Grey Wellington Theatre Guild stages 50th anniversary gala

HARRISTON – The Grey Wellington Theatre Guild (GWTG) celebrated five decades of community theatre with a 50th anniversary gala on Sept. 7.

The event included a dinner at the Harriston Legion and a musical show, featuring excerpts from past guild performances, at the Harriston Town Hall Theatre across the street.

GWTG president Peggy Raftis touched on the theatre company’s 1974 origins in remarks at the event, noting the contribution of guild founder, the late Patrick C. Smith, an accomplished performer who emigrated to Canada from England as a young man and arrived in Harriston with his wife, Judy, in the early ‘70s, and other original members Stuart Farlow, Lorena McGown, Jill Lorsch, Alex Adam and Charlotte Gibson.

“Patrick Smith wanted to bring theatre to the community he had recently moved to, so he started the GWTG, choosing to call it the Grey Wellington Theatre Guild so it was not tied to one particular town,” said Raftis.

She explained the first production was An Evening with Mark Twain, a one-man show performed by Smith at the high school in Mount Forest.

“They soon started the next show Plaza Suite, using various rehearsal spaces in members’ homes until they moved into a space above a local grocery store, affectionately called the ‘pigeon loft’ in reference to the visitors on the windows,” said Raftis.

“The guild moved into the Harriston Town Hall Theatre in 1979 and have made this venerable building our home ever since.”

Raftis pointed out that, over the years, the guild has presented opportunities for people of all ages to experience the performing arts. It has staged comedies, farces, dramas and musicals, including traditional favourites as well as several original shows.

“Hundreds of people have either been involved on stage or behind the scenes, having the satisfying experience of putting something special together from beginning to end,” she stated.

“The benefit of providing cultural experiences extends well beyond the theatre walls and we take pride in what we have accomplished and are thankful for the friendships made along the way,.”

The gala was one of several special events staged as part of the guild’s 50th anniversary season, which will wrap up with a production of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical from Nov. 22 to Dec. 7.

For more information visit greywellingtontheatre.com.