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22 “WATFJILOO Mil-Way, luky 10,2013 Looking bEhil‘ld the curtain O O O O A $1. 7 million renovation of St. Jacobs Country Playhouse gives Drayton more tools , , . BvBoanNAc Chronicle Sta/f E.“ ost in the fanfare of the opening of LDunfield Theatre in Cambridge was a $1.7 million renovation of Drayton Entertainment's Str lacobs Country Play- house as part of federal funding these projects received And it had interested observers posit a number of quizzical queries to Alex Mus- Wkas, artistic director of Drayton Entertain- ment. lust what was it they were adding to the back of the theatre? “People were driving by and saying, “What are you doing. building a hotel?" said Mus- iakas with a laugh. as the theatre seems to be in the heart of new hotel construction in the urea. “it's a box â€" it’s just a box." it's what that box can do that is making all the difference for the productions being staged at the Playhouse. The change won‘t be that major on the inside of the theatre. or not at least in the pan that the audience will see. instead the new addition adds a fly tower to the back of the stage. What's a fly tower, was probably the next question Mustakas got asked. A fly tower is a system of ropes and cables a theatrical company uses in the back of the house that allows them to move equipment and set pieces around the stage "it allows us to do things that we weren't able to do." said Mustakas “hit the first to say that you can do theatre anywhere. and we had limitations in Drayton for many. many years. but we made it work “ lhat was part of our creative process and working with creative people in presenting how 80,71“th wotild WU”. gm ml, Amy,“ u, Alex Mustakas, artisticdirector of Dayton Entertainment, stands in front of the newty installed lines ofthe fly town It the St. Jacobs Country IN, technology now. and u, “w a ll) WNW,” Playhouse The $1 7 million renovation adds to the audience experience while allowmg more flexibility in the staging of shows. now opens up all kinds of things for its " n “M MW in the old backstage area at the Playhouse ‘llrnrn, i wonder how they re doing that " lhat‘s partit ularly important in a show room to the completion of the renovations at their wasn't enough room to rritigically make “(it how long did it take to rhange that set like Spanialot that has so many unique and the Playhouse. ‘hirigs appear and disappear in tlit‘ tililil ldon't want them to think about that, wonderful trt-atiiins based on the original “Running theatres is a very inefficient mitt-s delight lnstead a lot of tilt‘ st'l pines "for years here, With the tracks that Wt’ \1ority l’whon and Holy (trail movie, which business so we tried to take some of that would have to be maritialh moved or llflt'tl to had, voti'd hear noises that would be distract skewers the Arthunan legend away." said Mustakasr "The model we've UT i li.|it '(' thi-settin . on the sta t' trig l“! mu anything that drstra< is from the i. . - atcd is whether u're doin IO dormant ”in sonietinfil pit'rit-d Sic H‘ll tlirvmri experienti- is not good " Pony/ears Ileé’, “In” ”1? es or 100 [x'rforrnnances (hitE pmpzrtxilltlllllt _ , ”xiii-r th(' audieng‘e as the Sarah" tiolrti tried to I} lhe otllieLiT;rief;t”f;ir both at](l[i('[1)i(t' and [rats that are had_ youd hear wists] ire title'sfmte t ll] y irrimerset em in o t- s ory s some re peop e e ”K e scenes a ray on t . re a I I y o amOI'llll‘ tos s oy'i-r mo rum-s hard to suspend belief and give your lntt'rtainment is that it allows the venue to 7101505 that 1001!“ be kt‘lllH'S, and make things a little more will \t'll over to the motion a] experii-rit 0 when stage more travelling shoWs that tome wtth (lisyraffing. For ”lg, anything ( tent in an inefficient business, is what wou- stintt'lllln is dragged scrim hing at toss the set pieces that wouldn't have fll in the old - ‘ ' really been able to finesse,“ dag,- g backstage configuration that distrru “from [he Mustakas couldn't hide his i'xritenwrit til lllt‘ |l('\s fly tower allows those set pli‘tt‘s “We can now stage those touring shows experience is notg()()(1"" ll11'( hanges to the space that Will allots them to lw staggi‘rt'd out on a pulley system and that use a fly system." said Mustaltas "Npa to matron/i“ the stage to the bent-fir ot the yyllli a tilt; ill .i ( tilllt‘ ilis.ippi'.ir into lllt' riialot, W'llltll is (tuning ht‘ri', Will ost- t‘\'t'l'\ A." M““"‘“ .itidii'tiit' “up“ single line. and we have $8 lines " “mm “m" "”" “WWW '"“'”‘“'”""’” ‘(lur i rms is off the ground lit-i now ot 1“ “it ”to“ my in“ hit lllt‘ audit-iii I‘ hilly lhat allowed llrliyton l riti'rtairiirii'iit tit ” llit' Ability to bring it in is atria/iiig,” said yslmt .i I liilllt‘liut‘ it s lN‘t‘ll for us at turn-s i'rigagi'd lll tlii- shim and .i boon lor llll' All bring in the set pit'i t's used in llll' original \ltisttik.is "lt int ilitiitt‘s siiiiiiii h for its " s.iid\1iist.’ikas "lhts should make- tt .i no ”WU "llll‘iill‘ trump in hip up iiptwartini i~s Broadway prodtii tiiiri of \p.iinalot If people It also allows l)r.i\ton l illQ‘fldlant'lll to more smoother for its " ‘lts tor its " said ‘.l isi no ”if aridii-iii i- want a lllllt‘ taste of Broadway Without hay more easily move shows front (llflPfl'Hi you Spainalot Will (Ipl‘li ”it“ iii-le lt‘lllt\.|ll‘tl should tt‘.lll\ lost tiltsitlll ‘hr production trig to go to No“ YoriM ity thi‘y‘ll gi't it right ll('\. like the Huron ( ounty Playhouse. when“ Playhouse starting llll\‘ l 7 hi! more Inltlrllld ‘ lhm shoirldrit st‘ More and think. llt‘l'l‘ in Waterloo Npanialot opened first to give some Wiggle “on Visit wysyy dray'tortt‘ntvrtatniiit'rit t out