The Heart Of The Song Will Grace The Stage At Peterborough Theatre Guild This June

The Heart of The Song, directed and produced by Kate Suhr will take the stage at Peterborough Theatre Guild June 16 - 17.

Photo courtesy of Doors Open peterborough.

With over 2 years of empty stages and seats, the Theatre Guild is excited to welcome song back into their building, they said in a press release.

The show will feature local performers Linda Kash, Shay Burd, Indigo Chesser, Stephen Cullen, Lisa Devan, Dan Duran, Beth McMaster, Marsala Lukianchuk, Wayne Robinson, Jane Werger, Gillian Wilson and Kate Suhr.

Musicians will be Curtis Cronkwright, Justin Hiscox, Sam Quinn and Saskia Tomkins.

Ellen Lueck, Seanon Yip Choy will act as Stage Managers, with Alan Stanley on Sound Design and Andy Duncan on Light Design.

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Three Years Ago: Snoop Dogg Lit Up the Peterborough Memorial Centre

It was a concert that Peterborough would never forget as record producer, singer and rapper Snoop Dogg lit up the Peterborough Memorial Centre three years ago on May 16, 2019.

File Photo.

Snoop Dogg came on stage wearing a Peterborough Petes jersey that let out a big cheer from the crowd.

The concert was part of his Snoop Dogg & Friends Tour that marked 25 years of performing. Ajax hip hop star Peter Jackson was the opening act

Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., has 17 Grammy nominations — with 96 career nominations — and won 27 awards with his hit songs such as "Drop it Like It's Hot" and "Gin and Juice.”

He was nicknamed Snoop Dogg after his mother since she thought he looked like Snoopy from the famous ‘Peanuts’ cartoon.

His debut album, ‘Doggystyle’ (1993) was created following appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992).

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Jethro's Bar + Stage Will Be A Gathering Place For Local Musicians

Jethro’s Bar + Stage, owned by Kayla Howran, will open in the location of the former Sapphire Room, on Friday.

The mural at Jethro’s was painted by local artist Tim Wales. Photo by Luke Best.

Jethro’s was born in hopes to provide a small venue for artists to showcase their talents, in a cozy space with a small crowd.

As a musician herself, Howran notes how many great, larger venues are in Peterborough like The Red Dog, Market Hall and The Gordon Best theatre, though she thinks there is still room for a more intimate space.

“I feel like Peterborough has lost a lot of it’s smaller venues over the years. Some maybe due to COVID, some maybe not,” she said. “Whatever the reason I feel like we’ve lost those great, small stages.”

Howran owns Huck’s Lakeside Bar + Restaurant in Buckhorn, a seasonal restaurant, and hopes that Jethro’s will keep her busy the rest of the year.

Melissa Payne, local musician, will be the first to officially take stage at Jethro’s on their opening night, Friday. Payne is set to begin playing at 9 and Howran says she will stop whenever they see fit.

“If the crowd wants to hear more, if they’re enjoying themselves, we’ll keep going.”

The bar will be closed Monday and open the rest of the week, with an anticipated opening time of 4 p.m. daily.

Howran hopes to be able to provide matinees for parents and families to be able to enjoy, as well as late night performances.

“I think that’s important, my husband and I have two kids and there’s very few places to take them,” she said. “I can’t think of anything nicer than a Sunday afternoon going out for lunch and listening to some good local music.”

Jethro’s is inspired by the natural world, with plenty of natural wood interior, plants and a mural by artist Tim Wales.

While Howran knew hwat she wanted her new bar to look like, she also knew she wanted to preserve a bit of the iconic Sapphire Room that lived in that space for 24 years prior.

The legs of the refurbished bar stools are original from the Sapphire Room, and they’ve left a bit of the iconic blue on the exterior of the building.

“At times it felt painful, we didn’t want to cover up the old bar, but at the same time this is new,” she said. “It’s been interesting and exciting to see the transformation from one place to the other, but also nerve-wracking in that I hope I do the space justice. It is hard to cover up what once was for so long and what people loved for so long.”

To keep up to date with Jethro’s follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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Hometown PTBO: Gene Jochen About His Return to the Boston Marathon and Stories of His Drums and Music Career

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with musician Gene Jochen about participating in his 11th Boston Marathon (his first since the infamous bombing) and stories of his music career with the drums.

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The Glorious Sons Rocked the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Their "Unfinished Business Tour"

The Kingston band, The Glorious Sons, rocked the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) with opener JJ Wilde on Saturday night.

Calling it the Unfinished Business Tour, The two-time JUNO award-winning band got to perform in Peterborough, two years in the making.

Originally named “A War On Everything Tour,” the Glorious Sons had planned to perform in Peterborough on March 27, 2020 with Black Pistol Fire. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Peterborough Symphony Orchestra Awarded Vida Peene Orchestra Award

The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra will be awarded the Vida Peene Orchestra Award by The Ontario Arts Council at their concert on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.

The juried award is named after Vida Peene, a Hamilton-based arts patron and is given out every two years.

This year the PSO was selected, and will receive $5,000.

The Vida Peene Orchestra Award will be presented to The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra during their “As the Sun Rises” concert on Saturday.

The concert takes place at Showplace Performance Centre at 2:30 p.m. There will be a second performance of “As the Sun Rises” at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online at tickets.showplace.org or at The Showplace Box Office.

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Alice Cooper Rocks the Peterborough Memorial Centre With Energetic Performance

The “Godfather of Shock Rock” Alice Cooper had a packed audience on their feet at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) with a lively rock performance Sunday night.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee made a stop in Peterborough as part of his 2022 “Monsters of Rock Cruise” spring tour as special guests Buckcherry with Ace Frehley opened the show.

“We’re going to bring it. It’s going to be a show like you’ve never seen,” said Cooper in a past interview with PTBOCanada. “Everybody walks out of there with fake blood on them, glitter, confetti or streamers.”

Cooper dazzled the audience with several fan-favourite hit songs such as School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, Poison, Hey Stoopid and more.

He last played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Oct. 3, 2004, with a 23-song setlist. His prior performance since that year was on Dec. 29, 1989.

@ptbo_canada @Alice Cooper performs an awesome show at the Peterborough Memorial Centre since his last appearance in 2004! #ptbo #ptbocanada #alicecooper #rockstar #rock #pmc #peterborough #music #rockshow #concert #schoolsout #nomoremrniceguy #heystoopid #billiondollarbabies ♬ Hey Stoopid (Live) - Alice Cooper

Cooper was scheduled to play in Peterborough at the PMC in 2020, on the “Ol’ Black Eyes is Back” tour but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Peterborough Singers Pay Tribute To Those Affected By The War In Ukraine

The Peterborough Singers paid tribute to those affected by the war in Ukraine by learning and singing their national anthem after rehearsal on March 8.

“The Ukraine situation is ripping us all to pieces. What is to be done? Donate to the Red Cross? Buy sunflowers from East City Flower Shop? Join a protest march? Words fail us. But for a choir, in times of tragedy and sadness, there is the option of singing. So, we did,” said Music Director Syd Birrell.

While formally known as the ‘State Anthem of Ukraine’, it also goes by its native title ‘Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy’, which translates into English as ‘Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished’.

A translation of Ukraines national anthem scrolls the bottom of the screen as the choir sings.

“The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine,
and we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.

We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.”

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Alice Cooper Speaks Ahead of His Peterborough Memorial Centre Concert on March 27

Alice Cooper ahead of his concert at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on March 27 with Buckcherry, speaks with PTBOCanada about the last few years and his upcoming concert in Peterborough.

Get your tickets at www.memorialcentre.ca!

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The Verandah Sessions – Songs From The Verandah Society Album Now Available To Download

4th Line Theatre has announced the release of a new album – The Verandah Sessions, comprised of songs from The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre created by Megan Murphy and Kate Suhr.

The album cover design was created by Jennifer Moher.

The Verandah Society in Residence at 4th Line Theatre had its world premiere at 4th Line Theatre in the summer of 2021. The play was first developed as a way for Murphy and Suhr to connect with and perform for people during the pandemic, as they traveled around the region to perform on people’s porches, verandahs, and backyards.

“I am really excited for everyone to hear Kate’s transcendent songs, which she created for last summer’s production of The Verandah Society at 4th Line Theatre,” said Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director. “For those who were not able to see the show, Kate’s songs will give you a real sense of the beauty of the work. And for those lucky enough to see the production, this music with transport you back."

"It was an unbelievable gift to be able to create art with my dear friend Megan Murphy at the Winslow farm this past summer,” said Kate Suhr. “After immersing myself in Meg's inspirational stories and then spending time with my own thoughts and feelings surrounding the last few years - 4 new songs were born. I am truly thankful for 4th Line Theatre's generosity and continuous support. I am also indebted to the incomparable Saskia Tomkins and James McKenty for embracing my music and breathing life into everything I was hoping to convey. Without all of these wonderful people, this recording, and these songs would never have seen the light of day. I am humbled and I am grateful."

The album is available for download on Bandcamp and Apple Music.

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