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Theatre company moves to `greener fields' of Georgetown TINA DEPKO Special to The IFP After two years in Brampton, Castaways Comedy Repertory is picking up and moving to what it hopes will be the greener fields of Georgetown. The local theatre troupe saw dwindling audience numbers this season and president Blake Miles said he expected this would continue if they stayed in the city for another season. One of the main reasons he cites for the group's departure is the City of Brampton's Rose Theatre, a state-of-theart performing arts complex with two performance halls designed for live theatre, musical theatre, dance, and concerts, as well as broadcast production, corporate functions and social events. "Despite the efforts of a lot of groups to promote culture, and theatre in general, the city is so focused on this big performing arts centre that it has brushed all of the little venues and their groups to the side," Miles said. "I think the city should have put that money into the existing theatres instead." Miles said the group was drawn to Georgetown because of its many perks. The main ones he listed were the "ideal" 267seat capacity John Elliott Theatre, the cross-promotion given to advertise local theatre troupes, and the absence of a city-funded professional theatre company. "There is also no other theatre competing, so this is the big centre," Miles said. "It is the only theatre in city of Halton Hills and it is right downtown." Miles said he is worried about the future of other community theatre groups in Brampton, especially as the September opening of the Rose Theatre approaches. "When the Rose Theatre was first announced, we already knew that we'd have to come up with some magic," he said. "I feel badly for a lot of the other groups. A lot of them are much longer established in Brampton. I don't know if they would think of going anywhere else." Brampton City Councillor and Acting Mayor Grant Gibson said he was "shocked" by the news a local theatre company was leaving because of the Rose Theatre. He said the events offered by the new theatre will attract a different audience than those who attend plays and musicals staged by local groups at venues like Lester. B. Pearson and Cyril Clark theatres. "The new shows won't be competing with the type of shows that are currently going on," Gibson said. "As well, groups aren't going to lose any of their times or slots that they would have had before." The councillor also counters Miles' argument that the $51.6 million invested into the Rose Theatre should have gone to repairs for Heritage, Lester B. Pearson and Cyril Clark theatres. "This shocks me because it's the first I've heard that a community group thinks we shouldn't have built a new theatre," Gibson stated. "We heard the exact opposite from all of the groups." While the Rose Theatre is already built, Miles said he hopes the city will realize the cultural contribution of community theatre before it's too late. "Every time the city has an initiative, those local groups should be included in it," Miles said. "If they send out a big brochure, there should be something in there about local groups as well. When you walk into the Rose Theatre, one of the first and last things you should see, whether it is on a program or in a window, should be something about local theatre."