Georgetown Little Theatre not slowing down at 65, planning big inaugural Renaissance Festival

By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca

 

For over 65 years, the Georgetown Little Theatre (GLT) has been a cornerstone of the Halton Hills cultural scene.

 

This August, the community theatre group is stepping out of the traditional playhouse and into the past with its first-ever Renaissance Festival.

 

Dave Borgal, president of GLT and a member since the age of nine, sees this as a natural evolution of the group’s mission.

 

“We really strive to promote excellence in community theatre,” Borgal said. “We were looking for a new way of getting involved in the community, as we are really community-centred.”

 

While the scale is much larger than a standard production, Borgal notes that the DNA of the festival remains rooted in theatre.

 

Instead of a static two-hour play, the festival will feature an immersive storyline running through the weekend of Aug. 22 and 23 at the Georgetown Fairgrounds.

 

Rather than sitting in rows, attendees will experience:

 

  Immersive atmosphere: Actors in period costumes wandering the grounds.

 

  Street theatre: Short, five-to-20-minute performances, “pickpocket” scenes and characters whispering secrets to passersby.

 

  Living history: Minstrels, knights and artisans will bring the “renaissance fantasy” to life.

 

“Our goal is to transport you away from reality for that weekend,” Borgal said. “When you cross the gates, you will see actors and people walking in period costumes, you’ll see a blacksmith or have your picture taken with a minstrel.”

 

Borgal said the theatre is working closely with town planners to navigate the complexities of hosting such an event.

 

“There’s a lot of different licensing and precautions that have to be taken,” he explained. “If you have jousting with knights, there’s an aspect of weapons involved. So, there’s a whole liability side of things with insurance.”

 

Borgal shared that there are plans to have an “old-style tavern” and a marketplace filled with handmade goods.

 

Borgal said vendor applications will open “in the coming months” and the theatre will be looking for vendors with products that fit the period, such as chain mail armour, though they are willing to work with vendors to adapt their offerings.

 

“We’re not going to say no right off the bat,” he said. “We’re going to try and work with you and see ‘OK, what can you possibly sell to make this part of a longtime running thing?’”

 

The theatre will also be opening its doors to anyone in the community wanting to volunteer in any capacity with the festival.

 

Borgal noted that opportunities will range from “high-energy” roles such as gatekeeping and vendor assistance, to “behind-the-scenes” tasks like note-taking and parking co-ordination.

 

While this will be the inaugural year, Borgal said the ambition is to make the festival an annual staple of the Georgetown summer calendar.

 

“We do want to see it continue,” Borgal said. “We can’t promise anything in the near future, but it is something we are looking at long-term.

 

GLT will be launching a dedicated Renaissance Festival platform soon. In the meantime, Borgal said interested vendors and volunteers should monitor the theatre’s website, Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.