The stately building on Gravenhurst’s main street began its life as the contentious pet project of Mayor Charles Mickle over a century ago. It was an expensive undertaking for the times, coming in at $12,000, with architectural flourishes that included elements of French Renaissance, English Vernacular, and Gothic style, including pricey chandeliers delivered from France.
Despite the controversy, the Gravenhurst Town Hall and Opera House opened its doors in March of 1901, and it has welcomed well over six million people to date. The structure has triumphed over a proposed tear-down, and the threat of closure pending structural repairs; but the grand old building retains its place of honour with pride.
It has played host to community club events and meetings, offered cooking demonstrations, screened motion pictures, showcased musicians, and engaged local youth. But it is perhaps most distinguished for its spectacular summer theatre over the past eight decades.
Lady Luck has a tendency to take a leading role in real-life dramas; and summer theatre in Muskoka owes its birth to that capricious diva’s influence. John Holden, an American-born professor of drama, was led by circumstance to radio work at Toronto’s CFRB station. He and some like-minded colleagues teamed up to form a troupe called ‘The Good Companions’, launching the first season of summer theatre at Gravenhurst’s Opera House in 1934. Muskoka was the community of choice only because the fledgling group could lodge free of charge at the hotel now known as Bala Bay Inn, then owned by Holden’s adopted sister’s husband. An auspicious twist of fate!
Inspired by the inaugural season, local talent took up the gauntlet; and community drama flourished at the Opera House to popular acclaim. In 1948, the Straw Hat Players made their debut with Noel Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’, featuring such notable actors as Barbara Hamilton and Charmion King. Over the next eight summers, the Straw Hatters mounted a total of 308 performances on the Gravenhurst stage. The year 1972 heralded the inception of the Muskoka Festival Theatre, a talented resident company that delighted audiences for more than two decades.
From its early beginnings to the present day, the Opera House has exhibited superb dramatic talent, unearthing a wealth of creative actors, producers, and directors within the area and attracting noted professionals from beyond, among them comedian Dave Broadfoot, operatic singers Michael Burgess and Maureen Forrester, guitarist Liona Boyd, actor Graham Greene, and the famed thespians in the Follows family.
Charlie Farquharson, the fictitious alter-ego of comic actor Don Harron, first performed on the local stage in 1989. The real Charles Farquharson was the eminent head of the Ontario Medical Association, and the best friend of Harron’s father-in-law, Dr. Murray Fisher, a respected public figure in Gravenhurst. The dubious honour afforded his colleague did not entirely meet with the good doctor’s approval.
With a rich heritage of serving and entertaining the community, the Opera House is proudly reclaiming its roots as the cultural cornerstone of Gravenhurst, while revitalizing its profile with exciting new programs.
This May, Gravenhurst welcomed a new manager of arts and culture, Krista Storey, who will head up operations at the Opera House. As the previous general manager of the Orillia Opera House, Krista was responsible for the development of highly successful youth and cultural programs; and she is thrilled to bring her experience to Gravenhurst, with new ventures in the works. A weekly drop-in for youth will focus on skills of the lost arts, and the facilities will be available for rental for events, productions, or meetings.
And the fine tradition of summer theatre will still grace the stage of the Opera House. A terrific line-up of dinner theatre, concerts, and dramatic performances will celebrate the rich legacy bequeathed by eighty years of talent and energy, continuing to bring the gift of entertainment to the residents, guests, and tourists who cross the threshold of Gravenhurst’s wonderful old theatre.
