One of Canada’s premiere theatre companies, Drayton Entertainment, is about to expand its repertoire when it opens its latest theatre here.
But that’s not the only change taking place with the company, which is incorporating its administrative offices and set and costume design into the soon-to-be-completed, 60,000-square-foot, 500-seat Dunfield Theatre complex on Grand Avenue in Cambridge.
“We’re trying to consolidate,” said Alex Mustakas, who has served as artistic director and CEO of Drayton Entertainment for more than 20 years. “Wardrobe is very happy they have natural lighting instead of working in a basement. This is our hub.”
The glass and stone interior and exterior echoes some of the historic elements of Cambridge, which is known for its limestone architecture and wood fabricating plants that once dotted the shores of the Grand River. The theatre foyer and reception area is glassed in.
“The use of glass is more inviting,” Mustakas said during a recent tour. “This is a continuation of the legacy.”
The Dunfield Theatre joins the stable of theatres operated by Drayton Entertainment, including the original Festival Theatre in Drayton, the Huron Country Playhouse and Playhouse II in Grand Bend, the King’s Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene, and the Schoolhouse Theatre and the Country Playhouse in St. Jacobs.
About 40 full-time staff members now work for Drayton Entertainment at the Cambridge location, with about 300 full- and part-time workers hired when the season is in full gear at all the company’s theatre venues.
Dunfield has been a location close to Mustakas’ heart, given he worked in Cambridge when his parents operated a coffee shop at the old Ainslie Street bus terminal. Now living with his family in nearby West Montrose, the new theatre is about a 15-minute drive from Mustakas’ home.
The company was approached by city officials about locating a theatre in Cambridge several years ago.
“The City of Cambridge had been after us to consider a location here,” Mustakas said. “It’s been about five years; it’s been a long road, but it’s almost here.”
Several plans were considered, as Mustakas was looking for a larger venue to stage the quality plays, musicals and comedies on which the company has built its reputation.
“I asked if we can leverage for a larger project,” he said of the talks with the city.
Eventually funding was received from the city, as well as federal and provincial governments, to build the facility. When completed and operating, Dunfield will be owned by the city, with Drayton Entertainment as its tenant.
“For $6 million they get a $15 million building,” he said of the financial arrangement.
Drayton Entertainment has raised $5 million for the venture and for work to rebuild stages at its other locations to conform with the size of the stage at Dunfield. The plan will allow for sets to be built in Cambridge and moved to other Drayton Entertainment theatres, thus avoiding most costs involved in having to build sets to fit specific theatre stage sizes.
“It’s the ability to transfer shows into different markets,” he said. “We’ve got to be flexible.”
The same conformity applies to the subscription packages offered by Drayton Entertainment. Ticket packages can be bought to allow patrons to take in shows at the different venue locations as part of one package.
With top-priced tickets going for $40 and top-notch performances, Mustakas routinely casts sold out shows.
With his credentials as an actor and director, Mustakas pays particular attention not only to what theatre patrons want and will enjoy, but also the needs of the artists he hires.
“The third floor is a residence for the artists. This is one of the biggest issues for artists: where do you stay for a short time?” Mustakas said. “They (the rooms) are almost like university dorms so the artists have a place.”
With a grand theatre comes a grand performance, with the Canadian stage debut of Mary Poppins when the Dunfield opens its doors on March 6.
Mustakas has been working for the past couple of months assembling the cast for the show that won’t see him in the director’s chair.
Getting the licence to bring Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins to a Canadian stage is something Mustakas is obviously proud of.
“You apply for a licence with the licensing company in New York who works for Disney,” he said.
“I was turned down three times. They’re very protective of the work.”
Eventually he got the go ahead and the musical will play at the Dunfield for an eight-week stint, featuring eight shows each week.
“It’s going to be very expensive,” he added, but he is confident the show will sell out.
“A percentage of the gross (revenue) that’s what you pay [the licensing company].”
There are stipulations for Drayton Entertainment required by the licensing company to bring the performance to Canada – including the fact the company cannot duplicate set designs used outside of Canada.
“We can’t copy the original elements that were on Broadway or on tour,” said Mustakas. “If there were specific things they used we have to create our own.”
He’s engaged well-known Brit Nigel West as the director.
“I decided not to direct. I brought in someone I’ve worked with before, Nigel West. He was in Drayton in 1993 to direct Me and My Girl. He did the original production in the West End of London. He’s quite good.”
Mustakas said West knows “all the vaudeville stuff” that makes up the play.
Planning the production has also required bringing in stage experts from the U.S. to coordinate the wiring equipment needed for the parts where Mary Poppins flies around the stage.
“When I saw it on Broadway I had tears in my eyes because it’s magic,” he said. “It’s slight-of-hand stuff.”
Mary Poppins will be played by actor Jayme Armstrong, another Drayton Entertainment alumni.
“I am so thrilled with the opportunity to perform in the inaugural production at the new Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge,” Armstrong said in a News release issued by the company.
“Drayton Entertainment is so well known and respected in the theatre industry. I am excited to play this iconic role in what promises to be an iconic theatre.”
Mustakas is also personally aware of his connection to Drayton, where he will maintain an office for himself.
“For three years it was just me and volunteers in Drayton. I owe a lot of gratitude to those people,” he said.
“Today we’re leaving our offices in Drayton and I feel it because that’s where I started, but we’re not shutting down,” he said of the future of the Drayton theatre and Drayton Entertainment.
