A Few Facts About Drayton Entertainment

What started off as a fledgling theatre in the village of Drayton, Ontario has grown into a national phenomenon in Canadian Theatre. In 17 years the organization has grown to include 6 theatres (Drayton Festival Theatre, Drayton; Huron Country Playhouse and Playhouse II, Grand Bend; King's Wharf Theatre, Penetanguishene; Schoolhouse Theatre, St. Jacobs; and the new St. Jacobs Country Playhouse).

The 1991 inaugural season entertained 14,592 patrons.

Projected attendance for the 2007 season is 225,000 (representing 85% capacity), making Drayton Entertainment the third-largest professional summer theatre company in Canada, just after Stratford and Shaw.

Drayton Entertainment is recognized by the Canadian Actors' Equity Association as the 7th largest employer of its members in Canada.

Drayton Entertainment is the proud recipient of an unprecedented 6 Lieutenant Governor's Awards for the Arts - a prestigious honour bestowed on arts organizations that exemplify outstanding private sector and community support.

Drayton Entertainment is supported by its extensive network of 3,500 Members, which enables the organization to close the gap between ticket revenue and production and administration expenses. This enables the organization to produce the finest in professional lighthearted entertainment at a reasonable price for all to enjoy.

Drayton Entertainment boasts over 4,200 Subscribers who each purchase between 4 and 10 show subscriptions for various productions at Drayton Entertainment venues.

Group Sales traffic has increased from 6 buses during the inaugural 1991 season to over 700 different groups in 2006 (and some groups, like Mary Morton Tours, bring buses for at least 50 different dates!)

Drayton Entertainment was founded on volunteerism, and that strong sense of community involvement is still apparent today, with volunteer activity exceeding 30,000 hours each year.

Drayton Entertainment believes in giving back to the communities in which it operates, and each year donates over 2,000 tickets to over 750 charities for their own fundraising efforts. This includes the United Way, community sports teams and high schools, rotary clubs and legion branches.

2007 Season statistics for each Drayton Entertainment venue:

St. Jacobs Country Playhouse - 26-week season featuring 6 productions and 204 performances
Schoolhouse Theatre - 18-week season featuring 2 productions and 144 performances
Drayton Festival Theatre - 17-week season featuring 5 productions and 136 performances
Huron Country Playhouse - 14-week season featuring 4 productions and 109 performances
Playhouse II - 8-week season featuring 1 production and 48 performances
King's Wharf Theatre - 13-week season featuring 4 productions and 104 performances.
Grand Total: 22 productions and 745 performances spanning a full calendar year

Research indicates that the performing arts are not just an important issue in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, but among all Canadians.

Findings of a recent Ontario Arts Council Survey:

• 79% of Ontarians say that the arts are important to the quality of their own lives.
• 67% would miss the arts if there were no arts available in their community.
• 35% of Ontarians believe that both those who attend arts activities and the community as a whole benefit from the presence of the arts in the community. An additional 29% believes that the community as a whole benefits more from the arts.
• 96% of Ontarians agree that the success of Canadian artists gives a sense of pride in Canadian achievement.
• 87% agree that if their community lost its arts activities, people living there would lose something of value.
• 92% of Ontarians agree that arts activities help enrich the quality of our lives.
• 88% believe that it is important for the quality of life in their community to have arts facilities such as art galleries and theatres.

Findings of a recent survey conducted by the Ipsos-Reid Group in a joint venture with the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada (CBAC):

27% of Canadians bought tickets to a hockey game last year while 29% of Canadians bought tickets to a play. This same research indicates that 51% of Canadians 12 years and over are Arts Patrons while 37% are Sports Fans.

It can be concluded that Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of the contribution that theatre and the arts play in the quality of life. Good theatre doesn't just portray life - it encourages us to participate and experience it at a much deeper level. It encourages us to think, to cry, to laugh, to learn, to form a sense of the purpose of life, to be sympathetic with others - the list goes on and on. Theatre then becomes one of the cornerstones of a healthy, vibrant community.