As a celebrated award-winning musician, Lindsay Barr has been a familiar name in the Peterborough music scene for years. With her thoughtful lyrics and high-energy performance style, Lindsay has held a healthy fan base for a long time. But these days, Lindsay can be seen combining her music with a new interest in acting which has her starring in two new shows in April.

On Friday, April 13th, Lindsay takes the stage in the role of tragic rock icon Janis Joplin in A Musical Journey with Janis Joplin at Peterborough’s Market Hall. Then, three weeks later, she takes the stage in the role of the villainous Captain Hook in St. James Players family production of Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure from April 27th to 29th. This is an opportunity to see two very different sides of Lindsay in two very different types of shows.

“I’m so excited I have the ability to morph into acting and do music because it satisfies both sides of my soul,” says Lindsay. “However, they are vastly different beasts. The idea of doing a show, working on it, and presenting it on a set block of dates and then moving on to the next one is exciting to me. It’s a never-ending cycle of creativity.”

Although she officially made her acting debut in 2016 in a tiny cameo in the St. James Players production of Princess Whatshername, Lindsay caught the acting bug when she took on the part of Shelly Williams in Killer Tree Production’s presentation of Evil Dead: The Musical in October 2017.

Using her energetic stage presence to her advantage, Lindsay created one of the most memorable roles of the year, prompting me to note her as the best new actor in the Kawarthas of 2017. Evil Dead was such an enjoyable role for Lindsay that she has committed herself to exploring theatre at this point in her career.

“It was a different way of working for me,” Lindsay says of her Evil Dead role. “I seem to be attracted to villainous characters or darker characters. I’ve very jovial and happy in my own life, so being able to play someone other than my own self was very interesting. When you’re a singer-songwriter you’re playing yourself, so being able to develop a different character was very exciting for me.”

For her next project, Lindsay is meshing music and theatre in an all-new original production developed by Rico Browne, Denis Goggin, and herself that celebrates the life and music of Janis Joplin. Called A Musical Journey with Janis Joplin, the show is a hybrid of music and theatrical performance that goes far beyond a tribute show: Lindsay is harnessing the spirit and soul of one of rock and roll’s most beloved, and most tragic, performers.

“My husband Denis and I were talking about doing a project together to get back into music and we were shooting around some artists that we could cover,” Lindsay says. “When Denis said Janis, I knew he had landed on something. Originally we were thinking of a bar gig, but it snowballed really quickly. Before I knew it, I was on the phone with Market Hall and I had booked a three-hundred seater.

“Rico Browne is the musical director and I let him put the band together. Denis is on keys and organ. We also have Bruce Francis on bass, Marcus Browne on drums, Jim Usher on saxophone, and Ben Foss on lead guitar.”

A proclaimed lifelong fan of Joplin, Lindsay’s relationship with the singer goes back to her childhood.

“My Dad had Janis Joplin’s Pearl album in his record collection,” Lindsay recalls. “I’d hear it as a little girl and I’d think how no other woman sang like that. Here was this woman who was impressive in her performance and her vocal approach, and I really got off on that.

“Then, in my teens, I was in a rock orchestra and my music teacher was my musical director in high school, and he put me on Piece of My Heart. The first time I sang it I was amazed that I could sing it. But my teacher knew, before I knew, that I would be able to sing it. That’s when I really started investing my time exploring her music.

“I identify with some of Janis’ aggressive movements and vocal stylistics and stage presence. But now that I’ve not just listened to her but have studied her, I have come to know there is a very gentle side to Janis as well — she’s not just a screamer. I’ve had to learn that, and I’ve learned it by realizing she is using all facets of her voice and she is using all ranges. She is truly a gifted artist.”

One of the most unique and iconic female performers in the history of music, Joplin mixed soul, blues, and psychedelic rock with a powerful and unmistakably original vocal style, making her one of the biggest icons of the late 1960s. However, underneath the fortune and glory was a sad and lonely woman who tried to ease her pain with drugs, liquor, and a constant party that never ended.

Born and raised in Texas, Joplin began singing while studying art at the University of Texas in 1962. In 1963, she moved to San Francisco where she struggled to make it as a singer. She then spent some time in New York, but her drinking and drug use didn’t help her musical career and, in 1965, she returned home to Texas to take a break from music and get herself together.

The next year, she auditioned for Big Brother and the Holding Company, a new psychedelic rock band based in San Francisco. She began singing with the band, whose performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 catapulted them to fame, with Joplin’s incredible vocals receiving most of the acclaim.

Joplin decided to leave Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968 to embark on a solo career. After a historic performance at Woodstock in 1969, she released I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!.

The record received mixed reviews, which distressed Joplin, who was also struggling with alcohol and drugs, including an addiction to heroin. She was in the process of recording her next album, Pearl, when she was found dead in a Hollywood hotel room of a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. She was only 27 years old.

Completed by Joplin’s producer, Pearl was released after her death in 1971. It would not only be her biggest-selling album, but her recording of “Me and Bobby McGee” (written by Kris Kristofferson, a former love of Joplin’s) would be her only Billboard number one hit.

“All she wanted was steady love,” Lindsay says of Joplin’s tragic story. “She was all over the place with love affairs, but she really just wanted a man to love and to love her. I’m the opposite end of that. I’m in a committed and loving marriage, and I didn’t have the same problems that she had in school. She was repelled by the popular people, and she wasn’t very popular among the men in her early days. I think we are a contrast, but with a lot of similarities.”

With 16 songs from throughout Joplin’s career, Lindsay’s set list includes classic songs such as “Summertime”, “Piece of My Heart”, “Move Over”, “Cry Baby”, and “Ball and Chain”. But the show is much more than just a tribute concert: it will also be recreating moments of Joplin’s public life on stage.

“There are people on stage as the audience, and we have actors who play Dick Cavett and Ed Sullivan and the hosts from Hollywood Palace,” Lindsay explains. “We have the iconic moment before her Woodstock performance where the gentleman talks about the brown acid. We are recreating moments from her career. It’s more interesting than just performing song after song after song.”

After the Joplin show, Lindsay will be putting on a very different hat for a very different kind of show when she takes on the role of Captain Hook in Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure. Although the St. James Players’ spring production is always a family-friendy show, Lindsay decided to audition for it right after her appearance in the family-unfriendly Evil Dead.

“The next audition in town after Evil Dead was Peter Pan,” Lindsay says. “I went in and they only gave me the role of Captain Hook to read. I did the audition as a male and I was a bit savage in it. They liked it, they thought it was funny, and I got the call that they wanted me to be Hook.

“That’s when they said they wanted me to play it as a woman, which threw me for a bit of a loop. I get to be crazy and over the top and be all these things that I love to be, and I can get away with it.”

With Lindsay in the role of the classic villain, her co-pirates are all played by adult men while the rest of the cast are all kids. This marks the first time in her career that Lindsay has worked with children.

“I’m forging new relationships with a very innocent side of our community,” Lindsay observes. “I’ve never worked with them before. I mind my p’s and q’s and keep the f-bombs on the down low. I am really learning to work professionally in every walk of life.

“I’ve got to admit that you can learn something from people from every aspect of their life spans. The kids are studious, and a lot of them have vocal coaches and dance instructors. A lot of them are thinking about carrying on in theatre. The youngest member of the cast is a girl named Emma, and she’s five. She plays Tinkerbell and she’s a special kid.”

In the short time I have known Lindsay Barr, she has become one of my favourite performers in Peterborough. Extremely animated and articulate, she has a huge personality, magnetic stage presence, and self confidence. I am captivated by Lindsay, whether she takes the stage as a singer or an actress, and believe she is a magnificent performer. While I’ve become a fan of her music, I am excited to see where her theatrical pursuits will take her next.

“I’m enjoying this journey,” Lindsay says. “I’m still fresh and not jaded. It’s new for me, so I’m not doing something that I’ve done for so many years. I’ve just gotten into it and I’ve been supported in so many ways.”

A Musical Journey with Janis Joplin will be performed at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 13th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146). Tickets are $25 ($30 for assigned cabaret table seating) and are available the Market Hall Box Office or online at markethall.org. Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).

Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure runs from Friday, April 27th to Sunday, April 29th at St. James United Church (221 Romaine St., Peterborough). Shows start at 6:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on April 28th and 29th. Tickets will go on sale on Sunday, April 7th and cost $10 for adults and $9 for children (or $12 all ages for preferred seating in the first three rows). For tickets, visit stjamesplayers.ca.

Lots of arts events are happening this April.

Nominations are open for the Electric City Culture Council’s Peterborough Arts Awards and registration is open for Acorn + Oak’s Creative Art Camp for Grown Ups.

The SPARK Photo Festival is happening this month, with the grand opening at the Peterborough Public Library on Tuesday, April 3rd from to 7 p.m. The Juried Exhibit for SPARK will also be opening during the First Friday Art Crawl (Friday, April 6th) at Lett Architects from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information about SPARK, please visit www.sparkphotofestival.org.

The time has also come for the Art School of Peterborough’s annual auction fundraiser, which will have a circus theme this year!

As always, there will be an art crawl on the first Friday of the month and, as part of this, Artspace will be open late and Meta 4 Gallery will host a late-night craft market. Evans Contemporary, Coeur Nouveau, and Star X will all feature new exhibits. Black Honey will be showing the photography of Eric Mckibbon, opening the evening of the Art Crawl, and Christensen Fine Art has a double bill featuring the photography of Corin Ford-Forrester and the mixed media work of Anne Renouf. There will be a vintage clothing market at Watson & Lou and Creating Space Community Art Studio will have a drumming circle and will feature art therapist Myria Rei’s latest series.

Later this month, there will be a ‘Rare Birds Salon’ (an artists’ gathering) at the Garnet in downtown Peterborough, and the Art Gallery of Peterborough will launch a new group exhibition ‘These Things I Have Seen’ featuring work by Carolyn Code, Keita Morimoto, and Megan Ellen MacDonald. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 14th at 2 p.m.

Nominations for Peterborough Arts Awards open until April 16

Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has announced the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards. There are a number of categories in which individuals can be nominated, from artists, to arts supporters, and catalysts.

This wonderful incentive will culminate on May 25th as part of The Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts at the McDonnel St. Activity Centre in Peterborough, where the awards will be handed out and which will feature Wanda Nanibush, Curator of indigenous arts at the Ago as guest speaker.

If you have anyone in mind, don’t hesitate to nominate! Submit your nomination by email to electriccitycc@gmail.com or by regular mail to Electric City Culture Council, PO Box 2334, 150 King Street, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7Y8. Nominations are open until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 16th.

Please visit www.ecthree.org for more information about the Peterborough Arts Awards and The Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts.

Acorn + Oak Retreats present Creative Art Camp for Grown Ups from May 4-6

Registration is open now for Acorn + Oak Retreats’ Creative Art Camp for Grown Ups this spring.

The camp offers weaving, writing, jewellery making, and a choice between wet felting or drawing and painting. The camp also offers yoga, hiking or trail running, and camp fires and slumber parties, with delicious cuisine and cocktails.

Running from May 4th until May 6th at Tamarack Lodge Cottage Resort & Art Centre (1003 English Circle, Gooderham), it sounds like a great way to kick back and relax.

Please visit www.acornandoakretreats.ca for more information or to register for the camp.

The Art School of Peterborough’s 22nd Annual Art Auction Fundraiser on April 14

For a night of art, including an art auction, circus-style entertainment, and tasty food, look no further than The Art School of Peterborough’s 22nd annual Art Auction coming up on Saturday, April 14th at Princess Gardens (100 Charlotte St., Peterborough).

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the festivities continue until 10 p.m. A silent auction begins at 6:30 p.m. with artworks, local gift certificates, and miscellaneous items. The evening will also feature pop-up entertainment from the Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts.

The ever-popular 4×4″ mini canvases and 4″x8″ canvases, painted by local artists, will be on sale during the event for $20 and $40 each.

For the live auction, to be called by Keith Monk beginning at 8:30 p.m., more than 30 artists have contributed.

Auction items will include works from Brian Atyeo, Christine Baayen, David Baker, Debra Bannister, Audrey Bain, Peter Barron, Alex Bierk, Pan Buckler, Suzanne Burden, Anne Cavanagh, Nancy R. Chalut, John Climenhage, Kristin Drummond, Richard Hayman, Roz Hermant, Jose Miguel Hernandez Autorino, David Hickey, Lucky Jackson, Dwayne James, Jenni Johnston, George Kovacs, Bill Lockington, Sandy MacFarlane, Lucy Manley, Lisa Martini-Dunk, Doug Mays, Paul Nabuurs, Rob Niezen, Micky Renders, Bronson Smith, Stephen Snider, Sharon Taylor, Susan Taylor-Stevenson, Victoria Wallace, Megan Ward, Marcia Watt, and Gail West.

You may find yourself with a wonderful new art piece at the end of the night. Admission is $15 in advance ($10 for members) and $20 at the door.

This is a chance to support a not-for-profit arts organization and the local arts community while also having a fun night out.

For more information, visit artschoolptbo.org/art-auction-2018/.

Christensen Fine Art presents two solo shows: ‘Unfurling’ by Anne Renouf and Corin Ford-Forrester as part of the SPARK Photo Festival

This April, Christensen Fine Art will host two solo exhibitions.

Anne Renouf’s latest series ‘Unfurling’ will be on display at street level, while Corin Ford-Forrester will be showing a series of her photographic collages in the upstairs gallery space as part of the SPARK Photo Festival.

An opening reception for both exhibitions takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. during the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th) and the exhibitions continue until Friday, April 27th.

Christensen Fine Art is located at 432 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit www.christensenfineart.com.

Evans Contemporary presents ‘Theoretical Stellar Remnants’ by Open Cluster CR-50

This artist collective is constantly changing in terms of who is involved — hence the name Open Cluster.

For ‘Theoretical Stellar Remnants’, Open Cluster CR-50 used the internet and social media for source material. They gathered information about creating an art show in the form of a painting exhibition, and using this information as a starting point have created this abstracted show. The information has been put through a process of manipulation by the members of the collective, resulting in a series of instructions, which are then carried out by one member, resulting in the show that is in display.

An opening reception takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. during the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th) and the exhibition continues until Saturday, April 28th.

Evans Contemporary is located at #2 Banker’s Common in downtown Peterborough. For more information, visit www.evanscontemporary.com or contact Paolo Fortin at evanscontemporary@gmail.com.

Star X presents ‘periphery’ an experimental installation by Jane Lowbeer

This April at Star X, Jane Lowbeer’s ‘periphery’, an experimental installation with milkweed pods, will be on display in the gallery.

Jane is an acclaimed mixed media artist based in Peterborough County. You may have seen her work recently at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, The Arts and Heritage Centre in Warkworth, or at Christensen Fine Art, and that is just in the immediate area — she also shows her work in Toronto and Montreal and has exhibited internationally.

Drop by and see what she has created at Star X. The opening reception takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. during the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th) and the exhibition continues until Saturday, April 28th.

Star X is located at 129-1/2 Hunter St. West, 3rd floor, in downtown Peterborough. Regular hours of operation are Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m.

Coeur Nouveau presents Germ Sperman

Coeur Nouveau will be showing new work from the mysterious Germ Sperman this month. Not to be missed, stop in and see what this elusive artist has been up to.

The opening reception will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. in conjunction with the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th).

Coeur Nouveau is located on the 2nd floor of the Commerce Building at 129-1/2 Hunter St. West in downtown Peterborough.

Next Rare Birds Salon for visual artists on April 10

A incentive of the Ad Hoc Art Committee, Rare Birds Salon is a monthly event for visual artists and arts enthusiasts to gather and discuss whatever is on their minds.

The next Rare Birds Salon will be held at The Garnet from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Thursday, April 10th.

The evening begins with announcements from Ad Hoc Art Committee hosts Ann Jaeger and Paolo Fortin. Anyone with visual arts news or announcements is welcome to take the stage.

For more information about the Ad Hoc Art Committee, visit adhocarts.wixsite.com/adhoc.

The Garnet is located at 231 Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough.

Acme Art & Sailboat Co. presents abstract work by Robert Atyeo and new work by Joe Stable

Drop by Acme Acme Art & Sailboat Co. to see the latest abstract work of Robert Atyeo.

Born in Toronto, Robert spent his formative years in Peterborough where he developed his career as a professional musician and painter. While living in Quebec for more than 20 years, he became involved in the gallery scene there, where his paintings began to attract attention. He returned to Peterborough where he continues to pursue his painting in his studio.

His paintings embrace a style in which acrylic paint is thrown or dripped onto canvas or found wood, and are influenced by New York abstract expressionists of the 1940s and 1950s such as Pollock, Rothko, and Motherwell.

Also, in the Copper Closet, artist Joe Stable will feature his ‘Nude Clouds’ series.

The opening reception will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. in conjunction with the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th).

Acme Art and Sailboat Company is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 3rd floor, in downtown Peterborough. Hours of operation are Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Black Honey presents the photography of Eric Mckibbon

It’s not part of the SPARK Photo Festival, but photographer Eric Mckibbon will be showing his work in April at Black Honey in Peterborough.

An opening reception will be held from from 6 to 10 p.m. during the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th).

Black Honey is located at 217 Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough.

Creating Space Community Art Studio presents ‘From here to There: Creations, Connections and Continents’ by Myria Rei Solas

In her latest series ‘From here to There: Creations, Connections and Continents’, art therapist Myria Rei Solas explores her journeys from Uganda to Canada and back again.

The show includes mixed media art with original drawings of Myria’s experiences of nature in Canada and Uganda as well as mixed media with photos from her volunteer work in Uganda.

In addition to being an artist, Myria has a Masters in Counselling and Art Therapy from Athabasca University and Vancouver Art Therapy Institute and runs a private practice in counselling, art, and play therapy.

Drop by and see her work and join in a drumming circle from 6 to 9 p.m. during the First Friday Art Crawl (April 6th).

Creating Space Community Art Studio is located at 237 George Street North in downtown Peterborough.

Watson & Lou host Vintage Pop Up with Statement House

During the First Friday Art Crawl on April 6th, Watson & Lou will be hosting Sandra Young of Statement House with her incredible collection of vintage clothing and accessories.

You can try them, and buy them, with the help of Sandra’s expert opinion. If it is only for one evening that you need to be extra stylish and glamorous, then rental is also an option.

This event will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is free.

Watson & Lou is located at 383 Water Street in downtown Peterborough.

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, March 29 to Wednesday, April 4.

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.