By Guy Newsham and Albert Lightstone
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Doors Open Ottawa, and the members of the Ottawa Little Theatre had a great time proudly showing off the building both out front and backstage. A whopping total of 159 guests were treated to guided tours by our very own knowledgeable volunteers on Saturday, June 1.
Guy Newsham organized and spearheaded the event. His aim was to introduce OLT to people who had never been to the theatre before, re-introduce it to people who hadn’t been for many years, and to reveal to existing subscribers that what they see on stage is just the “tip of the iceberg” of a successful show. Indeed, it was important to highlight to our visitors the work of all the talented people who make a show possible, in addition to the actors. As a result, we hope many of our Doors Open visitors will become new patrons and volunteers.
The tour began in the lobby with a detailed history of the theatre from its original name and location in 1913 through its various locations culminating in our current 1972 post-fire building on King Edward Avenue. The Karsh photos and his close connection to the theatre were explained to the impressed visitors.
The visit continued downstairs to the Green Room, props storage, wardrobe, sewing room, workshop, rehearsal studio, and dressing rooms.
Then it was time to go on stage allowing visitors to view the 382-seat house from the actors’ perspective explaining among other things the difference between stage left/right and the auditorium’s left/right seating plan.
And of course, we told them all about Martha, our resident ghost.
The tour culminated in the upper lobby and Janigan Studio/Spotlight Gallery.
All in all, a most enjoyable time was had by all that day and we look forward to participating in future years.
A big thank you to all the hat-wearing volunteers (Albert, Bryan, Emily, Glynis, Ian, Jane, Janet, Marilena, Paul and Roy), who gave tours and explanations of the various theatre rooms. Also a shout out to SWAG (Special Wardrobe Advisory Group) who were also on hand to show the visitors the ropes, and the thread and the ribbons, the pins and needles, and the buttons….
Below is the writeup by Guy used in the Doors Open literature to promote the theatre.
Ottawa Little Theatre
Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT) was founded in 1913, and is the longest continuously running community theatre in Canada. The current building opened in 1972, after fire destroyed the prior building, a converted church, on the same site.
The theatre was designed by renowned local architect and set designer W.E. Fancott, and contains a 382-seat auditorium, backstage wings, fly tower, box office, a lobby and bar area with a small art gallery and secondary “black box” performance space, a full-size rehearsal hall, changing rooms, costume storage and sewing room, set workshop, props storage, and Green Room with kitchen. It takes approximately 300 volunteers, both off-stage and on-stage, to present nine plays each season.
Each year the theatre hosts more than 35,000 patrons, and has been a cornerstone of the Ottawa entertainment scene for over a century; it has helped launch the careers of many Canadian acting icons, including Rich Little, Luba Goy, Saul Rubinek, and Dan Aykroyd.
