The Playhouse’s Place in History

  • Operates two fully – renovated historic venues side by side on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Gananoque, the 360 seat Springer Theatre and the 140 seat Firehall.
  • Completely produces 80-90% of the 8-10 productions it presents annually, using professional talent (designers, directors, scenic artists and performers) from across the country.
  • Annually attracts more than 30,000 guests from the Kingston region – many of whom have returned 5 to 8 times in a season.
  • Was founded in 1982 by Greg Wanless, a graduate of the National Theatre School and Queen’s University, former Stratford actor and now a Queen’s University professor. Wanless occupied the dual position of Artistic Director/General Manager longer than any other currently-serving AD/GM in Canada.
  • Is now one of the top five summer festivals in Ontario in terms of producing activity and budget. This includes the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, Soulpepper and Drayton Entertainment. It is the most active theatre in Eastern Ontario.
  • Has a regional economic impact of $20 million annually.
  • Has grown from a 3-show, 10-week season to presenting twelve shows in 30 weeks, with annual audiences increased from 6,000 to 60,000 since 1982.
  • By the end of 2010, will have presented 182 productions including 24 world premieres.
  • Has been a major supporter of Canadian content since 1982, with approximately 80% of its programming now created by Canadian writers.
  • Has been praised in national and international media such as VARIETY Magazine, NCPR radio, the Globe and Mail, and called “the most charming theatre in the country” by CBC radio.

Click Here for our Production History

2010 – Celebrating 29 Seasons on the beautiful
St. Lawrence River in Gananoque, Ontario

MISSION STATEMENT

To enrich the global village by operating a professional theatre company that
1) produces a diversity of vital works from the Canadian and world repertoire with a unique Canadian perspective
2) actively develops new creative voices
3) mentors a new generation of theatre professionals
4) inspires participation in artistic activities.

WHAT THAT MEANS

Like all not-for-profit cultural institutions in Canada, the Thousand Islands Playhouse is legally required to have an artistic mission statement which provides a framework and context for all of our artistic activities. As the theatre has grown, the mission statement has been modified to reflect our increasingly ambitious artistic aspirations.

Captured by the mission statement, and articulating the philosophy behind all of our activities is this desire to help develop a creative, dynamic and compassionate community by encouraging participation in arts activities. This goal acts as a guiding philosophy in all that we do as we feel a deep responsibility to enriching and contributing to the community in which we work and the Canadian theatre community as a whole. The commitment to community life articulated in the mission statement is an enormous part of the reason the original Playhouse founders felt it was necessary to establish a theatre in the region and why we continue to create theatre here.

HOW THE COMPANY MISSION EVOLVED

In 1967 and 1968 Gananoque was home to the St. Lawrence Summer Playhouse, located in a tent in the parking lot of the Blinkbonnie Hotel. The theatre was extremely popular with locals and tourists alike and featured a mix of Broadway musicals and American and British comedies and nurtured a number of young performers who went on to successful careers in Canadian theatre.

Despite its success, the decision was made to relocate the St. Lawrence Playhouse to Kingston and its last season was in 1976. When Greg Wanless returned from Stratford in 1981 with the dream to re-establish a theatre in Gananoque, his vision was met with considerable support from all sectors of a community that had deeply missed the activity and excitement generated by the previous Playhouse. The impetus for a new theatre emerged from within the community, while the logistics of establishing a theatre company was expedited by Greg and his original company.

Action starting moving quickly. The local Rotary Club sold the Gananoque Canoe Club to the Playhouse, community members donated money to renovate the building, and tradespeople generously gave of their expertise and time. That first season it was not unusual to come across a local businessman working alongside an actor building a deck or a plumber teaching people how to install a toilet. Community members often dropped by after work to check on the progress of the building, hosted dinners for hungry performers or production staff and offered much needed recreation breaks in the form of boat rides or parties.

After such passionate community involvement in the theatre’s beginnings, it seemed natural that the mission statement should begin with a statement acknowledging the Thousand Islands Playhouse’s commitment to community life. This relationship has been maintained and nurtured over the years, and that first clause remains an integral component of our artistic mission statement.

From the beginning, the Playhouse has steadily built a reputation for producing works with very high production values and we spend the majority of our annual operating budget ‘onstage’. We continually seek to challenge ourselves, exceed the expectations of our audiences, and raise our standards in order to create better theatre.

In addition to our commitment to high production values, we also place a priority on producing and creating new Canadian work. Since 1982, the Playhouse has produced 93 Canadian works, 20 of which have been world premieres. In addition to the new works seen onstage, the Playhouse is actively participating in a number of new play workshops and readings. We currently have six new works in various stages of development and aspire to eventually establish a musical theatre colony dedicated to the development of the Canadian musical.

Our major outreach activity designed to create opportunities for youth is the Thousand Islands Playhouse Young Company, which not only brings theatre to children throughout Eastern Ontario, but also provides training opportunities for aspiring professionals.

The Thousand Islands Playhouse is a registered not for profit organization, charitable tax number 88815 6247 RR0001.