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Vol. 7
No. 11
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER - LANARK, NORTH LEEDS & GRENVILLE
NOVEMBER 2020
Curtain falls on Classic Theatre Festival but Burning Passions will go on
What turned out to be the final curtain call for the Classic Theatre Festival was its 2019 production of the mystery thriller Deathtrap, featuring (left to right) Catherine Bruce, Naomi Costain, Scott Clarkson, Andrew Di Rosa, and Colin Legge. While the Festival has closed, Burning Passions Theatre continues working on new and innovative approaches to theatre to get through the pandemic and beyond. Photo credit: Jean-Denis Labelle.
Perth - submitted editorial@pd gmedia.ca After a decade as one of Lanark County’s marquee summertime entertainment experiences, the Classic Theatre Festival has been forced to close due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. The only professional compa-
ny in the Ottawa Valley, which annually brought to town top talent from the worlds of Canadian theatre, television and film to perform hits from the golden age of Broadway and the London stage, the Classic Theatre Festival was a tourism draw that pumped more than $12 million into the local economy.
“Due to the ongoing pandemic that forced the Classic Theatre Festival to postpone our 2020 season, and the uncertainty that extends well into 2021 and beyond, the company cannot sustain this large-scale event any longer,” said Artistic Producer Laurel Smith. “A Festival of our size can no longer operate in this new high-risk en-
who manages the gift shop and has been auxiliary president for the past 12 years. “This is a really good cause that’s near and dear to the Saumure Group,” said Emily Smith, who looks after leasing arrangements for the company. “It seemed like a good fit.” The gift shop reopens Friday, Nov. 20 in a location next to the Rotary Hall at Settlers Ridge Centre, and will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday each week. How soon the shop can move back to the hospital will depend on the course of the pandemic. “With Christmas coming we’re wanting to get some funds to give back to the hospital,” said Staples. Two years ago the auxiliary donated $35,000 to the
Smiths Falls Site of the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital from gift shop sales and some regular fundraising events, including an auction, bazaar and golf tournament. The gift shop is run entirely by volunteer labour. The auxiliary also provides every baby born at the hospital with a baby quilt and a crib sheet. The quilts are purchased from a quilting group called Heart to Heart Quilts of Lanark County. So far in 2020, 210 quilts have been provided to the hospital. In its new location the shop will be offering a variety of items including Christmas decorations, purses, clothing for children and adults, baby gifts, decorative plates, and jewellery. On Nov. 20 and 21 the shop will mark its reopening with a special
Auxiliary gift shop back in business Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pd gmedia.ca Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the doors of the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop have been shuttered since March 11. But thanks to a generous offer from the Settlers Ridge Centre, the shop will be back in business just in time to serve Christmas shoppers. Auxiliary President Jackie Staples recently met with Chris Saumure, president of the Saumure Group which has owned and operated the mall since 2017. Saumure offered to donate space at the mall for the gift shop to relocate. “We’re so fortunate to have someone like the Saumures that are helping us out,” said Staples,
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vironment, where the long-term planning timelines that are critical to our viability no longer exist.” The decision to close the Festival was a “devastating” one, Smith says, and came during “the saddest board meeting we have ever attended. Our board was so invested in this project, working as volunteers in Front of House management, as ushers, as cheerleaders for what was a really unique experience.” The Classic Theatre Festival left a huge cultural footprint in the town of Perth and beyond. Its anchor was its critically acclaimed, award-winning productions on the mainstage (for the last six years at the St. James Anglican auditorium, which was transformed annually into a professional theatre space). But there were many other moving parts to the company that drew tens of thousands of tourists to town, from historic Perth through the Ages walking plays that animated downtown streets in and around Matheson House as well as night-time “Lonely Ghosts walks,” to the sold-out dinner theatre shows in collaboration with Michael’s Table. The Festival was also lauded as a model of community engagement, from its ability to hire and train dozens of young people each summer (teaching new skills
while also funding post-secondary education!) to its legendary Save-A-Seat program, which opened up thousands of free seats to low-income and socially marginalized community members across Eastern Ontario to attend professional theatre in dignity. In addition, hundreds of volunteers helped usher, paint sets, and host out of town performers and technicians, building deep and lasting friendships that will outlast this gloomy period. “A key part of our success was also based on the partnerships we built with Perth and area restaurants, accommodations, and stores, enabling all of us together to offer visitors to town a full range of experiences,” said Smith, who in addition to helming the Festival, played a leading role in promoting tourism to Perth through her work with the Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Association as well as local and regional organizations. While the Festival will no longer operate, Smith takes hope in the words of author Arundhati Roy, whose widely-read essay on the Covid crisis points out that, despite the losses and challenges, the pandemic is a portal to new possibilities. continues on page 10
The Settlers Ridge Centre on Brockville Street will be the new temporary location for the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop, reopening Friday, Nov. 20. Photo credit: The Saumure Group.
“Scratch and Save Sale.” Customers can buy scratch tickets to win a chance to save between 10 to 50 per cent on various items. The gift shop will be observing Covid-19
protocols, with masks required. Staples expressed her gratitude for the support of the auxiliary’s volunteers, the hospital staff, and Chris Saumure.
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