This topic is one that I have wanted to cover for awhile now: the History of Theatre in Newmarket. Let me begin by apologizing if I have forgotten an organization or a builder while writing this history, though I am trying to cover nearly 110 years of entertainment within our town. In this part, I’ll review the period from the 1850s to the 1970s, and in a second part, will pick up the thread and bring in the theatre scene to date, and examine the future of theatre in Newmarket. As you will see, the true highlight of this piece is the variety of photos that accompany it.
Prior to the establishment of a primary venue for the production of theatre locally, they were often performed in local residences. I have photos of plays and concerts being held in the living rooms and parlors of the more impressive local residences. Some of these productions actually date back to the early 1850s.
As early as the 1870s, the Mechanic’s Hall on Millard Avenue near Main Street was hosting both local and travelling troupes. The venue drew the very best in touring companies to Newmarket. Locally, people started to become interested in getting involved in productions and a local theatre scene began to grow rapidly.
The choice of programming would, by today’s standards, seem rather suspect but they produced entertainment that was extremely popular for its day. For example, an early form of minstrel show was mounted by Will and Alex Caldwell, Nels and Al Botsford, Rube Robinson, Bill Culvery, the Elvidges, Charlie Roadhouse, and Alex Cummings, according to records left to us.
These shows were to continue until the late 1950s, moving to the old Town Hall by that time and sponsored by the Lions Club. This review appeared in the Era back in 1920: “Never since the time of Cool Princess 30 years ago, has been given to a Newmarket Audience a minstrel show that in any way approached the one presented in the Old Town Hall last Friday night by the Methodists of the west side of Town”. There appears to have been an active rivalry back then, between the East and the West sides of Town in the entertainment field. Today, of course, that type of entertainment would never be mounted.
In 1927, The Women’s Musical and Literary Club was formed with the charter members consisting of Mrs. Aubrey Davis, Mrs. Andrew Davis, Mrs. E.J. Davis (of Davis Tannery fame), Walter Eves, the mayor’s wife, Miss Lillian Holborn, and Miss E. Curry. A Mrs. Olive Rutledge was the accompanist for the group.
The local stars were three young girls, Ruby Moos, Lillian Hart and Jean Hunter, who had all studied voice, dancing and the dramatic arts. Members met in each other’s residences. The club was dissolved after the passing of Mrs. E. J. Davis, the former Dorothy Chilcott, a professional teacher of dance and theatre arts.
According to the Era, the program for 1927 included numbers from Schubert, Mendelson, Liszt and Bach. All members were instrumentalists of high caliber and presented vocal solos, readings of poetry, piano selections and chamber music.
The performances of theatre in Newmarket has been tied to the Old Town Hall since 1882. The decision before the citizens in an 1862 referendum was whether a sum of $5,000 should be spent to build a two-story building, which would include a second-floor auditorium. The decision to do so proved to be just what the local theatre scene needed, encouraging the growth of theatre in Newmarket.
In the ‘30s, the Newmarket Concert Society was formed, and many famous concert artists were brought to town. In 1932, we know that H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan was performed in the Old Town Hall to rave reviews. This play was directed and produced by Mr. A. N. Belugin, a future mayor of Newmarket.
Mr. and Mrs. Belugin came to Newmarket in 1928, and became members of St. Paul’s Church, and immediately became involved in the Theatre Company. St. Paul’s had, at that time, a lovely new parish hall. Mr. Belugin’s background was in professional theatre (the Croatian National Theatre), where he had studied two years in the 1920s. Luckily for us, he and his family brought their knowledge of opera, drama and musicals to the local company.
Their first production was a variety show, which proved to be an enormous success. This led to their production of Pickles in 1931 and the formation of the Newmarket Light Opera Company, which lasted for eight years.
The Belugin productions of the 1930s and 1940s included The Geisha, H.M.S. Pinafore, Hermit of Hawaii and Humperdinck’s operetta, Handsel and Gretel. Unfortunately, the game of bridge, it was said, became such a craze locally that the Newmarket Light Opera Company was killed by the card game. It seems everyone played bridge constantly night and day and no one would come to practices, spelling the end of those wonderful operettas.
Also in the 1930s, there was the Newmarket High School Drama Club, directed by Mr. J. B. Bastedo. Some of those who started in the productions were Leslie Evans, Audrey Wainman, Eric Carter, Cecil Gould, Mae Nesbitt, Jack Larkin, Gertrude Grose, Benson Cronsberry and Joyce Collins. They drew enthusiastic audiences from the town.
In the 1950s, the Newmarket High School Drama Club’s productions, now directed and produced by Mr. William (Bill) Elliott, continued to be featured in the high school auditorium. I remember him telling me his favourite play to perform was Our Town. Mr. Elliott was still hard at it when I left high school in the mid-1970s. His plays at the high school were a town mainstay.
Throughout the 1950s, travelling shows were a mainstay at the Newmarket Town Hall with stage shows featuring performers like Stony Cooper and Wilma Lee, country singers backed up by the stars of the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville. Ruby Haskett, the Era’s theatre critic, especially remembered String Bean on his old Bass Fiddle. It seems he called out to the audience personal remarks about Newmarket and its residents.
The Donald Davis era goes back to early 1950s locally. Renowned in the national theatre scene, Donald, Murray and Barbara Davis presented several dramas in the Old Town Hall. They even donated a second pair of red velvet curtains to the Newmarket Dramatic Club.
The Newmarket Dramatic Club, from the late 1930s and through the 1940s, received many awards and shields in Ontario Competition. The highlight of the 1948/49 was their offering of Jack and the Bean Stock, a traditional British pantomime, a Christmas offering which, according to the Era reviews, delighted the town. Of note was the fact that the tiny fairies in Jack were the first appearances of the baby class of the Betty Gordon Dancing Club. Unfortunately, the club’s last performance was the Desk Set in 1963, after which it folded.
Many still remember the Betty Gordon dance recitals. Betty Gordon was an English war bride who, having a 3-½-year-old daughter of her own, decided to start a dancing club with Mona Downward and later Helen Simmons and Ruby Haskett. Mrs. Gordon contributed her dance instruction to the town. These “shows” appeared on the stage of the Town Hall (donated by the town for the first year) for more than 10 years, starting with the first in 1950.
The Newmarket Art Clubs Annual Show was a local feature for more than 30 years. Held at the Old Town Hall, it often was accompanied by entertainment. Jack Struthers presented an evening of readings, and a variety show that I understand was hilarious.
The Newmarket Theatre Centre was built in 1974 with the aim of putting on three shows a year. Their initial roster in 1974 / 75 included Separate Tables, What the Butler Saw, and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. In 1975 /76, they performed Alfie, The Hostage and See How They Run.
There were two stage companies in the 1970s through to the early 2000s, the Newmarket Stage Company and the Old Town Players, but they eventually merged. They had started out at the Old Town Hall but eventually moved over to the Newmarket Theatre Centre.
We will pick up the story there when I continue the saga of the history of theatre in Newmarket in a future article.
Were you part of a theatre troupe in Newmarket? Have some memories to add? Be sure to use the comments section to post your thoughts.
Sources: Ruby Haskett’s Theatre Column - The Newmarket Era; The History of Theatre in Newmarket – essay by Ralph Magel; Collection of Articles and Photos from the Collection of Vivienne Creelman Luesby.
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NewmarketToday.ca brings you this weekly feature about our town's history in partnership with Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, a local historian for more than 40 years. He conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, as well as leads local oral history interviews. You can contact the History Hound at [email protected].
