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FOLK
The Ottawa-based duo of C.A. and Sonny (aka C.A. Jackson and Trevor Poole) have been playing stripped-down, guitar-and-banjo fare at Irene’s Pub on Saturday afternoons for months, but this weekend they take centre stage on Saturday night to celebrate the release of a new album of old-timey tunes, entitled The C.A. & Sonny Show, Vol. II. They will be sharing the stage with Whitehorse-based troubadour Ryan McNally at the Bank Street pub before hitting the road for a few weeks of East Coast tour dates. Saturday’s gig starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15, available at irenespub.com, or at the door.
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THEATRE
Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, the final show in this season of NAC Indigenous theatre, is an irreverent play written by the department’s artistic director, Kevin Loring, the award-winning playwright from the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia. Described as a ribald satire that’s both insightful and entertaining, it chronicles the trials and tribulations of the last remaining member of a First Nation who is enraged to discover construction on his ancestral lands. The tomfoolery starts when he ends up in jail and is assigned a court-appointed lawyer. The play opens May 18 in the NAC’s Babs Asper Theatre and runs to May 27. For tickets and times, go to ticketmaster.com.
CLASSICAL
Music director Alexander Shelley leads the NAC Orchestra this week in two performances of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, the most successful orchestral piece created by the English composer. Inspired by the “astrological significance” of the planets, Holst’s work also influenced John Williams when he composed the Star Wars soundtracks. The orchestra performs the classic May 18-19 as part of a program that also includes the Canadian premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Catamorphosis and Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps. Tickets start at $29, available at nac-cna.ca and ticketmaster.ca.
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ART
At Wesley Clover Parks this weekend, an art fair is sharing the grounds with an equestrian event. The Sweetly Affordable Art Fair, starting at 10 a.m. on May 20 and 21, showcases more than 100 artists and artisans exhibiting their works, including wooden crafts, fibre art, paintings, jewelry and more. Parking and admission are free at the Corkstown Road facility, and there are food vendors. The park also plays host to Canada’s largest dressage show May 18-21. The 20th-anniversary edition of the Ottawa Dressage Festival features horses and riders performing dance-like choreography in competition and freestyle events. Admission is free for spectators, though a ticket ($25 plus fees per vehicle) is required for the RCMP musical ride performance at 6 p.m. May 18. Find tickets at eventbrite.ca.