Events Archive - Old Church Theatre

Rett Wills

After four years hiatus from playing solo, Rett Wills returns to the Old Church Theatre Saturday.
Rett has been concentrating on songwriting these days and will be playing these new tunes and songs of other writers he admires.
For Rett it will be a welcome downsizing from his regular Rett Wills Trio and Northern Voodoo gigs.

This is an Old Church busking night. Troubadours have been performing in taverns and outdoors since time immemorial and we at the Old Church Theatre like to continue this age old tradition. On Saturday August 10th we’re happy to have a favourite performer Rett Wills for an evening of Busking. Join us for some wood fired pizza, your favourite beverage, great music, and camaraderie on the Old Church Theatre Patio.

All contributions go to the artist. Bring a friend, reserve a seat, and we’ll see you there.

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Improv – Sunday Sunday Sunday!

What better place for a comedy show than a church that sells booze. Join the Improvmonauts for “Sunday Sunday Sunday” – an evening of improv comedy on the patio at the Old Church Theatre on (you guessed it) Sunday, August 25th.

Gates open at 5pm and the show starts at 6pm. If you aren’t there, you’ll only be filled with regret. You don’t want that. We don’t want that. Live life to the fullest – be there!

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Note: Our patio concerts will be held outdoors with wood fired pizza available. Gates open at 5 for the 6pm show. In the event of inclimate weather we will be able to move the concert indoors. The show must go on, but pizza may not be available. Check in with us on the day.
If you are not able attend please contact us so we may make your seats available to someone on our waiting list.
Note: We need 48 hours notice in order to issue your FULL refund. If you are not able to give the required notice please consider your ticket purchase as a donation to the performers or contact us for an 80% refund.

Trivia Night

“I have failed ‘Star Wars’ trivia tests. People come up to me at conventions and use terms that I’ve never heard of.” – Mark Hamill

And how about YOU? What trivial information rattles around up there, unused but not forgotten. Come on out to A Trivial Trivia Night on August 3rd and show us what ya’ got!

Join our happy host Rick Zimmerman for a night of Trivia FUN.

Up to 4 players on a team – want to come on your own? That’s Ok, we’ll find you some partners…if you need any. Who knows, Mark Hamill might show up!

We’ll hold this event on the patio with wood-fired pizza available, weather permitting.

Reserve your seat now for only $5

Reservations

Busking with Legere and Smit Acoustic Duo

Troubadours have been performing in taverns and outdoors since time immemorial and we at the Old Church Theatre like to continue this age old tradition. On Sunday June 9th we are featuring Brian Legere and Martin Smit for an evening of Busking. Join us for some wood fired pizza, your favourite beverage, great music, and camaraderie on the Old Church Theatre Patio. All contributions go to the artist. Bring a friend and we’ll see you there.

The Legere and Smit Acoustic Duo performs a unique repertoire of folk, swing, ragtime, country and blues. Their diverse musical background and merging of styles creates an engaging performance which features seamless blending of intricate picking and fingerstyle guitar.

Legere and Smit’s fun and creative arrangements showcase their individual styles and deliver an entertaining and eclectic show that appeals to everyone.

Brian Legere is a Canadian guitarist and singer originally from Hamilton Ontario. Brian moved to Toronto at age twenty, and his versatility and skills helped him quickly become an established, sought-after guitarist.

He has performed with top blues, jazz and r&b artists, including Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Guido Basso, Dave Young, Russ Little, Liberty Silver, Jackie Richardson, Harrison Kennedy, Carol Welsman and David Foster. Brian has also performed in events opening for James Brown, Glen Campbell, Hall and Oates, Randy Bachman, and Burton Cummings. He composed music featuring his guitar playing for two TV shows: Dream Car Garage and Classic Car Restoration.

Brian is passionately dedicated to music education and taught at the college level, and for many years was the music director at a top Toronto high school. Today, Brian happily lives in Prince Edward County, and is busy performing, writing and recording.

Martin Smit is a singer and guitar player residing in Prince Edward County, Ontario. He studied fingerstyle guitar under Canadian folk legends, Mose Scarlett and Rick Fielding. Martin helped establish the Windsor Folk Music Society and co-founded the Scottish folk band, Killiecrankie—a regular feature on CBC’s Max Ferguson Show. His performances have spanned across Ontario and Michigan, and he currently fronts the Celtic folk band Seventh Town. Martin is active in a variety of musical projects. He is part of the duo, Meghan and Martin and plays for Ceili dances throughout the region.

A $5 reservation is required to book a seat.

RESERVATIONS

Father’s Day on the Patio

What’s better than PLAID, DAD, and the HEARTLIGHT BAND?!

Come celebrate Fathers’ Day on the patio, have some wood-fired pizza, your favourite beverage, enjoy some great music AND all the while support the Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation Emergency Ward expansion. Please reserve you seat and donate what you can to the Hospital Foundation.

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Gareth Pearson

Gareth Pearson is referred to as “The Welsh Tornado” which is particularly appropriate, seeing as this special talent combines fingerstyle pyrotechnics, with explosive lead runs making Pearson one of the most exciting acoustic musicians gigging today.

Gareth has a distinctive style that can be heard through his creative and innovative arrangements which cover a wide spectrum of genres, including country/folk/classical/pop/rock/jazz/swing and bluegrass music, along with his own beautiful and often intricate original compositions.

Drawing his playing style initially from influences such as Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed and Tommy Emmanuel, he has developed a style that is both inspiring and entertaining.

Within a year of taking up the guitar, Gareth was opening for Tommy Emmanuel on his 2005 UK tour. It was in Cardiff where Tommy invited Gareth to play at the CAAS convention (Chet Atkins Appreciation Society) in Nashville Tennessee.

Later that year, Gareth was performing and touring alongside Ray Davies (The Kinks), John Renbourne, and Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Jukes. During the Southside Johnny tour, Gareth was invited by Southside to be flown over to the USA to open for his annual New Years Eve concert at the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey.

The following year Gareth was invited by Tommy Emmanuel to be the support act for his UK tour, following extensive UK supports to Jan Akkerman, Andy McKee and appearing at numerous Folk Festivals and Guitar workshops including the Montreal Jazz Festival.

With appearances throughout Europe and a growing reputation, Gareth was invited to perform at the 2008 Canadian Guitar Festival where he came to the attention of Candyrat Records. This lay the seed for Gareth to be the first UK guitarist to be signed by the label. On its release, Gareth’s debut album “Urban Echoes Vol 1” was selected by Acoustic Guitar editors and frequent contributors as one of the “Essential Acoustic Albums of 2010”.

With Appearances at the 2009 Montreal Guitar Festival, USA and Worldwide tours and Guitar workshops, Gareth’s reputation as a performer and teacher is constantly growing.

“Gareth is fast becoming one of the worlds most renowned instrumental guitarists”

Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales)

“I really respect Gareth’s abilities. He’s a great young man and a great ambassador for the acoustic guitar”
.Tommy Emmanuel .

“I’m Gareth’s number one fan! What a guitarist! His original compositions hit the ears like cool spring water on a hot summer’s day. His stage show has everyone up on their feet. Fingerstyle guitar is in good hands for the next generation”
Stefan Grossman

“Not only is Gareth one of the most amazing guitarists around, he is a really nice guy and funny as hell!”
Andy McKee

“My friend Gareth Pearson is a huge talent and in his genre, one of the best young players around. I mean there’s many roads that lead to Rome, but this one is definitely a great one. I can see a great future for him”
Jan Akkerman

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The Wanted

“Beautifully blurring the lines between Folk and AltCountry, with that Canadian ‘edge’ and trademarked ‘cool’ that is so difficult to put into words.”- The Rocking Magpie (UK)

For over a decade and a half now, The Wanted have built a reputation for writing honest and gritty roots songs, infused with a spirit that’s darkly haunting, incisively witty, or just plain fun. It’s an approach the Toronto-based group has honed since their early days, cutting their teeth at storied roots venues and releasing their self-titled debut album, tallying close to a half-million Spotify streams.

For Strange Flight, their new album, The Wanted enlisted Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies, whose trademark sonic approach emphasizes live group chemistry. And that was indeed the result when Natalie Rogers (vocals, guitar), Jeff Rogers (vocals, guitar) and Richard Henderson (acoustic lap steel guitar, vocals) emerged from The Hangar, the Junkies’ recording studio, with Strange Flight’s 10 tracks. The Wanted forge a fresh sound by finding common ground in diverse musical influences— reconstructing roots music, one song at a time. This is full-throated, full-throttle swamp americana, with edgy licks, infectious rhythms and soaring harmonies— a “performance worthy of The Ryman on a steamy Saturday night.”

Note: Our summer concerts will be held outdoors with wood fired pizza available. Gates open at 5pm for the 6pm show. In the event of bad weather we will be able to move the concert indoors. The show must go on! If you are not able attend please contact us so we may make your seats available to someone on our waiting list. We need 48 hours notice in order to issue your FULL refund. If you are not able to give the required notice please consider your ticket purchase as a donation to the band or contact us for an 80% refund.