CENTRAL MANITOULIN—Burns Wharf Theatre Players (BWTP) has been searching for a new home following their namesake location on the Manitowaning waterfront becoming structurally untenable. During a May 16 Central Manitoulin council meeting, that search proved successful, at least for now.
The motion, moved by Councillor Dale Scott and seconded by Councillor Rose Diebolt, states that “Burns Wharf Theatre Players request for space at Mindemoya Hall in 2025 be received and, further, that the request be approved as presented in the report.”
“We are absolutely delighted,” said Burns Wharf board member Lynn Dee Sproule. Ms. Sproule, along with BWTP stalwarts Ray Scott and Peter Baumgarten and founding members Marilyn and Elwood Wohlberg have been helming the organization since its recent incorporation.
BWTP recently landed at Manitoulin Secondary School, where the musical comedy ‘The Addams Family’ is currently running, but although the theatre company is grateful to the school and Rainbow District School Board for the opportunity, the location presents several logistical challenges—notably the need to erect and then tear down the theatre sets during intervals (usually a week at a time) between performance.
Ms. Sproule noted that BWTP is looking at the Mindemoya Hall location as a pilot. “We have been trying to source a home,” said Ms. Sproule. “This isn’t it, necessarily, but it will do for now.” The company remains hopeful that the Town of Assiginack will move forward with a proposed new arts centre—but has been somewhat dismayed over what appears to be a stalled process.
“Assiginack received $170,000 to do a study and we expected to be consulted on a new arts centre,” said Ms. Sproule, but she noted there has been little to no consultation to date. “We were given two weeks’ notice by the town to get our stuff out (of the waterfront building),” she said, admitting that she was puzzled by the town’s approach considering the draw BWTP has in bringing people to Manitowaning.
“We are so very grateful to the RDSB and MSS for allowing us to put on ‘The Addams Family,’ make no mistake,” she said. “But we think that, for now, the Mindemoya location will work out better, at least in the short term.”
