The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr il 28 ,2 02 2 | 4 FARMERS MARKET @oakvillecivitanfarmersmarketoakvillecivitan.ca/market Opening Day Saturday May 7 Covid 19 protocols are in place for your safety SHOP LOCAL & FRESH • Fruit • Vegetables • Bread • Honey • Baked Goods • Meats • Cheese • Flowers • And More! EVERY SATURDAY 8AM - 1PM Located at Dorval Crossing East 200-240 North Service Rd W, Oakville into virtual shows, it just wasn't the same experi- ence, he said. "Theatre is about con- nection. You feel the actors in the room, the energy of their words and actions. You can't get that from home," said Cadeny, whose Oakville group finally re- turned to the stage earlier this month with a produc- tion of Rent, following a two-year in-person hiatus. Ticket sales were just slightly below pre-COVID levels. "Theatre has been an art that has persevered through many tough times in the past. Theatre will come back again strong." Burloak's situation is by no means unique in Hal- ton. The Milton Players were two weeks into re- hearsals when the world shut down. The cast of the Norm Foster comedy were anx- iously anticipating the May 2020 opening at Fir- stOntario Milton Arts Cen- tre, but as theatre doors were shuttered, hopes of staging the play were shat- tered. It was particularly dev- astating because audiences had been building after a lull when the Players moved to the new venue. "We were on an up- swing; we were on a really good roll," said Players sec- retary Sandra Ingratta. Rather than sit idle, members mounted an on- line Christmas show writ- ten by one of their own in both 2020 and 2021, and in May, they brought the cast back together to perform a live reading of the comedy production to keep both members and audiences engaged. "We're in trouble be- cause we're not getting any revenue, but everybody else is suffering too." Plans are to begin a new three-production season in November. "Everybody just wants to get back on stage and act," said Ingratta. "Our biggest concern is audi- ence engagement when we come back. Being away from it for two years, we're not sure. Are they going to come back? Are they going to remember? Are they go- ing to feel safe?" The pandemic's impact on the award-winning mu- sical theatre group Globe Productions, which per- forms at The Old Armoury in Georgetown, has been twofold: the inability to perform and the devastat- ing financial fallout, said Globe president Mark Lle- wellyn. "Community theatre is made up of people who are passionate in what they do and relish the thrill of con- necting with audiences with our storytelling. The loss of this activity has been very difficult on an emotional level," said Lle- wellyn. "With zero income since March 2020, we still had the ongoing expenses of main- tenance, utilities and insur- ance on our home at The Old Armoury, so we have drawn heavily on our emer- gency operational funds." And, as a volunteer, not- for-profit organization with no employees, Globe Productions has not been eligible for any of the gov- ernment COVID assistance programs, said Llewellyn. In the short term, Bur- lington's Drury Lane The- atrical Productions feels audiences will be smaller, said board member Brian Vaughan. "Our ticket-buying de- mographic is a bit older, and we're not sure they are ready to be in an audience the way they were before, but we are optimistic this will fade as theatre returns and the cases and hospital- izations continue to dimin- ish," said Vaughan. Theatre Burlington was one of the lucky ones, with a "comfortable reserve that meant we were able to maintain our building and look after expenses," said Liz Boydell, Theatre Bur- lington treasurer. When "On A First Name Basis" opened in October of 2021, audiences were limit- ed to 50 per cent of normal capacity, with everyone be- ing vaccinated and masked, said Boydell. "The response was over- whelmingly positive." Among Halton resi- dents who've missed out on local theatre in the past two years is Christine Arbic, who said, "Both my daugh- ter and I absolutely love musical theatre." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With live enter- tainment pretty much shut- tered over the past two years, we wanted to talk to local theatre groups to find out their hopes and con- cerns about returning to the stage after a lengthy hiatus. NEWS COVID TAKES FINANCIAL TOLL ON LOCAL GROUPS Continued from front "The loss of this activity has been very difficult on an emotional level." - Globe president Mark Llewellyn