Welcome to Trent Valley Archives

Scene from Crossing Over. Two men fighting

Trent Valley Archives Theatre
Returning May 2025

Crossing Over: Sequel Tide of Hope
A Fundraiser for The Trent Valley Archives

Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, Peterborough

May 29, 30, & 31 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 31 at 2 PM

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.

Get your ticket, step back in time, and set sail with the Hagertys, Nagles, Owens, Regans, Ryans, Slatterys, Sullivans, and Youngs on their perilous, six-week journey across the Atlantic. This story of tremendous courage in the face of the unknown is narrated by John Keleher, an experienced seaman and Peter Robinson settler.

Prepare yourself for the ride of your life: storms, seasickness, scarlet fever, family feuds, petty larceny, plots and counterplots, rotting potatoes, mutiny, and the lash.
(More information.)

*** Purchase Your Ticket Today! ***

Tickets are $30 or $40 for cabaret table seating.
Tickets can be purchased from the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre box office, Monday to Friday, noon to 5 PM, by phoning (705)-749-1146 or by emailing boxoffice@markethall.com.


Join Us for Our Annual General Meeting

Thursday, May 22 at 7pm
Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre

Presentation by guest speaker Dennis Carter-Edwards.⁠

Dennis Carter-Edwards is a local historian and the author of the recent Peterborough Historical Society Occasional Paper “From Tap to Toilet: The Introduction of Water Works and Sewers to Peterborough” about the development of Peterborough’s water and sewage systems. Though taken for granted today, the supply of safe water and the treatment of human and industrial waste had a major impact on the quality of life for Peterborough citizens and the progressive development of our community.

Although essential, these improvements were frequently the subject of endless debate at city council where community leaders argued about whether or not these services should be public or private. In the end, Peterborough acquired a sewage and water system that put it at the forefront of municipal development, but not without some contention. Using new images and documentary sources, Dennis will tell the full story of how these systems arrived in (and completely transformed) our community. Register for this free event


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


Photos from Peterborough County Tourism's post ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
As our production of Crossing Over gets ready to set sail at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (tonight is our opening night!) we wanted to take a moment to thank our generous sponsors and donors. This year's production would not be possible without their support, as their financial and promotional contributions helped us mitigate production expenses and get the word out about Crossing Over in our community. We would like to thank this year's Platinum Sponsor, The Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences; this year's Platinum Media Sponsor kawarthaNOW; this year's Gold Media Sponsor PTBO Canada; this year's Silver Sponsor Templeton Law; and this year's Bronze Sponsor Activity Haven. We would also like to thank our donors: Theatre Fan Jim Abel; Theatre Devotee Mary Paquette; and Theatre Aficionado Harry Huffman. Special thanks to Selwyn Township for supporting our program printing with the Selwyn Township Municipal Grant. Finally, we would like to thank our Community Partners for supporting us in various ways: the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club, Kawartha Window Cleaning and Right to Heal PTBO. Although sponsorship opportunities are no longer available for this year's production, we are looking forward to staging another incredible production next year. If you're interested in becoming a sponsor of next year's production, please email us at TVAT@trentvalleyarchives.com. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
Last night, our Crossing Over cast had their dress rehearsal in front of an invited audience at Market Hall. The play was well received by the audience and the cast did a fantastic job! We are so proud of both our cast and our creative team for bringing this important historical story to life, especially during the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. We hope to see you at one of our performances this weekend! If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, there are still tickets available to all four (tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night at 7:30pm and Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm) but tickets are selling quickly, especially to our matinee. They can be purchased on the Market Hall website, here: tickets.markethall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=433 The John Barry is only anchored for a limited time, so don't miss the boat! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
Last night, our Crossing Over cast had their dress rehearsal in front of an invited audience at Market Hall. The play was well received by the audience and the cast did a fantastic job! We are so proud of both our cast and our creative team for bringing this important historical story to life, especially during the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. We hope to see you at one of our performances this weekend! If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, there are still tickets available to all four (tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night at 7:30pm and Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm) but tickets are selling quickly, especially to our matinee. They can be purchased on the Market Hall website via the link in our bio. The John Barry is only anchored for a limited time, so don't miss the boat! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook