Our local performing arts venues are the perfect places to take in a show, with top-notch entertainment ranging from live music and theatre to films and festivals
by Janet Lees
photography by Jessica Crandlemire
Editor’s Note: As we went to press, some events were being cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus. Please check the websites in the sidebar for the latest scheduling announcements and changes.
When was the last time you caught a show at Toronto’s Scotiabank Centre or Mirvish Theatre and came home raving about the venue? Sure, the performance might have been great, but the traffic, the parking, the crowds, the ambiance … they leave something to be desired.
Not so in Southern Georgian Bay. We have a wealth of intimate, historic and memorable venues just minutes from your front door, where you can rendezvous with your neighbours and enjoy an afternoon or evening of stellar entertainment that goes far beyond the sights and sounds on stage.
From beautiful churches and cosy small halls to classic vaudeville theatres and opera houses, we are blessed with an abundance of performing arts venues that not only add to the experience, they become part of it.
Here are five of our region’s venue stories, plus exciting news from a grassroots group of locals looking to add more to the mix.
The Show Must Go On!
After its 15-year relationship with the Gayety Theatre ended last year, Theatre Collingwood found itself scrambling to find an alternate venue. Executive director Erica Angus sprang into action and came up with a creative solution just in the nick of time, booking multiple venues for the 2019 and 2020 seasons including the Collingwood Legion, First Presbyterian Church, Simcoe Street Theatre, GNE Fairgrounds and Marsh Street Centre.
Angus says there are pluses and minuses to the multiple-venue approach, which she joyfully calls “the caravan.” On the plus side, theatregoers have a chance to experience venues across the region, not just in Collingwood, and transportation issues have been solved by offering a shuttle bus for the upcoming shows at the fairgrounds and the Marsh Street Centre.
“We haven’t lost a huge number of subscribers but we’ve lost some because they’re older and they don’t want to be travelling all over the place,” says Angus. “Conversely, we’ve had some people say they think it’s really fun to be travelling, and one of the places I’ve personally enjoyed getting to know is the GNE Fairgrounds. It’s a great building there, and they have a full stage, lighting, sound, curtains, and who knew? We really, really enjoyed using it last year, and we’re looking forward to using it again this year. “My intention is to make customer service our biggest strength and try to make these different venues fun.”
Angus is supportive of the new grassroots movement to build a performing arts centre in Collingwood (see story on page 79), but while that would offer Theatre Collingwood a home, it won’t happen overnight and Angus hopes to find a single venue that will work in the interim.
“What I would like to do is find some facility where we can hold everything next year,” says Angus. “It takes a lot of manpower and a lot of extra work and extra marketing dollars to have all of these different venues – last year was a very expensive year for us – so ideally I’d like to find one venue we can use until the new facility is built, which I believe will take at least five years with all the different hands that will be involved with it.”
Angus’ dream: “I’d really like to see Theatre Collingwood in a proper theatre: a space that’s built for theatre with proper theatre lighting, proper sound, a proper stage with wings, proper dressing rooms, proper accessibility, with 300 to 500 seats … a venue that would really create a great experience for people. And for now, we plug along.”
With Angus’ enthusiasm and resourcefulness, one thing is certain: the show will go on.
Marsh Street Centre
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of a small army of volunteers, this little gem of a performing arts and community centre has helped the tiny village of Clarksburg earn its nickname, Artsburg.
“It’s just a magical place. The whole community embraces it, and it’s transforming into such a beautiful venue,” says Leslie Whitton, a member of the centre’s non-profit board. “Every event that we run is run by volunteers, we have memberships and sponsors, and everything that we make goes right back into the venue, so we’re constantly updating and improving it.”
Recent events at The Marsh, as it’s affectionately known, have run the gamut from concerts by The Celtic Kitchen Party and indie band The Sadies to a Burlesque & Broadway show, a magic and mind-reading act, a disco night, an International Women’s Day event, and a jazz show by local entertainer Dean Hollin, who is also the centre’s new artistic director.
Upcoming in April is a luau fundraising dance featuring Cabin Fever, The Marshas and Rise Architect. The tribute band Simply Queen will rock the house in May, and Toronto group Zeus performs in June with local singer/songwriter Pat Robitaille as the special guest. Tickets to most events are only $30 for members, $35 for non-members and $40 at the door.
In addition to staging one major fundraising event each month, The Marsh is also home to the Thornbury Community Theatre, whose next production, Hooray for Hollywood, is a musical revue running May 1-9. As if that’s not enough, there are also in-house music and theatrical programs, Marsh Street Rocks and Marsh Street Acts, plus dance and yoga classes, community events, and more.
Photos By Kristin Schnelten
The latest plans for improvements include a new marquee sign out front and an expanded, “pimped-up” patio in back. “We have big plans for the patio to become a whole other little venue in the summertime,” says Whitton. “We envision a garden space to host live entertainment; a summer location to gather with friends with a glass of wine or a cold beer in a well-appointed courtyard.”
Whitton’s enthusiasm reflects a sense of pride and ownership that the entire community shares. “This place has such a heartbeat, such a life, and it transforms constantly. It’s a magnet for the community. It breathes life into the community.”
Meaford Hall
For more than a century, this majestic landmark has echoed with music, drama and debate, serving as the town’s social and cultural heart first as the opera house/town hall/library/police department (complete with jail) and now as the fully restored Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre.
“It’s very intimate; with only 330 seats; you certainly have a much better experience than going to the city where the performers are so far away,” says marketing coordinator Jen Brebner. “The ambiance and acoustics are just as good or better than theatres in the city, but you don’t have to drive to the city.”
With its winning combination of Victorian accoutrements and state-of-the-art sound and lighting, the Hall always snags an impressive array of Canadian artists. The Trews, Matt Anderson, the Downchild Blues Band, Carole Pope, and comedians Ron James and The Arrogant Worms recently performed. On the roster over the next few months are Sarah Harmer, Glass Tiger, Ian Thomas, The Stampeders and Valdy. Also in the lineup are bands and artists paying tribute to George Strait, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stompin’ Tom Connors and Chicago, plus a family performance in April of “Frozen in Time: The Musical.”
On the playbill for live professional theatre this summer are “Rockin’ All Night,” celebrating the music and lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper; “Midnight Hour” showcasing R&B classics from Memphis to Motown; and Norm Foster’s lighthearted buddy comedy, “Jonas and Barry in the Home.”
Watching films at Meaford Hall is a trip back in time to the movie houses of yesteryear, and soon to be showing on the big screen are Oscar nominees “Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” The Farewell” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.” Speaking of films, the Hall is also the venue for the wildly popular Meaford International Film Festival (MIFF), which features four films, four dinners, four parties and four matinées over four days every Labour Day weekend.
Fall is the busiest time at Meaford Hall, but there’s always something happening year-round, says Brebner. “Last year we had our largest number of sellouts during the year, and so far this year we’re already halfway to those numbers.”
Photo Courtesy of Gayety Theatre
Gayety Theatre
This Victorian treasure opened in 1911 as a vaudeville theatre and silent movie house, then became the first theatre north of Toronto to be retrofitted for talking pictures. Those who grew up in Collingwood have fond memories of childhoods spent munching popcorn and watching the latest flick at the Saturday matinées.
The beloved theatre closed its doors briefly in 2003 before local businessman Sid Dickinson stepped in to purchase the building. Since then, Dickinson has transformed the Gayety into a hotspot for all forms of entertainment, from live music and theatre to comedy and films.
Upcoming musical performers include Juno Award-winner Fred Eaglesmith and Canadian classic rock band The Stampeders, plus tribute bands playing hits from Rush, the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, The Doors, Neil Young, and Simon & Garfunkel. Also in the lineup for 2020: a comedy tour, a children’s show, the TEDx Collingwood event, and a speaker series on the myriad ways to enjoy the outdoors.
The diverse roster is designed to appeal to people of all ages. As was the most recent renovation, which saw the back block of seats being replaced by ‘cabaret seating,’ with tables and chairs open to the stage. And the Gayety now has a liquor license, allowing beer and wine to be served during concerts and events.
“Probably 40 per cent of the people moving here now, maybe more, are between 28 and 55, and those people want to be entertained, they have kids, they look forward to getting out,” says Dickinson. “The people moving here are outdoors people, so they really enjoy the movies about nature, skiing, hiking. The Banff Mountain Film Festival came in for one night last fall, and they’ve requested to come back this year and run their festival over three days.”
Photo Courtesy of Gayety Theatre
To mark the 100th anniversary of the first talking movie shown at the Gayety in 1920, Dickinson is also putting together a package of 36 classic movies at “old-fashioned pricing” to be shown twice a month starting April 28, plus special events and giveaways. “We just want to make it a fun event and give some recognition to our history. Hopefully a lot of people who came to the Gayety as a young kid will come back and be entertained. We want to celebrate those memories.”
Simcoe Street Theatre
When Richard and Anke Lex purchased the former Enterprise-Bulletin newspaper building as an anchor for Collingwood’s Simcoe Street arts hub, they envisioned a 100-seat black-box theatre as part of the mix. Their attitude was, ‘build it and they will come.’ And they were right: by 2018, bookings for the simple performance space were in such high demand, the Town of Collingwood took over managing it.
Today the Simcoe Street Theatre boasts a diverse and ever-changing lineup that ranges from comedy and kids’ shows to blues, jazz and opera. Recent performers have included multiple Juno winner Alfie Zappacosta, Canadian singer-songwriter Royal Wood, a kids’ puppet show, and tribute artists channeling superstars like Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton and The Beatles.
The Georgian Triangle Lifelong Learning Institute now streams its educational lectures to the Simcoe Street Theatre, with the current series on foreign policy showing Friday mornings until May 8. In April, Tamara Williamson will bring her autobiographical musical performance “The Breakup Diet” to the stage, and this fall Theatre Collingwood will present the play, “Mary of Shanty Bay.”
“It’s a very intimate space,” says Tyler Cleary, community services rep for the town. “As an audience member, the darkness of the black box theatre makes it feel like what’s happening on stage is happening just for you, and as a performer, you’re all that exists for that audience. It’s very easy to get lost in it, to get emotional and just revel in the experience.”
In addition to concerts, live theatre and film showings, a big part of the theatre’s current direction is towards developing new artists. “Our mandate is to foster the growth of arts and culture for the town and remove barriers,” says Cleary. “We have a subsidy rate for emerging local artists, to encourage those artists to develop their craft. When you look at venues as a whole, quite often it’s about who first performed on that stage, and we hope to inspire someone from our community to become a future export into the larger cultural scene.”
Photos By Dave West
With that in mind, the theatre now hosts regular ‘music labs’ where local artists can learn, collaborate, perform and get feedback. Topics include songwriting, stage craft, and how to get your music online. There’s an accomplished musician as host, and artists are encouraged – but not forced – to perform. “Typically, music labs are not so much open mic as show and tell,” explains Cleary. “It’s a peer-to-peer way that local artists can develop their craft, free of judgment and free of cost. At the end of the night, whoever wants to can take the stage and jam with the host.”
With the building also housing a lobby art gallery, Art Crush artist studio and gallery, the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts and the Fleet-Wood Dance Centre, the theatre and its patrons benefit from such an artistic environment.
“There’s so much going on in the building from an arts and culture standpoint that it buzzes with creative energy,” says Cleary.
It’s Showtime!
Visit these websites to find out what’s on at venues throughout Southern Georgian Bay and beyond
Avening Community Hall – aveninghall.com
Clearview Small Halls Festival – smallhallsfestival.ca
The Duntroon Hall – theduntroonhall.ca
The Historic Gayety Theatre, Collingwood – gayetytheatre.com
Gravenhurst Opera House – gravenhurstoperahouse.com
Marsh Street Centre, Clarksburg – marshstreetcentre.com
Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre – meafordhall.ca
Midland Cultural Centre – midlandculturalcentre.com
The Roxy Theatre, Owen Sound – roxytheatre.ca
Simcoe Street Theatre, Collingwood – creativesimcoestreet.ca
Station on the Green, Creemore – creemorestation.com
Theatre Collingwood – theatrecollingwood.ca
