An Update From Our Team

A Statement to our donors, sponsors, patrons, volunteers and community,

Like everyone else these days, we’ve been keeping a watchful eye on the ever-evolving situation with COVID-19 and the public-health measures being implemented to combat the pandemic. While our hopes for a speedy end to the crisis have been buoyed by the approval of vaccines, those hopes are necessarily tempered by our knowledge of the challenges involved in their distribution, and by the further uncertainty introduced by the arrival of new variants of the virus.

For that reason, after careful consideration, we have decided to postpone our major production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Musical, initially scheduled for this coming July, until the summer of 2022. In no way does this diminish our utmost commitment to the completion of our stunning open-air amphitheatre or to the launch of The Grove Theatre as a company, but signals our topmost priority: the safety of our audiences, our artists, and the community at large. Our aim is to ensure that the venue will be ready and available for use by the creative minds at The Grove Theatre, and by other members of our community, for events more suited to COVID-era restrictions than a major musical.

The people of Fenelon Falls asked for a gathering place where residents, cottagers and tourists could come together and celebrate this artistic community. With your support, the team at The Grove Theatre has made this community-led dream a reality. It is you we have to celebrate for the immense success of this dream thus far, as our beautiful grove continues to develop into a space that will enrich the lives of the community for years to come.

The grounds have been carefully selected. The trees were minimally cleared and the land carefully shaped. The stage is in place. The Grove Theatre arose from a shared vision in our community: a vision of renewed connection, of rewarding enterprise, of joyful gathering, with all the fun, laughter and spontaneity that have been missing from our lives of late. 

Even now, before a word has been spoken on our stage, The Grove has already brought us together and we want to celebrate all of you – our donors, our sponsors, our volunteers, our patrons – for your wonderful support of our work thus far. But there is still much to be done! Our box office, concession stand and technical booth will rise in the spring. The backstage area will be completed when the snow melts. Accessible paths and parking will be laid when the earth is dry. Electricity will shine bright. Local bands, artists and community groups have already inquired about how they may animate the amphitheatre in the months to come. 

This is why your support remains critical, now more than ever. We have a lot to accomplish this year, and it is vital that we maintain the momentum that has built so steadily since this project was first announced. The continuing generosity of our donors, sponsors, volunteers and patrons is essential in the pursuit of our exciting goal: a richer, more vibrant Kawartha Lakes community. Your support is integral to our success, and your excitement on what has thus been accomplished is inspiring. The show will go on – and we want you with us all the way.

Sincerely,

Tim Wisener, Co-founder

Christy Yael, Co-founder and Artistic Director

Nicole Myers-Mitchell, General Manager