My interest in theatres began at an early age, probably around four or five. My mother volunteered for a local theatre group and my summers were spent scampering about a cavernous theatre in the centre of town. It was a building unlike any other, quite grand and somewhat incongruous for a small town such as ours (or any of the neighbouring towns for that matter). Built in 1909, it was high-ceilinged and dark, with a dusty smell and seats that in my young eyes, seemed to stretch on forever. In reality, there were only about 650 seats, but it was as big as Massey Hall to me.
The Town Hall in 1909, described at its opening as a
“monument to prosperity and progress.”
The building known as the Town Hall or the Opera House depending on your business there, housed the town offices, the council chambers, the police department and even some jail cells for ne’er do wells in the basement. These were off limits areas and far less interesting than the performance space on the second floor with its dark balcony, cramped dressing rooms and trap doors in the stage floor. I was obsessed with the secrets beneath the stage that were revealed with a flourish during a show. People and props seemed to appear out of nowhere, flying up through one of those doors in the floor.
In the summers, it was my home away from home. A place where all the young actors knew me and I them, sometimes resulting in a slight strain on their thespian talents. On one occasion, in dress rehearsal for a particularly scary production (I think it was stage adaptation of Frankenstein) one of the actors in full costume and make up regaled me with his spooky best. I reportedly returned the favour by cheerfully yelling out: “Hi John!” and waving to him from my seat. Thankfully, this little bump on the road did not mark the end of his acting career.
Even back then, the grand old opera house had seen better days. Paint was peeling, technology in the booth needed updating, and the air conditioning was dodgy at best, prone to flaking out on the hottest opening night. Lack of air conditioning is certain death for a summer theatre company, keeping audiences away and actors a sway under the hot lights. It seemed the future of the building and the community theatre group were perpetually hanging in the balance. Thankfully, after many years, the town was finally able to secure the funding required for a full restoration. In the little theatre by the bay, the show goes on.
Inside the Opera House today.