The Drayton Festival Theatre is celebrating its 20th anniversary season in style.
A major capital renovation project is underway, made possible through the Building Canada infrastructure initiative launched by the federal and provincial governments.
The major components of the project include entrance accessibility for individuals with disabilities, brick re-pointing to preserve the historical and architectural integrity of the building, exterior lighting enhancements, a designated music room to house the orchestra during performances, and a 17-foot addition to the stage.
The additional depth will increase the current stage dimensions by 50%, providing Drayton Entertainment with more programming options in the future.
“The current stage has limited capacity,” said artistic director Alex Mustakas. “As a result, there are some big productions that simply cannot fit within the confines of our stage.
“This addition will now make these types of productions possible, and enable us to continue attracting audiences to the village of Drayton.”
The Township of Mapleton has opted to commence its downtown revitalization project with new sidewalks by the theatre’s two entrances on Wellington and Spring Streets.
Mustakas believes those necessary upgrades will enhance the visitor experience and solidify the theatre’s loyal following. While the project is expected to be completed on budget, work will not be finished prior to the opening of the first production of the season, High School Musical.
“Out of concern for patron safety we have opted to relocate High School Musical to our neighbouring theatre, the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse,” said Mustakas. He added this was an extremely difficult decision, as the Disney production holds tremendous appeal for many village residents.
“The local school was planning to bring the entire student body as they could walk down the street to the show,” said Mustakas.
“Our good friends at Cherrey Bus Lines immediately came to the table and offered five buses to transport the kids to St. Jacobs, at no extra cost to the students, so now they will still get to see the show. It’s extremely important to us that this production remain accessible to local youths.”
The relocation will enable construction crews to work around the clock so that the project is finished in June for the theatre’s second production, On Golden Pond.
“The cost of phasing the remaining work around the 2010 season was not plausible from a time or budget standpoint,” Mustakas said.
“As a not-for-profit charitable organization, we strive to make fiscally responsible decisions that are balanced by minimal patron inconvenience.”
Tickets for High School Musical are available by calling the box office at 519-638-5555. The production runs April 21 to May 15 at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, and stars Canadian Idol winner Melissa O’Neil.
