BY AMY ALLEN & MATT HARRISON
Bedtime Stories
“Here goes nothing” — words a woman utters as she peaks under her husband’s jammies whilst in bed. Bedtime Stories, which opened this week at Ottawa Little Theatre, explores six separate tales revolving around the bed, a mattress — even a chaise longue. The comedy, by Norm Foster, plays nightly at 7:30 p.m. until August 1. For more info, including ticket prices, visit here.
Ottawa Little Theatre is at 400 King Edward Ave.
Let Us Entertain You
Still reeling from the War of 1812, the powers that be over in England wanted a new, more secure, supply route between Montreal and Toronto. In 1826, construction began on the Rideau Canal. Hundreds died building it, and Ottawa (known in those days as the rough and tumble Bytown) grew up around it.
This is just one part of the tapestry that makes up Ottawa’s rich history. Ottawa StoryTellers traces the capital’s evolution from the days of street brawls between the Irish and French Canadians to the more docile times of diplomacy and politics. Performances run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 at the Bytown Museum as part of its Let Us Entertain You series. Each performance covers a different topic and runs for 10 minutes. Admission is free. More info, visit here.
The Bytown Museum is at 1 Canal Lane (beside the Chateau Laurier)
Neville Smith
He’s worked with renowned Canadian artist, Gerald Trottier; he spent time at Crawley Films as an animator (famous for the ‘75 academy-award winning doc, The Man Who Skied Down Everest); he worked on design for Expo ’70 in Osaka Japan; he founded his own group with fellow Canadians — Norman Takeuchi and Morris Danylewich; and he has subsequently won numerous accolades for his own work — Neville Smith returns to Ottawa for a showing of his art at La Petite Mort, which will launch the exhibit with a vernissage on Friday, July 17, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Smith will be in attendance — as will his striking illustrative work, which spans his career. Pieces will also be for sale. The exhibit is up until July 23. More info, visit here.
La Petite Mort is on 306 Cumberland St.
Behind Closed Doors FREE
Body of Evidence — not the unwatchable piece of 80’s celluloid that starred Madonna (remember the “hot wax and champagne scene”?). Rather (and thankfully) this is the title of Gallery 101’s summer art exhibit. Both, ironically, deal with criminality — Body of Evidence stole my innocence and ruined forever my respect for Willem Dafoe; Behind Closed Doors: Body of Evidence looks at the artist as a criminal. Specifically, Natascha Niederstrass, the artist behind the exhibit, wonders about the artists’ research process and their way to oscillate between the acceptable rules and limits of art without transgressing them. Er, what now? It’s a piece based on one of Marcel Duchamp’s work with added components that suggests that the late French artist was involved in the murder of the “Black Dahlia.” Intrigued? Check it out — the vernissage is this Saturday, July 18. The exhibit is on until August 15. More info, visit here.
Gallery 101 is at 51 B Young St.
Rachel Sermanni
Rachel grew up in a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Surrounded by music, her father taught her to play the penny whistle when she was young. She eventually graduated to the guitar, and, inspired by the Highlands’ magical, mountainous terrain, she also began to write her own songs.
Now, at the tender age of 23, Rachel Sermanni has two folk-noir albums to show for her years of hard work — Under Mountains, a dreamy release full of fairytale imagery, and Tied to the Moon, an earthier, grungier collection she wrote while she was living in Nova Scotia. Check out this video for “The Fog.”
Rachel performs at the Black Sheep Inn on Saturday, July 18 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $10. More info, visit here.
The Black Sheep Inn is at 753 Riverside Dr.
Ice Cream Festival
Until well into the 1800s, ice cream was a treat enjoyed only by the very wealthy who could afford to keep food cold. But in the mid 19th century, a Swiss entrepreneur named Carlo Gatti came to London to sell ice cream on street corners for a penny — and the rest, as they say, is history.
During the Ice Cream Festival at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, you can try your hand at making this tasty treat yourself. It runs from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 19. Stop by to get the scoop on old-fashioned ice cream making, learn about the development of milkshakes and the soda shop, see how farmers separate cream from milk, and much more. Festival is included with museum admission ($10; $8 for students and seniors; $7 for children aged three to 12; free for children under three).
The Museum is at 901 Prince of Wales Dr.