The Voice of North Grenville
The Voice of North Grenville
Reaching by direct mail 8,900 homes and businesses in North Grenville www.ngtimes.ca www.ngtimes.ca
April 30, 2026
Vol. 14 No. 16
NGCT’s spring production
"Proudly serving our Community"
Dan Pettigrew Owner & friendly neighbour T: 613.774.1958 Dan.Pettigrew@sobeys.com foodland.ca 12015 Main Street Winchester, ON
by Catherine PottsHalpin
The North Grenville Community Theatre is gearing up for a lively spring, and local audiences will want to circle the dates now. NGCT's 2026 mainstage production is The Perils of Persephone, a fast-moving Canadian comedy that drops a perfectly ordinary rural family into a perfectly extraordinary crisis. Set in the fictional Persephone Township, the play follows a farm household whose quiet routine is upended by
April 16, 2026
an unexpected atomic scare. Before long, their yard is swarming with reporters, government officials with suspiciously vague explanations, and a truck driver who may be a little too relaxed for the situation at hand. Through it all, the cows still need milking, the chores don't stop, and someone has to keep making sandwiches for the ever-growing crowd of uninvited guests. It's classic Dan Needles: warm, witty, and rooted in the rhythms of
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rural Ontario life. Performances will take place at the Urbandale Arts Centre — the spacious, comfortable theatre inside the North Grenville Municipal Centre. It's an ideal venue to enjoy the work of NGCT's talented cast and crew, with excellent sightlines and plenty of parking for theatregoers. This production also marks an exciting milestone for director Alyson Reid, taking the helm for her first full-length show. Au-
diences will remember her as Lady Somerset in NGCT's 2024 hit Bloody Murder. This time she'll be guiding the action from offstage… unless fate demands a last-minute understudy, as sometimes happens in community theatre. Playwright Dan Needles, beloved for his Wingfield Farm series and his stories of Persephone Township, has crafted a script that's suitable for all ages — a perfect choice for families, longtime theatre fans, and anyone who enjoys a smart, goodnatured comedy with a local flavour. NGCT will present four performances: evening shows at 7:30 p.m. from May 28 to May 30, and a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. on May 31. With Needles' trademark humour, a strong local cast, and a director making an exciting debut, The Perils of Persephone promises to be a highlight of the spring arts season.
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