The Market Hall

I must admit, I think that this is my favourite time of year.  I wilt a little in the heat, and complain vociferously about the cold, so really Fall is my time to shine.

It’s also the Hall’s time to shine.  Our Fall line up is really great……music, dance and theatre…….something for everyone. We’ve also got a new program of benefits for members only – including advance notification for shows and ‘Front of the Line’ ticket buying privilges.  That’s pretty cool and  I hope you’ll consider supporting the Hall with membership, and becoming part of the family.

Thanks to our great summer camp leaders for making 8 weeks of magic happen here – lots of smiling faces and really fun Friday afternoon performances for families.  I must admit to getting a little choked up sometimes. The “cute” factor was pretty high at times.  The kids worked so hard and they all produced their best ever for the Friday show.  I miss the noise and commotion in the theatre now they are all gone…………..

So,  look for a couple of exciting announcements next week……….Ron Sexsmith fans might want to keep their ears open………. and in the meantime, hold onto to the very last days of the summer, have a great weekend, and we’ll see you at the Hall in the Fall (sorry for that,  couldn’t resist!)

Karen

It’s definitely summer here at the Hall…………the little folks who are part of the summer theatre camps are filling the Hall with outrageous giggling and high energy moves. Cliff from the Peterborough Examiner took these pictures yesterday.

……..WARNING……….these are seriously cute images.

We are also gearing up to get our new season underway and there is a lot of great stuff coming your way…….blues legend John Mayall, Elliot Brood, Hollerado, Fred Eaglesmith, the Good Lovelies to name only a few.  New Stages Theatre Co. is staging a brand new production, Folk Under the Clock is celebrating it’s 25th season and Children’s Stage Lakefield and WestBen are coming to the Hall for the first time. We are excited to welcome Quebec dance company, Sursaut, as part of our Youth Series. The Kawartha Youth Orchestra has something spectacular planned for November – their Feast for the Senses is definitely not to be missed………

(I’m going to stop right there, because I could take up this whole blog with a very long list of upcoming music, dance and theatre performances and that would make for a very long read.)

What I do want to say though is that none of this can happen of course without the support of the community; the City of Peterborough, our corporate sponsors and YOU – our supporting members – the ‘Friends’ of Market Hall.

So, Siobhan and I have put our heads together and, as a way of thanking all of you who support the Market Hall through your membership contributions, we have devised a brand new program of benefits for members only.  As a Friend of Market Hall we want to give you access to:

• Pre-purchase tickets before they are released to the general public
• Advance notification of Market Hall special events
• Special VIP “ Meet and Greet the Artists ” receptions
• Special privileges for private function rentals (have your birthday party at the Hall!)
• Special promotional offers
• Charitable tax receipt for ($25 or more)
• Eligibility to vote at the Annual General Meeting

Your generous support makes the Market Hall an outstanding place for dance, theatre, music and community and we want to invite you to be part of helping us make great things happen again and again.

We use Canada Helps if you want to sign up online (just choose Membership as the category) or you can pop in  and pick up the membership form from the office or the lobby……….

Pssst………we are also growing our Facebook group.……..so please join that too for ticket giveaways and other fun stuff……….that is totally free, but we hope that if you can, you will become a supporting member too.

So, enjoy the rest of your  summer and we’ll see you at the Hall in the Fall.

Well, if my camera battery had not been dead, I would simply tell this story with a picture of the little gathering we had on Wednesday, but the best laid plans of mice and men……….

On Wednesday, we invited the Showplace board of directors back for a social visit and a backstage tour of the new Hall. Our two organizations had had a joint meeting before the renovation, when we shared our plans and our vision for the new Market Hall, so it was very satisfying to welcome them all back to see the dream come true!

It is wonderful to see that the two facilities really are complementary, not competitive, and that Ray Marshall, my counterpart at Showplace and I, have lots in common when it comes to how we think our facilities can be a vital part of the downtown and the arts and cultural life of the city and the region.

So, thanks to the Showplace folks for taking the time to come and get to know the neighbours. Have a good summer. We’ll see you in the Fall.

Next time, can someone remind me to charge my camera battery?

I just signed Market Hall up to participate in a new initiative through the New Canadians Centre and the Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration.

On July 1st they will officially launch the ‘Welcome Pass’ which is designed to give newcomers to Peterborough a foothold and introduction to all the different cultural, arts and recreational spaces in the Peterborough area.

We are offering a free tickets to pass holders next season, and wish the New Canadians Centre and the PPCII the very best of luck with this initiative, and indeed, all of the excellent services that they offer.

The New Canadian’s Centre has made use of the hall many times over the years, holding their lively monthly pot luck meetings here before we closed for renovations and they will be returning to the Hall in the Fall for a couple of events………looking forward to sharing the new space with you.  Welcome……….back

Cleaning crew getting ready for opening night March 31, 2011

I’m just about to send out details of our next Open House (June 29th between 4pm and 6pm since you ask).

I love showing people all the new features and cool equipment,  telling them some history and showing off the beautiful building. I get to answer a lot of questions, too.

By far the most oft-asked question is “how many seats are there?” I reply that we have 200 fixed seats, plus 26 along the balconies and up to 122 on the flat floor, depending on the configuration, making 348 in total.

“Is that more than before?” inevitably comes the response. “Well, yes and no” I reply with a smile. “The maximum capacity has remained unchanged BUT we have doubled the fixed seats from 100 to 200″

“Is that why they’re are so much steeper – is that how you fit more in?”

And that’s where it gets fun.

Because the steepness (the rake) of the seats has NOTHING to do with how many you fit in. No, really. I thought so at first too…….. and the architects very patiently explained that no matter what the rake, the amount of legroom and space that the seat occupies remains the same. Putting them on a slope does not take away the inches required for each row of seats………..whether they are at 10 degrees or 45 degrees, the ‘footprint’ of the seats, the amount of square feet they occupy on the floor, remains the same!

The angle of the rake improves sightlines.

So, now when I get this question I always smile…and patiently wait for the moment of understanding on the face of my bemused inquisitor.

Lightbulb moments, I think they call these……….

Now, if you drop a bowling ball and a golf ball off the CN Tower at exactly the same moment, which hits the ground first?

Hope to see you on the 29th for a backstage tour and go on – ask me anything!

It’s been six weeks since we opened the doors of the newly renovated Market Hall, and six weeks of highs, cries and ‘WOWs’ .

We’ve had some awesome shows and the reviews have been superb.

No doubt, all of us  staff and volunteers have been on the learning curve of our lives……and what a ride.  I’d like to congratulate all of my staff here at the Hall for being flexible in both their working conditions and their attitudes.  With contractors still on site, a work day can be challenging. It can be ‘interesting’ to work around an electrician on a ladder or a painting contractor with a roller and an impish grin!  There’s dust and fumes and overly enthusiastic air conditioners to deal with as well as doors that lock, or don’t lock, or both, when you least expect them to. So, thank you to Patricia, Leah, Don, Rob, Spatch, Susan, Siobhan and Keith for rolling with the punches and making it work.

Thanks also to our tenants, Public Energy.  As you may know, they share our office space and have been more understanding of all of the idiosyncrasies of our new home.  Thank you Bill, Laurel, Patti and the OKW gang for your grace under pressure.

And thank you to you, our renters, presenters and audience who are patiently growing with us.

I mentioned learning curve, right?  Vernon Sanders Law,  Major League Baseball pitcher notably said that “experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards..” and he wasn’t wrong.

Experience is teaching us the dos and don’ts of our new box office software.  Experience is teaching us how to tune the room to take advantage of the acoustic capacity of the space.   Experience is teaching us that we need to hire more people – we are busier than anyone dreamed!

Experience has ALOT to say right now!

Everyone agrees that the Hall is absolutely gorgeous and that they have enjoyed the new amenities that the Hall has to offer, and I’m so proud that Peterborough and the surrounding area has this first class facility, right in the heart of the downtown.

And we need you to keep hearing from you about your experiences at the Hall…….it’s how we will become the best at what we do…………and that is our goal……to be the best.

Our mission is to nurture, sustain and develop the performing arts in Peterborough’s historic Market Hall and now that we’ve had six weeks to “figure out where the light switches are”  there is no stopping us.  Thank you for being part of this amazing journey……..

p.s. We’re replacing that wonky microphone, upgrading that ticket printer and the faucets in the ladies loo all work now.

I can’t do much about this weather, though.  Sorry.

379 George Street, home of BrandHealth in Peterborough

We have some great news to share……..and I can’t express it any more eloquently than Paul Hickey, President of BrandHealth, so why waste time?

“To your good health, gentlemen” as the traditional toast goes, and a huge thank you from all of us here at the Market hall for all of your fantastic support.

Read all about in Paul Hickey’s great blog: 2nd Floor, Corner Office…….

As I pick my way around the last minute debris of the contractors here at the Hall – the off cuts left by the carpenter as he installs the last of the trim and baseboards, the mountain of empty boxes that once held the Fresnel Lamps that have just been installed in the grid and the Wet Paint signs on the elevator doors – I started to think about accessibility.

During the planning and renovation process, the word “accessibility” was prominent.

But what does accessibility really mean?  For me, it is about making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in activities at the Hall, whether as a member of the audience, as an artist or as paid or volunteer staff.

So, we worked with the Council for Persons with Disabilities, and involved them in the design process very early on.  We got lots of suggestions with very helpful feedback and some candid and eye opening personal stories of what can happen when things aren’t designed right.

I think you’ll be impressed with the talking elevator, the fact that the stage, an accessible washroom and a dressing room are all at grade in the backstage, and the gender neutral, accessible, family washroom – grandly known as the “Universal Toilet Room” in the lobby. The offices are accessible too.

That’s the physical barriers dealt with.

The other aspect of accessibility at the Hall is making sure that it remains financially accessible to the community, and that we remain true to our mission to nurture, develop and sustain the performing arts.

Our newly launched Volunteer Program (thank you to Leah Simms Karp, who put the whole thing together) is crucial.

Our crew of volunteer ushers and bartenders is not only helping to offset our operating costs – savings which we pass directly on to renters and presenters and which hopefully keeps the cost of a ticket down – it also directly supports our Bright Lights Youth Bursary program.

From now on, our volunteer bartenders and coat check folks will put all of your tips and gratuities directly into a fund for the Bright Lights Youth Bursary.

The Market Hall Volunteer Program not only supports young artists in our community, it keeps the cost of renting the Hall to an affordable level for emerging artists and community groups and is a really fun thing to do (think free shows and a party at the end of the year – oh yeah!).

An accessible Market Hall – it was in the plan.

*****

The Bright Lights is a series of talks with artists from Peterborough’s Greatest 100 in the Performing Arts list. Each event is an on-stage conversation; a blend of anecdotes, conversation and performance in an intimate and animated setting with a knowledgeable interviewer. Read more about the Bright Lights Series.

Each artist featured in The Bright Lights series chooses a young artist to receive the Bright Lights Bursary Award, an educational bursary……

Bright Lights, unpacked and ready to hang.... (apologies for the terrible pun)

it seems that comments were set to off for the previous post……..I have not the foggiest idea how to go back in  and change that setting retroactively…BUT…..I can turn them on from here on out…..so….comment away…….. *blush*