Community theatre returning to Vankleek Hill
A new English-language community theatre group is taking shape in Vankleek Hill, thanks to the efforts of Konstantine Malakos. On Sunday, May 4, Malakos met with approximately 10 other interested individuals at his home to begin forming the local theatre group.
Malakos has an educational background in theatre. He has worked as an actor and has been heavily involved in theatre since the age of eight.
Vankleek Hill resident Konstantine Malakos led organization efforts to create High and Main Productions (HMP). Photo: Philip Oddi.
“I participate in community theatre in Hudson, Québec, only because that’s the closest place where there is an English-language community theatre. When I moved to Vankleek Hill, it seemed like the perfect community to have a local theatre group, so I just put it out there on Facebook to see if there was any interest,” Malakos said.
During the meeting, attendees discussed possible productions, group organization and board membership, a goal of staging two shows per year, and plans for an annual general meeting (AGM) by late May or early June. Also briefly discussed were potential rehearsal locations for the theatre group.
Due to the strong interest shown, Malakos and the group incorporated High and Main Productions (HMP) as a non-profit within 24 hours of the meeting.
Malakos emphasized, “We want to have the permanent, elected board in place at the AGM, with the board serving as the play selection committee as well. I want to say that this is the community’s project, not my own.”
Plans include hosting a November play aimed at a mature audience and one family-inclusive show in Spring 2026.
For the group’s primary next steps, Malakos said that they are aiming to collaborate with other local organizations and initiatives, including the Creating Centre located at 13 High Street.
The group is also exploring community sponsors and grants to help fund the volunteer-led project.
“One thing I’m really excited about is that we had multiple people who were involved in the Prescott Players show up at the meeting. We can learn from what they did well and what didn’t work,” Malakos said.
For measuring the group’s success, Malakos suggested that HMP breaking even in its first year of operation is a good standard to strive for as the group is a volunteer-based non-profit and self-sufficiency is key. He highlighted that the costs of planning, producing, and staging shows need to be covered, but emphasized that the goal of HMP is not to be profitable.
“Right now, we’re looking for people interested in being on stage, directing, stage management, building sets, making or sourcing costumes, and tech crews. The emphasis is that we’re still just starting, so we want to encourage all interested people to reach out.”
“We want everyone to feel welcome—from new immigrants to Canada who have never done community theatre before, to those who are seasoned actors. I’ve already set up a mailing list with about 16 individuals. I’m looking at having us create social media pages, as well, so look for that in the near future,” Malakos concluded.
Posted by Philip Oddi, TheReview.ca
