Drayton goes from success to success
Theatre company’s artistic director Alex Mustakas is excited by total ticket sales which topped 260,000
CAMBRIDGE — So how was Drayton Entertainment’s 2017 season?
“This was our most successful season in our history,” enthused Alex Mustakas during an interview at Cambridge’s Dunfield Theatre, which this year will be rebranded as Hamilton Family Theatre. The theatre company’s artistic director is excited by the total ticket sales which topped 260,000 in 2017, 10,000 over the previous year.
In 2015, the theatre company celebrated its 25th anniversary, a remarkable achievement.
It all started when Mustakas was a fresh-faced young director with big dreams and no sense of limitations, even though the building chosen for the new company had been shuttered due to safety concerns.
The neglected 1902 Drayton Festival theatre building was anything but festive at that point, but Mustakas saw an opportunity.
From that early start, Drayton Entertainment has grown to a seven-venue theatre enterprise and this year, because recent weather has been favourable in the fall, the season will be extended in venues that normally function as summer theatre. Grand Band and Penetanguishene, are both extended to Sept. 30 and Drayton Festival Theatre runs until Oct. 14.
With each success, Mustakas stretches his imagination a bit further, introducing audiences to new fare, beyond music and comedy. In 2017 a run of “Death of a Salesman” starring American actor George Wendt sold out.
“Drama is harder to sell when people are coming out for a laugh,” said Mustakas.
“Are we victims of our own success, doing musicals and comedies?” he wonders.
Apparently not, given how well “Death of a Salesman” did at the box office. Still, Mustakas takes his time when adding new elements to Drayton’s seasons and he carefully monitors any shifts in the demographics of his audience. For example, more and more families are coming to the theatre so there are more and more kidfriendly shows.
This season will include the Canadian première of a new Irving Berlin musical “Holiday Inn” following its recent Broadway run. The film was inspired by the 1942 Academy Award-winning film, “Holiday Inn” and features a big cast with lots of singing, tap dancing and, of all things, skipping.
In keeping with their usual fare of big budget musicals, the company will feature Broadway classics such as “The Drowsy Chaperone”, “Man of La Mancha”, “West Side Story”, “The Rainmaker” and “Hairspray.”
In a rare switch from director’s chair to actor, Mustakas plays Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” and admits he was reluctant to take the part, but didn’t have much choice when he was told that his name had already been added to the published cast list.
Drayton will also feature a return of the beloved musical/ comedy pantomime, or ‘panto,’ a long standing British tradition of taking a fairy tale and turning it on its ear with crazy characters, men gaudily dressed as women and lots of over the top humour, often taking stabs at local issues and politics.
In Britain, pantos are usually a Christmas tradition, and audiences are expected to participate by cheering for the good guys, booing the bad.
It’s hardly polished theatre, but Drayton brings the panto up several notches, though it took local audiences a while before they understood it’s not only acceptable to make noise, it’s expected. This year there will be two opportunities for normally polite Canadians to get raucous in the theatre: “Jack and the Beanstalk” Nov. 28 to Dec. 30 at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse and “Cinderella: The Panto” at both Kings Wharf Theatre from June 6 to 30 and Grand Bend’s Playhouse II, July 5 to 22.
Drayton also has an unusual offering. “Ghost: The Musical” based on the 1990 film, playing Oct. 3 to 21 at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse. The musical premièred in Manchester, England in 2011 then moved to Broadway.
To tickle funny bones, comedies by theatre luminaries Ray Cooney a specialist in British farce and Canada’s beloved Norm Foster will round out the season
June 20 to July 8 at Drayton Festival Theatre and July 12 to Aug. 4 in Grand Bend, the affable Neil Aitchison will revive his role as RCMP Const. Archibald F. Inkster in a totally new show “Canada 151: Better Late than Never.”
As always there will be a long running show at St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre, the comedy “Shear Madness” from Sept. 12 to Dec. 23.
Drayton, long known for its Legends series of musical revues this year features “Crusin’ Classics” and “Kings and Queens of Country” a Grand Ole Opry style of musical featuring the songs of all the stars, from Johnny Cash to Loretta Lynn.
“It’s a buffet of theatre,” said Mustakas.
Much of the credit for their success goes to the cast that Mustakas been able to attract for Drayton shows.
With the cast for “Kinky Boots”, 85 per cent of the company had worked for Drayton before,” he said. “It’s the same people.”
He also credits support from the community as responsible for Drayton’s success.
For the little theatre company that grew from having no resources to being able to attract some of Canada’s most talented performers, Mustakas never forgets their roots.
“We’ve come a long way,” he said. “I remember the first year, we had to borrow lights from a high school.
“It all takes time.”