Trent Valley Archives Theatre
Returning May 2025
Crossing Over: Sequel Tide of Hope
A Fundraiser for The Trent Valley Archives
May 29 – 31, 2025
Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Peter Robinson settlers from Ireland to our district in 1825, ‘Crossing Over’ is a fictionalized account of the voyage of the emigrant transport ship, John Barry.
(More information.)
*** Tickets Available Now! ***
Have you seen the updated Heritage Gazette?
We are pleased to continue and expand on the pioneering work of archivist Elwood Jones and Steve Gavard as we explore the near and distant past in this full colour publication.
View the current and past issues
Crossing Over, through the lens of the Nagle and Ryan families, documents the hardships so many Irish families faced on their transatlantic ocean journey to Canada as part of the wider Peter Robinson Irish Emigration, and we think their story of resilience and courage in the face of this hardship is an important one that every family needs to see. To encourage you to bring your family and friends to see this important historical production, we're offering a discount on purchases of 4 packs of tickets! This Family Day weekend, from Friday, February 14 to Monday, February 17, when you purchase 4 tickets to our any of our performances (Thursday May 29, Friday May 30, and Saturday May 31) you'll save 20% off the total cost of all four tickets. That means that instead of spending $120 on four tickets, you'll be spending $96, getting one ticket for just $6! To purchase tickets, visit our Crossing Over ticket page via the link in our bio or call the Market Hall box office at 705-775-1503 during the promotion period. No discount code is required.![]()
![]()
Note: This discount is only applicable on four packs of tickets (if you purchase four tickets you get a discount on all four, if you purchase six tickets, you get a discount on just four of those tickets, and if you purchase eight tickets, you get a discount on all eight). It can only be applied to regular auditorium seating (not cabaret seating) for all four performances. Previously purchased tickets cannot be exchanged for this promotion. ![]()
![]()
Crossing Over is generously sponsored by our Platinum Sponsor the Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences and our Platinum Media Sponsor kawarthaNOW. Crossing Over is also generously sponsored by our Silver Sponsor Templeton Law and our Media Sponsor PTBO Canada. We would also like to thank our community partners the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club and Kawartha Window Cleaning.
Are you a local actor who wants to bring your community's history to life on stage? Keep reading! We're looking to cast 16 volunteer actors of all ages and levels of experience for our upcoming production of Crossing Over, which will be performed at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in May of this year. ![]()
![]()
The play, which is a sequel to last year's sold-out show Tide of Hope, takes place aboard the storm-tossed John Barry, the last of the nine emigrant transport ships that ultimately brought over 2,000 Irish settlers to our area in 1825. It will be one of the first events in our community commemorating the Bicentennial of the emigration this year. ![]()
![]()
If this sounds like a production you want to be a part of, come out to our auditions! Auditions for Crossing Over will be held on February 25 and 26 from 6:30 to 9:30pm in the Right to Heal hall, located at 441 Rubidge Street in Peterborough (enter from the parking lot on Brock Street between Rubidge and Reid Streets). You don't need to prepare anything in advance. All you need to do is show up ready to read for a variety of parts!![]()
![]()
For more information or to sign up for an official audition slot, visit our audition contact and sign-up page, here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0CYEIXtBpDamxgv-nPjIqgC80LQQUjhacyfYHrZ8n2sAVog/viewform![]()
![]()
NOTE: If you are cast in the production, there will be a cast meeting on March 4 at 6:30pm, and rehearsals on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from April 15 to May 21 at the Right to Heal Hall. The play will be performed four times: May 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30pm and May 31 at 2pm, and you will need to be available for the majority of the production week of May 26 to 31.
We're excited to announce that the Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences and kawarthaNOW, our Platinum Sponsor and Platinum Media Sponsor of Tide of Hope, have returned to sponsor this year's production of Crossing Over! Each have pledged $3,000 in funds or services to the play, which will be performed at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough on May 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30pm and May 31 at 2:00pm. ![]()
![]()
Our Crossing Over co-producers, Greg and Mary Conchelos, emphasize that support from our sponsors and donors is vital to ensuring that the play is a fundraising success for the Trent Valley Archives. "We are grateful to our returning sponsors and donors. Even with a volunteer cast and crew, putting on a theatrical production like Crossing Over requires many front-end expenditures. That impacts the amount of money we can raise for TVA, as 100% of the funds generated from this production will go to support the work TVA does preserving our community's history and making its 1,000+ collection of archival fonds accessible to the public." ![]()
![]()
It's not to late to become a sponsor! You can follow in the footsteps of The Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences and kawarthaNOW and support Crossing Over at the Gold, Silver or Bronze level. Each level of sponsorship guarantees you an ad in our Heritage Gazette and Crossing Over playbill, and your name and logo will appear in all of our promotional materials for the play. For more information on sponsorship, email us at tvat@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-298-2350. ![]()
![]()
You can also support Crossing Over by making a donation. Donations, no matter how small, can be made on our website, here: trentvalleyarchives.com/about-2/donations/ (although only donations of $20 or more will be eligible for a tax receipt). Donors will be recognized in the Crossing Over playbill and on our website and social media, unless you would prefer to remain anonymous. ![]()
![]()
[Image Caption: Madison More (left), President of the Board of Trent Valley Archives, Harry Huffman (centre), Vice President of the TVA Board and Sarah Joore (centre), Sales and Marketing Project Coordinator at the Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences.]
Time is running out to register for our members-only Zoom presentation happening this Thursday, January 30th at 7pm! Registration is open until tomorrow night at midnight.Last October, our archivist Dr. Elwood Jones gave a presentation about the Peter Robinson Settlement of 1825 to a full house at the Keene United Church. The presentation, which was well-received by everyone who attended, was hosted by the North Shore Women's Institute in anticipation of the 200th anniversary of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. [Pictured above. Photograph taken by Pat Marchen.]![]()
![]()
This month, as our community begins to commemorate the Bicentennial, he has decided to give the presentation again to Trent Valley Archives members as part of our members-only presentation series. Join us on Zoom on Thursday, January 30th at 7pm to hear Dr. Jones discuss the details of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration, an experiment which attempted to prove that a government's complete assistance to a group of 2,000 emigrants for a period of 18 months could be beneficial to both parties. While this was not the case, and the experiment was never repeated, it did accomplish other things.![]()
![]()
A compelling story of courage and determination in the face of adversity, the Peter Robinson Emigration gave hope to the Irish emigrants who chose to leave their old life behind in Ireland for the promise of a better one in Canada. It is important that this story is told now, more than ever, as we commemorate the Bicentennial in 2025. If you want to learn more about the history behind the emigration, you won't want to miss this presentation!![]()
![]()
This is a free, members-only event and you must be a member to view the presentation. If you are already a member, check your inbox for an email from us with a link to register for the presentation. If you are not a member, don't worry! There's still time to purchase a membership and receive the registration link. In addition to getting invited to exclusive members-only presentations like this one, your membership will also give you unlimited access to all of the resources we have at TVA, including Ancestry, our genealogy wall, and over 1,000 archival fonds. A single membership is $60 per year and can be purchased at our archives building (we're open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-4pm) or online, here: trentvalleyarchives.com/membership/
Last October, our archivist Dr. Elwood Jones gave a presentation about the Peter Robinson Settlement of 1825 to a full house at the Keene United Church. The presentation, which was well-received by everyone who attended, was hosted by the North Shore Women's Institute in anticipation of the 200th anniversary of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. [Pictured above. Photograph taken by Pat Marchen.]![]()
![]()
This month, as our community begins to commemorate the Bicentennial, he has decided to give the presentation again to Trent Valley Archives members as part of our members-only presentation series. Join us on Zoom on Thursday, January 30th at 7pm to hear Dr. Jones discuss the details of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration, an experiment which attempted to prove that a government's complete assistance to a group of 2,000 emigrants for a period of 18 months could be beneficial to both parties. While this was not the case, and the experiment was never repeated, it did accomplish other things.![]()
![]()
A compelling story of courage and determination in the face of adversity, the Peter Robinson Emigration gave hope to the Irish emigrants who chose to leave their old life behind in Ireland for the promise of a better one in Canada. It is important that this story is told now, more than ever, as we commemorate the Bicentennial in 2025. If you want to learn more about the history behind the emigration, you won't want to miss this presentation!![]()
![]()
This is a free, members-only event and you must be a member to view the presentation. If you are already a member, check your inbox for an email from us with a link to register for the presentation. If you are not a member, don't worry! There's still time to purchase a membership and receive the registration link. In addition to getting invited to exclusive members-only presentations like this one, your membership will also give you unlimited access to all of the resources we have at TVA, including Ancestry, our genealogy wall, and over 1,000 archival fonds. A single membership is $60 per year and can be purchased at our archives building (we're open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-4pm) or online, here: trentvalleyarchives.com/membership/