After a few years of uncertainty thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Theatre Muskoka is hoping to continue momentum from its successful 2023 season.
Michelle Emson, technical director for Theatre Muskoka, says the upcoming shows at the Rene M. Caisse Theatre in Bracebridge will be a diverse lineup, starting with “The Spirit of Patsy Cline” later this month and “Into the Woods” in Feb. 2025.
Theatre Muskoka held its annual general meeting at the Bracebridge Sportsplex Monday evening.
“There is no shortage of talent in Muskoka,” she says, adding being local is at the core of what she wants to achieve on the Rene M. Caisse Theatre’s stage.
Emson adds the more diverse lineup of shows over the next handful of months is thanks, in part, to the “fantastic comeback year” in 2023, which included “Billy Elliot” and the musical revue “Bracebridge on Broadway.”
After being shut down for three years, Emson says there was concern about whether the crowds would return. “But they did,” she continues. “We filled the theatre for pretty much all of our shows.”
Emson credits not just those on stage for helping to pack the house, but those behind the curtain as well.
“It takes an army to put on a production,” she says, adding how for as many people that are on stage, there are just as many – if not more – backstage making sure everything is running smoothly.
Emson says anyone wanting to volunteer can email [email protected] to volunteer or go to its website.
Bracebridge Coun. Andrew Struthers, who has been council’s representative with Theatre Muskoka since 2019, says the theatre being in a better position allows them to be out in the community more which, in turn, they hope will boost their volunteer base.
“There have been a lot of stressful years,” he says. “But now it’s a really exciting time to be part of the theatre.”
