This past April Selaena Hayward wowed audiences in Dutton at the West Elgin Dramatics Society (WEDS) "Spring Fling" when she sang two songs, with her dad on guitar. In August, she performed a ninety-minute concert at the restored Glencoe Station. Once again, she left the crowd wanting more.

"The Bird’s and the Bees" by Mark Crawford opened on Wednesday afternoon to the largest audience in the Port Stanley Theatre’s history (a packed house in this year’s newly expanded theatre). Those theatre-goers had the pleasure of seeing this finale play for the 2016 season and were quick to give it an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Denise Mader bursts upon the stage to begin the first act of “This One” and for the remainder of the play mesmerizes the audience with a barrage of emotion, energy and humour.  It’s a one-woman show – a format perfectly matched to her very personal story.

Four people have headed for the woods in Port Stanley Festival Theatre’s Birds of a Feather. Three of them are in hot pursuit of the rare Bachman Warbler. Through a series of shifting conversational groupings and surprises, the real motivations for this bird-watching expedition are revealed.

When I began to listen to Passenger, Deni Gauthier’s latest album, the first word that came to mind was “pretty”, like what your reaction might be taking a path for the first time through a lovely wood. With Deni’s music, though, you know that will be just the first layer of experience. As you continue through this musicscape, you are likely to feel your senses taking over as you are washed with a myriad of sounds, memories, colours, feelings. Deni’s voice and lyrics draw you along, mostly gently, sometimes with a little firmness.

Four women are bound get to know each other quite well, meeting regularly for eighteen holes of golf over a period of many years.  As it turns out, they could also have missed the chance to discover a whole lot more. That’s about to change as “The Ladies Foursome” tees off and the audiences is invited along for a round of golf mixed with revelations of all sorts.

Youth can be found accomplishing remarkable things, often through school programs, right across Elgin County. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s sometimes easy to forget what the agile minds and exuberance of the young can accomplish with a little nurturing and encouragement. One of the most delightful ways to encounter their talents is during live music or theatre performances.