‘It sparks creativity, it builds connection’: Wasaga theatre group fosters community as it prepares for fall production

Its fall production is a premiere of Canadian playwright Jennifer Walton’s The Stand

Wasaga Community Theatre’s fall production is a premiere of Canadian playwright Jennifer Walton’s The Stand.

Community theatre builds community connection.

That’s according to the president of Wasaga Community Theatre, as the all-volunteer group readies its annual fall production.

“It’s connection. We’re all looking for connection, and the arts (are) providing that, the space for that connection,” Amy Ives said. “It’s the people, it’s community theatre bringing people together.

“I’ve always felt home most in the theatre, on stage with those people because you share a like-mindedness.”

According to the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts, seven in 10 Canadians consider arts and cultural events to be either very or moderately important to their own and their family’s quality of life. More than 90 per cent believe that arts and culture make a community a better place to live, and that exposure to arts and culture is important to individual well-being.

“Our goal is to make sure people know we’re here, and there’s a place for you,” Ives said. “It’s a space for the community. We are here for the community, first and foremost.”

It’s been three years since Wasaga Community Theatre, which has been around for nearly 35 years, emerged from the pandemic, bowed but unbroken. That’s when Kerstin Henke-Rodaway took the reins as acting president.

“It was definitely a low point,” said Henke-Rodaway, who is now vice-president. “We’ve had serious growth, certainly financial growth (in the years since). We now have financial plans in place, with savings and everything.”

A grant from the town in 2022 and new faces on the board helped infuse new energy into the organization. It now boasts 40 members and organizes events and workshops along with the annual fall production.

“As a board, we have decided there should be an education piece, because the arts welcomes anyone who doesn’t have certified skills, because everyone is naturally skilled in the arts in some way,” said Henke-Rodaway. “You can’t walk up to an engineering firm and say, ‘I’d love to volunteer,’ but in the arts, you can learn by practice, by discovery of your natural abilities, or fostering those abilities.”

That municipal grant was “put to good use in reinfusing our ability to put on productions, which are the bread and butter that sustain a community theatre,” she said.

An Ontario Trillium Foundation grant in 2024 allowed them to buy new sound and lighting equipment to improve the experience for the audience.

Diana Rudolph, the producer of this year’s fall production, was on the board when Ives and Henke-Rodaway joined.

She has now been involved for about a decade — and while she performed a number of years ago, she has never been on stage for the local theatre company.

“I honed in on theatre because I am very keen on it, but I had to look for it when we first came to Wasaga Beach,” said Rudolph, whose first experience with Wasaga Community Theatre was watching its production of “Spamalot.”

“I saw (Spamalot) and thought, ‘I gotta get involved in this.’ It was so much fun.”

Rudolph’s presence was so important for continuity from the previous board to the new board, Ives said.

“She had the answers to all the questions, she knew what we were doing, what we wanted to do, where the board had been, and where we wanted to go,” said Ives.

Sonia Kadela got involved with Wasaga Community Theatre after her retirement from teaching. She saw it as a great opportunity to stay creative and build connections within the community — particularly for someone new to town.

“Volunteering or working in the performing arts is extremely creative,” Kadela said. “It sparks creativity, it builds connection, it builds community and collaboration.

“It’s so much different than another volunteer opportunity … we’re all working together to put on a live production, working towards a final presentation — and in that we have a community that’s built and we’re leaning on each other, we’re problem-solving, we’re building relationships, sharing opinions, and having a lot of fun.”

The experience of community theatre is also something that can’t be recreated by artificial intelligence or watched on social media.

“We’re really seeing live people in the moment, and that’s become a really special thing,” Kadela said.

Ives said being part of theatre doesn’t require one to go on stage, with roles for those who may be more interested in backstage jobs such as set design, administration or front-of-house.

“There is a lot to do to keep the wheels moving,” Ives added. “We have a grant-writing team (that includes Kadela) who help us with our funding to make sure we get those opportunities to keep us above water.”

The company’s fall performance is “The Stand,” a two-act comedy by Canadian playwright Jennifer Walton. The performance by Wasaga Community Theatre is also the first fully mounted production of the play.

Performances are at the Wasaga RecPlex, with show dates on Nov. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online at wasagacommunitytheatre.com, or at the twin-pad arena office, the RecPlex, IDA Pharmacy or Major’s Pharmacy.

“People have been looking to the storytellers for ages for all different purposes, whether it be a safe space, a different take, what’s happening,” Ives said. “They look to the theatres to provide that and have the pulse on the community and to bring stories that are of relevance.”

By Ian Adams, Wasaga Sun