What to do in Ottawa this week, Nov. 2-8, 2023

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Published Nov 01, 2023 • 2 minute read

Ottawa musician Matthew Chaffey celebrates the release of Unknown Legend, his debut solo album, on Nov. 4, 2023. Photo by Matthew Chaffey /Supplied

SOUL

Sweet-voiced singer Matthew Chaffey is gearing up for the release of a new album called Unknown Legend. Produced by Ottawa Valley engineering wiz Ken Friesen, the project finds Chaffey delving into the smooth sounds of classic soul, while also injecting modern elements with the help of a band that features his guitar-playing brother, Curtis Chaffey, along with other luminaries of the Ottawa music scene, including Ben Di Millo, Laura Greenberg, Ed Lister, Steve Boudreau, the Asselin brothers, Jeff and Brian, and Leighton Rodney. They play the new material on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Meridian Centrepointe Theatre’s Les Lye Studio (101 Centrepointe Dr.). Tickets are $36.50, available at meridiancentrepointe.com. Showtime is 8 p.m.

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THEATRE

Theatre groups from Eastern Ontario are converging this weekend on the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville for a festival of one-act plays starting Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. That night, three plays, none of which will be longer than 60 minutes will be performed, and Saturday’s schedule, which begins at 1 p.m., includes six more plays. Awards will be handed out at an 11 a.m. Sunday brunch. Tickets, available at the door and at ticketsplease.ca, are $30 for a set of three plays, $50 for all nine plays, $80 for all plays plus the brunch, and $30 for the brunch. More information: eodl.ca/one-act-festival.

STORYTELLING

The Ottawa StoryTellers’ Signature series continues Thursday, Nov. 2, with a celebration of Irish storytelling. Niamh O’Brien and Erica O’Reilly, two women of Celtic heritage, will explore the magic and mysticism of Samhain, the Halloween season, and its significance throughout the history of Ireland. The fun starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Blackbox Studio at Arts Court (2 Daly Ave.). In-person tickets are $23, available at eventbrite.ca. On-demand tickets that give you a week to watch an online recording of the show are also available at the same link.

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FILM

The seventh annual edition of the OCan Film Festival puts the spotlight on Ottawa filmmakers at the ByTowne Cinema this weekend. Of the 18 made-in-Canada films to be screened, five were created by Ottawa-based filmmakers. They are: Jane Gurr’s documentary, Lunch at the Rideau; Sarah Marks and Mikey Tachuk’s comedy, Impulse Control; Stephanie Lalonde’s exploration of suicide, Life After…; Maissa Houri’s comedy, A Simple Mixup; and Karolyne Natasha’s feature-length bilingual entry, Broken Waters / Brise glace. Screenings are at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 to 3, and 9 p.m. Nov. 4. For schedule and ticket info, go to ocanfilmfest.ca.

FOOD

Six Ottawa restaurants, including Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine, Coconut Lagoon, Cocotte Bistro, Gitanes, Stofa and Paper Tiger Noodle Bar, will ply their wares Thursday night, Nov. 2, at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building, where the NOIR Gala in support of the Queensway Carleton Hospital will take place. The fundraiser will take its theme from Mexico’s Day of the Dead, traditionally celebrated in early November, and it has the support of the Embassy of Mexico in Canada. In addition to its food, the black-tie/cocktail-dress event will include live music and dance performances and a silent auction. The gala runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and tickets are $141.25 at wallcandy.art/noir-2023 or eventbrite.ca.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com and phum@postmedia.com