Every month, kawarthaNOW is the only local media source to bring you a list of what’s coming to Netflix Canada. Here are a few highlights of what’s coming to Netflix in December.

In the Netflix murder mystery film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a sequel to 2019’s Knives Out, Daniel Craig reprises his role as Detective Benoit Blanc. This time he travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colourful suspects. The film also stars Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, with Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and — in a first for Netflix — will have an exclusive but limited one-week run in major theatre chains beginning November 23 before coming to Netflix on Friday, December 23rd.

VIDEO: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” trailer

For family viewing, the Netflix film Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio sees the Oscar-winning filmmaker reinvent the classic story of a wooden puppet brought to life in a stunning stop-motion musical tale. It debuts on Netflix on Friday, December 9th. Kids will also enjoy Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (Dec. 2) and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical on Christmas Day.

Other new Netflix films include Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Dec. 2), Delivery by Christmas (Dec. 6), I Believe in Santa (Dec. 14), and White Noise (Dec. 30).

The new Netflix spy-adventure series The Recruit stars Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, a fledgling lawyer at the CIA who becomes enmeshed in dangerous international power politics when a former asset threatens to expose the nature of her long-term relationship with the agency unless they exonerate her of a serious crime. All eight episodes premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, December 16.

VIDEO: “The Recruit” trailer

There’s also the Netflix series The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel set more than a thousand years before the world of The Witcher, where seven outcasts in the elven world unite in a blood quest against an unstoppable power. It premieres on Netflix on Christmas Day.

Returning Netflix series include part one of season two of Firefly Lane (Dec. 2), season four of Too Hot Too Handle (Dec. 14), season three of Emily in Paris (Dec. 21), and season five of The Circle (Dec. 28).

Netflix documentaries of note include Sr., actor Robert Downey Jr.’s tribute to the life and eclectic career of his pioneering filmmaker father Robert Downey Sr. The lovingly irreverent paternal portrait is also a meditation on art, mortality, and healing generational dysfunction. The documentary film premieres on Netflix on Friday, December 2nd.

VIDEO: “Sr.” trailer

Following up on the Netflix unscripted comedy series Murderville from February, which saw homicide detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) teaming as they try to solve a murder case, comes the comedy special Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery. Along with his two celebrity guest stars, Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph, Seattle is on a mission to figure out who killed Santa (yes, you’ll want to watch this away from the young kiddos).

As with the original series, the celebrity guest stars aren’t given the script — so they have no idea what’s about to happen to them. They’ll have to improvise their way through the case, but it will be up to both of them to name the killer. Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery comes to Netflix on Thursday, December 15.

Also coming to Netflix sometime in December is the latest episode of My Next Guest with David Letterman, where Dave travels to Kyiv, Ukraine, for an in-depth conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

VIDEO: New to Netflix Canada in December 2022

Here’s the complete list of everything coming to Netflix Canada in December, along with what’s leaving.

Coming soon (no release date specified)

• The Glory (Netflix series) – After a childhood marked by pain and violence, a woman puts a carefully planned revenge scheme in motion. Starring Song Hye-kyo and Lee Do-hyun.
• God’s Crooked Lines (Netflix film) – A private detective who claims to be suffering from paranoia checks into a psychiatric hospital to investigate another patient’s mysterious death.
• The Interest of Love (Netflix series) – Four men and women working at the same bank get entangled in a complicated romance as they discover how far they’re willing to go for love.
• My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Netflix series) – David Letterman travels to Kyiv, Ukraine, for an in-depth conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Thursday, December 1

• Dead End (Netflix series) – A group of people sharing a ride accidentally switches cars with a bank robber, who then pursues them to retrieve the stolen money he left in the trunk.
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean: Season 1 Episodes 25-38 The Final Episodes (Netflix anime) – Jolyne’s troubles have only multiplied, but her mission is clear; do everything she can to stop Father Pucchi’s plan from succeeding.
• The Masked Scammer (Netflix documentary) – Featuring interviews with his accomplices and victims alike, this deep dive explores how a master con man scammed French elites out of millions of euros.
• Qala (Netflix film) – Haunted by her past, a talented singer with a rising career copes with the pressure of success, a mother’s disdain and the voices of doubt within her.
• Troll (Netflix film) – When an explosion in the Norwegian mountains awakens an ancient troll, officials appoint a fearless paleontologist to stop it from wreaking deadly havoc.
• LEGO Ninjago: Season 4 Crystalized- Part 1
• 12 Gifts of Christmas
• 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
• Archer: Season 13
• Baby Shark’s Big Show!: Season 1
• Billy Madison
• Blue’s Clues & You!: Season 1
• Blue’s Clues & You!: Season 2
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• It Takes Two
• It’s Complicated
• LEGO Friends: Holiday Special
• Meekah: Season 1
• Neighbors
• Step Brothers
• The Night Before
• The United States vs. Billie Holiday
• Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas

Friday, December 2

• Firefly Lane: Season 2 Part 1 (Netflix series) – For Kate and Tully, no obstacle is too big when it comes to their lifelong friendship. But is there one mistake that could tear them apart forever?
• Hot Skull (Netflix series) – In a dystopian world, as an epidemic spreads through verbal communication, a tyrannical institution pursues a linguist immune to the disease.
• Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Netflix film) – Unhappily married aristocrat Lady Chatterley begins a torrid affair — and falls deeply in love — with the gamekeeper on her husband’s country estate.
• My Unorthodox Life: Season 2 (Netflix series) – My Unorthodox Life takes you on a journey through Julia Haart’s untamed, unpredictable and unorthodox life. After fleeing her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, Julia Haart inspired millions around the world with her story of liberation, instantly becoming a spearhead for the modern women’s movement. In this season, Julia is forced to navigate yet another avalanche of personal and professional challenges. When she and her husband surprise the world with a blindsiding removal as CEO – followed by filing for a divorce – Julia is left to battle for control of her business empire, which quickly turns contentious. Will she lose everything or gain more than she could ever imagine? Within her family, Julia must find a way to reconnect with her daughter Batsheva, guide her daughter Miriam in her first committed relationship with a woman, and dissuade her son Aron who is determined to drop out of secular school to attend Orthodox yeshiva full-time.
• Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (Netflix film) – On a cold Christmas Eve, selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge has one night left to face his past — and change the future — before time runs out.
• “Sr.” (Netflix documentary) – Robert Downey Jr. pays tribute to his late father in this documentary chronicling the life and eclectic career of pioneering filmmaker Robert Downey Sr.
• Supermodel Me: Revolution: Season 1
• Warriors of Future (Netflix film) – When a meteor carrying a destructive plant strikes the world, a suicide squad is given hours to save their post-apocalyptic city from total collapse.

Sunday, December 4

• The Blind Side
• Space Jam (1996)

Monday, December 5

• Django Unchained
• Mighty Express: Mighty Trains Race (Netflix family) – Trouble on the tracks! Freight Nate gets tricked into participating in a high-speed race — with all the Mighty Express cargo cars at stake!
• The Queen
• The Right Kind of Wrong

Tuesday, December 6

• The Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus (Netflix family) – Christmas Eve takes a twisty turn when the Boss Baby accidentally swaps places with one of Santa’s elves and gets stranded at the North Pole.
• Delivery by Christmas (Netflix film) – When a spiteful coworker sabotages her deliveries, a courier and a helpful customer must race to return Christmas presents to their intended recipients.
• Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me? (Netflix comedy) – Channeling a 60’s rat pack vibe under the lights of Las Vegas, Sebastian Maniscalco brings his signature comedy style to Sin City and goes all in for his newest special Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me? The Chicago native gives his hilarious takes on his wife’s restaurant etiquette, the harsh realities of present day preschool and examines every day human behavior which forces him to beg the question, is it just me?

Wednesday, December 7

• Burning Patience (Netflix film) – A young man becomes Pablo Neruda’s mail carrier and gets involved in a world of words that fuels his desire to be a poet to woo the woman of his dreams.
• Emily the Criminal
• I Hate Christmas (Netflix series) – After lying to her family about having a boyfriend, a single nurse begins a desperate search to find a partner by Christmas — which is in 24 days.
• The Marriage App (Netflix film) – Tangled in a troubled marriage, a frustrated couple finds hope in a watch-based app that rewards good deeds — until unhealthy obsessiveness takes over.
• The Most Beautiful Flower (Netflix series) – Curvy, curly, confident Mich knows she’s a star in the making; she just has to convince everyone else at her Xochimilco high school to believe it.
• Smiley (Netflix series) – Two men and their friends in Barcelona navigate hesitations, hangups and missed connections as they search for the true love they’ve been missing.
• Too Hot to Handle: Season 4 (Netflix series, new episodes weekly) – Another set of singles arrives for a retreat at an irresistible new villa, where they’ll have to say no to their natural urges in order to win big.

Thursday, December 8

• The Elephant Whisperers (Netflix documentary) – Bomman and Bellie, a couple in south India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other.
• In Broad Daylight: The Narvarte Case (Netflix documentary) – This documentary unveils evidence of corruption in the investigation into the murder of five people in the Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City in 2015.
• Lookism (Netflix anime) – In a society that favors good looks, a high school outcast leads a double life switching between his two bodies that are polar opposites in appearance.

Friday, December 9

• CAT (Netflix series) – Living under an alias, a former police informant is summoned to infiltrate a major drug empire but uncovers a dangerous connection to his dark past.
• Dragon Age: Absolution (Netflix anime) – With great power at stake, a group of rebel mages and thieves goes head-to-head against a sinister force possessing a dangerous artifact.
• Dream Home Makeover: Season 4 (Netflix series) – Dream on! From a playroom with a climbing wall to a luxurious Airstream rebuild, Shea and Syd continue to deliver on fantasy spaces for real families.
• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix film) – Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents the classic story of a wooden puppet brought to life in this stunning stop-motion musical tale.
• How to Ruin Christmas: The Baby Shower (Netflix series) – After two chaotic Christmases, will the Sello and Twala families be able to put their differences aside to welcome Beauty and Sbu’s first baby?
• Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part 2 (Netflix series) – Thieves overtake the mint of a unified Korea. With hostages trapped inside, the police must stop them — as well as the shadowy mastermind behind it all.
• Mortal Kombat (2021)

Saturday, December 10

• Alchemy of Souls: Season 1 Part 2 (Netflix series) – Uk becomes a hunter of the soul-swapped, when a young woman, a prisoner in her own home, seeks his help to reclaim her freedom.
• Big Timber: Season 2

Tuesday, December 13

• Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure (Netflix anime) – Gudetama, the lazy egg, reluctantly embarks on an adventure of a lifetime with Shakipiyo, a newly hatched chick, who is determined to find their mother.
• Last Chance U: Basketball: Season 2 (Netflix documentary) – The critically-acclaimed, Emmy-nominated series returns to East Los Angeles College (ELAC) to give viewers another honest, gritty look inside the world of community college basketball. Directed by Greg Whiteley, Adam Leibowitz, and Daniel George McDonald, the series picks up a year after COVID caused an abrupt and emotional end to ELAC’s championship run in 2020. Head coach John Mosley is eager to get back on the court with an almost entirely new roster of Huskies, including talented but troubled D1 level athletes looking for a last opportunity to make it. Off the court, players get vulnerable sharing their personal struggles of family instability, mental health, homelessness, and more. Over 8 episodes, viewers will follow the team’s journey as players work to overcome personal demons and fight for their spot on the court.
• Single’s Inferno: Season 2 (Netflix series) – A new cast of singles comes together on a remote island seeking love. Who will find that special someone and make their escape to a luxurious getaway?
• Tom Papa: What A Day! (Netflix comedy) – Stand-up comedian Tom Papa returns to Netflix for his second hour-long special, What A Day! In his signature hilarious and joyful fashion, Tom shares the highs and lows of parenting, his reliance on modern technology, rescuing his pet pug, and how his marriage has evolved over time.

Wednesday, December 14

• Don’t Pick Up The Phone (Netflix documentary) – This docuseries follows the investigation into a hoax caller who talked managers into strip-searching employees at fast food businesses across the US.
• Glitter (Netflix series) – In 1976 Sopot, Poland, three determined women navigate social and political changes as they strive to find independence, financial freedom and love.
• I Believe in Santa (Netflix film) – After five happy months dating Tom, Lisa’s horrified to learn he’s obsessed with her least favorite holiday. Is it time to give Christmas another chance?
• Kangaroo Valley (Netflix documentary) – In the Outback, a kangaroo joey named Mala faces famine, frosts and a pack of hungry dingoes as she endeavors to survive her incredible first year.
• Too Hot to Handle: Season 4 (Netflix series, new episodes weekly) – Another set of singles arrives for a retreat at an irresistible new villa, where they’ll have to say no to their natural urges in order to win big.

Thursday, December 15

• The Big 4 (Netflix film) – Acclaimed Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto will be back with this new action comedy film.
• Sonic Prime (Netflix family) – When an explosive battle with Dr. Eggman shatters the universe, Sonic races through parallel dimensions to reconnect with his friends and save the world.
• Violet Evergarden: Recollections (Netflix anime) – An emotionally scarred former child soldier becomes a letter writer in this condensed recap of the moving, gorgeously animated award-winning series.
• Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (Netflix comedy) – Senior Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) is back and this time, the case is critical. Along with his two celebrity guest stars, Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph, he is on a mission to figure out…who killed Santa? But here’s the catch: Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph aren’t being given the script. They have no idea what’s about to happen to them. Together, with Terry Seattle (and many surprises), they will have to improvise their way through the case… but it will be up to both of them to name the killer. Based off the BAFTA award winning BBC3 series Murder in Successville by Tiger Aspect Productions and Shiny Button Productions.

Friday, December 16

• A Storm for Christmas (Netflix series) – Destinies collide when extreme weather traps travelers and workers at an airport, forcing them to spend the final hours leading up to Christmas together.
• BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Netflix film) – An acclaimed journalist and documentarian goes on a dreamlike introspective journey to reconcile with the past, the present and his Mexican identity.
• Cook at all Costs (Netflix series) – In this kitchen contest, home cooks bid on ingredients to create dishes that will impress celebrity guest judges — and win the cash left in their bank.
• Dance Monsters (Netflix series) – In this feel-good competition, amateur dancers disguised as CGI avatars bring their best moves, hoping to win $250,000 — and a second shot at their dreams.
• Far From Home (Netflix series) – A scholarship to a top school transports Ishaya to the luxurious world of Nigeria’s 1%, but a looming secret threatens to take it all away … and more.
• Paradise PD: Part 4 (Netflix series) – Without a functioning police force, the town faces threats from scheming billionaires, vindictive artists, backstabbing AI and more.
• Private Lesson (Netflix film) – Posing as a private tutor, Azra secretly coaches students on achieving their goals in life and love — but not without a few bumps in the road.
• The Recruit (Netflix series) – A fledgling lawyer at the CIA becomes enmeshed in dangerous international power politics when a former asset threatens to expose the nature of her long-term relationship with the agency unless they exonerate her of a serious crime.
• Summer Job (Netflix series) – Ten Gen Z contestants go on their dream vacation. But for a shot at staying in a luxury villa — and to win €100,000 — they have to work real jobs.
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (Netflix documentary) – Survivors’ and rescuers’ accounts and minute-by-minute footage fuel this gripping documentary about the deadly 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand.

Sunday, December 18

• Lethal Weapon 2
• Lethal Weapon 3
• Lethal Weapon 4

Monday, December 19

• Trolley (Netflix series) – A sudden tragedy brings the wife of a congressman out of her private life and forces her to confront family secrets and her own troubling past.

Tuesday, December 20

• A Not So Merry Christmas (Netflix film) – Cursed by a fairy, grinchy Chuy wakes up to discover he’s lived a full year, but is doomed to remember only Christmas Day. Every year. From now on.
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh Part 1 (Netflix anime) – When sinister forces threaten the peace of Brittania, a young prince embarks on a perilous journey to save his loved ones and discover his true powers.

Wednesday, December 21

• Disconnect: The Wedding Planner (Netflix film) – After falling victim to a scam, a desperate man races the clock as he attempts to plan a luxurious destination wedding for an important investor.
• Emily in Paris: Season 3 (Netflix series) – A year after moving to Paris for her dream job, Emily arrives at a career and romantic crossroads that will force her to decide where her future lies.
• I AM A KILLER: Season 4 (Netflix documentary) – Premeditated deeds, tragic accidents or acts of self-defence? Murderers recount the harrowing crimes that landed them in prison with life sentences.

Thursday, December 22

• Alice in Borderland: Season 2 (Netflix series) – The games are deadlier, this world more wild and cruel; but will Arisu ever make it back to the real world — and will it be worth everything he’s lost?
• Mathieu Dufour at Bell Centre (Netflix comedy) – Acclaimed comedian Mathieu Dufour shares stories about paintball mishaps, McDonalds misdeeds and more in this freewheeling stand-up special.

Friday, December 23

• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix film) – In the follow up to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, Detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colourful suspects.
• Piñata Masters! (Netflix series) – Which of seven competing teams will be the Piñata Heroes? Their piñatas must be colourful and creative, and impress the picky judges: a group of kids!

Sunday, December 25

• After Ever Happy
• Daughter From Another Mother: Season 3 (Netflix series) – Ana and Mariana deal with a lawsuit and new business while maintaining the facade of their relationship. But chaos arises when true feelings blossom.
• Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (Netflix film) – An extraordinary girl with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination takes a daring stand to change her story — with miraculous results. Meet Matilda.
• Time Hustler (Netflix series) – After being hit in the head, a man wakes up in 1927 to discover that he’s the spitting image of a famous bandit — and decides to make the most of it.
• The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix series) – More than a thousand years before the world of The Witcher, seven outcasts in the elven world unite in a blood quest against an unstoppable power.
• Vir Das: Landing (Netflix comedy) – Vir Das dives deep into his childhood in India, the perils of outrage and finding his feet in the world for his fourth Netflix stand-up special.

Monday, December 26

• Treason (Netflix series) – An MI6 agent’s bright future takes a sharp turn after a reunion with a Russian spy forces him to question his entire life.

Tuesday, December 27

• Chelsea Handler: Revolution (Netflix comedy) – Chelsea Handler is back with her new Netflix stand-up special, REVOLUTION. The celebrated, award-winning comedian lets loose on her life – including her choice to remain childless and alone (with the exception of her dogs), dating during the pandemic while her family invades her home, and her vision for a future where men don’t wear flip flops.

Wednesday, December 28

• 7 Women and a Murder (Netflix film) – When their family patriarch is stabbed, seven women, each with ulterior motives, become trapped together in a mansion to solve the puzzle of his murder.
• A Night at the Kindergarten (Netflix film) – A young man crashes a school play rehearsal to prevent a group of teachers and eccentric parents from expelling his girlfriend’s son.
• The Circle: Season 5 (Netflix series, new episodes weekly) – Eight new players set up single profiles to sniff out catfish, form friendships and make the most of second chances in this fifth trip around The Circle.
• Stuck with You (Netflix film) – En route to a party, two strangers get stuck in an elevator on New Year’s Eve — and find themselves connecting in unexpected ways.

Thursday, December 29

• Brown and Friends (Netflix family) – In a cozy little neighbourhood coffee shop, a group of fun-loving friends get together — and get up to all kinds of adventures.
• Rise of Empires: Ottoman: Season 2 (Netflix documentary) – Years after conquering Constantinople, Sultan Mehmed II consolidates power, but a merciless ruler in Wallachia threatens to bring down his empire.

Friday, December 30

• Alpha Males (Netflix series) – Pedro, Luis, Raúl and Santi are four friends who feel a bit lost in the new world of empowered women, each trying to adjust in their own haphazard way.
• Chicago Party Aunt: Part 2 (Netflix series) – Chicago Party Aunt Diane is an idolized troublemaker with a talent for avoiding adulthood — and a soft spot for her soul-searching nephew.
• La Reina del Sur: Season 3 (Netflix series) – After four years in prison, Teresa escapes — thanks to Epifanio, who needs her for a mission to Bolivia. But Sofía, now a teen in love, needs her too.
• Secrets of Summer: Season 2 (Netflix family) – Steffi, Luz and their family and friends fight for Cielo Grande’s future after new owners take over the resort in a power play.
• Those Who Wish Me Dead
• White Noise (Netflix film) – At once hilarious and horrifying, lyrical and absurd, ordinary and apocalyptic, “White Noise” dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world. Based on the book by Don DeLillo, written for the screen and directed by Noah Baumbach.

Saturday, December 31

• Best of Stand Up 2022 (Netflix comedy) – Join us as we take a look back at some of the jokes that got us through the year in this compilation of stand-up highlights.
• Lady Voyeur (Netflix series) – Hacker Miranda loves to spy on her sex worker neighbour Cléo. But after their paths cross and a murder is committed, Miranda’s destiny forever changes.

Leaving Netflix Canada in December

Friday, December 2

• Bridesmaids
• Fast & Furious
• Furious 7
• The Fast and the Furious
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Tuesday, December 13

• Cuckoo: Seasons 1-4

Wednesday, December 14

• Merlin: Seasons 1-5

Saturday, December 31

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Books 1-3

All titles and dates are subject to change.

“Here is my secret. It is very simple: you can only see well with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.” – The Fox in The Little Prince

The Peterborough Theatre Guild is bringing one of the world’s most beloved stories to life when it presents Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince at the Guild Hall (364 Rogers St., Peterborough) for eight performances from December 2 to 10. Tickets are available for $10 by calling the box office at 705-745-4211 or online at peterboroughtheatreguild.com.

The family holiday musical, with music by Rick Cummins and script and lyrics by John Scoullar, is adapted from the 1943 novella Le Petit Prince, written and illustrated by French writer and military aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

In Cummins and Scoullar’s adaptation, a narrator (the Aviator) begins by recalling why his six-year-old self decided to become a pilot instead of an artist after grown-ups couldn’t understand his drawings. Then he recounts how many years later, after crashing his plane in the Sahara desert, he encountered a young boy (the Little Prince) from a small asteroid known as B-612 on Earth.

After describing his home world, including his love for a vain and silly Rose growing there, the Little Prince also tells the Aviator of his visits to a number of other planets, each inhabited by a single narrow-minded grown-up — the King, the Conceited Woman, the Businessman, the Lamplighter, and the Geographer — and, after he arrives on Earth, his encounters with the Snake, the Flower, and the Fox.

While Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince is written in the style of a children’s book, it makes timeless observations about the nature of adults, innocence, self-discovery, and the meaning of love and loss. It became Saint-Exupéry’s most successful work, selling an estimated 140 million copies worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling books in history.

Saint-Exupéry had himself crashed into the Sahara desert in 1935, when he attempted a flight to beat the airspeed record from Paris to Saigon. After four days in the desert, he and his navigator were on the verge of death when a desert tribesman rescued them. A year after Le Petit Prince was published in 1943, Saint-Exupéry disappeared over the Mediterranean while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron.

The Peterborough Theatre Guild production of Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince, directed by Jacqueline Barrow, features whimsical dance numbers with a cast of one adult actor and 25 children and teens who animate the stories the Little Prince shares with the Aviator.

“I am so incredibly proud of this amazing cast that represents an entire spectrum of age and so much talent,” Barrow says. “I took on this project to find my way back to the stage, and to offer this community an opportunity for safe, accountable, youth-driven theatre where creativity, expression, and a sense of ownership is encouraged.”

The sole adult in the Peterborough Theatre Guild production is Andrew Loeb, who is making his theatrical debut as the Aviator. The young cast members in the production include Cailleach Beaton as the Little Prince, Maeve O’Neill as the Rose, Norah Von Beiberstein as the Fox and Mountain Echo, Darragh O’Connell as the King and the Lamplighter, Makynlee Sheppard as the Conceited Woman, Jude O’Neill as the Businessman, the Geographer, and the Snake, and Alice Loeb as the Desert Flower.

Other cast members include Zannah Fenlon, Skye Beaton, Winnie Theobald, Mya Anderson, Maisie Sheppard, Pippa Peckham, Jule Loeb, Eliza Leahy, and Zoe Stevenson as the Wall of Roses, the Stars, and the Trees, and the dance ensemble of Alice Loeb, Emma Marchant, Evelyn Leahy, Alaina MacDonald, Sydney Ross, Elsa Norton, and Anna McIntyre. Emma Ivanov is the understudy for the Aviator, with other members of the cast also serving as understudies for different roles.

Linda Kash is creative consultant, with Caoimhe MacQuarrie as assistant director, Ina Stenner as production manager, and Tracy Magee-Graham as stage manager (and photographer).

Other members of the creative team and crew are Zoe Dunaway and Saoirse MacQuarrie as assistant stage managers, Elaine Day as property manager and costume and wardrobe design, Joanne Anderson and Emily McKenzie as costume and wardrobe assistants, Joanne Anderson and Emily McKenzie as property assistants, Al Tye for set design, John Robinson for lighting, Abby Duncan for sound, Brooklyn Fudge for choreography, and Shelley Moody for makeup, with Elliot Loeb as artist and tech assistant. Also backstage are Tonya Bosch, Meaghan Sheppard, Tiffany Marchant, and Courtnie Trahan, with child care by Heather Speight.

“This production is about finding a sense of wonder and excitement in a world of preoccupied grown-ups, where magic and innocence is threatened, and I am so grateful to be able to present this vision to an audience,” Barrow adds.

Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince runs from Friday, December 2nd to Saturday, December 10th, with performances at 7 p.m. on December 2 and 6 to 9, and 1 p.m. matinee performances on December 3 and 4 and 10.

While audience members are encouraged to wear masks at all performances, a special evening performance on Friday, December 9th will be available for those more comfortable attending a show with COVID protocols. Masking will be required for that performance and there will be limited audience capacity with spaced seating.

Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince runs for around 90 minutes with one intermission.

Mindful of family budgets during the holidays, the Peterborough Theatre Guild has set the cost for each performance to only $10 per person.

Assigned seating tickets are available by calling the box office at 705-745-4211 (leave a message if the box office is not open) or online anytime at peterboroughtheatreguild.com. For December 9th tickets, email Yvonne MacDougall at pearlwildmacdougall@yahoo.com.

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

Peterborough screenwriter Carley Smale continues to find success writing holiday-themed movies, with her latest project A Gingerbread Christmas now streaming on Crave after premiering on Discovery+ in November.

Written by Carley with Blaine Chiappetta based on a story by Carley and Katelyn James (co-executive director of One City Peterborough where Carley used to work), A Gingerbread Christmas tells the story of aspiring architect Hazel Stanley (Tiya Sircar), who goes home to Chicago for the holidays dejected after being passed over for a job at the top New York City architecture firm where she worked as an intern.

After returning home, she discovers local contractor James Meadows (Marc Bendavid) has been helping her father Ted (Sugith Varughese) with the family bakery, which has been in decline since Hazel’s prize-winning baker mother passed away, by not only renovating but by baking as well.

To complete against the new trendy bakery across the street owned by Hazel’s once-best-friend-turned-bitter-rival Shelby (Kyana Teresa), Hezel and James pool their their talents to craft a gingerbread design for a baking contest run by Chicago’s “Cookie King” Mark Clemmons (the Food Network’s Duff Goldman) with a grand prize of $100,000. However, the duo’s competition is fierce, including from Shelby, and unforeseen complications threaten to crumble not only their brilliant design but also their budding romance.

“When I read the script, I liked the way the love story develops between Hazel and James,” says director Pat Kiely. “They are doing okay in life individually, but something really wonderful is formed when they team up. We also have a very diverse cast, and it made me very happy to direct something that will hopefully connect to many different people.”

An avid writer and movie fan as a youth described as a “rom-com connoisseur,” Carley was born and raised in Peterborough. The Crestwood Secondary School graduate moved to Toronto to attend Humber College where she studied film and media. While in college, she interned with a production company that made TV movies.

“I started writing movie treatments for various networks like the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, and Nickelodeon,” Carley told kawarthaNOW in 2017. “Eventually a Christmas idea of mine sold and I became the director of development for all the Christmas content.”

At 24 years old, Carley’s first produced screenplay, The Christmas Parade, premiered on the Hallmark Channel with high ratings in Canada, the United States, and Europe. She also wrote and directed her first feature film in 2014 entitled Cold Season, which won Best No-Budget Feature at the 2015 Toronto Independent Film Festival. The movie went on to have international premieres in both New York City and Berlin with high praise.

In December 2015, her original story concept entitled On the 12th Day of Christmas premiered on the Hallmark Channel and was the #1 TV movie of the weekend, with 5.4 million viewers.

In 2015, Carley decided to strike out on her own and pursue writing full time. In December 2017, her screenplay for the comedy-drama Snowed-Inn Christmas premiered on Lifetime.

That was followed by Christmas Pen Pals in 2018, No Time Like Christmas (with Anita Hughes) in 2019, and both Christmas Unwrapped (as a story consultant with writer Gary Hardwick) and Let’s Meet Again on Christmas Eve in 2020.

In addition to her holiday movies, in 2020 Carley wrote the Lifetime movie His Fatal Fixation and the romantic comedy Midnight at the Magnolia.

Midnight at the Magnolia was nominated for Best TV Movie at the Canadian Screen Awards in February 2022 and spent over a month trending worldwide on the Netflix’s U.S. top-10 list. The movie is now available for streaming on Netflix in Canada.

Peterborough actor, director, and screenwriter Wyatt Lamoureux has a speaking role in an episode of the new Apple TV+ series Circuit Breakers.

A sci-fi anthology series similar to Black Mirror but for families, each half-hour episode depicts a near-future world where youth encounter futuristic technologies that lead to unpredictable consequences.

Lamoureux appears in the second episode entitled ‘Copy Cat’, which tells the story of Jesse (Nathaniel Buescher), a high-school student who wants to spend all his time practising to audition for the single available spot on his school dance team. When his rehearsals interfere with school and home responsibilities, Jesse’s parents provide him with a holographic virtual tutor that can appear as anyone from history, such as Albert Einstein.

Meanwhile, Jesse is helping his friend Cara (Kiera Laidman) with her school science project to create a robotic mannequin. When Jesse discovers his virtual tutor can also mimic his own appearance, he gets his friend to combine the virtual tutor with her robotic mannequin to create a functional duplicate of Jesse — with the idea being the “copy cat” can take Jesse’s place while he rehearses for the dance audition.

Unbeknownst to Jesse’s parents, the copy cat takes his place while his parents are entertaining Mr. and Mrs. Wallace (Lamoureux and Helly Chester) in their living room. In a two-minute scene, Mr. Wallace complains about the cost of his boat and Jesse’s copy cat begins to lecture Mr. Wallace on home budgeting, to the embarrassment of Jesse’s parents and the alarm of the surreptitiously watching Jesse.

As well as his speaking role in Apple TV+’s Circuit Breakers, Lamoureux recently made a brief appearance in the Amazon Prime series Reacher, based on the bestselling book series by Lee Child. In another upcoming role, Lamoureux plays Dean Taras in the comedy-drama feature film Older Every Day, directed by London, Ontario filmmaker Ethan Hickey, which is currently in post-production.

VIDEO: “Circuit Breakers” trailer