Resilience. The Northumberland Players have been tested and have met every challenge head on, driven by a passion to continue this wonderful theatre company.

We approach this new season with optimism and with an even stronger commitment to continue serving the community by providing opportunities to participate in theatre.

The 2021-2022 season was an interesting one. After pivoting to an outdoor season, rehearsing with masks, mounting shows with the hope that they might be performed, planning and replanning, we performed readings, one act plays, dinner theatre, concerts and summer camps.

We moved out of a shop and a barn and moved into a brand new building while following a strong financial plan.

We applied for and received two Trillium Grants. We donated money to the Food Bank and Cornerstone, worked with local social service agencies and subsidized summer camps for families in need and provided scholarships to local students to help in their post secondary education.

And now, 2022-2023. With the incredible support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Town of Cobourg, and local businesses that continue giving, we are poised for an incredible season.

This year’s playbill won’t disappoint. I guarantee that every evening you spend with us will entertain and engage you because our company is full of talented performers, musicians, directors, artists, costume designers, builders, conductors, musical directors, choreographers, and stage crew who spend hours mastering their craft so they can bring to you the highest quality work at an affordable price. You don't have to travel to the big city: our goal is to have you stay close to home and trust that The Northumberland Players have your performance card filled!

Here is why I think these picks will keep you in Northumberland County.

We start with an incredible evening of jazz and blues with Autumn Reflections featuring The Tanya Wills Quartet, in the historic Victoria Hall concert hall. Elegance, style and class wrapped up in a sound you will not forget. Have a drink with friends and enjoy the show in cabaret seating.

The long awaited Honky Tonk Angels is a delicious musical comedy. Enjoy the dinner theatre at the Best Western Plus and then put on your cowboy boots and enjoy some of the best country music hits performed by a stellar female trio and a live country band. I am so ready to see this show after it has been postponed three times. I know I am biased, but get your tickets for this one so you get those tables near the front! It will sell out early!

You Will Remember Me has been waiting for over two years to be performed. The Firehall Theatre is the perfect venue for this great Canadian drama: poignant and lyrical with a story so many of us are living. This play is what theatre was always meant to do.

After a very successful Christmas concert last year A Wonderful Christmas Time is a new Christmas concert with a live band and the best ensemble of local singers, just in time for the entire family to get into the holiday season.

Do you remember the Charlie Brown animation classic? The NP Youth Theatre performs A Charlie Brown Christmas on the large stage at Victoria Hall. This is a perfect opportunity to make some memories with the family and give your kids a real theatre experience. Over 140 children attended camp this summer and the kids are ready to perform!

Hilda’s Yard opens the new year at the Best Western Plus Dinner Theatre. Everyone loves a good Norm Foster play. This play takes you back to the 50’s where some things never change for the empty nesters. Is the nest ever empty? Come as a couple or better yet book a table.

The iconic musical classic Into the Woods is our way to celebrate the life of arguably the greatest composer and lyricist in the history of musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim. The award winning Broadway hit and the movie are reminders that this tale never loses its relevance. With a live orchestra and a creative concep , the Capitol Theatre stage will be transformed into a forest where fairytales and life collide. I think the story will take on a whole new meaning as we are all just coming out of the woods.

After mounting Leaving Home by David French several years ago in the Firehall Theatre, we finally bring you the prequel, Salt Water Moon. This is a beautiful love story by one of the most influential Canadian playwrights. Let us take you back to 1926 rural Newfoundland where the Mercer saga all began.

I’m not going to try to pretend A Night in Provence is something it is not. As the director of the play, I can tell you it is a fun filled romp of crazy characters. It is described as a “comedy of manners”, but I see so many farcical elements that it exudes fast paced hilarity. This is a delicious and naughty dinner theatre entertainment at its best.

The season fittingly comes to an end with a play called The Cemetery Club. Don’t let the name of the play fool you. It is even funnier on stage than the 1993 movie starring Olympia Dukakis. It is a funny and heartwarming reminder that no matter how old you are, with the right attitude the best times are ahead.

Jack Boyagian
Artistic Director