Updated April 10, 9:12 a.m.

The board and staff of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool held a community town hall on Sunday afternoon to try to clear up some of the controversy that has recently swirled around the historic theatre.

About 70 people showed up for the two-hour long session. It was at times heated, with some very pointed questions from audience members. Others were supportive of the board, while others showed up to get more specifics on what has apparently divided the Astor community. 

Five board members as well as recently hired executive director Jerri Southcott and employee Malcolm Freeman took questions from the audience.

Chairman John Simmonds tried to clear up some things off the bat.

“We see no change in the direction of the Astor Theatre in terms of our instructions to Jerri. There’s been no change in our strategic plan or our mission or values,” he said.

“So we think that things have been going along well and will continue to go along well. And we would hope that the community would trust that whatever has occurred is just something that happened along the way. It’s not a pattern. It’s not a change in direction. There’s no regime change. So we hope to continue what has been the success of the Astor using community members, volunteers, as many people who are interested in coming in and joining in that.”

RELATED:

• Astor Theatre calls town hall meeting
• Watch the full town hall meeting on the Astor’s YouTube channel

Simmonds also reminded people that Southcott has been on the job for only two months, and appealed to people for patience.

The misunderstandings and concerns appeared to start shortly after the musical Follies wrapped in early March. The director of that play, Ashley-Rose Goodwin, announced that she would be mounting another youth production, Oliver Jr.

Goodwin had produced numerous youth productions at the Astor in the past few years, both in her duties with the Astor and under her own company, Mersey Rose Theatre Company. She also led many youth theatre workshops and summer camps.

But shortly after the announcement of Oliver, Goodwin resigned as associate artistic director of the Astor. 

That appeared to set off a cascade of events that eventually led to the resignations of two Astor board members. 

Many parents and other community members were upset that Goodwin was no longer with the theatre. 

A group of community members created the ad hoc group Queens County Community Theatre Advocates to “hold the board accountable,” according to a Facebook post. They said they were concerned about the “new direction” of the Astor.

They sent an open letter to the Astor board, saying they were shocked and dismayed at recent alleged decisions by the board and executive director Southcott.

They claimed that there was a sudden change in direction, that the local community was being shut out of Astor productions, that certain people were being paid to work on Astor productions instead of using community volunteers, and that Southcott was trying to engineer a “merger” between her Mahone Bay-based company South Shore Summer Theatre and the Astor. The group offered few specifics publicly about their concerns.

Things soon got heated and personal, with many people accusing the Astor or Southcott of various things on the Astor’s Facebook page. Members of this group also made accusations on their own public Facebook posts.

The group encouraged people to become members of the Astor Theatre Society so they could vote in a new board at an upcoming annual general meeting. 

They have also organized a special meeting for Monday at 7 p.m. at Liverpool Regional High School. Their original purpose was to elect an interim board of directors and to set a date for the annual general meeting.

At the meeting on Sunday, however, Astor board members said that they will be at that meeting and that chairman John Simmonds will chair it.

The Astor board called the community meeting on Sunday to explain what has happened in the past month and to answer any questions from residents and Astor supporters.

“One of the questions that was asked online, ‘What is so heinous about the things that are going on that we need to replace the board?’” Simmonds said Sunday.

“And we would question and say, we don’t know. We don’t know. So we were hoping to sort of reveal these things now and bring them out into the light so people can make their decisions as to what direction they would like the Astor and this board and our current staff to go in.”

Betsy Hartt said she was upset at Goodwin’s departure, saying the “magic changed in this theatre when Ashley was running those programs”. She said she was also worried about rumours that the Astor would no longer be dedicated to community theatre.

“The concern I have is if there is going to be a refocus on spreading our wings, that’s great. But the centre of the focus still has to be on the activities in this building. So, Winds of Change, local theatre. And I’m hearing that that’s not the case.”

Southcott replied to Hartt that the Astor’s focus hasn’t changed.

“There are no changes in direction planned. There were no changes made. We did have a change in personnel. When Ashley resigned, we respectfully accepted her resignation and then we did our best to get the show on the road by posting positions, filling them, and putting together a production team. We have a group of kids that’s really excited. We have a production team that’s working really well together. But we are wide open to more volunteers, more cast members, all of the people here in Liverpool and Queens County are more than welcome to be involved. We were simply getting the next production on the go.”

As for the supposed merger with South Shore Summer Theatre, board member Anne Espenant said that was not the intent.

Espenant said the Astor had already been in discussions with that theatre company before Southcott was hired. South Shore Summer Theatre brought a play to Liverpool each of the past two summers that generated $10,000 in revenue for the Astor.

Espenant said the board hoped to bring that company under the Astor umbrella in the same way Liverpool theatre group Winds of Change had been part of the Astor.

“I just want to make it clear that that was not Jerri coming in and saying I’m going to bring in South Shore Summer Theatre. It was us talking to her about that. We were just having initial conversations with their board about whether they thought, just like with the Winds of Change board, that might be something they want to consider. Now it’s off the table. But that (discussion is) not on Jerri. It’s on us.”

Queens County resident Kristopher Snarby, who is the vocal coach for the upcoming musical Seussical, also sat on the Astor board for 12 years. 

He echoed many in the audience on Sunday when he said he wasn’t clear what the online “uproar” was about. Snarby said the group of community members who wrote the letter to the Astor kept deflecting questions about their specific concerns.

“Like so many of you, I don’t think anybody really knows exactly what the problems are or were. And that’s a big problem in itself. … You read the letter and it says, I don’t know. It just says we’re mad, we’re angry.”

He said the accusations that the Astor or Southcott are trying to exclude local residents from productions is wrong, especially what he’s experienced since he’s been involved with Seussical.

“When I walked into this place, every kid who wanted to be there were there on the stage. There were no auditions. It’s the first show I’ve done where there were no auditions. So how can you be more inclusive than saying, ‘Come on the stage, we’re going to have fun. We’ll figure out the parts along the way.’ I’ve never seen that before. It’s the first time. You can’t get more inclusive than that.”

Snarby also said that another concern he saw online was that people are being paid for some productions.

He reminded people that when Winds of Change produced Les Miserables at the Astor in 2013, the musical director was paid and the musicians were given an honorarium. And he said they brought in actors from Halifax and Windsor to play two of the leading roles. They did not pay those actors, Snarby clarified later.

“There has been a history in this community of paying professionals for their time to do the job,” Snarby said. “Sometimes you have to pay professionals to do the job.” 

Liverpool parent Lori Smyth said her two kids have attended the Astor theatre camps and they are also in Seussical. She says the apparent divide over the Astor has her kids worried.

“I just want to say that as a parent I’m very impressed with the team,” she said. “I am very grateful that there is a group of people that want to develop community theatre for the youth in this town. I think some of the parents are concerned, our kids are stressed. They love the theatre, and they love the Astor. With meetings happening tomorrow, and meetings all over the place, how is this going to affect their ability to finish the production that they have started?”

Southcott said the past month has taken a toll on her and the board.

“But even more importantly, I’m realizing the effects it’s having on your children,” she said. 

“And it’s heartbreaking. I can tell you that we are committed as a production team to the kids and committed to providing this type of programming free of charge to everybody. I come to rehearsal and I feel better. I feel better because these kids are so incredibly talented, they’re nice, they are working together really well as a team. And I am committed to continuing that, so I hope that all of this can be resolved quickly.”

Board members and many in the audience said they’re also hopeful the rift can be repaired soon.

Liverpool resident Sandra Atkinson, who appeared in Follies, applauded the board for holding the information session.

“I just want you to fix it. I applaud you for being truthful, sharing your information, letting us know, letting us talk. And I applaud all the people for coming up here and saying whatever they felt they wanted to say. Thank you for doing this. And really just get to the table and fix it, please.”

The Astor recorded the town hall meeting and plans to post it on its Facebook page.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

By Rick Conrad

UPDATE 9:25 p.m. Tuesday

The Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board hearing into a proposed fish farm expansion in Liverpool Bay has been delayed until further notice, the board posted on its website Tuesday night.

“The hearing scheduled for March 4-8, 2024, in Liverpool, has been adjourned until further notice,” the notice reads. “New dates will be announced here once these have been determined by the board.”

No reason was given. Elsewhere on the board’s site, chairwoman Jean McKenna’s name has been removed. The new chairman is Tim Cranston, a member of the board and a lawyer “with 20 years+ experience as in-house counsel for two award-winning marine bio-tech companies.”

QCCR has contacted the board with questions about McKenna’s status and the hearing delay.

Meanwhile, more than 150 individuals, businesses and other groups had their comments on the proposed fish farm expansion accepted by the board.

Kelly Cove Salmon, which is owned by Cooke Aquaculture, has applied to expand its operations near Coffin Island and to add two new sites off Brooklyn and Mersey Point.

If successful, Kelly Cove’s operation would grow to 60 pens from its current 14. It would mean about 1.8 million salmon would be farmed in the bay, compared to the current estimated 400,000. Farmed trout would also be added at Coffin Island.

In addition to the written submissions and oral presentations from the public, five groups have been granted intervenor status: Protect Liverpool Bay, the Region of Queens, the Brooklyn Marina, a group of 23 lobster fishermen, and Kwilmu’kw Maw-Klusuaqn, which is representing the Acadia First Nation.

People had until Feb. 12 to submit their comments or ask to make an oral presentation at the hearings. 

Seven people or groups are giving oral presentations, including Bear Cove Resources Storm-cast Seaweed in East Berlin, owned by Bob Iuliucci and Betsy Hartt.

They say they’re worried about the effects of a four-fold increase in salmon and trout farming in the area.

“There’s absolutely no way (the farms are) going to withstand an easterly wind that can bring waves of 10 metres,” Iuliucci said Tuesday in an interview.

“We’ve had storm events (here), in one storm event the shoreline went back about five metres. … A net full of fish, it’s hopeless, it would be really unfortunate for everybody.”

Iuliucci says he’s also worried about what would happen if the new farm sites get caught up in tidal surges, especially given the current problems with flooding at Centennial Park on the Liverpool waterfront.

“We have the park inundated on a regular basis. So now we’re gonna have hundreds of thousands of fish stranded as well and on people’s properties.”

Hartt says their customers ask about whether their compost is affected by the current operation.

“The more their gear gets tossed around, the more their gear gets included in the seaweed we collect. And we get customers asking us questions already. ‘Does the fish farm affect the seaweed? Does that mean that I’m going to get microplastics in the seaweed compost I’m buying from you?’ I let them know at this stage, no. But when you consider the magnification of that project, that is going to be a concern.”

Most of the public feedback the review board received was in written submissions. It accepted 146 letters, which are published on its website. 

Most of those written submissions oppose Kelly Cove’s application. Twelve support it. Among the supporters are the mayor of Shelburne and businesses who have done business with Cooke.

But several other submissions were rejected by the independent board. 

That included two of the area’s politicians. According to a post on the Social Politics Facebook page, Queens MLA Kim Masland had her letter rejected because the board said it must be free of “appearance of any possible influence” by elected officials. 

Masland has spoken out against the project. In her letter, posted on her Facebook page, she said the expansion would harm the environment, tourism, the lobster fishery and residents’ general enjoyment of Beach Meadows Beach. 

Masland could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Premier Tim Houston also came out against the project last week, during a luncheon in Liverpool organized by the South Queens Chamber of Commerce.

The board also rejected submissions from people who were listed as a member of one of the intervenor groups. It ruled that their interests were already being represented. 

Region of Queens District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault’s area includes Brooklyn and Beach Meadows. She was one of those whose letter was rejected, and she was also told she could not make a presentation at the hearings, because she is already represented by the Region of Queens as an intervenor.

“I’m not very happy about it. I’m the one that’s out and about in the community and I’m the one that’s hearing from my constituents and I believe I should be able to speak on their behalf. 

“I have not heard from anybody yet that is in favour of this expansion.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to an audio version of this story below