GEORGETOWN - The days of banging into each other and spilling drinks during intermissions here will soon be over.
The Kings Playhouse is undergoing a major expansion project that will give it the elbow room it needs by creating a brand new entrance with more foyer and meeting space.
But the big hole in the ground making way for another 3,200 square feet of space is only part of a major $650,000 project.
There will upgrades to the heating and water systems, upstairs dressing rooms and to the sound quality within the
theatre.
"If anyone has been here on a busy night you know how little space there is during intermission,'' says project manager Brian Pound. "Many people just stay in their seats rather than go for a stretch. But this renovation will bring us up to the best of standards."
The theatre has enjoyed a streak of sold out shows this past year from Buddy Whatshisname to George Canyon and can accommodate almost 300 patrons. And when that many folks try to hit the lobby for a licensed refreshment or chit chat, it's chaotic at best.
It will take all winter to complete, but organizers anticipate a ribbon cutting party sometime in May to make way for another summer stock season of theatre and music at a venue that has been serving up the goods for the past 26 years.
Well actually, it's been serving up entertainment, politics and municipal business for the past 100 years to be exact (the original building burned to the ground). And the new enthusiastic board of directors anticipates the Kings Playhouse is only going to build an even stronger reputation as the region's top spot for live performance.
"We know how much people enjoy the theatre every time we have a great show that packs in the crowds,'' says board chairman Randall Fletcher.
"It's taken time to reach that achievement, but it's come a long way in the past 26 years."
Fire Claims Original Theatre
Most of the 30 or so volunteers on the fire brigade were at the nearby ice rink playing hockey on that grim night of March 3, 1983.
It was around 7:30 p.m. when the call reached the rink and firemen scurried out into the fiercely cold winds to run across the town square to the fire department. As they hiked through the face-slapping drizzle they could see smoke pouring from the eaves of the old building and flames spilling from the windows.
"I thought it would be the end of the Kings Playhouse,'' recalls Fletcher, who was a young fireman at the time.
About 100 townspeople braved the wind and sleet on that night in 1983 to watch the flames take command and burn the oldest theatre in Canada to the ground. One witness was the late town historian and heritage advocate Bea Mair who wept at the destruction.
"Just when you think you're getting ahead you get a slap in the face,'' said town mayor Charlie Martell, standing beside her that night. "But we'll rebuild."
The original Kings Playhouse has been part of the Kings County capital since being constructed in 1897 by architect William Critchlow Harris. One of the Island's most well-known architects had just completed the Georgetown provincial courthouse next door and 20 years earlier had designed Beaconsfield in Charlottetown.
Before the ashes were even cold at the site of the fire, Martell and Mair, along with a number of other volunteers, had launched an Islandwide appeal to help rebuild the famous structure. Within a few months, hundreds of thousands had been raised.
Upgrades
"They did a fantastic job,'' says Pound. "But after 26 years of service, we need more space and to bring the building up to standards that weren't required back then."
New sound dampers are being installed in the theatre to accompany the $150,000 worth of sound and lighting equipment installed last year to improve the audio quality.
Pound said a window manufacturer he has been sourcing for the past 19 years with his Alberta- based business has offered to replace all existing doors and windows with new energy-efficient products. All Weather Windows has just opened an office in Dartmouth, N.S. and offered up the $14,000 donation.
"That kind of donation will go a long way to help us raise our portion of this project cost,'' he said.
"We're getting great assistance from many Island businesses and hope to reach our goal of $63,000 worth of funds or materials."
Meanwhile, complete new ladies washrooms are being installed along with upstairs dressing rooms for actors and performers preparing for a show at the theatre.
"We'll be reupholstering all the seats and it's going to be a grand facility,'' says theatre manager Melvin Ford. "Our audience circle has grown extensively and we get customers from down the street to Souris and Charlottetown."
The Kings County capital has become a hub for entertainment as the theatre draws patrons who also enjoy the cuisine offered at such establishments as Clam Diggers seaside restaurant to the high end Georgetown Inn dining room.
"When we cut the ribbon next spring we will truly be the cultural and entertainment centre for eastern P.E.I.,'' says Fletcher.
The Playhouse board is already in discussion with Rodds Brudenell about connecting the new space with conventions and events at the resort and already two weddings have been booked for next summer at the theatre.
Changes
When he was a young fireman hosing down the flames on that March 3, 1983 night, Fletcher, who was also on the Playhouse board, says he could only think about how things had changed so much since the day the original theatre had opened in 1898.
"And here we are 26 years later after the fire expanding the second Kings Playhouse. I think she's going to last forever."
The community will be erecting special plaques of recognition inside the new theatre to mark the achievements of former board members like Mair and Martell, Canon Robert Tuck, Tim Mair and Eileen Best, who were all dedicated to the theatre.
"Many a kid in this region has been on stage here during a play or show to celebrate Christmas or honour veterans and I think that experience only helps them gain confidence and become better citizens. The Kings Playhouse has always been a place that allows people of the region to come together."
