Housing Our Artists, Together

Located on a farmstead outside of Grand Bend, the venerable Huron Country Playhouse is one of Canada’s leading professional theatres. The playhouse brings more than 125 artists, creatives, and technical staff to the area during its 13-week season who need access to short-term housing that is safe, affordable, and accessible. 

The Challenge: 

The playhouse operates under the Canadian Theatre Agreement, a collective bargaining agreement between the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. One of these contractual requirements is to provide access to affordable, nearby short-term housing options for artists appearing in live theatre productions. 

There are typically only two avenues available: 1) billet with area families; or 2) procure a short-term rental. These options are increasingly limited in a post-COVID environment as families are reluctant to welcome strangers into their homes; it is more financially lucrative for property managers to offer such accommodations at a premium through Air B&B or Vrbo; and the emerging popularity of remote work has depleted short and long-term rental options in a community that is also experiencing a housing crisis.

The procurement of adequate, affordable, and accessible short-term housing for artists is a major challenge experienced by all professional theatres across the country.

The Solution: 

Our objective is to reimagine and reinvent the sector with a trailblazing model for arts & cultural tourism.  
The development of a short-term Artists’ Residence at the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend will directly aid in the delivery of our live theatre productions.  We will significantly advance both the scale and scope of our programming, while creating more employment in the arts / tourism sector – including actors, musicians, designers, technicians, and administrative staff. 

The Huron Country Playhouse, currently operating at 13 weeks in the summer, will expand from a traditional summer venue to deliver year-round entertainment, contributing to Drayton Entertainment’s overall revenue growth while strengthening the regional tourism and hospitality sector relying on us as an economic generator.

The Result: 

The project consists of 24 units, totaling 7,143 sq. ft. This infrastructure expansion will be developed in a way that is environmentally responsible.  Examples include: HVAC efficiency to minimize pollution, LED lighting with occupancy sensors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Low Emissivity windows to reduce transport of heat or cold.

This innovative and sustainable approach to artists housing will increase our ability to attract and retain arts workers while boosting local economic development as the theatre brings more tourism to the area, and opens up new opportunities for community engagement and use.

Play a Leading Role in ensuring that safe, accessible, and affordable housing is available to our artists.

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Testimonials	A Message from Alex	Ways to Support
"As an actor, one of the most challenging aspects of the carreer is the moving and relocating. Having housing accessible to the theatre not only eliminates a huge stress, but helps to build and stgrengthen relationships within the production and company. It truly becomes a home away from home with a community of artists that become your chosen family."	For the past five decades, Huron Country Playhouse has provided endless summers of entertainment. Your theatre continues to be successful by every measure – quality productions, audience satisfaction, and financial stability. That being said, now – more than ever – Huron Country Playhouse is at a critical stage in its evolution as we prepare to serve current and future audiences. Continue reading here	Click here to view our giving levels and ways to support this campaign.

For more information, please contact:

Elizabeth Dwyer, Director of Development
519-621-5511 ext. 231
Elizabeth@draytonentertainment.com