Every month, kawarthaNOW is the only local media source to bring you a list of what’s coming to Netflix Canada.

In November, season four of The Crown debuts on Netflix, taking us into the Royal Family’s life in the 1980s, when Queen Elizabeth clashes with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher while Prince Charles enters a tumultuous marriage with Lady Diana Spencer.

Along with Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, and Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, relative newcomer Emma Corrin (Grantchester) is Princess Diana and Gillian Anderson (X-Files, The Fall, Sex Education) is Margaret Thatcher. Season four premieres on Sunday, November 15th.

Another offering of note is The Liberator, an animated Netflix original limited series based on the non-fiction book by Alex Kershaw that follows the American 157th infantry regiment known as the “Thunderbirds” during the Allied invasion of Italy (“Operation Avalanche”) during World War II. The Liberator premieres on Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).

For fans of the pop superstar, the documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (Nov. 23) follows the Pickering native as he makes sense of his stardom, relationships, and musical future during a world tour.

There’s also the Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy (Nov. 24), based on the bestselling memoir by J.D. Vance, which is a modern exploration of the American Dream and three generations of an Appalachian family as told by its youngest member, a Yale Law student forced to return to his hometown.

VIDEO: “The Liberator” teaser trailer

Even though it’s only November, Netflix is also premiering a lot of Christmas-themed content, including the original series Dash & Lily (Nov. 10), Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas (Nov. 18), and season two of Sugar Rush Christmas (Nov. 27).

There are also the original Netflix films Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Nov. 13), Operation Christmas Drop (Nov. 15), The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Nov. 19), Alien Xmas (Nov. 20), Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Nov. 22), The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (Nov. 25) starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, and the original documentary Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (Nov. 27).

Other Netflix original series in November include Mismatched (no date specified), Love and Anarchy (Nov. 4), Paranormal (Nov. 5), Country Ever After (Nov. 6), season two of Undercover (Nov. 9), The Minions of Midas (Nov. 13), season four of The Boss Baby: Back in Business and We Are the Champions (Nov. 17), Voices of Fire (Nov. 20), season two of Virgin River (Nov. 27), The Uncanny Counter (Nov. 28), and A Love So Beautiful (Nov. 30).

VIDEO: “The Christmas Chronicles 2” official trailer

As for non-Netflix series, there’s only the premiere of seasons one to eight of Dawson’s Creek (Nov. 1).

New Netflix films include Mother (Nov. 3), Citation (Nov. 6), What We Wanted (Nov. 11), Ludo (Nov. 12), The Life Ahead (Nov. 13), If Anything Happens I Love You (Nov. 20), Mosul (Nov. 26), The Call and Don’t Listen (Nov. 27), and Finding Agnes (Nov. 30).

Theatrically released movies include About Last Night, Angels & Demons, Argo, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Bad Santa, Clueless, Gangs of New York, Mr. Deeds, Papillon, Rocky, Ronin, The Da Vinci Code, The Juror, The Notebook, and Widows (all on Nov. 1), Blackhat, Fifty Shades of Grey, Get Him to the Greek, King Kong (2005), and Mallrats (all on Nov. 4), A New York Christmas Wedding and Aquaman (Nov. 5), The Possession of Hannah Grace (Nov. 10), Night School (Nov. 11), The Outpost (Nov. 13), The Hangover: Part III, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions (Nov. 21), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Nov. 26), and Doctor Strange (Nov. 30).

VIDEO: New to Netflix Canada in November 2020

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

Coming in November (no release date specified)

• Arashi’s Diary – Voyage – Episodes 15-17 (Netflix documentary) – Twenty years after their debut, join the beloved members of Arashi on a new journey as they showcase their lives, talents, and gifts to the world.
• Mismatched (Netflix original) – He’s searching for his happily ever after. She dreams of being a tech wizard. Over three months, this mismatched couple must build an amazing app while navigating an oddball bunch of friends, nasty bullies, a snooty professor … and well, each other. ‘Mismatched’ is a series adapted from the book ‘When Dimple met Rishi’ by Sandhya Menon. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP, the young adult romance features Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf in lead roles. It is directed by Akarsh Khurana and Nipun Dharmadhikari and written by Gazal Dhaliwal.
• Trial 4 (Netflix documentary) – Convicted of murdering a Boston cop as a teen in 1993, Sean Ellis fights to prove his innocence and pull back the curtain on police corruption.

Sunday, November 1

• 12 Gifts of Christmas
• A Belle for Christmas
• A Perfect Christmas List
• About Last Night
• Angels & Demons
• Argo
• Austin Powers in Goldmember
• Bad Santa
• Broadcasting Christmas
• Catch and Release
• Christmas Break-In
• Christmas Survival
• Clueless
• Dawson’s Creek: Seasons 1-6
• Due Date
• Elf Pets: A Fox Cub’s Christmas Tale
• Elf Pets: Santa’s Reindeer Rescue
• Gangs of New York
• Little Monsters
• Mr. Deeds
• Papillon
• Penelope
• Peppermint
• Rocky
• Ronin
• The Da Vinci Code
• The Juror
• The Notebook
• Widows

Tuesday, November 3

• Felix Lobrecht: Hype (Netflix comedy special) – No-holds-barred comic Felix Lobrecht tackles “woke” culture, the downside of success and getting older — though still not feeling like an actual adult.
• Mother (Netflix film) – Shuhei’s erratic mother feels threatened when he starts to awaken to a world beyond her distorted control, sending the family hurtling towards tragedy.

Wednesday, November 4

• Blackhat
• Dracula Untold
• Fifty Shades of Grey
• Get Him to the Greek
• The Good Shepherd
• Identity Thief
• In the Lake of the Woods
• King Kong (2005)
• Love and Anarchy (Netflix original) – A married consultant and a young IT tech kick off a flirty game that challenges societal norms — and leads them to re-evaluate their entire lives.
• Mallrats
• Unbroken

Thursday, November 5

• A New York Christmas Wedding
• Aquaman
• Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? (Netflix documentary) – Documentary series on the circumstances surrounding the death of María Marta García Belsunce, one of the most controversial criminal cases in Argentina.
• Operation Christmas Drop (Netflix film) – Chasing a promotion, congressional aide Erica Miller forgoes family Christmas to travel across the Pacific at her boss’s behest. Upon landing at a beachside Air Force base, she clashes with her guide, Captain Andrew Jantz, who knows her assignment is finding reasons to defund the facility. The pilot’s pet project — Operation: Christmas Drop, a genuine, decades-old tradition where gifts and supplies are parachuted to residents of remote neighboring islands — has lawmakers wondering if his unit has too much spare energy. Despite their initial opposing goals, Erica softens once she experiences the customs and communal spirit of Andrew’s adopted home.
• Paranormal (Netflix original) – Skeptical about the supernatural, a hematologist is forced to investigate enigmatic events when a ghost from his past comes back to haunt him.

Friday, November 6

• Citation (Netflix film) – A bright student in Nigeria takes on the academic establishment when she reports a popular professor who tried to rape her. Based on real events.
• Country Ever After (Netflix original) – Country Ever After follows country singer Coffey Anderson and his hip-hop dancer wife Criscilla as they raise their children and navigate their opposite country vs. city perspectives of life and parenting. They’ve amassed a large social following with videos reaching more than 50 million people who fall in love with their family. Perfectly relatable—and at the same time filled with one-of-a-kind humor and heart — each half house episode highlights their unique personalities as they navigate everyday life in a far-from-the-country locale — Los Angeles.
• The Late Bloomer

Monday, November 9

• Undercover: Season 2 (Netflix original) – The line between justice and revenge begins to blur when Kim’s hunt for illegal arms dealers plunges Bob into a dangerous new undercover operation.

Tuesday, November 10

• Dash & Lily (Netflix original) – A whirlwind holiday romance builds as cynical Dash and optimistic Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City, finding they have more in common with each other than they would have expected. The series is based on the young adult book series Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares from the New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
• The Possession of Hannah Grace
• Trash Truck (Netflix family) – Hank is a free-range, dirt-covered 6-year-old boy with a big imagination and an even bigger best pal… a giant honking, snorting trash truck.

Wednesday, November 11

• Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (Netflix comedy special) – Australian comedy group Aunty Donna invites you into their Big Ol’ House of Fun! In their new Netflix original six-part sketch series, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane take viewers along for an absurdist adventure through their everyday lives. Come on inside if you’re prepared to handle satire, parody, clever wordplay, breakout musical numbers, and much more. The series is produced by Ed Helms, Mike Falbo, and Brett Harris for Pacific Electric Picture Company, and Scott Aukerman and David Jargowsky for Comedy Bang! Bang!
• The Liberator (Netflix original) – Based on “Operation Avalanche” in WWII, this film follows the Allied invasion of Italy and the story of the regiment known as the “Thunderbirds.”
• Nasce uma Rainha / A Queen Is Born (Netflix original) – Gloria Groove and Alexia Twister make drag dreams come true as they help six artists find the confidence to own the stage in this makeover show.
• Night School
• What We Wanted (Netflix film) – A couple facing fertility issues finds their marriage tested on a vacation to a Sardinian resort — and the family next door only adds to the tension.

Thursday, November 12

• Ludo (Netflix film) – From a resurfaced sex tape to a rouge suitcase of money, four wildly different stories overlap at the whims of fate, chance and one eccentric criminal.

Friday, November 13

• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix film) – A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within. From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.
• The Life Ahead (Netflix film) – In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business, Madame Rosa (Sophia Loren), takes in 12-year-old street kid Momo, the boy who recently robbed her. The two loners become each other’s protectors, anchoring an unconventional family.
• The Minions of Midas (Netflix original) – A millionaire publisher gets a blackmail note just as a reporter is about to break a story that implicates him. His decision can mean life or death.
• The Outpost

Sunday, November 15

• A Very Country Christmas
• The Crown: Season 4 (Netflix original) – In the 1980s, Elizabeth clashes with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher while Prince Charles enters a tumultuous marriage with Lady Diana Spencer.
• Hometown Holiday

Tuesday, November 17

• The Boss Baby: Back in Business: Season 4 (Netflix family) – Boss Baby is finally the boss, armed with an ambitious plan to achieve total baby love. But enemies old and new are teaming up to bring him down.
• The Mule
• We Are the Champions (Netflix original) – From executive producer Rainn Wilson, We are the Champions explores the quirkiest, most charming, and oddly inspirational competitions you never knew existed. Each episode follows a unique competition, providing a window into a world of determined, passionate, and incredibly skilled competitors who put it all on the line to become heroes in their own extraordinary worlds. Featured competitions include Cheese Rolling, Chili Eating, Fantasy Hair Styling, Yo-Yo, Dog Dancing and Frog Jumping.

Wednesday, November 18

• El sabor de las margaritas / Bitter Daisies: Season 2 (Netflix original) – Now out of prison but suffering from blackouts, Eva gets a plea for help that leads her to infiltrate a club linked to an underage sex trafficking ring.
• Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas (Netflix original) – Benjamin Bradley, best known as Mr. Christmas, is a veteran in the interior design industry with a healthy obsession with the holiday season. For Mr. Christmas, the holidays are all about celebrating love, life, family and friends through meaningful traditions. In the new Netflix series Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas, Bradley takes you behind the scenes as he puts his design expertise and vast Christmas collection to good use. Equipped with lights, garlands, and enough tinsel to blanket the North Pole, he and his team of elves work around the clock to bring holiday cheer to families and communities deserving of a home makeover for the most joyous time of year. Mr. Christmas invites viewers along for the ride to kick off the holiday season and get inspired to take their own home decorating and traditions to the next level.

Thursday, November 19

• The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Netflix film) – When Duchess Margaret unexpectedly inherits the throne to Montenaro and hits a rough patch with boyfriend Kevin, it’s up to her double Princess Stacy of Belgravia to get these star-crossed lovers back together … but the course of true love is complicated by the appearance of a handsome royal who’s intent on stealing Margaret’s heart. Throw in the unexpected arrival of Margaret’s outrageous party girl cousin Fiona, a third look-alike who has ambitions of her own, and you have the recipe for Christmas triple trouble!

Friday, November 20

• Alien Xmas (Netflix film) – When a race of kleptomaniac aliens attempts to steal Earth’s gravity in order to more easily take everything on the planet, only the gift-giving spirit of Christmas and a small alien named X can save the world.
• Flavorful Origins: Gansu Cuisine (Netflix documentary) – From lamb skewers to the glutenous niang pi, the cuisines of Gansu province offer remarkable flavors as layered as its history.
• If Anything Happens I Love You (Netflix film) – In the aftermath of tragedy, two grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child in this beautifully illustrated animated short film.
• Voices of Fire (Netflix original) – This docuseries follows Pharrell Williams’ hometown church as it builds the world’s best gospel choir with undiscovered talent in the community.

Saturday, November 21

• The Hangover: Part III
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The Matrix Revolutions

Sunday, November 22

• Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Netflix film) – A rich and nasty woman, Regina Fuller, returns to her small hometown after her father’s death to evict everyone and sell the land to a mall developer — right before Christmas. However, after listening to stories of the local townsfolk, reconnecting with an old love, and accepting the guidance of an actual angel, Regina starts to have a change of heart. This is the story about family, love and how a small town’s Christmas spirit can warm the coldest of hearts. Featuring 14 original songs with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.

Monday, November 23

• Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (Netflix documentary) – Over the course of a world tour, this unguarded documentary follows Shawn Mendes as he makes sense of his stardom, relationships and musical future.

Tuesday, November 24

• Dragons: Rescue Riders: Huttsgalor Holiday (Netflix family) – Huttsgalor’s favorite winter festival is finally here! But will some ice-breathing dragons put a frost on everyone’s fun
• El Cuaderno de Tomy / Notes for My Son (Netflix film) – Facing a terminal disease, a mother decides to use her unwavering optimism and sarcastic humor to make sure her 4-year-old son remembers her.
• Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix film) – Based on the bestselling memoir by J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy is a modern exploration of the American Dream and three generations of an Appalachian family as told by its youngest member, a Yale Law student forced to return to his hometown.
• Wonderoos (Netflix family) – An adventurous and lovable team of young animals from all over the world play, laugh, sing and learn together to solve relatable preschool firsts.

Wednesday, November 25

• The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (Netflix film) – It’s been two years since siblings Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) saved Christmas, and a lot has changed. Kate, now a cynical teenager, is reluctantly spending Christmas in Cancun with her mom’s new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno). Unwilling to accept this new version of her family, Kate decides to run away. But when a mysterious, magical troublemaker named Belsnickel threatens to destroy the North Pole and end Christmas for good, Kate and Jack are unexpectedly pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell). Written and directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter) and co-starring Goldie Hawn, The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two is an action-packed adventure for the whole family that’s full of heart, humour, and holiday spirit.
• Great Pretender: Season 2 (Netflix anime) – After their string of successful cons, Makoto leaves Laurent’s team. But the web of deceit binding them together goes farther back than he knows.
• Halloween (2018)

Thursday, November 26

• Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated
• Mosul (Netflix film) – When ISIS took their homes, families and city, one group of men fought to take it all back. Based on true events, this is the story of the Nineveh SWAT team, a renegade police unit who waged a guerrilla operation against ISIS in a desperate struggle to save their home city of Mosul.
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Friday, November 27

• A Go! Go! Cory Carson Christmas (Netflix family) – When a snow plow, who has an uncanny resemblance to Santa, crashes in the Carson’s yard, Cory must remind him who he is in order to save Christmas.
• The Call (Netflix film) – A woman returns to her former home and finds an old phone that allows her to speak with someone living in the same house 20 years ago.
• Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (Netflix documentary) – From Shondaland, Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker spotlights the career of award-winning entertainer Debbie Allen and follows her group of young dancers as they prepare for Allen’s annual “Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” production.
• Don’t Listen (Netflix film) – After the strange death of his young son at their new home, Daniel hears a ghostly plea for help, spurring him to seek out a renowned paranormal expert.
• Sugar Rush Christmas: Season 2 (Netflix original) – This competition series challenges bakers to create holiday treats that look festive and taste amazing — all against a ticking clock.
• Überweihnachten / Over Christmas (Netflix original) – Loser Bastian travels home for Christmas and learns his brother is now dating his ex. The brothers bicker until they discover another family secret.
• Virgin River: Season 2 (Netflix original) – Engagement. Babies. Heartbreak. Murder. For a small town, Virgin River has its fair share of drama —and Mel Monroe is often in the middle of it.
• La Belva / The Beast (Netflix film) – When his young daughter is kidnapped, a retired soldier with PTSD pursues the kidnappers — only to become a suspect himself.

Saturday, November 28

• The Uncanny Counter (Netflix original) – Demon hunters called Counters come to Earth disguised as employees at a noodle restaurant in order to capture evil spirits in pursuit of eternal life.

Sunday, November 29

• Wonderoos: Holiday Holiday! (Netflix family) – It’s winter in the city and despite the lack of snow, a power outage and an ill-fated party, the Wonderoos learn the true meaning of the holidays.

Monday, November 30

• A Love So Beautiful (Netflix original) – A first love story between a sprightly high school teen and her childhood friend from next door. A Korean remake of the hit Chinese drama of the same title.
• Doctor Strange
• Finding Agnes (Netflix film) – When an abandoned son needs to come to terms with the past mistakes of his estranged mother, he embarks on a journey to find reconciliation and hope.
• Spookley and the Christmas Kittens

Leaving Netflix Canada in November

Sunday, November 15

• Love Actually

Monday, November 16

• Zombieland

Wednesday, November 18

• Shrek
• Shrek 2

Friday, November 20

• Batman Begins
• The Dark Knight
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• Twilight

Friday, November 27

• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Monday, November 30

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Jurassic Park

All titles and dates are subject to change.

On August 31st, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough launched “Essential”, a photography project that raises awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive initiative, the Essential project is a series of 17 photos by local photographer Julie Gagne that depicts 20 local artists during the pandemic. Each of the photos feature an artist or artists in their home or workplace and is accompanied by an artist statement about their experience of the pandemic.

Twice each week until the end of October, kawarthaNOW is publishing photos from the series. Today, we feature theatre artist Sarah McNeilly.

Theatre artist Sarah McNeilly

A message from EC3 about The Essential Project

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on both individual artists and arts organizations in Peterborough. Performance venues and galleries have been closed, concerts cancelled, exhibitions postponed, entire seasons abandoned. Organizations and facilities are trying to grapple with the loss of revenue and an uncertain future. “Reopening” is not straightforward, to say the least.

Individual artists have lost their creative income and the opportunity to work together to create — something that is absolutely vital to them and to their audiences. Many have pivoted, and developed and presented some great virtual and digital projects. But nothing replaces live performance in front of a live audience and the catalytic energy that comes from being together to rehearse, discuss, and plan projects, to gather at an opening or artist talk.

Isolated at home, cut off from their communities and the lifeblood that is their artistic practice, local artists still found ways to keep our cultural life alive. Silenced and almost invisible, they kept working. But it hasn’t been easy.

Local photographer Julie Gagne began photographing a number of Peterborough residents in their homes during the earlier stage of the pandemic and posted the photos on Facebook. The eloquent, haunting images of her “Within” portrait project included some artists, and those incredibly moving images caught the eye of EC3 executive director Su Ditta.

Julie’s photos made us think. We have all benefited from the work of artists during the pandemic: we’ve listened to music, read books, watched films, toured virtual exhibitions, tuned in to living room concerts. What has it been like for the artists? Will people remember how essential the arts were to getting through the pandemic when it comes to recovery funding and budget planning? Will arts organizations be supported in a robust recovery plan?

EC3 asked theatre artist Sarah McNeilly to curate and coordinate, and approached Julie Gagne to do a distinct series of photos that spoke to the experience of local artists and what art means to our lives, in good times and in bad. It’s essential.

This arts awareness project is both a witness to the struggles of, and a testament to the courage and contributions of this community during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Julie and everyone in the arts community who have kept us going.

Symbolically, there’s something marvellous about the return of live performance to 4th Line coinciding with a rite of autumn. Halloween is, after all, the time of year when it is believed that spirits can pass easily between realms; when the veil between the living and the dead is lifted.

Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, an original production co-written by 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell and general manager Lindy Finlan during lockdown, summons the ghosts of 4th Line shows past.

The idyllic Winslow farm, a place familiar to many as a summer must-see for artistic excellence in outdoor theatre, seems somewhat foreign in the autumn. Given the fact that the 2020 summer season was the first ever to be postponed in the company’s 29-season history, the bleak look of autumn-nearly-ended in our year of the virus seems uncanny.

It is the perfect setting for a spooky show, made all the more ominous by the distant howling of a pack of coyotes.

Recent recipients of the international “Safe Travels” stamp, 4th Line has gone above and beyond what is required to ensure the safety of their audiences and personnel in accordance with COVID protocols.

They have also found creative and artistic ways to implement these safety measures, which enhance the experience of the show rather than distract from it.

The show begins, for example, in the traditional barnyard area where a physically distanced audience is seated amongst creepy dolls and puppets to demarcate the space. There they are introduced to the principal characters, the Deyell family, who each must venture into the darkness alone.

The audience follows these characters on an immersive promenade experience over around one kilometre of the property, which has previously been off-limits for summer audiences.

The design elements of this show are spectacular. The costumes, props, and lighting enhance each scene while Justin Hiscox’s musical brilliance transforms the accordion into another character of the show — a living, breathing organ fading and swelling with each scene. Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales is an atmospheric feast for the senses.

Admittedly, there were tears welling up in my eyes when that first actor projected their voice into the darkness and, after hitting some unknown surface, it came echoing back to all of us. It has been so long since I have been able to have an acoustic experience like that. Most of the human voices I hear during these bizarre-o COVID times are distorted and compressed through technology.

The live-ness of the voices, echoing over space and time, reverberated in my skeleton. It’s the type of thing that makes you believe in magic — that reminds you you’re alive.

Each performance, directed with a scalpel by Kim Blackwell, is a gift to witness.

From the first moment Madison Sheward explodes onto the stage as Maggie Deyell until the very last moments of the show, she performs with a vigour that is nothing short of incendiary. Her original choreography, too, is terrifyingly beautiful.

The children, albeit a little difficult to hear at times, are delightful. There is an endearing verisimilitude in the bond between the three young principal characters. Their friendship is a light that guides the audience through the dark night and warms us on our way.

4th Line favourites such as Robert Winslow, Mark Hiscox, Tom Keats, and Kelsey Powell perform with enough energy to make up for the loss of the company’s summer season.

Their performances are executed with the precision and complexity audiences have come to expect from the likes of these seasoned professionals, and, simultaneously, with an ecstatic revelry in the ludic thrill of finally being able to perform again, which is a joy to behold.

As John and Margaret Deyell, Jack Nicholsen and Rebecca Auerbach deliver the depth and nuance required to make the show work, without which any resolution to character conflict may have been more horrific than even the most fantastic elements of the production. As alternate more fanciful characters, Auerbach and Nicholsen, are each given a chance to really shine — and so they do.

While the script offers fearfully fantastic concepts — the stuff of childhood nightmares — from puppets and clowns to rites and rituals, the scariest themes are the most realistic ones. Finlan and Blackwell explore hate, xenophobia, and bigotry in their writing.

They present a complex intertextuality between their script and 4th Line’s flagship work, The Cavan Blazers. In doing so, there is a level of sophistication in their work that goes beyond typical Halloween tropes while still embracing them.

Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales runs at 7 p.m. from Tuesday, October 20th to Sunday, October 25th and from Tuesday, October 27th to Friday, October 30th at the Winslow Farm at 779 Zion Line in Millbrook.

The production travels up and down dark paths and over uneven terrain for around one kilometre, so it’s not suitable for people with reduced mobility or severe health issues. The performances will run rain, snow, or shine, and audience members are asked to dress for the weather, wear appropriate (sturdy) footwear, and bring a flashlight to the performance.

The production complies with COVID-19 health and safety protocols developed with the input of Peterborough Public Health; all audience members are asked to arrive with a mask and will be required to wear a mask throughout the walking portions of the performances.

Tickets are $25 per person, available now by phone at 705-932-4445 (toll-free at 800-814-0055), online www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or at 4th Line Theatre’s box office at 4 Tupper Street in Millbrook. Limited tickets are available for each performance.