Playhouse exec seeks input for long-term plan
Kings Playhouse executive director John Connolly hopes to develop a five-year plan for Canada’s longest running theatre - and he is looking for community input.
“I see huge potential for Georgetown, for the theatre and I want to be a part of that,” Mr Connolly said to a group of about 15 community members and theatre enthusiasts who attended a public consultation session on April 13.
Mr Connolly stepped into the role in January 2024 during a post-pandemic era in which theatres across North America have been struggling to regain momentum.
Through an organizational review, he examined everything the theatre has been doing, compared activities to best practices and identified a list of recommendations for the future.
That included creating an informed plan that balances what the community wants to see, what is likely to work based on evidence and what is achievable with available resources.
“There were so many suggestions and ideas I hadn’t thought of,” he said referring to the community input.
A number of individuals suggested increased focus on theatre.
“There are musicals everywhere but we need more theatre,” Carol Fletcher said.
Cindy MacLean, a Three Rivers councillor, suggested getting a theatre group back up and running.
Ramona Pál-Kovács who recently served on the board suggested the priority should be to build a brand around showing consistently engaging, quality performances.
Finding others to oversee events and opportunities might help strike a balance between using the space to its capacity and having resources to put on a consistently engaging show schedule.
The venue has already partnered with Artists on the Waterfront to oversee management of space that has recently been used as an art gallery. The Playhouse is no longer serving as a tourism information centre since Mr Connolly took on his role.
Others such, as Darlene Harris, suggested continuing to put forward a variety of initiatives to see what sticks.
Multiple attendees suggested collaboration with schools and youth to expand knowledge of the theatre’s history, to perhaps coordinate putting on shows for students that would fit in with curriculum and provide youth theatre programming.
Marketing and funding ideas were discussed, as well as ways to help get people from Charlottetown to the Playhouse by for instance partnering with T3 Transit.
Mr Connolly is also looking to hear any criticism community members might be holding back.
One of the main questions posed in the session was what should the theatre stop doing.
Mr Connolly hopes to receive more feedback in coming weeks from locals. There is an option for people to submit their thoughts in writing through a link on the Playhouse’s website.
Rachel Collier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic
