Thistle Theatre

We’re bringing back our very first production at Thistle Theatre from November 1995 to celebrate our 30th Anniversary with We are excited to announce that the November 2025 show for Thistle Theatre will be “The Perils of Persephone” by Dan Needles.

Show dates are November 14 to 16, and 20 to 23, 2025.

This play by Dan Needles, who is most well-known for his series of “Wingfield” plays, first premiered at the Blyth Festival in 1989. The play is set in the same fictional farming community of Persephone Township as the “Wingfield” plays. The play tells the story of a truck with radioactive material that crashes into a swamp near a family farm in rural Ontario. The farm community is pitted against government people from the city who want to downplay the situation, with hilarious results.

The actors chosen include a past Dramarama grad, and 2 others who are new to Thistle Theatre. These new folks have been in shows, one in neighbouring groups  and one on the other side of the world! There are certainly a few familiar faces as well.

CAST: Eldon – Doug Turvey; Marge – Heather West; Wendy – Becca Potter; Orval – John Hazeleger; Francis Hinkley – Shrirang Raval; Henry Burford – D’Arcy Irvine; and, Skip Fuller – Becky Issenman.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW! Click HERE to get them!

This year, Knox United Church will be hosting a full sit-down meal before the Saturday evening performances. Saturday, November 15th offers a Homestyle Meatloaf meal, and Saturday, November 22nd offers a delicious Turkey Dinner “with all the trimmings”. Be sure to add these on when you get your tickets, or call the Box Office at 226-785-3353 to book. These are limited seating meals and sell out quickly! Don’t miss out!

Mighty Men of Zorra Auditions

Thistle Theatre is presenting another historical play this coming winter called the “Mighty Men of Zorra”. This play will detail the successful local tug of war team climaxing with the win at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The play written by Bill Butt will also describe historical community events leading up to the win.

We need men and women of all ages to audition for this new play which also includes music of the time.

Auditions will be held on Sept 21 and Sept 24 starting at 7 pm at Knox United Embro. Information for the auditions text Don Hilborn at 519 537 3756.  

Thistle Theatre is going to Western Ontario Drama League Minifest this year, and we are doing a preview show in Embro before heading out to Hamilton to perform it at Minifest. Live audiences help the performers in many ways, and we’d love to show you what we’ve been up to before we head to Hamilton! We invite you to come out and see this funny one-act show in Embro. One night only!! Admission is by donation. You don’t need to get tickets or sign up, just come that evening and join us at the theatre.

“Scoundrels In Kelowna” by Gordon Walker – Tuesday, July 22nd at 7:30pm. 

CAST: Dave & Annie Parker, Jeff & Joanna Sweete, Lynda Pillon, Peter Johnson, and Jolanda Van der Eijk.

We are excited to announce that the November 2025 show for Thistle Theatre will be “The Perils of Persephone” by Dan Needles. We’re bringing back our very first production at Thistle Theatre from November 1995 to celebrate our 30th Anniversary. Show dates will be November 14 to 16, and 20 to 23, 2025.
This play by Dan Needles, who is most well-known for his series of “Wingfield” plays, first premiered at the Blyth Festival in 1989. The play is set in the same fictional farming community of Persephone Township as the “Wingfield” plays. The play tells the story of a truck with radioactive material that crashes into a swamp near a family farm in rural Ontario. The farm community is pitted against government people from the city who want to downplay the situation, with hilarious results. The show will be directed by Sue Garner and produced by John Turvey. 

We are excited to announce our cast! We had a high turnout for auditions, with everyone who came out displaying solid acting skills.  Thanks to everyone who came out for auditions. The actors chosen include a past Dramarama grad, and 2 others who are new to Thistle Theatre. These new folks have been in shows, one in neighbouring groups  and one on the other side of the world! There are certainly a few  familiar faces as well. Director Sue Garner and Assistant Director Lynda Pillon look forward to working with the following people: 

Eldon – Doug Turvey; Marge – Heather West; Wendy – Becca Potter; Orval – John Hazeleger; Francis Hinkley – Shrirang Raval; Henry Burford – D’Arcy Irvine; and, Skip Fuller – Becky Issenman.

Are you interested in being a volunteer or being part of the crew for this production?  Please reach out to John Turvey at [email protected]. We still have a few spots to fill. Stay tuned for more details about box office in the coming months.

Thistle Theatre presents the 29th season of DRAMARAMA! Join us at the Embro Town Hall for imagination, creativity and FUN! Dramarama is our summer day camp for young people ages 6 to 13 (born 2019-2012). Our first session from July 7^th to July 18^th is full, but we still have a few spots available for our second session which runs from July 21-August 1^st.  A 2-week session at Dramarama is all about developing creativity, self-expression, and self-confidence. Workshops in drama, music, dance, arts and crafts, and theatre production take place each morning, with the afternoon spent working in small groups to collectively create short plays. The plays are then performed for family and friends on the final day of the camp. Join us for one, or both sessions. Camps run daily from 9 am to 3 pm.

Session rates are $375, per camper. Do NOT miss your chance to get the kids signed up for one of the most awesome and fun camps this summer! Register now! For more information, please head to www.thistle-theatre.com and click on the Dramarama page. Registration is 100% online for the summer 2025 season. 

Have a camper who isn’t sure, or just can’t get enough of Dramarama? New this year, we will be offering three one-day camps on July 2, July 3, and July 4th. These one-day camps will focus on building skills and getting creative with arts & crafts. For those who have never been to Dramarama before, these day camps can offer a glimpse into what our full Dramarama sessions are like. Registration for the one-day camps is $60 per day.  Please register online through the Dramarama page. Our day camps still have spaces available. Should you have additional questions, please email [email protected]

Want to come and watch the amazing Dramarama shows that the kids will be writing and performing themselves??  Shows for session one will be Friday July 18 @ 11am and 1 pm.  Shows for session two will be Friday August 1 @ 11 am and 1 pm.  Admission is by donation. The kids would love to have a big audience!! 

Don’t miss coming out for the return of our first play on the Thistle Theatre stage… ‘Perils of Persephone’ – Directed by Sue Garner

Do you want to act but just want a tiny part? Do you want a very short rehearsal period? Or maybe you just want something fun to do this summer!!

Minifest is the answer! Thistle Theatre is going to be part of Western Ontario Drama League ( WODL) Minifest 2025 in Binbrook July 25 & 26. 6 lucky groups will ALL perform Scoundrels in Kelowna by Gordon Walker. The whole play is just 20 minutes long!! Each group is encouraged be as crazy and creative as we want. After each performance, a workshop leader will explore the show we just saw and help everyone learn some new skills. Saturday night will feature a fun “awards” banquet.

Christina Shelly is going to direct Embro’s show – Minifest often has brand new directors. Sue Garner will stage manage. Acting parts call for 3 men and 4 women, all adults.

Auditions will be Tuesday May 20th. ( 7pm at Thistle Theatre ) You don’t need to prepare anything – just come! Rehearsals will be Tues and Thurs beginning June 10, with a couple weeks off from the end of June til July 8. There will be a performance on Tues July 22 in Embro, then off we go to Binbrook for the weekend.

If you have questions, or need a different audition time, contact Christina @ 226-232-4187 or Sue 226-663-4735

May 25 & 26 at 7pm at Thistle Theatre

May 25 & 26 at 7pm at the Theatre!

I am enough. With Sherry Garner

Get tickets and sign up for workshops HERE!

E-Male by Joan Veldman – This home-grown comedy only has THREE shows left!

Thursday – 7:30pm, Friday 7:30pm and a Matinee – Saturday 2:00pm

Tickets are $25 each – don’t miss it!