Original folk musical’s cast includes Peterborough performers Victoria Yeh, John Eaton and Julie LeBlanc
(August 3, 2023) Who was Tom Thomson, and how much do we really know of the man?
That’s the mystery at the heart of a new musical by the Georgian Bay band Shipyard Kitchen Party which will be performing at Peterborough’s Showplace Theatre on Sept. 23 and then at Victoria Hall in Cobourg on Sept. 30.
“Tom Thomson’s Wake” follows three of the Group of Seven painter’s friends — mentor A.Y. Jackson, love interest Winnie Trainor and Algonquin guide, Larry Dixon — as they piece together the last years of Tom Thomson’s life, all in the context of a burgeoning new nation, and uncertainties that swirled around the First World War.
“Each character has a different view of who Tom was and what inspired him,” stated show writer and band member Jason Murphy in a press release.
“The characters don’t always agree on who Tom was or what his work meant, but their diverging views help the audience construct their own portrait of who he was, which is a big part of the show’s appeal.”
Featuring Canadian Opera Company veteran Craig Ashton as fellow painter A.Y. Jackson, Zoomer Radio’s Dean Hollin as Larry Dixon and actress Julie LeBlanc as Winnie Trainor, the show features an original musical score and high-definition imagery of Thomson and Group of Seven paintings from the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The production is on a 15-date tour across southern Ontario.
Three of the performers have roots in Peterborough including John Eaton, a core member of the band, who many will remember from his DJ days on The Wolf; Julie LeBlanc, who got her theatrical start in Peterborough; and Victoria Yeh, an internationally lauded violinist who moved to the community a year ago.
Yeh has also included the Peterborough and Cobourg productions of “Tom Thomson’s Wake” in her Travel by Sound concert series which grants ticket holders exclusive access to pre-show dinner specials and discounted hotel stays thanks to partnerships with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, Kawarthas Northumberland Tourism, Amandala’s Restaurant, the Holiday Inn Waterfront and more.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. for the two-hour “Tom Thomson’s Wake” musical.
The Peterborough tickets are $45 for adults and $40 for students, plus fees. The Cobourg tickets are $49 all in.
Visit TravelBySound.com or ShipyardKitchenParty.com or call the Showplace box office at 705-742-7469 for more info and tickets. The Victoria Hall Concert Hall box office can be reached at 1-855-372-2210.