.

The summer season will end with Globus Theatre’s production of Hurry Hard, a curling comedy by Kristen Da Silva, whose play Gibson & Sons is wrapping up this weekend at the Peterborough Theatre Guild. Hurry Hard will run from August 16 to 26.

For the fall season, beloved performer Leisa Way and The Wayward Wind Band will return to the Globus stage from October 17 to 21 with Rhinestone Cowgirl! A Tribute to Dolly Parton, followed by another murder mystery dinner theatre experience, A Christmas Story…of Murder! A Festive Murder Mystery, a comedic murder mystery based on the classic Christmas movie that runs from November 15 to 25.

The 20th anniversary season wraps up in December when Globus Theatre presents its annual family British panto tradition, with Quick’s Puss in Boots running from December 5 to 17.

In addition to the mainstage series, Globus Theatre has chosen four one-nighter shows to celebrate its 20th anniversary season, with all led by performers featured in Globus’ inaugural seasons — some of whom have become regulars on the Globus stage and others who are returning for the first time in two decades.

Comedy shows include Canadian Comedy Award winning improv troupe SlapHappy (May 27), as well as veteran comedienne Alex Dallas who brings to the stage her critically acclaimed show Horseface, a passionate response to the #MeToo movement (June 15). Chris Gibbs will return with his show Not Quite Sherlock, about a bumbling but incredibly affable detective (September 23), and Girls Nite Out is also back for its 18th year (November 4).

The brainchild of Quick and Second City alumna and Bobcaygeon resident Jennine Profeta, Girls Nite Out was first performed as part of Globus Theatre’s second season. Since then, the show had toured across Canada with a revolving cast of Canadian Comedy Award Winners and CBC comedy regulars, including Profeta and most recently Elvira Kurt, Diana Frances, and Karen Parker.

“There’s no doubt that this extended season is a big undertaking for the whole team here at Globus, especially with a major capital campaign in progress, but it felt like the right step for us on this milestone year,” Quick notes.

“For the past three years we’ve been making decisions on the fly, operating month by month. I wanted 2023 to be the opposite of that. A 13-show season announced all at once so that people can get back to planning ahead and looking forward to things. By increasing our theatre offerings, I wanted to give the community a taste of what it could be like if Globus secures a permanent home here — hopefully celebrating our 30th, 40th, 50th seasons and beyond.”

Subscriptions for Globus Theatre’s 20th anniversary season will go on sale beginning Monday, March 13th for Star Supporters and Thursday, March 16th for the general public, with single tickets going on sale the following Monday for Star Supporters and the following Thursday for the general public.

Seven different subscription packages are available, and most single-ticket prices $45 for theatre only or $90 for dinner and theatre.

For more information, to purchase subscriptions and single tickets, and to donate to Globus Theatre’s capital campaign, visit globustheatre.com.

For its spring production, the Peterborough Theatre Guild is bringing the hit musical farce Something Rotten! to the Guild Hall stage for 10 performances in April and May.

A love letter to musical theatre and a satirical spectacle that pokes fun both at Shakespeare and everything audiences adore about Broadway, Something Rotten! features show-stopping song and dance, a wacky cast of over-the-top characters, and gut-busting comedy. Time Out New York called it “The funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years!”

Set in 1595 during the English Renaissance, the story follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, who are struggling to find success in the theatrical world as they compete with the wild popularity of their contemporary William Shakespeare. A soothsayer named Thomas Nostradamus (the nephew of the famous soothsayer Nostradamus) tells the brothers the next big thing in theatre will be “a musical” — where “an actor is saying his lines, and out of nowhere he just starts singing.”

Determined to outdo Shakespeare by writing the world’s first musical, Nigel asks Nostradamus what Shakespeare’s next hit is going to be called. After the soothsayer misinterprets “Hamlet” as “Omelette”, the brothers name their new play Omelette: The Musical.

The play’s musical numbers include “Welcome to the Renaissance”, “God, I Hate Shakespeare”, “The Black Death”, “Hard to Be the Bard”, “It’s Eggs!”, “Something Rotten!”, and more.

With music and lyrics by brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick and a book by John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, Smething Rotten! opened on Broadway in 2015 where it played for 708 performances. It was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including best musical, and won for best featured actor in a musical.

Directed and choreographed by Elizabeth Moody, the Peterborough Theatre Guild production features Robert Ainsworth, Nate Axcell, Kate Brioux, Paul Crough, Rachel Dalliday, Mark Hiscox, Matt Kraft, Marsala Lukianchuk, Brian MacDonald, and Brandon Remmelgas.

The crew includes production manager Margaret Pieper, musical director Justin Hiscox, assistant musical director and vocal director Dustin Bowers, music and vocal consultant Kate Suhr, and choreography consultant Julie Fallis.

Performances at the Guild Hall at 364 Rogers Street in Peterborough’s East City take place at 7:30 p.m. on April 28 and 29, May 4 to 6, and May 11 to 13, with 2 p.m. matinee performances on April 30 and May 7. Tickets are $32 for adults, $28 for seniors, and $20 for students and are available online at peterboroughtheatreguild.com or by calling 705-745-4211.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Theatre Guild’s 2022-23 season.

Those who know Rob Phillips well know he would have been very happy to have performed just one show at The Black Horse Pub in downtown Peterborough.

Such is the longtime musician’s desire to, and love of, sharing his immense piano talent with an audience.

As he now prepares to bring his jazz-blues trio to the George Street North pub on March 9th for its milestone 500th Thursday night performance, Phillips is as just excited now as he was close to 10 years ago when then-owner Ray Kapoor pencilled him in for a coveted spot on the weekly live entertainment roster.

“I asked Ray, over a number of years, if I could do a jazz night,” recalls the 2015 Peterborough Pathway of Fame inductee who, for 10 years, enjoyed considerable success with Dan Fewings and Jimmy Bowskill as one third of the musical improv comedy trio The Three Martinis. “I thought it would fly. He finally gave me a night, but I didn’t really know how long it was going to last. Bands come and go.”

As it turns out, it has lasted — for an impressive 499 shows. On Thursday (March 9) at 7 p.m., Phillips will sit at the keyboard for the 500th time, with Dennis Pendrith on upright bass and Curtis Cronkwright on drums, and Carling Stephen as the featured singer. The music menu will including a generous buffet of jazz and blues standards — signature songs associated with the likes of Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Billie Holiday, and Robert Johnson to mention a few. And yes, some original tunes will be sprinkled into the mix.

And has been the case on many prior Thursday nights, there will be special guests, this time in the form of singers Beau Dixon and Marsala Lukianchuk, the latter having fronted the trio for about six years, along with Keith Guy and more.

“Curtis has been with me since day one,” says Phillips. “He’s a straight up guy and an incredible drummer. (Bassist) Dennis is a legend in the business. He played with Stuart McLean for his Vinyl Café, with Bruce Cockburn for 10 years, and he played with Murray McLauchlan. And he has recorded a lot. He’s on like 2,000 or 3,000 albums.”

“We’d been looking, on and off, for the last six years for a singer and then, about a year ago, Carling came in and she’s the featured singer every Thursday now. The wonderful thing about Carling is she’s bilingual, so we actually do 10 French songs. People love the French jazz café music. She’s a fabulous singer.”

All these Thursday night shows later, what’s most important to Phillips is the format has remained true to what he envisioned so many years ago.

“After (singer) Chelsey Bennett moved back to Peterborough from Europe, she came in and sang with us and that really got the night rolling,” recalls Phillips.

“I wanted people to drop in after they had been out for dinner, and my musician friends could drop in and sing or bring their horn and play a couple of songs. We’ve had a lot of people join us over the years.”

“Ada Lee sang with us when she was in town. Bruce Cole, the dentist, comes in every week and has played with us. Rick Fines has come up on stage and sang. And there are some horn guys who have come every week for 10 years now — Doug Sutherland on trumpet and Mark Davidson on saxophone. It really is a place for community.”

VIDEO: “Brazil” featuring Marsala Lukianchuk & Rob Phillips (2017)

As for the trio’s audience, Phillips says its enthusiasm is only surpassed by its loyalty.

“There are about 40 to 50 people who come in every week, like they’re going bowling on a Monday night,” he laughs. “It’s really great when new people discover it. A couple of guys came out for the first time about three or four weeks ago. They say there going to come every week now. One guy drives in every Thursday from Hastings.”

“Other people drive in from Ajax. And everybody gets to know one another. Another phenomena is the Trent kids have discovered it. Part of the second set is now more danceable. They have a great time.”

During the pandemic, Phillips “held the fort down” at the Black Horse on his own before Lukianchuk returned and “we started adding people. They couldn’t afford to pay as much but we all made it through.”

And just as Phillips is quick to credit Kapoor for recognizing his talents and those of his band mates should have a regular weekly home, he has nothing but admiration for current owner Desmond Vandenberg.

“Des has been fantastic,” he says. “He’s had to weather buying a new business and then the pandemic. He runs music seven days a week when just running a restaurant is a tough thing. It’s a real tribute to Des that he’s hung in there.”

“Some of the pubs that have live music, it has been difficult for them,” Phillips notes. “But I think now that the pandemic is pretty much over, people are going to start going out even more this spring and summer. How much Netflix can you watch? People want to go out and hear live music. There’s a real appreciation of live music that I see now.”

Admitting Thursday night at The Black Horse Pub is “my happy place,” Phillips is thrilled to play the genre and style of music he has always gravitated to. As he puts it, “No one is asking me to play Brown Eyed Girl.”

Phillips has another reason to smile these days and, in the grand scheme of things, it’s the best reason of all.

In the midst of chemotherapy treatment for amyloidosis, he remains optimistic.

“My numbers are really good,” he explains. “My experience at the hospital (Peterborough Regional Health Centre) has been unbelievable. I don’t mind talking about it. It has happened to me just like it happened to a lot of people. I’ve been very fortunate to have a good support team. My friends have been unbelievable.”

“When my illness came on, I didn’t know if I’d be able to play anymore. I was doing all this prep for someone to take over my spot. I feel very fortunate to be able to get treatment and then do the joyful thing that brings me pleasure. For me, that has always been music. Music is more fun for me now than it ever was.”

VIDEO: Rob Phillips talks about early inspiration (2015)

Against that backdrop, Phillips et al are counting down the hours to what promises to be a pretty special evening at their downtown Peterborough home away from home.

“It’s not a lot of work playing,” says Phillips. “It’s getting a parking spot, loading the piano in, getting the music together. If somebody is sick, I’ve got to get a sub. There’s all this work that has to go on.”

“I do a sound check at 10:15 a.m. with Carling before the restaurant opens. Then we all gather at 6:45 p.m. Strangely, we’ve never had a rehearsal, but I have rehearsed with the singers and I write out the music for the bass player.”

VIDEO: Autumn Leaves – Rob Phillips Trio at Live! At The Barn (2021)

Not lost on Phillips is how fortunate he is to have the opportunity to play jazz and blues every week for almost 10 years at the Black Horse Pub.

“It’s a fun night. You hear songs that you don’t normally hear at other clubs in town. We work hard at it. We’ve got something like 170 songs in our catalogue. We run about 35 songs a night. We can change it up and put on a different show on every Thursday.”

Beyond the regular weekly gig, Phillips says he has “a recording in the can” but admits “because of the nature of my illness, I can’t sing like I used to.” Still, he hopes to record with Stephen “real soon. We’re working away at that.”