Theatres turn to the public for help
NORFOLK COUNTY — They are cultural and economic pillars of the community, but it’s anyone’s guess when Norfolk County’s live theatres will again ring with laughter and applause.
That has the heads of Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover and Simcoe Little Theatre (SLT) in Simcoe worried about the future.
“We’re in a holding pattern,” said SLT president Richard Gilbert, who had to cancel the season’s last two productions, scheduled for April and June.
“We’re pretty anxious, on the one hand,” Gilbert said. “On the other, we’re still hoping that at some point we’ll be back producing plays for the public. Realistically, it doesn’t seem like that will happen before mid-winter of next year, maybe the spring. But if it happens sooner, we just want to be ready.”
The growing health risk posed by COVID-19 caused Lighthouse to scuttle its March break and spring programming before calling off its entire summer season, cancelling seven productions and 145 performances.
“Live entertainment and large gatherings were the first to be completely shut down during the pandemic and will be the last to be able to reopen,” said executive director Nicole Campbell. “We do not know when we will be allowed to welcome patrons back into the building or what that new reality might look like.”
While Lighthouse and SLT are nonprofit organizations that receive some donations and corporate sponsorship, they rely heavily on ticket sales and patrons’ bar tabs to pay the bills. With their houses dark, both theatres are turning to the public for help.
SLT, one of Ontario’s longest-running amateur theatres, is looking for $20,000 in donations to help it stay afloat.
In late June, Lighthouse launched Light Up the Stage, a campaign that will see donations matched up to $100,000 by the McKeil Family Foundation, led by businessperson Blair McKeil.
“Lighthouse is a leading economic driver and it’s important that the theatre survives as it affects so many other businesses,” Campbell said, noting that the professional theatre normally brings in 40,000 patrons from May to September, including some 23,000 tourists who frequent restaurants, accommodations and other attractions in the region.
How many of those patrons will return is another matter. Like nearly all theatres, patrons at SLT and Lighthouse skew older, putting them in the highestrisk age bracket.
“Even if the theatre does reopen legally, it may not be reopened on a personal level” for patrons uncomfortable being with 125 other people in an enclosed space, Gilbert said.
Local actor Stephanie Christiaens is eager to get back on stage. She cut her teeth at several community theatres in the region, including appearances in six SLT productions, before making her professional debut at Lighthouse in 2018.
“It’s been tough with the theatres being dark,” said Christiaens, whose career has been put on hold. “Theatre adds so much. It gives people an outlet to express themselves and learn new skills.
“Going into a community theatre, maybe it helps somebody break out of their shell and make new friends. On the professional side, it pushes you to be better at your career. I think it’s a staple to have theatre in a community.”
J.P. Antonacci’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.