By Gillian Brunette
A wide range of music and drama was presented to the Huntsville community in 2008 by a number of community theatre/concert groups and organizations.
The Huntsville Association for the Performing Arts (HAPA) entered its 28th year with four chamber concerts in its 2008/9 series.
HAPA had a memorable past year, with new portable stages and a new website (www.hapachambermusic.ca). The group also had their fine Steinway grand piano refurbished and provided a number of complimentary concert tickets to students throughout Huntsville.
“Every concert was well received and it was gratifying for the HAPA board of directors that all performers, all Canadians, turned out to be of the highest level of excellence,” said HAPA president Martina Schroer.
The Huntsville Festival of the Arts also enjoyed a good year, despite posting a small deficit for 2008. Following one of the best years in its 16-year history in 2007, which resulted in a healthy $20,000 surplus, this past season offered more in the way of entertainment but netted less in terms of dollars.
However, the festival remains in a solid financial position, and continues with its commitment to providing arts education initiatives for Huntsville youth, supporting local community theatre groups, and providing arts scholarships.
The HFA not only presented numerous mainstage shows this past year, but also offered fringe events throughout its summer festival. These included outdoor concerts with the Muskoka Concert Band, the Poetry Cafe and workshop, Tunes/Jazz at Tall Trees, the Poetry Slam, Arts Walk, Arts Splash and an extended Jazz Festival.
The non-profit organization held its annual major fundraiser at Deerhurst Resort in May. The 2008 May Marche, after expenses, netted about $39,000.
Grease was the word reverberating around Huntsville High School (HHS) in early February, with students and staff getting pumped and ready for their musical production. The show, presented at the Algonquin Theatre from Feb. 13 to 16, was an ambitious project for HHS. With a cast of some 40 students and an eight-piece band, it was the first musical undertaken by the school.
Of Mice and Men opened on Feb. 21 for four performances and was received with much acclaim. Presented by the North Muskoka Players and directed by Gregg Evans, the story, based on John Steinbeck’s novel, told of California drifters George and Lennie and their dream of a place to call their own.
April saw another big local production taking place at the Algonquin Theatre. Annie, the musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, featured a cast of more than 30, including 14 children aged six to 14. It was produced and directed by Jim and Michele Collins and sold out performances netted $24,000 for the St. Johns Anglican Church in Ravenscliffe.
Also in April the stars of Northern Blues Review were back with an all-new show. Northern Blues Review 5 performed at the Algonquin Theatre on April 25, once again filling the house with appreciative fans.
In May, an original musical theatre work titled Knights ran for three performances at the Algonquin Theatre. Knights was written and directed by composer, writer, and performer John Oliver Peel, co-founder of the National Martial Arts Theatre Company, and provided a thrilling and engaging experience for the whole family.
The summer of 2008 offered a cornucopia of concerts, plays and art and artisan shows, which kept the community buzzing through to the fall and serving as a reminder that the arts scene in Huntsville is alive and well.
The year drew to a close with a heartwarming Christmas play that touched all hearts young and old. Produced by Gregg Evans and the North Muskoka Players and directed by Derek Shelly, A Gift to Last told the story of a “real” Christmas in Canada during the early 1900s.
A rousing and uplifting concert from the Soweto Gospel Choir brought the Algonquin Theatre year to a close. Presented by the HFA, the choir played to a sold-out crowd.
It was events such as these that allowed the Algonquin Theatre to shine. For the third straight full year of operations the theatre met the revenue expectations as budgeted. The number of actual shows in 2008 was down slightly from 2007 but overall ticket sales were up by more than $50,000. Gross sales in 2008 were over $800,000.
The Algonquin Theatre has over 15,000 patrons registered and more than 200 volunteers. Patrons purchasing tickets to the theatre this past year came from as far away as New Zealand and Bangkok, and from the United States and all parts of Canada.
