Call it a Christmas gift for Renfrew County’s performing arts community.
Local MPP John Yakabuski recently caught up with the Streetlight Theatre in Pembroke to announce that the group had earned a $48,300 grant through Ontario’s Resilient Communities Fund.
Yakabuski says the money will retrofit the old TV station in Laurentian Valley for the group to use as a permanent space, “which will enable ‘The Company’ to perform dinner theatres, musicals, and other productions.”
The Streetlight Theatre also plans to use part of the money to buy and install “lighting, sound, and other equipment necessary to provide accessible productions.”
Theatre President Aimée Garcia says the money will allow them to recover from the financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and re-establish their volunteer base.
Executive Member Karen Keels says the news marks an exciting time for the theatre company, allowing them “to offer more affordable programming and opportunities, as well as promoting involvement in the arts from a young age.”
The Streetlight Theatre is a not-for-profit that’s produced plays and musicals involving community members of all ages and for audiences across the Ottawa Valley since 2008.
(written by Kasey Egan)