MANITOWANING—Due to a lack of venue, the Burns Wharf Theatre Players (BWTP) have had to cancel their 2018 theatrical performance of ‘Pirates of Penzance.’
Since 2013, the Players have been unable to present their performances within their namesake building, Burns Wharf, at the historic waterfront in Manitowaning.
In 2013, Assiginack council informed the players that new Ontario regulations required necessary building upgrades to the Burns Wharf Theatre building in order to improve fire safety and accessibility. After a one-year hiatus, the Players approached the Debajehmujig Creation Centre which graciously offered its facility for the 2015-2017 theatre seasons.
“The Players are extremely grateful to Debajehmujig Theatre for the gift of three additional years of performances since Burns Wharf Theatre has been closed by Assiginack Township,” a press release from the BWTP states. “Due to Debajehmujig’s increased performance schedule, they are unable to accommodate the Players for this season. Although several other venues were looked into, including the Manitoulin Secondary School stage, no Island facilities are available or suitable for our production season. It is with great sadness that the BWTP executive has been left with no alternative but to cancel this year’s stage production.”
Assiginack Public School, too, is not available as the school will be undergoing renovations this summer.
“As next steps, the Players are focused on the restoration of the Burns Wharf building since it is an important community asset,” the press release continues. “In order to move forward, the Players have been required by Assiginack council to seek incorporation and enter into a lease agreement with the Township of Assiginack. At this time, council is unwilling to submit funding applications prepared by, and on behalf of, the Burns Wharf Theatre Players. The Players will continue seeking funds for the theatre renovations.”
Burns Wharf was converted into a theatre in 1981 under the direction and vision of Manitowaning’s David Smith. After staging numerous plays, the stage fell silent in 1986 and had limited use until 2008 when Marilyn Wohlberg formed the BWTP. From 2009 to 2013, the building served many uses including the annual performances by the Players, guest performances by the Gore Bay Theatre, a children’s summer theatre camp, a local venue for the Manitoulin Art Tour, and the Summer Concert Series that brought in acts like The Good Lovelies, Rick Fines, Ian Tamblyn, and many others.
During the Players’ occupancy of Burns Wharf, over $13,000 was paid to the Township of Assiginack for rental of the building. As well, several major purchases took place to improve the theatrical experience for patrons, including 110 new chairs, a new Yamaha piano, $2,000 worth of sound upgrades and $23,000 in state-of-the-art LED theatre lighting.
“These were all purchased through combinations of corporate donations, grants, and proceeds from the shows,” the BWTP explain.
In June 2014, Elwood Wohlberg, treasurer of the BWTP, spearheaded a ‘think tank’ session to look at ways of improving the waterfront generally, and Burns Wharf specifically. This action included on-site consultations with Dr. Terrance Galvin, director of Laurentian University’s School of Architecture.
“The building has been determined to be structurally sound,” the press release notes. As a result of the consultations it was decided to involve the firm of Castelan, James and Partners Architects Inc. of Sudbury to create blueprints for a renovated Burns Wharf Theatre.
On February 6, council accepted the proposal and passed a motion that “the proposed services will be considered as part of the 2016 budget process.” Subsequently, Castelan, James and Partners Architects Inc. made four trips to Manitowaning, the final one with drawings and phase-by-phase cost estimates for bringing the theatre up to compliance. The cost estimate for renovations was $538,911 with the largest expenditure being wheelchair access from the ground level up to the second story theatre level.
Over the past five years, BWTP has actively sought grant monies from outside funding agencies, the BWTP stated.
During the 2015-2017 theatre seasons, the Players accepted public donations toward the renovation fund. These monies were managed by the Township of Assiginack which issued tax receipts for the individual donations. By the autumn of 2016, a total of $10,385 had been raised.
“Without consulting the Players, the Township put these funds towards the architect’s fees rather than using the township funds set aside in the budget,” the BWTP alleges. “Since that time, additional monies have been donated, with the current fund balance sitting at $5,289.”
In August 2015, the township developed an online Assiginack Infrastructure Survey, asking respondents to rank various projects for which the township should seek funding. The Burns Wharf Renovation Project was ranked No. 1 by community respondents. A second survey was conducted in September 2016 with Burns Wharf once again being ranked by respondents as the key priority for the community.
“On September 20, 2016 the Township of Assiginack approved an application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation Ontario150 Infrastructure Program in support of the Burns Wharf Theatre Renovation Project,” the press release continues. “As Burns Wharf is a township asset, and the Players are not incorporated, any applications must be made through the township. This application was denied due to the inclusion of a contingency fund that was unacceptable to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Council had also earmarked $60,000 as the Township’s 10 percent contribution to the project. This money has since been set aside to support changes to the public works garage/fire hall.”
In August 2017, members of the Burns Wharf Theatre Players executive met with a representative from FedNor to discuss funding options. It was recommended that the Players apply for sufficient funding to make the facility a year-round venue as this would increase the chances of a successful application.
“When presented with this application, Assiginack council felt that the township could not support the maintenance and utilities of a four-season building and requested that any references to such be removed from the application,” the Players said. “A revised application was presented to council, with one reference to a four-season building being inadvertently left in. Rather than allowing for the application to be corrected, council halted the application process.”
Last fall, council requested that the Players become an incorporated legal entity, saying it desired that the Players make their own funding applications, enter into a detailed agreement with the township for care and control of the theatre and enter into a long-term lease with the Township for use of the Burns Wharf building.
On November 21 of last year, members of the BWTP executive, along with numerous community members, met with council to discuss these new requirements and to urge council to continue to support the Players by actively seeking funding for the renovation of Burns Wharf.
“Council indicated that due to the legal issues involving the Norisle and conflicting funding priorities, they would no longer support any grant applications to improve Burns Wharf,” the press release states. “In order to move forward, the Players would need to become incorporated, apply for funding on their own, and enter into a long-term lease.”
At a meeting with a representative from council on January 10, a potential lease agreement was presented to the Players, the press release continues. “The Players also inquired whether a “sweat equity” solution might help lower the overall costs of the renovations, with the understanding that an on-site foreman and regular building inspections be put in place. The Players also questioned whether the $60,000 initially set aside for the renovation would still be available to help offset costs and/or support future funding applications. BWTP is waiting to learn if such a proposal would be viable.”
“The Players are committed to working with all interested partners, including Assiginack council, to achieve the restoration of Burns Wharf Theatre,” the BWTP concludes.
