A hilarious and compelling blend of crime, politics, romance, and rural life
GUELPH, ON November 3, 2026 — “Rural noir” — as if Raymond Chandler got lost in Persephone Township — is how playwright Dan Needles describes his new one-man show, the latest from the creators of the beloved Wingfield Farm series. Starring national treasure Rod Beattie, these lively farm life fictions have drawn audiences for decades. Now, Marsh Marigolds – An Agricultural Thriller, comes to River Run Centre’s Main Stage on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Needles is no stranger to the genre of entertaining rural fiction. The celebrated Canadian playwright began The Wingfield series in 1984, one-man plays which grew out of a column he wrote for a small-town weekly newspaper. The stories centre on Walt Wingfield, a Toronto stockbroker-turned-farmer who faces various misadventures trying to make a living in the agricultural business. Needles created seven plays in the series, which have been performed close to 5,000 times across the country.
Brothers Rod and Doug Beattie have been at the heart of the Wingfield plays since the beginning, over three decades ago. The trio are childhood friends with Needles. Doug directs, Rod acts, and Needles involves the Beattie brothers in every stage of the process. “We all have the understanding,” he says, “that theatre is not kind to single visions.”
Marsh Marigolds: An Agricultural Thriller, is their latest. Walt Wingfield’s daughter, Hope, is now grown up and working at Queen’s Park. Ray, Hope’s former boyfriend, returns home to the Township to work for Ed, well-known to Wingfield fans as the editor of the town’s Free Press and Economist. Intrigue builds as Ray’s reporting of farm news raises more questions than answers. What sinister mystery lurks beneath the idyllic calm of the Southern Ontario farm?
Equal parts hilarious, poignant, and haunting, the story unfolds as Beattie takes on one character after another. He skillfully changes his voice and facial expression to mark each one, a craft he was recognized for with a Dora Mavor Moore Award for his work in the first three Wingfield plays (1991-92).
The creative Wingfield trio have shown a commitment to enlivening rural theatre and creating artistic opportunities outside major urban centres, a devotion shared by returning Season Sponsor Richardson Wealth, who make shows like this possible. Also supported by the Government of Canada, this show is part of River Run’s Showcase Series.
Tickets to Marsh Marigolds: An Agricultural Thriller are $49 for adults, $47 for patrons over 60 years old, and $29 for those under 30. Subscribe & Save 20% when you buy tickets to four or more shows. For more information or to purchase, call 519-763-3000, visit River Run’s Box Office at 35 Woolwich Street in Guelph, or purchase tickets online.
FOR INFORMATION
Kasia Rusiniak | Program Manager, Development and Marketing
River Run Centre
City of Guelph
519-837-5662 ext. 2589
[email protected]