After a pause in January, the First Friday art crawl returns to downtown Peterborough! The roster is full for February 1st, and the event will continue in 2019 thanks to a dedicated group of artists and entrepreneurs who have taken the reins of this popular celebration of local art.

There will be a very special celebration on this First Friday when artist Joe Stable celebrates his 70th birthday. Joe has been an integral member of the arts community in Peterborough since the 1970s, so make sure to celebrate Joe and his contribution to the arts on February 1st.

Also during First Friday, at Watson & Lou there will be an open house and show of student work at Madderhouse Textile Studios and a pop-up shop by screen printing company Nish Tees accompanied by live music by Mary-Kate Edwards.

Another theme this month is fabric arts and printmaking. Alice Olsen Williams will host an appliqué workshop at Artspace in conjunction with her show Star Song, followed later in the month with an artist’s talk from bird, buried press and the 4th Annual Artspace Book & Zine Fest, which features publications of all shapes and sizes and also paper arts such as the work of various printmakers.

Later in February, the Art Gallery of Peterborough is hosting an artist’s talk with Shelly Niro, whose exhibition ‘women, land, river’ is currently featured at the gallery, along with a free screening of her film Kissed by Lightning.

Acme Art & Sailboat Co. presents Joe Stable’s 70th Birthday Bash and Art Show

Here’s an important milestone! Lifelong artist and champion of the arts Joe Stable, operator of Acme Art & Sailboat Co, is turning 70, and on Friday, February 1st he’s hosting a birthday bash and art show.

Take the chance to say thanks to Joe for hosting shows every First Friday, and wish him congrats on the big Seven-Oh. Drop in and listen to tunes from acclaimed musician Rick Fines while enjoying a birthday cupcake or two.

The bash begins at 6 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m.

Acme Art and Sailboat Company is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 3rd floor, in downtown Peterborough. For more information, visit Acme’s Facebook page.

Atelier Ludmila presents ‘Found’ by Bradley Boyle and John Marris

Atelier Ludmila (formerly Coeur Nouveau and now operated by artist Laurel Paluck) presents a show inspired by found photographs.

John Marris and Bradley Boyle use unconventional artistic approaches to explore lost, rediscovered histories, and the possibilities therein. Rediscovered images lead to re-imagined lives and stories emerge as the images are manipulated and used as a jumping off point for creativity and exploration. This joint show presents two very different responses to found images from the past.

Atelier Ludmila is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 3rd floor (#1), in downtown Peterborough. Hours of operation are Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. or by appointment. For more information or to book an appointment, email ludmilaprojects@gmail.com.

The Drawing Room presents ‘Postcards from the Drawing Room’ with Esther Vincent

The Drawing Room will be hosting interactive salons at each First Friday event from now on. This February, photographer Esther Vincent will be taking portraits in The Drawing Room on the evening of Friday, February 1st.

This is a chance for public art enthusiasts to participate in the artistic process. Of course, you don’t have to have your picture taken — you can just stop by to enjoy the ambiance and watch the proceedings.

If you do choose to participate, you will have the option of getting a set of four take-away images for $10. Select costume pieces and props on hand for those who wish to use them. Photo sessions will take approximately 10 minutes.

The Drawing Room is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 2nd floor (#5), in downtown Peterborough.

Madderhouse Textile Studios hosts an open house and student show

A new textile studio has opened in Peterborough. Operated by textile artist Leslie Menagh, this studio is perfect for screen printing large bolts of fabric.

If you have ever wanted to experiment with textile and surface design, now is your chance. The studio is running intro-level workshops, and the space is available to rent if you already know your way around a screen printing studio.

This First Friday, the studio will be open to the public, presenting work from six participants in an intro to screen printing workshop developed for the New Canadians Centre. For more information about workshops or to register, email leslie@madderhouse.com.

Accessed through Watson & Lou, Madderhouse Textile Studios is on the upper floor of 383 Water St. in downtown Peterborough.

Watson & Lou host Nish Tees Pop-Up with tunes by Mary-Kate Edwards

This First Friday features a screen print extravaganza at 383 Water Street in downtown Peterborough!

As well as the open house and showing of student work at Madderhouse Textile Studios, Nish Tees (a local screen printing company run by James Hodgson) will be popping-up as well, accompanied by music local singer-songwriter by Mary-Kate Edwards.

So if you want to talk textiles, fabric sourcing, or screen printing, and see what printers in the area have been making, this is your night to drop by Watson & Lou.

Doors will be open from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., with music starting at 8 p.m.

Watson & Lou is located at 383 Water St. in downtown Peterborough. For more information, visit www.watsonandlou.com.

Illustrator Jason Wilkins hosts an open studio and live mural illustration

As part of the First Friday festivities, accomplished illustrator Jason Wilkins will open his studio to the public and perform a live sharpie mural illustration on his studio walls.

If you haven’t already seen the caricatures, murals, and illustrations of this talented artist, you must come out and see him in action!

His downtown studio will be open to the public between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on February 1st. Accessed through Watson & Lou, Jason Wilkins’ studio islocated on the upper floor of 383 Water Street.

Artspace hosts appliqué workshop with artist Alice Olsen Williams

Don’t miss the wonderful exhibition of quilts by textile artist Alice Olsen Williams that is currently on display in the gallery at Artspace. Artspace will be open to the public on the evening of First Friday, so that may be a good time to drop in.

On Saturday, February 9th, there will be a free beginner-friendly appliqué workshop with the artist. This is a great opportunity to get appliqué tips from a pro. All fabric and materials will be provided, but if you have fabric scissors, please bring them along. The workshop will run from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Artspace is located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough and offers barrier-free access (to all but Gallery 2) and free admission during regular open hours: Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.

Artspace hosts artist’s talk with bird, buried press in conjunction with the annual Book & Zine Fest

Later in February, it will be time for the annual Artspace Book & Zine Fest, happening on Saturday, February 23rd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a great event if you are interested in zines, comics, graphic novels, and paper arts such as woodcuts, screen prints ,and other methods of printmaking.

In conjunction with the Book & Zine Fest, a free talk with Elisha Rubacha and Justin Million of bird, buried press is being offered at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20th. bird, buried press publishes the work of Ontario-based writers and artists and all of their books are assembled by hand. The topics of conversation will be writing, publishing, and the business of small presses.

Artspace is located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough and offers barrier-free access (to all but Gallery 2) and free admission during regular open hours: Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.

Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery hosts free embossing workshop

Make a night of it on First Friday and get creative yourself! Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery will host a free metal embossing workshop from 6 to 10 p.m. on February 1st.

You can also just drop in and see their selection of art and crafts from the area.

META4 is located at 164 Hunter St. West in Peterborough. Hours of operation are Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, e-mail ptbo@meta4gallery.ca, call 705-874-9444, or visit www.meta4gallery.ca.

Art Gallery of Peterborough hosts free artist’s talk with Shelley Niro and a free screening of her film

Indigenous artist Shelley Niro’s exhibition ‘women, land, river’, curated by Lori Beavis, continues at the Art Gallery of Peterborough during February, and the gallery is hosting two related events this month.

First up is an artist’s talk on Sunday, February 17th from 2 to 4 p.m., where Niro and Beavis will discuss the artwork and Niro’s remarkable art practice, which spans three decades. The talk is free to attend and open to the public.

Then, on Thursday, February 21st from 7 to 9 p.m., the gallery will host a free screening of Niro’s 2009 film Kissed by Lightning. A remarkable tale of spiritual awakening set in the deepest winter in the woodlands of Canada, the film is a multi-dimensional and multi-layered love story symbolically based on the 14th-century Iroquois legend of Peacemaker and Hiawatha.

VIDEO: “Kissed by Lightning” Trailer

The Art Gallery of Peterborough is located at 250 Crescent Street in downtown Peterborough and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. It offers free admission, barrier-free access, and a gallery shop. Parking is available in the Del Crary lot. For more information, call 705-743-9179 or visit agp.on.ca.

Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, January 24 to Wednesday, January 30.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

On Sunday, February 3rd, New Stages Theatre Company presents its first Page on Stage performance of 2019 with a staged reading of Canadian playwright Kate Hennig’s historical drama The Last Wife at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.

A departure from New Stages’ usual contemporary pieces, often dealing with topical and sometimes sensitive subject matter, The Last Wife takes the audience to 16th-century England and centres around Katherine Parr, the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII, and her relationship with Henry’s daughters Mary and Elizabeth.

A story of intrigue and politics, The Last Wife deals with one woman’s battle for the rights of women in a society dominated by male patriarchy and includes Linda Kash as Katherine Parr, Michael Riley as King Henry VIII, and Samuelle Weatherdon as the young Elizabeth I.

“I love this period of history,” says New Stages artistic director Randy Read.

“But what I find most interesting about the play is how resonant it is today in terms of what women were dealing with. It is not very different from what women are dealing with today in terms of establishing themselves.”

Premiering in 2015 at the Stratford Festival, The Last Wife is the first in a trilogy of plays by Kate Hennig. The second play, The Virgin Trial, made its debut at Stratford in 2017 and the final play, titled Mother’s Daughter, is scheduled to make its debut at Stratford later this spring.

The Last Wife enjoyed a completely sold-out and extended run at Stratford, followed by a U.S. premiere at TimeLine Theatre in Chicago, and was later remounted at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre.

The Last Wife revolves around Katherine Parr (1512-1548), the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England. She became notable for her campaign to not only have his daughters Mary and Elizabeth educated, but to also give them their succession to the throne despite the fact that Henry already had a male heir in his youngest child Edward.

“When Katherine Parr married King Henry, Edward was somewhere between eight or ten years old, Elizabeth was fourteen, and Mary was in her early twenties,” Randy explains.

“Katherine, who was a really smart woman, wanted to be sure that the girls were educated. Henry, as well as the rest of society, was not prepared to educate those girls because of women’s status in those days. Historically, Henry didn’t care much about the girls, because he had the son he always wanted when Edward was born.”

Randy points out that Edward was a sickly child, but his father didn’t want to see it.

In the end, although Henry’s son was crowned Edward VI of England at the age of nine, Edward’s reign ended six years later when he died at the age of 15 from a terminal illness — when he was succeeded by his half-sister Mary, who became Mary I (also known as Mary Tudor), and five years later by Elizabeth, who became Elizabeth I (also known at The Virgin Queen).

“What Katherine Parr did was force Henry to give his daughters legal entitlement to the throne — first Mary and then Elizabeth. If Henry had not done that, then the girls would have gone elsewhere. Of course Elizabeth became, arguably, the greatest monarch in British history. But she would have not been ready for it, without what Katherine Parr did for her.”

The Last Wife is a departure from the traditional New Stages’ shows that have never delved into historical or costume dramas. However, despite being set in the 16th century, The Last Wife has been written as a contemporary piece for a modern audience.

“We think of ourselves as a contemporary theatre,” Randy says. “While this is a historical piece, it is done in contemporary dialogue. That’s very deliberate on the playwright’s part because she wants the audience to access to these characters.”

Randy emphasizes that audience members don’t need to know the history to enjoy the play.

“Most people do know Henry the VIII and Elizabeth I, and they are the big players. But what’s interesting is how the people around them were responsible for what happened for their success as well.”

Not only does The Last Wife bring Katherine Parr’s story to the forefront, it also creates very human portraits of historical figures who are so faded in time that sometimes it is easy to forget they were more than just storybook characters. The Last Wife allows these characters to live again in surprising and complex ways.

“In this play everyone is human,” Randy tells. “You get to see a young Elizabeth at fourteen with no idea of what will come ahead for her, and to have somebody protecting her and preparing her without knowing that that is what she is doing.

“We also delve into Mary’s feelings. Her parents seemed happy until Catherine of Aragon couldn’t bear Henry a son, so he just cast her aside. As the daughter, are you supposed to forget about that and move forward? You can’t. So there is animosity between her and Henry, but because he is the king and has power she has to walk a very fine line.”

Although Randy is still finalizing the majority of the cast at this writing, like many of his Page on Stage readings, he’s assembling a powerhouse cast of both local favourites and performers from the biggest stages in Ontario.

Confirmed for the role of Katherine Parr is local theatrical icon Linda Kash. A close collaborator with Randy in both his dramatic productions and other Page on Stage readings, Linda — with her own sense of strength and wisdom — is a perfect fit for Katherine Parr.

In the role of young Elizabeth is local performer Samuelle “Sam” Weatherdon making her Page on Stage debut. A familiar face in the Peterborough theatrical community through her appearances at 4th Line Theatre, The Theatre On King, and Planet 12 Productions, at age 13 Sam has become one of the most recognized and respected young actresses in Peterborough. The Last Wife is her return to New Stages following her performance as Rebecca Gibbs in Randy’s production of Our Town in 2017.

In the role of Henry VIII, New Stages welcomes back six-time Gemini award-winning actor Michael Riley. A familiar face on Canadian television, Michael is best known to audiences for his role as Brett Parker from Power Play, Elliott Sacks on This is Wonderland, and Dr. Tom on Being Erica.

New Stages’ Page on Stage presentations are consistently amongst the most powerful and thought-provoking evenings of theatre in the Kawarthas. The material Randy chooses is always smart and the packed audience always engaged and appreciative.

With no costumes or sets, staged readings are a very different way to watch theatre, but serve as a way to allow local audiences to see top talent perform in shows that might otherwise not get produced in Peterborough.

The Last Wife will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 3rd at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. General admission tickets are $25 ($15 for students, art workers, and the under waged) and are available in person at the Market Hall Box Office or by phone at 705-749-1146 (12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday) or online anytime at markethall.org.