ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22

grand theatre

ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We are thrilled to welcome you back to the Grand Theatre, where we operate on the traditional lands of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral peoples and territories associated with various treaties of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapewak. The Attawandaron peoples once settled this region alongside the Algonquin and Haudenosaunee peoples and used this land as their traditional beaver hunting grounds.

In London, our treaties include the 1796 London Township Treaty and the 1822 Longwoods Treaty. The London Township Treaty was a regional treaty signed by diplomats representing all parties living on the land, which today we know as southwestern Ontario. The Longwoods Treaty was signed by representatives of the Crown and the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and covers approximately 580,000 acres in the area.

Locally, there are three First Nations Communities. They are the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, the Oneida Nation of the Thames, and the Munsee Delaware Nation. We would also like to recognize the growing Indigenous urban population, comprised of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.

We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations, and all of the Original Peoples of Turtle Island (also known as North America), and acknowledge the traditional lands upon which we operate.

lobby feathers, fall 2021 photo by dahlia katz

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

government funders

season sponsor

title sponsors

Room Home for the Holidays

jeans n’ classics

grand re:opening festival

Video Production Sponsor With the support of

high school project

Make a Difference Youth Programming Sponsor

With the support of

special thanks to

community partners

Vehicles Hotels Wine Printing

Apparel Lighting and Audio Catering

THE SPRIET STAGE IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY HELEN & ANDY SPRIET.

president’s report

It is my privilege and honour to provide the Presidents report, outlining the past year’s successes, and challenges.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep appreciation for the support and generosity of our sponsors, donors, and patrons. Without your unwavering dedication we would not be able to continue to bring world class performances to our stages. Thanks to you we remain World Curious and London Proud.

Following a period of societal upheaval, tremendous uncertainty, and empty theatre seats, it is fair to say we began this season with both great anticipation and a quiet trepidation. Despite another challenging and tumultuous year for the theatre industry, the Grand marched forward to create a season of incredible achievement, monumental firsts, and bold theatre magic.

It’s impossible to look back on this season and not celebrate the completion of one of the Grand’s most ambitious projects to date: RENO 2020. This $9.5 million renovation made our community spaces more beautiful, our stages more advanced, and our working spaces more functional. We strove to ensure that this historic building became a more accessible and welcoming environment for all Londoners today, and into the future.

One of the highlights of my time as chair was witnessing the official re-opening of the theatre in November 2021. Sitting on the darkened Spriet Stage, and watching the curtain rise to hundreds of golden balloons in the house was a glorious image.

Similarly, attending the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL, which hosted our first live performances in 15 months, was a great reminder of the joy and privilege it is to come together and experience powerful theatre.

And what powerful theatre we produced this season. The Grand proudly hosted two premieres: the North-American premiere of ROOM by Emma Donoghue, and the world premiere of GROW. These two productions exemplified the Grand’s commitment to creating and staging new work, and highlighted our unique position in Canada’s theatre landscape.

While the year was a triumph in many ways, it also brought forward great challenge – most notably the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. While we hoped to provide an uninterrupted season, flare-ups of new variants forced us to limit audience sizes, implement new procedures, and cancel a number of shows. These were challenging waters to navigate, but through teamwork, leadership and informed decision making, we were still able to finish our year with a surplus.

This season saw the bittersweet departure of Executive Director, Deb Harvey, who ended her 22-year career with us in June. Deb was a pillar at the Grand and within the London community. Between her strong business acumen, her passion for the arts, and her commitment to our city, she truly left an indelible mark and set the Grand up for continued success into the future. It was an honour to celebrate her at this year’s Grand Gala with so many community members and friends in attendance.

After a national search, the Grand welcomed Evan Klassen as our new Executive Director. Evan stood out to the search committee due to his diverse knowledge, experience, and pure passion for theatre. I know the theatre is in safe hands with Evan, and that our future shines brighter than even our newest stage lights.

On behalf of the board, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and volunteers. Our sincerest gratitude for all your hard work and dedication. Your efforts have truly made a difference and have not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your commitment to the Grand Theatre through challenging times, and beyond.

Finally, I wanted to extend a thank you to the Grand’s board of directors. Thank you for your time, expertise, and commitment to our organization. Your contributions have helped shape the direction of our organization and have made a positive impact on our mission.

Thank you to all who contributed to this unforgettable year. I look forward to celebrating our new 10-show season, LIVE! And in person, with you.

Anita Shah President, Board of Directors

concluding reno 2020 a snapshot

In the 2019-2020 season we started planning for a major renovation that would start in May 2020 and take us five months to complete. To give us extra time to complete the work, we determined that we would need to move the High School Project 2020 off-site. Design work was proceeding at a rapid pace, and the project was tendered in early 2020. On Thursday, March 12, 2020, we received the bids on our tender package. On Friday, March 13, 2020, with our production of ROOM onstage ready for opening nights, we closed our doors to the public.

In the following weeks, hoping that we could get back to normal operations in the fall of 2020, we decided to complete the work on our roofs immediately, and defer the remainder of the project to summer 2021, to avoid interfering with our presumed 2020-2021 season. In June 2020, we announced the postponement of our entire season. This postponement, made clear and necessary by the pandemic, allowed us to commit a significant amount of time to completing our renovation.

The majority of the work of the renovation took place over the 2020-2021 season, and our staff started moving back into their spaces in July 2021, even as work continued in the back of house areas. This re-opening of our new spaces gave our teams time to come back to work gently after having been away from the building for so long. Our theatre was one of the lucky ones, in that our teams had meaningful work to do, that would have a long-term impact on our creative spaces. The gradual return to the building also allowed us to sort though decades of accumulated ‘stuff’, and keep what was truly important, and let go of the things that were not.

A lot has been said about the renovation, and the public sees the most visible impact in our lobbies and front entrance. It’s the behind the scenes changes that have made this theatre even more magical. Our new fly system is smoother and easier to use. Our main curtain is automated, which takes the strain off our fly operators, who used to pull its 1000 lbs of weight multiple times each night.

We added our own moving lights, carefully selected to be the most versatile, with the highest quality of light, and without cooling fans, so as not to disturb the delicate acoustics of the Spriet Stage.

photo by dahlia katz

Our Wardrobe shop has doubled in size, which is a long overdue change. Our wardrobe staff is finally able to work in appropriate spaces, without having to take over a dressing room, or a cramped corner in an office. These workshops are where our craftspeople build everything from period ballgowns and suits, to elf hats and shoes, to Joseph’s Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat.

We also improved the spaces inhabited by our performing artists. New flooring and lighting in our rehearsal halls, a totally refreshed Artist’s Lounge, and updated dressing rooms have made the Grand an even better place to rehearse and perform.

This renovation allowed us to keep our heads-up over the pandemic, even in the darkest days, and look forward to welcoming our audiences back to share in the magic of theatre with us.

Paul Fujimoto-Pihl Director, Production & Operations

post-renovation, OCTOBER 2021

photo by dahlia katz

photo by dahlia katz

post-renovation photos, OCTOBER 2021

photo by dahlia katz

a grand re-opening

In November 2021, the Grand Theatre unveiled its newly renovated spaces.

We are grateful for our supporters and private/corporate donors:

Department of Canadian Heritage Canada Cultural Spaces Fund

ELIZABETH & ALLAN DREWLO

LYNNE CRAM, MICHAEL & DIANE SMITH - THE FAMILY OF JOAN & DON SMITH

KAREN & ERIC AUZINS

DEVELOPERS REHEARSAL HALL

WITH ADDED THANKS TO:

Good Foundation Inc.

Walter J. Blackburn Foundation

Estate of Richard M. Ivey

grand re-opening celebration, november 2021

deb harvey, dennis garnhum

photo by avan patel

grand re-opening celebration, november 2021

dennis garnhum, allan & elizabeth drewlo, deb harvey

photo by avan patel

ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS

This year saw a return to live performances after being shuttered due to COVID the previous season and a half. We crafted a slate of offerings intended to cautiously and thoughtfully invite patrons, artists and the Grand staff safely back into our space. Our fall season began with smaller capacity events and by the end of the season, we were allowed to have larger groups of our loyal audiences attend.

We began our season with the twenty-third annual HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT. While last seasons’ was purely online, this year’s offering was a filmed version utilizing students in outdoor venues throughout the city. Conceived and directed by Andrew Tribe, the students gathered and filmed broadway songs in the safety of outdoors under the title of THE GREAT GRAND ROAD TRIP. It was broadcast through our website and achieved approximately 1,500 registrations. We were pleased that the students could gather together in a safe environment and spend the time connecting with their peers – something that COVID had restricted.

In celebration of our recently completed extensive renovation, we conceived an original way to celebrate this new beautiful space. Using the banner of the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL, we invited four local artists to each create a special theatrical offering. Each of the four projects resulted in a specially curated evening involving various lobby spaces and the use of our two stages.

Mark Uhre created an original cabaret musical, SEEDS OF SELF, chronicling his life growing up gay in London which was presented on the newly refreshed Auburn Stage. His second act took the audience directly onto the Spriet Stage where they were invited to paint a painting together with Mark.

With FINDING BLACK JOY, Alexandra Kane’s night began in the Auburn Stage with an art installation. The finale was a concert of joyous celebration and examination of what it means to have and find Black Joy. Richard Gracious’s experience of being cooped up during COVID resulted in ONE YEAR - a mini rock musical chronicling his time unable to perform with his band live anywhere. And Summer Bressette wrote a new play, which was fully staged, LOVE SONG FOR THE THUNDERBIRDS. These events rotated nightly over three weeks and allowed small groups of audiences to experience these four artists and the artists hired to support their offerings, in an intimate and surprising way.

In December, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS was presented on the Spriet Stage. This original 90 minute musical revue of holiday songs both old and new took the

grand re:opening festival, OCTOBER 2021

Summer bressette, mark uhre, richard gracious, alexandra kane

photo by mai tilson

place of our regular, larger sized holiday musical. This scaled down holiday offering involved eight singers and a band of eight in an effort to celebrate the holidays in an easy and accessible way. Following each performance, the audience was invited to donate to our holiday fundraising event in support of the Food Bank.

In March 2020 our North American premiere production of Emma Donoghue’s ROOM was cancelled on opening night. Rescheduled for this season, it was to open in January of 2022. The Omicron COVID variation forced the theatre to close for another six week period. Eventually, ROOM opened in March in a triumphant debut. It was a mark of accomplishment that this much delayed project was finally realized. Audiences and critics agreed – it was a resounding success: Powerful, disturbing, and vital. Following the run here at the Grand, the production transferred to the Princess of Wales Theatre with Mirvish Productions. For an impressive six weeks, the Grand was showcased in downtown Toronto with ROOM.

Two of our announced and scheduled productions for this season, Andrea Scott’s CONTROLLED DAMAGE, and Andrea Menard’s RUBABOO, were cancelled for this season due to the closure of the company for six weeks due to COVID. Both productions have been moved into the Winter 2023 season. We look forward to their eventual debut. The world premiere of the musical GROW completed our season in a shortened run. This project was also cancelled in 2020 and so it was important to finally realize the musical. Audiences delighted in the examination of two Amish twins encountering the new world of legalizing cannabis – in musical form.

Our COMPASS new play development program continues to foster, enhance and support new work. GRAND GHOSTS, set to debut on the Spriet Stage in the fall of 2022, was developed further in a week-long spring workshop led by playwright Trina Davies and director Jillian Keily and supported by eight actors. It was an invaluable and creative exploratory period – vital in discovering how best to tell the story of the Grand’s most famous ghost, Ambrose Small.

In the Spring, the Grand proudly announced a full slate of offerings for 2022-2023, signaling a return to a full subscription season. This year was a season of artistic invention and consideration. It was challenging, stressful for all, and completely unpredictable. But it was also thrilling to be back after a year of not having any audiences in the theatre. The highlight of the season, no doubt, was the tenacity of our team at the Grand, our guest artists, and our volunteers to be as reactive and proactive as possible. In this way, this season will be remembered for the Grand’s ability to endure and thrive - in spite of these challenges.

Dennis Garnhum, Artistic Director

home for the holidays, december 2021

GAVIN HOPE, GABY EPSTEIN, JACOB macinnis, MASINI MCDERMOTT

photo by dahlia katz

Set & Costume Design by Rachel Forbes

Lighting Design by Kimberly Purtell

A note from the executive director

The first Executive Director’s report of a new Executive Director is always an interesting one – and in this case, today’s AGM is for the year ending June 30, 2022, a year that ended a full 2 months prior to my stepping into this role. And in lieu of the more typical expanding upon the activities of the organization over the past year, I won’t pretend to have been there, but will offer a few observations as someone who has experienced and recognized the strength and resilience of this organization, both board and staff, in the months immediately following the end of the year.

The Grand Team is a strong one – we have the BEST people in Canadian Theatre: including our artists, artisans, technicians, staff and volunteers. We acknowledge the HARD work that the Grand Team undertook last season: wrapping a renovation, bringing audiences back to the theatre in safe ways, and creating bold, new premiere productions.

We honour those who have come before. In particular, I acknowledge the extraordinary work of my predecessor, Deb Harvey, whose legacy to the organization is storied – and in the past year worked tirelessly to successfully conclude the performance interruption insurance claim, taking advantage of all possible funding and fund development opportunities, while leading this organization with grace and confidence. Her legacy includes the establishing of the Deb Harvey Futures Fund & Covid Relief Fund – providing pivotal resources to the organization to recover and thrive as we emerge from the pandemic.

We have a WORLD CLASS home. The renovation fused principles of inclusion and access to our operations in an important way, and we are so proud to call this gorgeous building home. We want to do our work better: and to look at everything we do through a lens of inclusion and anti-oppression. Over the past years, the organization has worked hard to become an increasingly anti-oppressive organization. This work is ongoing, and is a lasting legacy of the work undertaken by both board and staff over the past years.

And though the outcome of the 2021/22 year has been a positive one in so many ways, the Grand team is ready to face the challenges of 2022/23, and beyond, with optimism. We will continue to create theatre that is World Curious AND London Proud, and we will continue to bring audiences back to the theatre in greater and greater numbers.

Onwards.

Evan Klassen, Executive Director

operational highlights

COVID RESPONSE

The 2021/22 Season saw the Grand, with all other live entertainment organizations, navigating fluctuating capacity restrictions, provincially-mandated closures, health and safety protocols, and multi-step reopening, culminating in a return to full capacity in April 2022.

Staff, Artists and Volunteers followed standardized vaccination and masking protocols throughout the entirety of the 21/22 Season, whereas Artists participated in daily rapid testing at the top of their call times, with mandatory isolation in the event of a positive case, throughout the entire production period.

While provincial mandates stopped enforcing proof of vaccination and masking as of March 2022, the Grand maintained both protocols until the end of the 21/22 Season to ensure the protection of artists in shows that were not understudied, as well as front-facing staff, volunteers, and immunocompromised patrons.

A Season of Fluctuating Audience Capacity

The Grand returned to live performance in October 2021 with the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL. Due to a function of capacity and spacing restrictions at the time, approximately 25 to 75 spaces (Auburn Stage and Spriet Stage, respectively) were made available to the public by invitation, per performance.

Regardless of these limitations, the public response to the Host Artist offerings, the new renovation, and the return to live performance, left an encouraging note upon which to launch the 2021/22 Season.

The 2021/22 Season launched in November (days after the Province of Ontario granted live entertainment venues passage toward maximum capacity reopening), and the season was put on sale for casual tickets only (no subscriptions) with all tickets priced at a uniform price, $50. On the day that tickets went on sale, the Grand saw its highest-ever single day of ticket sales, giving confidence that a sizable percentage of patrons were ready and willing to return to the theatre.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS began previews less than 30 days later, and completed each performance of its run, even with the imminent threat of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. ROOM, CONTROLLED DAMAGE and RUBABOO were not so lucky, as shortly before the end of 2021, a complete and total shutdown of

live entertainment venues forced the Grand to re-conceptualize and reschedule the middle of the season. ROOM and GROW were shifted forward to March and April 2022, respectively, and CONTROLLED DAMAGE and RUBABOO became the first productions announced for the 2022/23 Season. The Box Office facilitated exchanges and refunds for affected patrons in the subsequent weeks.

When ROOM was finally to take the stage, venues of the Grand’s size were able to operate at 50% capacity, per the first step towards reopening. GROW, which followed, became the first production post-Omicron to operate at 100% capacity, welcoming over 6,500 patrons to end the season strong.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

To welcome our cherished supporters back into the newly renovated building, Audience Tours were offered in October and allowed small groups of patrons to walk through the spaces with a staff member.

In preparation and celebration of ROOM’s long anticipated onstage run at the Grand, we honoured Emma Donoghue with a book signing event on March 3, 2022. This free event invited book lovers into our Drewlo Lounge for a Q&A and personable conversation with the vivacious author, playwright, and screenwriter.

As a way of diving further into the show’s content and production process, Wednesday night AfterWORDS for ROOM were held post-show in the Drewlo Lounge featuring guest artists from the show.

Audiences celebrated the high-larious new musical, GROW, with a special 4:20 event on April 20 and an AfterWORDS post-show talk on April 27.

high school project returns

In early fall 2021, the 35th High School Project saw 36 students create a video love letter to city of London: THE GREAT GRAND ROAD TRIP. The project saw students travel to various historical sites and landmarks to perform classic musical theatre numbers in new, non-traditional ways. The presentation was available for complimentary download online from September 29th through October 11th and recorded 1,485 downloads. HSP 2022: INTO THE WOODS was announced March 24. Auditions and callbacks for performing and orchestra placements took place April 23-24, April 30-May 1, May 14-15, and interviews for production placements took place May 16-18. Students were selected and gathered for the first time with their families and Grand staff at Info Night on June 15.

AN EVENING WITH EMMA DONOGHUE, MARCH 2022

EMMA DONOGHUE, dennis garnhum

photo by CAITLIN CORE

GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND SPECIAL GRANTS

Each year, the Grand receives generous support from the City of London, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. As the industry continued to operate in a COVID impacted season, the Grand applied for and received additional support from the Canada Council, $70K and The Department of Canadian Heritage, $125K.

Throughout the pandemic, the Grand also received funding from the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).

In the 2021-22 season, one-time government grants and ongoing funding contributed 24% of our total revenue.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

The Grand prides itself on the economic impact on London and surrounding regions. This past year, we provided employment for 270 people and contributed over $3.97M in salaries and benefits. Of goods and services purchased 53% or $1.6M was spent locally, making a significant contribution to the local economy.

The number of organizations using our box office services was lower than what would be typical in a non-COVID impacted season. In 2021-22, 11 local organizations used our box office services, and 9 local companies or individuals rented our facilities. In an effort to open the doors of the theatre as wide as possible to new theatre audiences, tickets to the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL were provided free of charge. Following each Festival performance, a request for donations to support the work of the Festival Artists and the theatre was made. This included an ask at the conclusion of each streamed performance.

Beyond the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL, a concentrated effort in community outreach to open the doors to new theatre goers resulted in over 480 complimentary tickets provided to community groups and organizations throughout the remaining course of the season.

The Grand re-started its ticket donation program providing theatre tickets to local charitable organizations to be used as prizes for fundraising events. As many organizations continued to move away from in-person events, demand for donated tickets was lower than in a typical year which would see close to $60,000 in ticket valued donated. In 2021-22 close to $5000 in ticket value was donated. Additionally, vouchers that could not be claimed during the period of COVID shutdown were honoured by our box office.

We continued our partnership with Business Cares and the London Food Bank during the holiday production of HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. Grand audiences generously donated $40,031 bringing the 5-year total of funds raised to $340,810 in support of London families and the over 35 agencies supported by the London Food Bank.

THE GRAND GALA

The 47th Grand Gala honoured retiring Executive Director, Deb Harvey. Titled “A Grand Goodbye”, Deb’s 22 years at the Grand were celebrated with an array of special guests and tributes. Presented by Sterling Marking Products, the Gala was co-hosted by Dennis Garnhum and former Artistic Director, Susan Ferley. Rick Miller served as the event MC and special performances from past and current High School Project participants highlighted the evening. Our thanks to Jan Alexandra Smith, Aiden de Salaiz, David Michael Moote, Ben Sanders and Olivia Sinclair Brisbane for joining the sold-out event and a special thanks to Victor Garber who sent greetings and good wishes to Deb via video. Funds raised at the Gala supported the High School Project and other youth programming initiatives as well as the Grand’s COVID recovery fund through the Grand Theatre Foundation.

Fund Raising and Development

The Grand Theatre’s continued commitment to producing leading and innovative work for our audiences while providing the creative teams who produce our shows the opportunities for artistic enrichment remains a top priority. The breadth of programming we offer is made possible through the generous support of exceptional sponsors, individuals, foundations, and corporate donors.

Many of the Grand Theatre’s individual donors pledge a gift to the theatre operations around the time of their subscription renewals. The absence of a subscription series in the 2021-22 season with reduced audience sizes due to uncertainty and apprehension of Grand Theatre patrons, resulted in lower overall donations than what would be typical. That said, we are grateful for the support of our donors and supporters, who supported us during this time.

Donors and supporters generated $1.36M (24% of revenue) in contributions to the operations last season.

A special major gifts campaign was launched to support the Grand’s COVID recovery efforts through the Grand Theatre Foundation. We are appreciative of the outpouring of support from donors to this effort, many of whom donated in tribute to Deb Harvey in support of the future of the Grand.

2021-22 SPONSORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

BMO generously supported the Grand as the 2021-22 Season Sponsor. The impact of BMO’s ongoing support of the Grand cannot be overstated.

Libro Credit Union and The Thames Valley District School Board provided financial sponsorship of the 2021-22 High School Project –THE GREAT GRAND ROAD TRIP– with Western Fair District provided much-needed rehearsal space at no cost.

The GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL was supported by generous grant provided by the London Community Foundation. Canada Life provided funding that allowed for barrier-free access to all four of the Festival productions.

Title Sponsorship for the productions in the season were: McCormick CanadaHOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Ahria Consulting - ROOM, Michael and Stephanie McDonald – GROW. We are grateful for the additional support provided by Tourism London as hospitality sponsors for GROW. We offer our ongoing thanks to Selectpath for deferring their title sponsorship of CONTROLLED DAMAGE to the 2022-23 Season. Voices.com post-show sponsor for EAST COAST KITCHEN PARTY kindly deferred their sponsorship for the 2022-23 Season. Thank you, and welcome to our amazing group of sponsors.

Sterling Marking Products enthusiastically returned as Presenting Sponsor of the Grand Gala. The Gala was also supported by Gold Sponsors: Spriet & Associates, Cornerstone Architecture, Form & Build, and Remax Hallmark A-Team. The added sponsorship support of Acura West, CIBC Wood Gundy - Larry Myny Investment Group, Matt Parr Mortgages, Nash Jewellers and Channers contributed to the success of the event.

Jeans ‘n Classics was supported for the 2021-22 season by Versabank, Delta Hotels by Marriott – London Armouries and CIBC Wood Gundy - Larry Myny Investment Group.

The impact of the support of the many community partners continue to make us London Proud. Thanks so New Era Grafix, MacMaster Chevrolet Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Daisy Flowers, Art & Framing, Len’s Mill, Sportwood Printing, North Moore Catering and our many dining partners.

ROOM, MARCH 2022

LUCIEN DUNCAN-REID, ALEXIS GORDON

photo by DAHLIA KATZ

Set & Costume Design by Lily Arnold

Lighting Design by Bonnie Beecher

friends of the grand

The Friends of the Grand (FOG) was created as a not-for-profit Michigan Corporation in support of the Grand Theatre with a Board of Directors in 2005. Its bylaws were modeled on those of the Stratford Festival of America group to be compliant with Michigan, American, Ontario and Canadian statutes governing such not-for-profit organizations that reach across international borders.

Among the goals of the organization are to foster interest in the Grand Theatre in the Michigan community and seek charitable support from Americans by making contributions to the Grand tax deductible. Robert J Sokol MD was the founding Chair of the Board. After an initial Board was appointed, some events were planned and held with the Canadian Consulate in Detroit. Donations have been modest, but ongoing.

The regulations are complex and require reporting to the Michigan and US tax authorities; the latter dropped though the cracks about 5-6 years ago and the Internal Revenue Service no longer recognized the not-for-profit status of FOG. When this was discovered, the Board Chair and theatre undertook to reestablish FOG status with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) with competent legal counsel. Such status was successfully reestablished in 2021.

Current issues are expansion of board membership, meeting ongoing reporting requirements consistently and, if necessary, transferring from public to private philanthropy status.

We invite interested donors from America to reach out to our development team to discuss the best way to position future gifts. Interested donors should reach out to Jacob Wiley, Development Coordinator, at 519.672.9030 ext 245, or jwiley@grandtheatre.com

Dr. Robert Sokol President, Friends of the Grand (FOG)

AND ARINEA HERMANS

photo by DAHLIA KATZ

Set & Costume Design by Bretta Gerecke

Lighting Design by Kevin Fraser

Projection Design by Jamie Nesbitt

grand gala, june 2022

deb harvey

photo by dahlia katz

BEST WISHES TO DEB HARVEY

It was 1999, and the Grand Theatre was facing a million-dollar deficit and threatened closure. The board hired Deb Harvey as a consultant to come to London, and to help right the ship.

Deb did that and so much more.

She stayed on as the new Executive Director and led the theatre to become one of the country’s top professional arts organizations. With 23 consecutive budget surpluses, Deb’s dedication, skill and passion shaped what the Grand Theatre is today: a strong and vibrant heart of the arts community.

Working with Susan Ferley, as Artistic Director, and then with Dennis Garnhum, Deb led with an uncanny ability to make things work, without compromising the quality of the work or the integrity of the theatre.

Deb gave herself unselfishly to the Grand and earned the respect and admiration of her wonderful team, the arts community, and the people of London. We would see her walking to work early in the morning, greeting people as they arrived for a show at night, and making her way back home once all was safely put to bed, ready for the next day.

Deb has accomplished so much including the renovation of the Spriet Stage, the purchase of the Scene Shop, the High School Project, and most recently, she raised over 9.5 million dollars and oversaw RENO2020. Deb also had the foresight to purchase a business/performance interruption insurance policy just before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on arts communities around the world.

Once again, Deb saved the Grand, and we have now emerged renewed and anxious to share the legacy that she has built.

Deb is a wonderful person, a great golfer, and a friend of so many who wish her the very best as she embarks on the next phase of her life.

Ron Koudys President, Grand Theatre Foundation Board

financial statements

Selected 2020/21 Statistics

Spriet Stage (839 capacity)

Auburn Stage (144 capacity)

Market Value of OAC and London Community Foundation Endowment Funds as at June 30, 2022: $2,819,547

grand theatre endowment fund

London Community Foundation

Ontario Arts Foundation

Total

Interest revenues from the Endowment funds are included in Fundraising: $ 126,368 $ 2,173,690 $ 645,857 $ 2,819,547

grand volunteers, june 2022

photo by caitlin core

grand volunteers

Among the first people our audiences interact with, the Grand Theatre’s dedicated volunteers are our most cherished group of supporters. Their time, commitment, positive attitude and personal support of the Grand Theatre create an important welcoming environment for all Londoners, and help support every facet of our organization. We would like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following volunteers who have so generously given their time during the 2021/22 season:

Abbey, Alice

Al Rahmoun, Sobheyyeh

Anderson, Jim

Bartley, Liz

Basmaji, Judy

Belton, Karon

Bolam, Joan

Bradwin, Bill

Bradwin, Nora

Briggs, Marlene

Cameron, Pamela

Campbell, Dorinda

Carey, Brian

Cassidy, Sheila

Cavenagh, Patrick

Chaiekh, Leen

Chaiekh, Reina

Cheyne, Doug

Clifford, Elaine

Costigan, Gloria

Cresswell, Carolyn

Dawson, Linda

Decker, Angela

DeLeary, Vivian

Dellow, Berniece

Delmore, Patrick

D’Haene, Donald

Dick, Ron

Dlouhy, Eva

Estey, Bob

Evans, Lisa

Fenik, Theresa

Finnbogason-Hill, Ardath

Flannigan, Dale

Gasca, Annie

Goss, Rosemary Ann

Green, Al

Green, Kay

Green, Sheila

Greenwood, Robin

Hall, Marion

Hallam, Sharon

Hall-Tigert, Sue

Hammond, Donna

Hammond, John

Harris, Sue

Hartley, Martyn

Hill, Kerry

Hines, Cynthia

Horrell, Sheila

Hunter, Cathy

Hunter, Gwen

Huys, Tony

Irwin, Jan

Ishimwe, Illa Julianna

Johnson, Ruth

Kari, Bev

Kenney, Joan

Kerr, Mackenzie

Kirk, Alice

Kivell, Charlene

Kozell, Kathryn

Kroetsch, Mary

Laskey, Lynda

Lennox, Catherine

Li, Cindy

Longhurst, Arla

Loveday, Debbie

Ludlow, Susan

Lunau, Dennis

Lunau, Sharon

Mabondo, Naomi

MacDonald, Sharanne

Malloy-Nantais, Betty

Masson, Janice

McCoy, Kathleen

McCready, Mary

McCready, Rowan

McGill, Chip

McIndoe, Marian

McKenna, Pat

McManus, Sandra

McNally, Colette

Medeiros, Darlene

Moore, Catherine

Mori-Jones, Yuuri

Murray, Mary

Nicholson, Julie

Nimenya, Danel

Niyondiko, Annonciate

Onyekwere, Blessing

Pearson, Leslie

Phillips, Lana

Pietersma, Betty

Poel, Norma

Powell, Anne-Marie

Ramdhan, Anne

Rawal, Reema

Richardson, Lorraine

Rumney, Rick

Savage, George

Schomburg, Susan

Schruder, Suzanne

Seguin, Steve

Selenis, Kathy

Servant, Sandra

Shuit, Kira

Shute, Jo-Ann

Sigfrid, Cheryl

Silverson, Celia

Singh, Laranya

Skidmore-Skuce, Pat

Spencer, Jennifer

Stuart, Tom

Summers, Bonnie

Swanson, Tony

Szoldatits, Isaac

Thomson, Renny

van Alphen-Fyfe, Hannah

Vandewetering, Bill

Vandewetering, Cathy

Vrabec, Mila

Walker, Ann

Walmsley, Nancy

Whitson, Alice

Whitson, Michael

Wombwell, Janet

Woods, Helen

Young, Karen

grand gala, june 2022

photo by dahlia katz

donor acknowledgements

Reflects donations received July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022

GRAND VISIONARIES DIRECTORS’ CIRCLE $20,000+

Tom Burnett • Lynn Davis • Noreen De Shane • Caroline & Rodney

Hancock • Dr. Deborah & Ron Koudys • Cathy & Bob Lawless • Dr. Nicole

le Riche & Dr. John Howard • Linda & Dr. Cecil Rorabeck • Debbie & Bob Schram • Roberta & Dr. Robert Sokol • Helen & Andy Spriet • Carol

Stephenson • Susanne & Marty Thrasher • Judy White

AMBASSADORS’ CIRCLE $5,000–9,999

Sharon Bryan • Lynne Cram • Peter Markvoort • Kathleen Murphy & Harry Joosten • Anita & Amit Shah

GRAND CHAMPIONS LONDON PROUD CLUB $2,500–4,999

Susan & Allan

Edwards

Deb Harvey

Joan & Glenn

Johnson

Suzanne Lanthier

Lesley MacAskill & Chris Jackman

Jackie & John Porter

Susan Smith-Goddard

GRAND SUPPORTERS ASSOCIATES $1,000–2,499

Jill & Brian Allen

Jane & Justin

Amann

Dr Paul E Cooper & Mr David J Hiebert

Jim Cressman

Dianne

Cunningham

Danna DeJong

Jennifer Duncan

Rhonda Hallberg

Barbara & Paul

Hebert

Diana Bennet & Spencer Lanthier

Sharon & Brian

Lessard

Sandra & Don Letton

Teresa & Ron McRae

Valerie & Michael

Milde

Dr Janet Pope

Glenda Robinson

Georgina & Ralph

Schinkel

Maureen & Michael Tilson

Rick Verrette & George Jolink

Beth & Peter

Whatmore

Dr. Betty Anne

Younker

Domenico Strano

K L Turner

Mark Wilton

GRAND SUPPORTERS

FRIENDS

$500–999

Yvonne & Dr. Ross

Archibald

Diane Baird & Jurgen Tietz

Carolyn & Colin Botten

Jennifer & Peter Day

Jan & Guy De Rose

Midge & Phil Dean

Marilyn & Art Fidler

Marg & Glen Gagan

Joyce Garnett

Dennis Garnhum & Bruce Sellery

Margaret & John Hewitt

Sandy Jamieson

Ann & John Judson

Kirsten Knight & Craig Emptage

Mary Margaret & Gary Koreen

Liz & David Macdonald

Mary-Jane & Rick Mann

Darlene & Larry Marsh

Libby & Earl McMillan

Julie Nicholson

Deborah & Joe Owens

Elizabeth Parameter & William Horne

Jenny, Matt & Finn Parr

Christina Poddubiuk & Scott McKowen

Deborah & Ronald Purdy

Lili Rechnitzer

Linda & Scott Ritchie

Carolyn & Jack Scott

Kim Shuit

Celia & Rod Silverson

Elaine & Ian Simpson

Joanne & Jack Smit

Linda Staudt

Janet E. Stewart

Norma Stokes

(2) Anonymous Donors

SUPPORTERS

$100–499

Judy & Jack Abell

Susan Agranove

Carole Alton

Mary Arrand

Reg Ash

Karen & Eric Auzins

Ruby Bantock

Luella Barath & Paul

McKnight

Sister Simone Batte

Beverly & David Bell

Brenda & Kerry Benson

Jane & Don Benson

Ingrid & Monica Betz

Lorena & Jack Brown

Moira Burke

Sharon & Bill Burns

Pamela Cameron

Madeline Campbell

Sandi & Paul Caplan

James Cassidy

Cathy Chamberlain & Crysta Bell

Eileen & Hugh John Cook

Jane Corbett

Ada & Henry Cornelissen

Grace Coutinho

Aindrea Cramp

Noreen Davis

Bonnie Dawe

Alfred Day

Chandlee Dickey & Larry

Panych

William Dietz

Eileen Dobell

Lee & Michael Donely

Joanne Dow & Harry Homer

Vicki & Gord Drimmie

Joseph Driskill

Mary Dryden

Christen Shoesmith & Phil Dwyer

Frances Dyson

Jeanette & Stuart Eberhard

Penny Eizenga

Doris England

Liz & Jim Etherington

Kim Eyre

Laurie Farquharson

Lorna & Rudy Fast

Barb & Bruce Fearnall

Andrew First

Valerie & Chuck Ford

Virginia Ford

Lorie Forwell & William

Clark

Suzanne Fratschko Elliott

Rhonda & David Freeman

Paul Fujimoto-Pihl

Kim Gadsdon

Patty & Brian Galea

Nathan Garber

Haley & Ryan Gauss

David Gliddon

Belinda & Basil Gracious

Sheila & Al Green

Bea & Gavin Hamilton

Leah Hamilton

Najet & Hanny Hassan

Margaret & Bruce Hastings

Denise Hay

Maureen & Ian Herrick

Patricia Hoffer

Kathleen Holland

Rob Howard

Marian Hundt

Brenda & Morrison Hurley

Heather & Paul Huston

Jenna Hutchison

Allan Johnson

Mabel & Elton Kane

Michelle Kaplansky

Mary Jane Kekes

Tanis Kelly

Marianne & Paul Kippax

Rose & William Klein

Steve Kopp

Susan & John Koval

Jennifer & Wayne Lawrence

William & Shirley Lawrence

Cheryl & Doug Lester

Marie Liddell

Karen Lilley

Sheilanne Lindsay & Ian

McIlraith

Bonnie & Frank Littell

Catharine & Trev Luke

Sharon & Dennis Lunau

Lynn Marshall

Cheryl Masson

Janine & Jeff Mathyssen

Sheila McBride

Gwen McBurney

Joan McCarthy

Nancy & Ian McDowell

Ann & Hugh McIntosh

Jason McIntyre

Marilynne McNeil

Louise Milligan

Beverley & Paul Mills

Kate Milner & Andrew

Petrasiunas

Shirley Mitchell

Patricia Nasmith & David

Haniford

Nancy Needham

Colleen O’Brien

Sandra O’Brien

Dorothy & John Palmer

Paddy & Brian Parr

Doreen & Ron Paulger

Sandra & Robert Pearson

John Peebles

Norma & Jim Poel

Blair Poetschke

Claire Prins

Karen & Rick Pritchett

Lisa Putman & Bruce Reed

Nancy Quinn & Jeff DeLuzio

Eleanore Reynolds

Kathleen & Douglas

Richards

Doris & Frank Robak

Trudy Roth Walker & Lloyd

Walker

Elizabeth & Ralph Rudy

Peggy Sattler

Denise & Gordon Saylor

Catherine & Gordon Sellery

Julia Sert

Todd Shaddick

Valerie & John Sharpe

Lynne Sinclair-Ifill

Ethel Sivilotti

Judy & Kevin Smith

Anne Souter & William

Dawson

Jacqueline & Erich Specht

Nancy & Jerry Springer

Elaine Stalker & Jack

Norman

Helena Steinmetz & Bruce

Hewitt

Shonagh Stevenson-Ramsay

Sarah Stewart

Karen Stone

Janice & Paul Strickland

Sheila & Bill Strybosch

Joan & Ken Sumnall

Anne Sutton

Diane Thrasher

Gerard Tillmann

Jody Timmerman

Jonathon Tingey

Anne Toal & Paul Brission

Joan & Ross Totten

Dr. Jane Upfold

Jan Vanesch

Keith Vincent

David Wake

Judith Walker

Susan Wallace & James

Reaney

Tracey Watters & Cam

Pettinger

Susan Waugh

Alice Wehlau

Judy & Gerry Wheaton

Margaret & Mark Whitley

Faye & Rod Willis

Cheryl & Mark Willison

Joe Wilson

Pam & Paul Wilton

Ailene Wittenstein

Sharon Wright-Evans

Jacki Yellowlees

Elizabeth Yurkiw

(6) Anonymous Donors

FOUnDATIONS

The United Church of Canada Foundation

ENDOWMENTS & GIFTS THROUGH the LONDON COMMUNITY Foundation

The Grant and Lily Hopcroft Fund • The Larry and Susan Agranove Family Fund • The Verna D. Davis Endowment for the Arts • The William & Katharine Kostuk Family Fund

corporate donors

Finch Auto Group • Justin H. Amann Medicine Professional Corporation

In Memoriam

Thank you to those who gave in memory of Art Ender, Carolyn Glass, and Mary Loncke, cherished friends of the Grand who are dearly missed. We mourn the loss of Martha Henry and thank those who have made gifts to the Grand in her memory. Martha helped shape the Grand as we know it today and her legacy lives on throughout Canadian theatre.

PROSCENIUM SOCIETY

We are deeply grateful to the compassionate individuals who have made the important and thoughtful decision to make a planned gift to the Grand Theatre. We honour them through their membership in the Proscenium Society.

Barbara Belbeck

Lynn Davis

Cathy & James Dunlop

Dr. Nicole le Riche & Dr.

John Howard

EJ Lamb

Mary & Roger Lilliman

Susan Nickle

Diane & Gary Alan Price

Glenda Robinson

Judy White

Michael Wojtak

Membership to the Proscenium Society is available to those who have chosen to make a planned gift in one or more of the following ways:

• Bequests (donations through your will)

• Listed Securites

• Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation

• Charitable Remainder Trust and gifts of Residual Interest

• Charitable Gift Annuities

• Life Insurance Policies, RRSP, RRIF

We remember the following members of the Grand Theatre family who have made a bequest to the theatre. Their legacy will help ensure that the Grand continues to flourish.

Hazel E. Bell

Cuddy

• Marista Ateena Brooks (Mikolaski)

• Theresa Cutler

• Barbara Horne

• Helen Ann Day

• Beryl Ivey

• Robert Crawford

• Walter R. (Wally) Duffield

• Elizabeth Ann Jones

• Buck A. M.

• Innis Hammond

• Myrtle McCallum

• Douglas

McCullough

• Mary Eleanor Miller

• Doris Spence

• Maureen Elizabeth Ryan

• Elizabeth Stratton

• Joseph Samuels

• Donald Smith

We would also like to thank the members of our community who have welcomed visiting artists into their homes as Artist Housing Partners for this season:

Daniel Bennett

• Kevin & Daphne Bice

• Bonnie Delanghe

• Christine Gruenbauer

•

Christine Hoover

• Helene Sellery

• Megan Watson

• Anita & Amit Shah

• Allan Stichbury

• Bob Ward & Susan Yerema

• Doug & Connie Weir

STAFF & BOARD

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Dennis Garnhum

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Deb Harvey

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION

ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE

Megan Watson

PRODUCER

Lyndee Hansen

EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE

Breanne Ritchie

COMPANY MANAGER

Christine Gruenbauer

ADMINISTRATION

IT DIRECTOR

Barb Whang

TESSITURA ADMINISTRATOR

Britt Duncan

RENTALS COORDINATOR

Karen Killeen

operations

BUILDING MANAGER

Mike MacDonald

HOUSEKEEPing

Patricia Sexsmith

Aaron Simmons

Matthew Moncrieffe

SECURITY

Shannon Goneau

Marty Petersons

Aaron Simmons

Sushmitha Sunkara

John Whitty

FINANCE

DIRECTOR

Ansel Tempral

FINANCE ASSOCIATE

Judy Risser

marketing & digital strategy

DIRECTOR

Lia Karidas

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST

Rana Bajandooh

MARKETING PROJECT MANAGER

Allison Birs

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Caitlin Core

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR

Suzanne Lanthier

FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER

Alicia Samuel

FUNDRAISING MANAGER

Grace Day-Hodson

COMMUNITY LIASON

Christina Lord

box office & audience services

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Cheryl Willison

AUDIENCE SERVICES

REPRESENTATIVES

Denise Hay

Karen McDonald

Jacob Wiley

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Paul Fujimoto-Pihl

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Daniel Bennett

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Brayden Crawford

PRODUCTION DRIVER

Jim Doucette

PROPERTIES

HEAD OF PROPS

Natalie Kearns

PROPS BUILDER/BUYER

Natalie Tsang

WARDROBE HEAD OF WARDROBE

Lisa Wright

ASSISTANT HEAD OF WARDROBE/ ACCESSORIES BUILDER

Elaine Ball

CUTTER

Kathryn Sherwin

COSTUMERS

Georgina Schinkel

Karen Merriam

Megan Choma

Scenic carpentry

HEAD SCENIC

CARPENTER

Craig Pearson

FIRST CARPENTER

Doug Johnstone

SECOND CARPENTER

Jerry Kirshner

SCENIC ART

HEAD SCENIC ARTIST

Richard Lawler

SENIOR SCENIC ARTIST

Craig Guthrie

SPRIET STAGE

HEAD STAGE CARPENTER

Steve West

HEAD OF AUDIO

Aaron Ouellette

HEAD OF LIGHTING

Wright Staines

HEAD OF FLYS

Jared Whitty

WIG & WARDROBE

MISTRESS

Raz Zemitis

STAGEHANDS

Hans Stierwalt

Rory Leydier

Mark Jovanovich

Chris Barker

DRESSERS

Mary West

Sherry Williams

COSTUME MAINTENANCE

Liam Arbogast

BUSINESS AGENT FOR IATSE LOCAL 105

Sean Barker

AUBURN STAGE

HEAD TECHNICIAN

Steve Allen

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

Anita Shah

VICE-PRESIDENT

George Kerhoulas

PAST PRESIDENT

Chris Jackman

TREASURER

David Brebner

SECRETARY

Anne Toal

Richard Bain

Blair Fantillo

Alexis Gordon

Jennifer Ho

Ron Koudys

Richard McKenzie

Amira Moussa

Matt Parr

Jennifer Slay

Dr. Robert Sokol

Tom Tillmann

Judy White

THE GRAND THEATRE FOUNDATION BOARD

PRESIDENT

Ron Koudys

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamie Crich

TREASURER

David Brebner

SECRETARY

George Kerhoulas

Tom Burnett

Dianne Cunningham

Elizabeth Drewlo

Chris Jackman

Peter Markvoort

Bob Schram

Tom Tillmann

Judy White

photo by caitlin core

Front & back cover photos by avan patel