The Gladstone theatre has launched its new season.
The Gladstone theatre launched its new season with more plays and production companies than ever before – despite what seemed to be a bleak future just three years ago.
Owners Steve Martin and Marilisa Granzotto put the theatre up for sale in October 2010. The listing was taken down in August 2011 when Plosive Productions and SevenThirty Productions joined forces for the fall 2011 season to produce two shows each.
Two years later, the Gladstone will be hosting 15 shows by 10 different production companies for the 2013-2014 season.
“I think there is certainly a revitalization going on here at the theatre,” says Tim Oberholzer, the Gladstone box office manager and production manager of the fall opening show Private Lives.
“We’ve had a couple of successful seasons under new management and a fantastic group of local companies who have come together to put together a season of local work showcasing local actors, local directors, local talent and we think that’s fantastic.”
The theatre at 910 Gladstone Ave. just west of Preston Street used to be home to the Great Canadian Theatre Company before the troupe moved in 2007.
The Gladstone operates on a rental basis. Plosive Productions is the primary leaseholder and sublets the theatre to other production companies who want to use the space for a show.
“There was a big learning curve and a lot of volunteer time put into getting the model into a shape that actually works,” says David Whiteley, who has been season co-ordinator at the Gladstone since 2011. “Although it took some time, we’ve actually found it does work and it can be made to work consistently.”
Whiteley says he believes that there is even more progress to be made.
“I think we are still on an upward curve in terms of growth and expansion and gaining visibility so it’s no time to rest on our laurels,” says Whiteley, who also stars in Private Lives.
The Gladstone launched its fall season on Sept. 20 with Plosive’s production of Private Lives.
The play focuses on the rekindled romance of a divorced couple that, by fate, find themselves in adjacent hotel rooms while honeymooning with their new spouses. The Noël Coward 1930’s comedy is scheduled to run until Oct. 12.
“What makes Private Lives so funny is that it has light moments and very dark moments and I think that Coward captured something that is almost universal about the people that we love,” says director Craig Walker. “They can take us to these heights when they delight us but the depths of rage when they infuriate us and he (Coward) found a way of weaving that into one play.”
This 2013-2014 lineup features a wide array of productions. Comedy lovers can enjoy the slapstick stylings of Black Sheep Theatre in Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Handsome Cab Killer next month, while sci-fi fans may opt for Plosive’s production of War of the Worlds from Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
Oberholzer is hopeful that this season’s lineup will please loyal Gladstone fans, but will also attract some new spectators.