Trent Valley Archives Theatre Returning in 2026
June 4, 5, 6 and 7 — A Fundraiser for The Trent Valley Archives at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, Peterborough. Click here for more information.
The Kid from Simcoe Street
In our adaptation of this moving World War II era memoir, James Clarke recalls growing up in the poor and alcohol-ridden neighbourhood of downtown Peterborough.
As a boy, his father had been a foot soldier, but after coming home from the battlefields he turned to manic drinking and belligerence, shattering his wife’s dreams, and casting a dark shadow over James’ boyhood.
This story, told with emotion that is unflinching in its honesty, lets us see just how remarkable it is that James Clarke became not only a man esteemed and honoured as a judge of the Superior Court of Ontario, but as a respected poet, too.
Purchase your copy from Exile Editions
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
The Gilbert Painter fonds at the Trent Valley Archives is a special one. Instead of sitting inside boxes, like most of our archival holdings, the material in this fonds hangs on the walls inside TVA. A collection of dozens of colourful portraits, they quietly look down on everyone who passes by on their way to retrieve a box from our main storage area. The portraits have captivated all who have seen them, including filmmaker Nick Van der Graaf, who was inspired to make them the subject of his next documentary film.![]()
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Entitled Painter's Portraits, this short film shines a spotlight on these portraits, which were all the work of one artist: Gilbert Painter. In the filmmaker's words: "Painter's Portraits," is a documentary short about the Trent Valley Archives collection of paintings by Peterborough artist Gilbert Painter. Painter, hailed in his youth as an artistic prodigy, became an engineer and after WWII worked at GE in Peterborough. Post-retirement he devoted himself to painting hundreds of portraits of local people from across the region. The breadth of the collection, and its relationship to the community, are explored in this 15-minute film."![]()
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To celebrate the completion of the film and its thoughtful portrayal of one of our more unique archival fonds, we're hosting a premiere at Bagnani Hall on the afternoon of Saturday, March 28 at 2pm. The screening of the film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and others who made contributions to the film, who will speak about both the filmmaking process and the collection of portraits itself. Light refreshments will be provided.![]()
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Tickets to the screening cost $10 each and can be purchased in advance on Eventbrite, here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/painters-portraits-film-premiere-tickets-1985405905509?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep... or at the door.
We hosted a very successful book signing event yesterday (March 14) with Irish historical geographer Christy Roche! Christy, who is the author of the 2025 book "From Whence They Came," was pleased to meet so many enthusiastic TVA volunteers and community members and chat with them about their interest in (and connections to) Ireland and the Peter Robinson Emigration. ![]()
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We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out to our archives building yesterday to support both Christy and the Trent Valley Archives. We appreciate every single person who purchased a copy of "From Whence They Came" and we hope it proves to be both an enjoyable read and a helpful resource in your family history research. ![]()
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We also want to thank our volunteers who helped this event run smoothly, including our Reading Room Manager Dianne Tedford for setting up a beautiful display of Irish-themed Beleek pottery that added to the afternoon's ambience (pictured in the last photograph), and the Board of Nine Ships 1825 who keenly supported this event and ensured it was a part of Christy's itinerary. ![]()
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The event was a sell-out, but if you're still looking for a copy of "From Whence They Came," he will be selling a few remaining copies at his talk tomorrow afternoon (March 16) at 1:30pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
We’re gearing up for our book signing event with Irish historical geographer, author, and Peterborough St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshall Christy Roche! He will be signing copies of his latest book From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers, published in 2025 to coincide with the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Emigration. The book chronicles the towns and villages the Peter Robinson Emigrants left behind in 1825, providing the historical context behind each community alongside full-colour photographs of the historic buildings that existed at the time of the emigrants’ departure. A faithful companion to anyone researching their Peter Robinson emigrant ancestors, the book is available in both hardcover (pictured) and softcover, although we only have one hardcover copy left. ![]()
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Our archives building at 567 Carnegie Avenue is all decked out in its St. Patrick’s Day finery and is ready to welcome you tomorrow afternoon (March 14)! Drop by anytime between 1pm and 3pm to purchase a copy of the book, chat with the author, and enjoy some refreshments. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore everything else TVA has to offer, including our 1200+ archival fonds, our extensive research library and genealogy wall, and the other local history publications for sale in our bookstore. We hope to see you tomorrow!
Last Thursday, Madison More (the current president of the Trent Valley Archives) met with Sarah Joore (Sales and Marketing Project Coordinator) and Katie Zatorski (Sales and Marketing Coordinator) at Canterbury Gardens to thank the Gardens Retirement Living for their continued support of Trent Valley Archives Theatre and our upcoming production of "The Kid from Simcoe Street" which will be staged at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on June 4 and 5 at 7:30pm and June 5 and 6 at 2pm. ![]()
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We're pleased to welcome the Gardens back as Trent Valley Archives Theatre's Platinum Sponsor for the third year in a row, especially considering this year's production has a surprising connection to one of their residences. Empress Gardens, originally the location of the Empress Hotel, was where both of James Clarke's parents worked - his mother as a waitress and his father as a bellhop - and both his parents and the hotel are featured in the play. "The link to The Gardens is one that we were very pleased to learn about, and we are delighted to bring attention to the TVAs great work and preservation of our region’s history," said Sarah. ![]()
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We're equally pleased to welcome kawarthaNOW back as our Platinum Media Sponsor, who is also returning for the third year in a row. Both the Gardens Retirement Living and kawarthaNOW, along with our other sponsors, donors and community partners, are essential to the success of Trent Valley Archives Theatre. Their monetary and in-kind support will help us mitigate the expenses required to stage "The Kid from Simcoe Street" this year, and in turn increase the revenue generated for the Trent Valley Archives. 100% of this revenue will go to support the work TVA does preserving our community's history and making its 1,200+ collection of archival fonds accessible to the public. ![]()
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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 "The Kid from Simcoe Street" at the Gold, Silver or Bronze level. Each level of sponsorship guarantees you an ad in our Heritage Gazette and "The Kid from Simcoe Street" playbill, and your name and logo will appear in all of our upcoming promotional materials for the play. For more information on sponsorship, email us at tvat@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-745-4404. ![]()
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[Image Caption: Madison More (left) and Sarah Joore (right) with a copy of James Clarke's memoir "The Kid from Simcoe Street" that this year's TVAT production is based on.]
We can't wait to welcome Peterborough St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshall Christy Roche to the Trent Valley Archives this Saturday, March 14 for our book signing event in celebration of Irish Heritage Month! ![]()
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Christy is an Irish historical geographer and author, and drew upon his background in historical geography to produce his latest book "From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers," published in 2025 to correspond with the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. The book highlights the Irish towns and villages the Robinson emigrant families called home in the early 1820s, just before they embarked on their life-changing journey across the Atlantic. Each has been given a dedicated two-page spread that contains historical context about the area and two full-colour photographs of buildings that the emigrants themselves would have been familiar with. ![]()
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Drop by our archives building anytime between 1pm and 3pm to purchase a copy of the book, chat with the author, and enjoy some light refreshments. Both hardcover and softcover copies of the book will be for sale at the signing but inventory is limited, so we recommend you arrive early. Please note that we can only accept cash and e-transfer payments on site so we recommend that you bring cash with you. In addition to Christy's book, we have other books about the Peter Robinson Emigration (like the Nine Ships Bicentennial Souvenir Book) and other local historical topics for sale in our bookstore, so you're sure to find something that interests you!