On Friday 9 May 2025 cast members Ezran, Argent, Agatha, and Evie came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk about their upcoming productions Alice @ Wonderland and High School Musical Jr..
Talking about the radio play The Canterville Ghost. Introducing Argent, Ezran, Evie, and Agatha. Talking about playing multiple roles, rehearsals. Explaining how Alice @ Wonderland has been updated. Explaining the “Jr.” in High School Musical Jr.
The actors tell Bob why they’re actors. Agatha says “You give your heart to the world.” It can be scary to be on stage, but once you’re on stage you get enraptured in your character and you forget you’re being observed. It helps to wear the costumes to get into the skin of the character.
29m44s
What happens when the show is over? Ezran says “I cry.” Argent says when you enjoy playing a character it’s hard to put it down. Evie says “Every show I’ve been in, I want to do again.” ActOUT! is for kids up to 17 years of age, what will they do when they’re older? They can volunteer with ActOUT!, and may even consider going into professional theatre, or working backstage in costumes, props, or set design. Maybe even become playwrights!
The actors recite some lines from their plays, and Ezran and Argent sing a bit from from High School Musical Jr.
43m24s
The performance is in a couple of weeks, what’s left to do? The actors tell Bob about the rehearsals, practicing blocking; it’s all nit-picky stuff now.
46m15s
Bob asks about ticket availability, tickets are availble from the ActOUT! KW website. There are eight performances, two each day. The actors will be missing school! But the teachers are pretty chill, and don’t mind.
49m30s
Coming up next for ActOUT! is the summer camps. This is for all ages. Don’t know what plays will be performed. Argent is aging out, but will be in a Singer’s Theatre production, Carrie The Musical.
56m30
Goodbyes, Thank Yous, and Bob gives the end credits.
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
On 5 May 2025 students from Mr. Lacalamita’s music class at St. Mary’s High School returned to the airwaves as guest hosts for CKMS Community Connections!
dan kellar Kitchener, ON – With a unanimous vote on Monday, Kitchener’s council declared the dark-eyed junco as the “official bird” of the city. The vote came on the heels of a public delegation from Meredith Blunt, of Bird Friendly City Kitchener. Blunt helped run the City Bird Poll which occurred in November and December 2024.
With 1265 votes cast in the poll, the dark-eyed junco, also known as the Junco Hyemalis, had 45.1% of the vote. The subspecies most likely to be seen around Kitchener is the Slate-coloured dark-eyed junco.
City staff also recommended the designation of the dark-eyed junco, noting it builds on Kitchener’s “Bird Friendly City” status, and aligns with the city’s strategic plan under the “Cultivating a Green City Together” heading.
This show features the delegation from Meredith Blunt, as well as a question and comments from councillors. Blunt is hosting birding walks and talks at City Hall’s pop-up space Sq. Peg on Wednesdays through Sundays all through May.
Through the Static’s 60th episode! (and my belated birthday episode 🙂 Exploring a mix of old and new, popular and a bit more behind the scenes, upbeat and cheery vs dark and moody. Enjoy the mix!
Episode XVII of Reader’s Delight features authors Emily De Angelis, Sruthi Amalan, and Caitlin Galway.
Emily discusses her new chapbook IN THE SPACE BETWEEN: THE ‘NEW WOMAN’ IN THE WRITING OF FLORENCE CARLYLE and reads some of her poetry as well as excerpts from Florence Carlyle’s work. She also provides a synopsis of her Young Adult novel The Stones of Burren Bay (Latitude 46 Publishing).
Sruthi Amalan speaks about her creative process and reads from her new poetry collection The skin is an ocean, due to be published in 2026 by DarkWinter Press.
Caitlin Galway offers some insight and background to her upcoming short story collection A Song For Wildcats (upcoming with Dundurn Press) and reads an excerpt from the title story in the collection.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
Bob Jonkman in the CKMS-FM studioBob Jonkman analyzes the campaigns of the parties running in the 2025 Federal Election, and gives some commentary on electoral reform and proportional representation.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
dan kellar
Waterloo Region, ON – On May 1st, mayors of 169 small and medium sized municipalities will be granted Strong Mayor Powers by the provincial government, giving them new abilities to direct hirings, enact by-laws, and set their budgets with less democratic participation by city councillors or the public. Since 2023, 47 other mayors have been granted the new status.
The conservative government says that the powers will help municipalities deliver on provincial priorities like building homes and infrastructure. However, data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows that housing starts were down 33% in January and February compared to the same months in 2024, leading critics, including the Green Party to question the effectiveness of the Strong Mayor strategy.
This show starts with an interview with MPP Clancy and moves onto interviews with the Mayor of Wilmot Township Natasha Salonen, and Mayor Sandy Shantz of Woolwich Township, who are both about to be granted the Strong Mayor Powers. Also included is a statement CKMS News received from Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe.
Breanna MacLeod introduces “ActOUT Kitchener Waterloo Children’s Drama Workshop”, but they tend to go by ActOUT! They do theatre by kids, for kids, and giving them experiences with live theatre that are hard to come by in a modern age. They stage full productions with kids as actors and participants. They partner with other community organizations, like KW Little Theatre, The Registry Theater, and Cambridge Arts Theatre. And they’re doing a play in Waterloo Park.
4m27s
And they’ll be doing some radio theatre, live in the CKMS-FM studio this Friday, 25 April 2025 at 5:00pm. The script is based on an old Oscar Wilde story called The Canterville Ghost. The kids have added some of their own material as well.
9m25s
Kids not only learn acting, but also script writing, blocking, stage management, lights and sound. Many of the people helping with assistant directing, assistant stage management are volunteers. Some are former participants in the program! And some have gone on to Stratford or Drayton. But most don’t, they leave with a better appreciation of theatre arts. In the program they’ve done musicals, plays, stage combat, drama, comedy. They’re always looking for new opportunities.
Suzanne and Breanna talk about scriptwriting, and finding appropriate and engaging material for performances. Breanna tells us about last year’s play in the park, Marian. Local scriptwriters can contact ActOUT! at info@actoutkw.com.
27m58s
Getting help from the community: Breanna met Jeff Stager from Radio Waterloo at the Community Picnic. They have a lot of contacts through different theatres, like Nadia at KWLT, and also Drayton Entertainment.
30m23s
Having a safe space to express yourself is important. There are participants with neurodivergence, or anxiety, kids experimenting with gender or part of the LGBTQ+ population. Theatre is a very supportive environment.
32m23s
Breanna takes us through the process of setting up a new production: Finding the script, one suitable for a bigger cast (particularly the musicals!) The actors are double-cast, one as more of a major role, and a second as a background player. Then looking for staff, such as director, choreographer, musical director. These are paid positions! Some programs a Laurier University have provided directors and other people from their theatre program. A musical may start rehearsing in September to prepare for a performance in December. Kids may put in six hours a week of rehearsal for a musical! This would be three hours on a weekday, and three more hours on a weekend. Then there might be eight shows over two weeks.
ActOUT! KW has been around for 30 years, Breanna has been involved for about 10 years, in various roles from Board member to General Manager. Breanna reviews a number of the upcoming programs and performances. And they’ll be announcing new programs and performances in June. The Board decides what performances are mounted. Always looking for volunteers: volunteer@actoutkw.com. People working with the children will have to undergo a vulnerable sector check. You can sign up your kids through the website.
56m18s
Breanna reviews all the contact information, and reviews the upcoming Radio Theatre production. Bob gives the end credits.
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
Dougal RossDouglas Ross, People’s Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studios for Meet The Candidate to talk to the voters on Thursday 24 April 2025.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
Kathleen Dueck and Margaretha DyckKathleen Dueck, United Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener South — Hespeler came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Wednesday 23 April 2025. She was accompanied by Margaretha Dyck, United Party candidate for Kitchener Centre.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
Kevin Dupuis, People’s Party of Canada candidate for Kitchener — Conestoga came into the CKMS-FM studio for “Meet The Candidate” on Monday 21 April 2025.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
Simon Guthrie and EricSimon Guthrie, the Green Party of Canada candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studios on Friday 18 April 2025 to speak to the voters.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
dan kellar
Waterloo, ON – With the launch of “version 2” of the Cycling Guide, Mark Connoly told CKMS News that the app will find “the best available, low stress, cycling friendly routes available” to get a cyclist to a destination. Connolly, who is the executive director of the not-for-profit Cycling Guide Foundation, and a programmer on the project spoke with CKMS News earlier this week.
Cycling Guide is a free app that uses data from the open-source Open Street Maps to create routes to a set destination that favours safe cycling infrastructure. The app will show a cyclist where they may encounter more stressful riding situations through a colour coded system, and allow a user to select the route that best fits their comfort levels.
Version 2 of the app still only provides routes in Waterloo Region and Guelph, but Connolly told CKMS News that it is beta testing in Ottawa, Sarnia-Lambton, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
Jami Hari and Kaden HariJamie Hari, an Independent candidate for Waterloo came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to the voters on Thursday 17 2025. He was accompanied by Kaden Hari.
The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.
All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.
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