Young musicians prepare for spotlight

While baseball’s regular season is underway, it’s still spring training for the area’s young musicians: competition doesn’t begin in earnest until Apr. 19, when the Elmira & District Kiwanis Music Festival starts.

The weeklong event will see some 125 performers as young as five years play in front of judges in the …Read more

Church doing its piece for peace

By attending the dinner theatre event Those Shoes of Peace put on by the Floradale Mennonite Church, visitors get the opportunity to both financially support peace organizations and learn a bit about peacemaking in the process.

From Apr. 9-11, dozens of members of the congregation will be coming together to put on a play they have been working on for more than seven months …Read more

Putting their own spin on Paul Simon

Kevin Ramessar is going back to Graceland, and you’re welcome to come along. No need to pack for Memphis: you won’t have to go any farther than Kitchener, as the noted guitarist and a stellar lineup of bandmates perform the music of Paul Simon …Read more

History inspires James Keelaghan’s lyrics

James Keelaghan spends much of his time reading about history, unearthing a trove of fascinating nuggets about our past. He then translates those tales into songs, bringing them to life and sharing the emotions with a wider audience.

Eleven albums into his recording career, he remains as passionate about history today as he was as an undergraduate student in Calgary. That will be on display Mar. 20 during the next installment of the Folk Night at the Registry series …Read more

Putting life’s questions to song

Having written more than a thousand songs, James Gordon might have some trouble picking a few for a concert set list. Luckily he’ll know what to draw on when he performs next week at the Registry Theatre: the offerings on his new CD, My Stars Your Eyes …Read more

Students present a play within a play

Anybody who’s been involved in theatrical productions is well aware that some of the most entertaining moments happen behind the scenes, in rehearsals or backstage at the performance. In those cases, of course, the audience is none the wiser …Read more

This Wrong does it right

Born on St. Valentine’s Day, Norm Foster may have a soft spot for the romantic aspects of Feb. 14. Being Norm Foster, however, there’s no way he’s going to allow the comedic possibilities of love and relationships to go unspoken. Thus we have Wrong For Each Other, now playing at Theatre Three-Eleven in Listowel …Read more

The story behind the story of a classic film

Legendary movie producer David O. Selznick has just shut down production on the troubled set of his film Gone With The Wind – the script just isn’t working. Selznick sends a car for famed screenwriter Ben Hecht and pulls formidable director Victor Fleming from the set of The Wizard of Oz. With both men in his office, he locks the doors, closes the shades, and on a diet …Read more

Folk players on stage by request

Opening for other acts at points during the first three years of the Folk Night at the Registry series, three singer-songwriters whose performances resonated with audiences will headline the next show.

Laura Bird, Nonie Crete and Brad Nelson were selected by fans of the series, put together by The Old Chestnuts Song Circle …Read more

A Christmas classic enjoys a makeover

The combination of an enduring Christmastime story and legendary Canadian artistry has got legs. Introduced last year, the Group of Seven Nutcracker struck a chord, and has undergone some refinements for this season’s tour, which comes to Kitchener Monday at the Centre In The Square.

Set against the world-famous images of the rural north, Ballet Jörgen’s Group of Seven …Read more