It would be easy to categorize Hip Hop Unlimited as just another arts-based event in a city that has been home to countless such offerings and still is.

After all, the all-ages event — beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 25th at The Venue (286 George St. N., 705-876-0008) — features all the required elements: dance and music, and the boundless creativity and enthusiasm that fuel the engines of both disciplines. Still, there is something else at play here; something bigger that sets it apart.

“I know how important it is for children to have opportunities to be actively involved in creating, composing, and choreographing in an art form,” says Peterborough LIVE founder Wendy Fischer who, along with Lindsay rapper Billy Marks of Mercenaries, is co-presenting the hip hop and rap music and dance showcase.

“My passion lies in working with Peterborough LIVE to ensure that youth don’t lose those opportunities as they grow older when it’s more difficult to keep art in their lives,” explains Fischer, whose day job is as an elementary school teacher with Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

“All day long I bring music, dance and drama to children aged five to 10. What happens when they’re older? Where are their opportunities to continue to follow their passion? We need to support youth to build community, and to support each other.”

Hip Hop Unlimited, as a live entertainment spectacle, will deliver on that goal in a very big way, bringing together a number of hip hop artists, dancers, and rappers. Among them is Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, a hip hop artist from northern Ontario whose debut album, Round Dance & Beats, was nominated for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards.

VIDEO: “Let’s Hop To It” – Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie

“At a young age, I was singing with a drum at powwows, so I got this idea to combine my hip hop beats with a regular traditional tempo,” says Kiwenzie, noting he mixed the album entirely on his iPhone.

“Every time I do a show, I expand on what our (Indigenous) songs are. It’s all melodies and sounds. It’s expression without words. Our singing is about feeling and being positive; it’s like a form of prayer in a way. When you’re sitting at that drum singing, you’re in a good place, a very positive place, and you think about people who need extra prayers.

“I always wanted to get into the (music) business but it’s surreal that I’m living off what I love to do: singing, teaching, and working with youth. It’s a blessing … pretty awesome. I’ve been at it a long time so I know a lot of the teachings. I can’t read music, but I can create it.”

Kiwenzie’s making the long trip from his Sudbury home to Peterborough / Nogojiwanong is a testament to the persuasive powers of both Fischer and Marks, the former explaining things got started via “a conversation about youth who are very engaged with hip hop music but rarely have an opportunity to experience a live hip hop show because they’re usually in venues where they’re not all-ages events.”

With the recent closure of The Spill in downtown Peterborough, which provided a safe and welcoming environment for young performers and their fans, Fischer notes a show like this is even more vital.

Sponsored by the Peterborough DBIA, The Venue, kawarthaNOW.com, Public Energy, Peterborough Inn and Suites, and The Wire, Hip Hop Unlimited begins at 5 p.m. when Kiwenzie with DJ Hendy will host an all-ages Indigenous hip hop and dance event.

VIDEO: Borealis Soul

This will be followed at 7 p.m. by a dance battle event hosted by Borealis Soul, a Whitehorse-based dance company, and will feature dancers from the Trent African Caribbean Student Union, Peterborough Performing Arts Centre, the Thomas A. Stewart dance program, and the St. Peter’s Saints Dance Team.

Fischer notes there is plenty of room for independent dancers who are welcome to register starting at 6 p.m.

Then, at 9 p.m., Billy Marks and Eyeda Sophia will host a hip hop musical extravaganza featuring live performances by Kiwenzie, S-Ka-Paid, Maceo Moreno, Kachinga, Offficial,Notus (Chris Thomas, Rekless, and Double E), Jurazzic Darren, Danny Heights, Coco Leah, and Mr. Face, along with DJ Taktikill, Paradigm Shift, and DJ Hendy.

The event is licensed after 8 p.m., with a parental advisory that some of the music after 9 p.m. will feature explicit lyrics.

VIDEO: “To The Wall” – Billy Marks (warning: explicit lyrics)

Proceeds from the event will benefit two organizations: Youth Unlimited, a registered non-profit organization that runs a variety of programs and activities for youth in Peterborough and across the Kawarthas, and a local cultural revitalization project sponsored by Bedford House, which is dedicated to dialogue and social action involving people of all religious traditions.

Charlene Green is involved with the latter project, which takes the form of a monthly Sacred Fire held in the city.

“It’s to share food, have the fire lit and have a sacred, spiritual place for Indigenous people living in the city,” explains Green. “We start with the Sunrise Ceremony and we let the Sacred Fire burn all day long. People come and they offer tobacco and we share songs and stories.

VIDEO: “BANGARANG” – Koty Kolter x S-KA-PAID (warning: explicit lyrics)

“It has become such a beautiful place. If this can continue, it will impact the next generation. I don’t have the words to describe how beautiful it is. It’s very interactive; you’re part of a community.”

Admission to Hip Hop Unlimited is $10 for the family-friendly dance event only (from 5 to 7 p.m.), or $20 for the entire show, with reserved table seating for $25.

Tickets can be purchased at ticketscene.ca and at the door (not reserved seating is only available online).

Beginning Friday, November 10th, theatrical magic comes to Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough when St. James Players opens their 45th season with their production of Mary Poppins.

Directed by Natalie Dorsett, Mary Poppins stars Gillian Harknett as the strange and mysterious nanny, Warren Sweeting as her enigmatic friend Burt, and Macayla Vaughn and Ben Freeman as Mary’s wards Jane and Michael Banks. A favourite for generations, Mary Poppins is a continuation of St. James Players tradition of presenting high-quality theatre for the entire family.

Forget everything you remember about Mary Poppins: this show is going to turn everything you think you know on its head. While based on the books by P.L Travers and heavily influenced by the Academy Award winning 1964 Walt Disney film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, the stage version of Mary Poppins is altogether different in plot and characterization.

Developed for the London stage by Disney Theatrical in 2004, the production includes all of the memorable songs written by Robert and Richard Sherman for the film, but with additional lyrics and some brand new songs by George Styles and Anthony Drewe.

Furthermore, the new script by Julian Fellows keeps the characters, relationships, and basic plot of the original story, but creates new family dynamics within the Banks family that gives the show much more depth. In fact, some of the most interesting scenes are ones that were developed for the stage show and didn’t appear at all within the film.

The result, dare I say it, is a much more interesting and compelling version of Mary Poppins than anything we’ve seen before.

I don’t even know how to express in words just how tight the St. James Players production of Mary Poppins is. The company gels together beautifully in drama, dance and song, and the entire production is spit spot solid. Fast moving, energetic, colourful and often emotionally potent, Mary Poppins has managed to surpass my already high expectations based on a few previews I was invited to. I knew it was going to be good, but it is even better than I could have ever predicted.

Obviously it takes a special performer to play the role of Mary Poppins, and St. James Players found just the right person in Gillian Harknett. While she has been in musicals before, this is Gillian’s first starring role and she proves herself to be one of the most tremendous hidden talents in Peterborough theatre. I can’t believe that someone as incredible as Gillian has been simmering under the radar until now, but I’m glad that she has finally stepped forward to allow her talents to shine.

Poised and elegant, Gillian puts an interesting spin on Mary, who is as delightful as the character that we remember from the film, but has an odd supernatural quality to her, creating a far more mysterious character. Gillian’s Mary is also far more authoritative and arguably vain. The result is a more interesting version of Mary Poppins; even someone who has seen the film multiple times will have no idea just what she’ll do next.

I cannot praise enough the perfection of Gillian’s performance. She glides onto the stage and just seems to bring this iconic and beloved character to life before our eyes. Although she previously expressed to me her reluctance to take the lead role, Gillian is truly leading lady material, and hopefully this won’t be the last we see of her in a starring role. Audiences are going to fall in love with her.

Now I’ll admit I have a certain fondness for Warren Sweeting, who plays Burt. Being brought to St. James shows by my parents as a kid, when I first really found my love for theatre, I remember watching Warren as the romantic lead in a plethora of shows year after year. I remember being moved by his musical talent, and he was a major personal touchstone in my theatrical experience as an audience member. But Warren has been mysteriously absent from the spotlight since I began writing theatrical reviews, so to see him back in the spotlight in Mary Poppins is a true nostalgic treat for me — and he is as good as I remember him being.

Just as Gillian gives a natural performance as Mary, Warren recreates Burt the chimney sweep in the same seamless way. As the show’s narrator leading the audience through the tune “Chim Chim Cher-ee”, Warren has an incredible chemistry with Gillian that’s so important to the foundation of the show. While Gillian plays Mary as delightful yet odd, Warren brings joy and a sense of humanity to the show that Mary can not. Friendly and high spirited, he is always up for the next adventure in the magic that follows Mary wherever she goes. But there is also that hint of romance between Mary and Burt, as you wonder if they are or aren’t (spoiler alert: they probably aren’t).

But while Mary and Burt are the leads of the show, the story really isn’t about them at all — it’s about Mary’s employers, the Banks family: George, his wife Winifred, and their two spoiled children Jane and Michael. The dynamics of the family are really the crux of the show, and the way they are characterized is probably the most interesting departure from the film.

Living a life filled with tension, the Banks are a family in crisis — although they don’t yet realize it — who rediscover one another and a better way of living via Mary. In this production, the Banks are edgier and have a great deal more depth, creating a far more interesting drama.

At the head of the family is George Banks, played marvelously by actor Keith Goranson. A blustery bully of a man, George is more interested in appearances in his upper-crust society than the important things in life, such as being a good husband, kind father, and nice person. What is interesting is how we get insights into his upbringing; a “nurture versus nature” theme is developed about why he has become the man he has, why he is so damaged and, as a result, is damaging his family.

Keith plays a man who is at a drastic crossroads in his life, and takes George through a journey to rediscover his humanity. It’s a great take on this character from a fantastic character actor.

In the role of Winifred Banks, Christie Freeman gives one of the most potent and human performances in the show, and her character is possibly the most different than any in the Disney film. In the film, Mrs. Banks is an absent parent more interested in getting women the vote than in being a mother. In the stage show, this subplot is done away with and it’s actually quite the opposite: Christie plays Mrs. Banks as a shattered woman who lives under her husband’s thumb and feels she is inept at high society appearances, running a household, and being a mother.

With her potent performance, Christie takes Mrs. Banks on an emotional journey of finding her own voice while she creates kind of relationship with her husband and children that she wants.

Possibly the most impressive members of this cast are Macayla Vaughn and Ben Freeman as Jane and Michael Banks. At age 13 and 11, Macayla and Ben have the most stage time and the most lines of all the performers in the show — and their performance is miraculous.

Often in large musicals, kids are shuffled on and off the stage like human props. But to make this show work, the performers who play Jane and Michael need to be as interesting and compelling as the adult performers who are supporting them. This show couldn’t have found two more perfect performers. Macayla and Ben go toe-to-toe with Gillian and Warren without missing a moment, a line, or a beat. Two of the finest child actors I’ve ever seen in a musical, their performance is truly a triumph and I hope this won’t be the last time I see them on stage. Macayla and Ben are just incredible.

Within such a large cast, it takes a lot of different players to create the world of Mary Poppins, and there are a lot of character roles that stand out in this show.

Jacquie Butler and Robert Ainsworth create comedy within the Banks home as the frantic maid Mrs. Brill and the dimwitted butler Robertson. Madison Earle gives a strange yet beautiful performance as Neleus, a stone statue that comes to life and befriends the children. Tim Jeffries proves his craftsmanship as an actor in a spirited performance as an Irish worker named Northbrook, who comes looking for a loan from Mr. Banks.

Rachel Dalliday plays the haunting old bird lady (I’m ashamed to admit the bird lady was my favourite character from the film). Cynthia Wardrope plays the magical Mrs. Cory, who sells the art of conversation, and Rosemarie Barns plays the frightening Mrs. Andrews, who can only be described as the anti-Mary Poppins.

Of course, one of the most famous elements of Mary Poppins is the music, and under the guidance of musical director Dustin Bowers, the music for this show is a notch above some I’ve seen in the past. In Mary Poppins, the music doesn’t just act as a soundtrack; it interacts with and talks to the performers throughout the show. The creates an interesting relationship between the performers and the orchestra that I’ve seen in smaller shows, such as First Date and Ordinary Days, but rarely in a show of this size.

Furthermore, Gillian and Warren are vocal powerhouses, and their individual musical talents take the songs we know and love and lead the cast into some really exciting and dynamic large production numbers. The multi-layered harmonies in “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” are amazing to listen to and “Practically Perfect” becomes a real earworm.

Some of the most interesting production numbers are ones that were never in the film. For instance, instead of animated penguins, the company dances with stone and bronze statues that come to life in “Jolly Holiday”, and Gillian gives her strongest performance when she has a musical showdown with the cruel Mrs. Andrews in a new number called “Brimstone and Treacle”. The way Gillian and Rosemarie Barns play off of each other is incredible, and the notes that Gillian hits are rarely heard in Peterborough musical theatre.

There is also a really interesting (and somewhat frightening) new number called “Playing the Game”, which features members of the cast as neglected and mistreated toys that come to life. Although all of the performers involved in this number are excellent, there is one performer, Brooklyn Welles, who is worth keeping an eye out for. My attention kept floating to her, playing a wind-up doll wearing a red dress, and for some reason she really gave me the chills. She could be the creepiest doll this side of Annabelle. To say the least, I was captivated by her performance in this particular scene.

But the truly outstanding moment of this production is the performance of “Step in Time”. Choreographed by Mellissa Earlie, this number is the highlight of the night and is just insane to watch. The combination of energy, acrobatics, music, step dancing, and pure joy comes together in one giant theatrical frenzy that deserves a standing ovation in itself. It is just incredible. Words can’t describe it, you just need to see it for yourself. It is easily the highlight of the entire show.

There is no other way to put it: I loved Mary Poppins. The positivity of the material combined with the joy that radiates from the performers is potent, and it is just as magical as Mary herself. At a time where the world seems to be filled with more cynicism and bitterness than usual, this show is the kind of thing we need to heal our consciousness, if only for a little while. It’s a show about how kindness and respect leads to the good things in life, and about finding the magic in our everyday lives.

For one night, leave the darkness behind and invite the light and colourful world of Mary Poppins, filled with magical nannies and dancing chimney sweeps, into your life. I can honestly say the magic of Mary Poppins is addictive, and it’s a show you don’t just watch; it’s a show you feel, and it’s a good warm feeling that goes right to your soul.

I’ve seen a lot of great musicals, but very few have been as pure and as joyful as Mary Poppins. This show is practically perfect in every way. This is one show you are going to want to see — it’s the best of the best.

Mary Poppins opens on November 10th and runs until November 18th at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors and available in person at the Showplace box office (290 George St. N., Peterborough), by calling 705-742-7469, or online at www.showplace.org.

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, November 9 to Wednesday, November 15.

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.

Precarity – a precarious existence, lacking in predictability, job security, material or psychological welfare. The social class defined by this condition has been termed the precariat.

Already in full swing, local arts organizations are participating in the Precarious Festival, a look at the delicate economic situation faced by local artists living and working in Peterborough.

Throughout the month of November and early December, the Precarious Festival brings together a number of local groups — including Fleshy Thud, Artspace, Trent Radio, Nourish Peterborough, The Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, Trent Community Research Centre, Electric City Culture Council, Evans Contemporary, and Public Energy — as a way to open discussion between local artists of all disciplines through a number of events including art installations, panel discussions, dance performances, coffee houses, theatrical performances, public art displays, mentorships, and other events.

Building off of last year’s successful Bernie Martin Festival, the Precarious Festival is the brainchild of Kate Story and Ryan Kerr of The Theatre on King (TTOK). They came up with the idea after talking to local art workers while looking for a potential theme for the second city-wide festival.

“Basically we had the Bernie Martin Festival and we thought it went really well, so we wanted to do something like that again,” Kate says. “We went around talking to different artists to get a sense of what a theme might be, and the word that everybody seemed to be using was ‘precarious.’ That’s how people are feeling.”

Although many factors play into the theme of “precarious” within the festival, a large part of the focus is the fact that most working artists are not able to make a livable income from their art, and changes within our city are making this even more difficult.

“Peterborough is really at a crossroads,” says Kate. “For a long time Peterborough was an industrial town and the core got hollowed out. It didn’t work in terms of employment levels, but it meant that there was a lot of cheap rent in the downtown core. But now with the 407 extension and the move to gentrify the downtown, that could change things.

“There’s all these people that get excited about these one-roof projects, but I think that they should stop trying to organize us and put us in a ghetto. Just let us live and work where we want to live and work. All we need is financial support or rent that’s affordable. It’s hard to make a case for this for some reason, which is mysterious to me. Governments will put a huge amount of money into business. They’ll subsidize businesses, subsidize mining, and even subsidize banks.

“But for some reason to give money to the arts, or even giving grants to artists, is like a hand out. You have to be so accountable for that money. I don’t have any problem with that. I just think that bankers should have to be just as accountable for that money as artists are. I have a lot of feelings about that.”

“A lot of people who show up to Peterborough know that there is a great arts scene,” adds Ryan. “It’s just that the arts scene isn’t supported.”

“We’re far enough away from Toronto that we don’t just go there, but we’re small enough so we’re excited when new artists come into town,” Kate says. “We’re large enough to create and interesting and varied scenes, and there is a lot of collaboration that happens here. But I think, again, with this looming gentrification we are looking at a precarious situation right now. I would love to see this city get more behind the support of the arts, and a more sophisticated understanding of the arts and economy.

“And I’m not just saying that the arts is important just because of economic impact. But that’s the language we have to use when talking to some of these people. Every study shows that part of having a healthy community is having a healthy arts scene. Yet somehow it seems difficult to sell this idea.”

At the centre of the Precarious Festival is an online survey created by the Electric City Culture Council, which is aiming to collect data about working artists living in Peterborough and the surrounding areas. The first of its kind, the survey can be taken at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XNHGHH8.

“There has never been a survey done of Peterborough artists,” Kate points out. “A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into getting this thing up. A lot of the data is demographics to compare the makeup of our local population, but it’s also about economics as well. It’s about how much money that you make in a year, and how much money is in your arts practice, and how much money is spent on your art.

“This survey is a vital thing to have people to fill out, because the data will give us the information we need to make a case for support to the city, to the province, and to the federal government as well.”

While advocating for economic viability for local artists is an objective of the Precarious Festival — and there are several discussions and talks during the festival on this topic — it’s also about presenting art.

There are far too many individual events to cover here (see the Precarious Festival website at ttok.ca/precarious-festival/ for a listing of all the events), but I want to highlight three brand new locally created theatrical performances making their debut during the festival.

The first of these performances, titled Neighbours/Voisons, is presented by the Ring O’Rosie Collective at Artspace. Developed by Lillian Ross-Millard, Miranda Jones, and Anne White, Neighbours/Voisons is inspired by Norman McLaren’s 1952 stop-motion animation film using live actors called Neighbours. Running at ten minutes in length, the performers will present the piece multiple times over the course of the evening.

“Neighbours/Voisons explores conflict, interiors, and the challenge of real bodies moving in stop motion,” explains Ring O’Rosie’s Miranda Jones. “It’s going to be a little bit chaotic, and we encourage people to stay and see the second performance because you’ll never catch everything otherwise. Its ten minutes long and runs on a loop every ten minutes.”

Neighbours/Voisons will be performed at Artspace in ten minute cycles from 6 to 8 p.m. on November 13th and 14th, and from 12 to 2 p.m. on November 15th. Admission is $10 or pay what you can.

On Sunday, November 26th, Eryn Lidster presents an original piece called Invisible at TTOK, which explores the backstage work often unseen by theatre audiences. Eryn is a familiar face in the theatre community and Invisible is her first directorial work. Working on a framework developed by Eryn, the piece has come together through the input and improvisation of her actors ( Lindsay Unterlander, Dan Smith, Samuelle Weatherdon, and Robyn Smith) during rehearsals.

“When I think about precarity, I think about the collaborative nature of the backstage work,” explains Eryn. “But getting all the people in the same room at the same time can be difficult because we are all so busy. We’re trying to support all these theatre projects, but that can be difficult from an economic standpoint — to support yourself and these projects.

“I’m trying to put in some of the funny stuff — like when you are working so hard that you often get sick — and I think some of those issues come into question, like whether or not this kind of working environment creates good art. But there is a flip side to it too, and that’s all of the beautiful things that happens as part of the backstage theatre that the audience doesn’t get to see. There’s some really amazing moments that only the cast and the people involved in it get to experience.”

Invisible will be performed at TTOK from November 26 to 28th at 8 pm. Admission is $15 or pay what you can.

Finally, on Thursday, November 30th, The Nervous System presents a new show written by Kate Story called Festivus Rattus 2035. A post-apocalyptic retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Festivus Rattus 2035 features Brad Brackenridge, Sylvie Dasne, Naomi Duvall, Derek Bell, Rob Fortin, Ryan Kerr, Shannon McKenzie, Mike Moring, Susan Newman, and Robyn Smith.

“Fairy tales are always interesting because they can be used on so many levels as a narrative,” Kate says of her new show. “In all the versions I read of the Pied Piper, the promise of money to the piper that is then taken away is quite accurate. A specific number is always mentioned: fifty thousand florins, then a thousand florin, then five florins. So I find that the money is kind of the key.

“But then he takes the children, which is quite creepy. So I was wondering if the story is kind of a grizzly warning of what happens if the artist doesn’t get paid. On some psychological level, I feel our society is quite like that. If we think of children as a metaphor for our community, I do feel that by not supporting the arts we are robbing ourselves of our own sense of community.”

Festivus Rattus 2035 runs from November 30th to December 2nd at TTOK. Shows start at 8 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, November 2nd. Note that the show has strong themes and is not recommended for young audiences.

Throught the theatrical presentations, art installations, panels, talks and other events during the Precarious Festival, Ryan and Kate hope that a solid discourse about the fragile economical state of our artistic community can be created by both artists and the greater community.

“A lot of artists, such as visual artists, might not see anybody for a week or two,” Ryan says. “Working in isolation make you feel that nobody understands and nobody gets you. But at the same time, having a discussion where you realize you’re not the only one having these problems, and that you are not alone, is very empowering, and makes you take a different look at your work.

“If you’re working all depressed, it’s probably going to show in your work. But if you know that you’re not alone, then you know there is hope.”

The Precarious Festival runs until December 2nd with events happening throughout the downtown core. For a full calendar of events, visit the Precarious Festival website at ttok.ca/precarious-festival/.