Burned Down Red Barn Theatre Gets New Life In New Spot
Posted April 29, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There’s an old saying that the show must go on – even when the stage you were planning to use is turned into a pile of ashes.
It’s been less than two weeks since the Red Barn, an iconic building in Jackson’s Point and the oldest professional summer theatre in Canada, mysteriously burned to the ground. It was a devastating blow to the community, after having stood as a theatrical beacon for the past 60 years.
But as those behind the scorched stage mourned its loss, they also vowed to put on this year’s full program. And now they’ve found a temporary home.
Scheduled shows will take place at the Stephen Leacock Theatre in Georgina instead. The first production will take on Tennessee Williams’ classic “The Glass Menagerie,” with “The Fantasticks” and “Harvest” among the other shows on the bill.
A tent will also be set up at the original site for a series of events to keep the spirit of the old place alive, as the company tries to raise money to rebuild.
The old barn had been standing since 1883 and was converted to a theatre in 1949. The cause of the blaze hasn’t been revealed.
