The historic Astor Theatre in Liverpool will undergo a multi-year facelift. (Rick Conrad / File photo)
The building that houses the Astor Theatre in Liverpool will get more than $1 million in upgrades this year, as part of a two-year, $3-million plan to modernize the historic building.
The Region of Queens owns the Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre and leases it to the Astor Theatre Society.
Municipal councillors recently approved spending $1,050,000 this year and another $2,079,000 next year to install modern heating and cooling systems, air conditioning and long-delayed accessibility improvements.
Eric Goulden, chairman of the Astor Theatre Society, says he’s excited and grateful that the work is going ahead.
“All of these improvements are needed to update a 125-year-old building to today’s standards. … Most people don’t realize how busy we are and how much it’s needed to have a common point for people to get together and enjoy entertainment, but also learn and experience various crafts and meetings and that sort of thing. The vibe is very positive.
“We’re very, very pleased with the direction that we’re going in. We think that the next two years are going to be very positive for the Astor Theatre and a lot of the improvements that have been long overdue are going to take place.”
The Astor is limited in what it can offer in the warmer summer months, because the facility has only ceiling fans for cooling and air circulation in the theatre.
The region hired DSRA Architecture to detail what the building needs to improve operations and meet modern building codes.
The region plans to upgrade the facility’s electrical supply and install a modern HVAC system, including heat pumps, that will allow the theatre to maintain comfortable temperatures year-round.
It also plans to install a platform lift so that people with mobility issues can access the second floor.
The washrooms will also be upgraded to comply with provincial requirements for accessibility and universality.
A new fire escape will be installed from the second-floor balcony, which will allow for wheelchair-accessible seating upstairs.
And the backstage area will be expanded by 765 square feet to allow more room for storage, a workshop and dressing rooms.
The architects also said the building’s insulation needs to be upgraded for better energy efficiency and to protect the wood structure from humidity. So far, that has not been included in the planned work.
Goulden says that the upgrades will allow the Astor to offer more to its patrons at any time of year.
“We can’t do reliable programming in the summertime because of the lack of air conditioning, the lack of proper ventilation in the theatre. So it will give us at least another two months of programming that we can do in the summertime.”
He said the theatre is also shopping for a new movie projector to enhance its film offerings.
“Movies are going to be a big part of our growth. We will probably be the best movie experience on the South Shore.”
Councillors unanimously approved the work.
“I just have to say that I’m excited to see actually a plan for the updates at the Astor,” District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault said. “It’s been a long time coming. So I’m very grateful for it.”
Mayor Scott Christian said the Astor board will continue to look for grants and other funding to try to offset some of the cost for municipal taxpayers.
Representatives from the municipality and the Astor plan to meet early next week to discuss the upgrades.
“I’m really quite excited about the future,” Goulden said. “A lot of good things happening at the Astor.”
Here’s a breakdown of the work planned at the Astor:
Year 1 (2026/27 fiscal year):
$245,000 – second floor platform lift (six months to install)
$175,000 – emergency egress from balcony (three months to install)
$210,000 – electrical upgrades (six months to complete)
$420,000 – Phase 1 heating and cooling upgrades (six months)
Year 2 upgrades – 2027/28 fiscal year ($2,079,000):
$1.4 million – backstage addition
$315,000 – Phase 2 heating and cooling upgrades
$168,000 – second floor washroom accessibility upgrades
$196,000 – main floor washroom accessibility upgrades
Annette Burke is the director of Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak, debuting at the Astor Theatre in November. (Rick Conrad)
Some new and familiar faces will be back on the Astor Theatre stage in November when the Winds of Change Dramatic Society presents Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak.
Rehearsals began earlier this month in Liverpool with the five-member cast.
Annette Burke is directing, her first time guiding actors since the 2021 comedy Tom, Dick and Harry.
“I enjoy directing, and I do enjoy working with a small cast because it makes it easier to schedule things,” Burke told QCCR in an interview.
“It’s been a treat to work with this crew. I think we’ve put together a really solid team with lots of experience. … We’ve got some very creative and artistic people involved.”
The two-act farce from Canadian playwright Norm Foster centres around what happens when a woman with a colourful past steps off the bus and into smalltown life.
“I don’t want to give too much away but … it takes place in a small community where everybody knows everybody’s business or they think they do, and Sadie arrives, she gets off the bus just by chance, walks into the cafe and things get very interesting very quickly,” Burke says.
“It’s very funny and there’s a lot of humour that comes from just different innuendos and things like that so I think the audience is really going to enjoy it.”
Ashley-Rose Goodwin stars as Sadie Flynn, with Cynthia Walker as Rachel Blessington and Nicole Whynot as Bev Dupuis. Al Steele as Tom Shaw and Joseph Lyndon as Orson Hubble round out the cast. At least 14 other volunteers make up the show’s crew.
It will be a return to acting for Goodwin, who was last seen on the Astor stage in 2013’s Les Miserables. She has founded her own popular Mersey Rose Theatre Company in Liverpool, directing and producing youth in their own productions. She also directed the 2024 musical Follies at the Astor.
“I’m so excited that she agreed to audition,” Burke says. “I think she’s very much enjoying the experience. Sometimes when we don’t do something we love for a long time we forget how much we love it. And she’s very talented. … It’s been fun and I think I can speak for her and say that she’s been enjoying it a great deal.”
Burke says rehearsals of up to 14 hours a week at South Queens Middle School are going well, with the cast almost off-book through Act 1.
“I think one of the biggest challenges with a show like this is the dialogue. There is a lot of dislogue and a lot of the exchanges are short and quick, so that to me is the challenge to make sure things are being said properly, important things aren’t being left out. The chemistry with the five of them is really great, so it makes it easier.”
She says it helps that all five actors have stage experience.
“Some people are just natural performers. I know the five of them have spent quite a bit of time over the summer delving into who their characters are. It’s been very exciting to see these characters develop and we’re not even halfway there.”
Burke is also president of Winds of Change. She says the community theatre troupe was looking for a show to get them back in front of an audience. And this one, with this cast and crew, seemed like a good fit.
“The support for Winds of Change for over 50 years has been incredible in this community. I can guarantee our Winds of Change fans that they will not be disappointed in this show and the people that get involved, it’s just all volunteer time. They’re showing up, everybody’s contributing, everybody’s pitching in, so this is what community theatre is meant to be. ”
Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak runs at the Astor Theatre Nov. 14, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Astor box office or through Ticketpro.
Nicole Whynot, Cynthia Walker, Ashley-Rose Goodwin, Al Steele and Joseph Lyndon star in Sadie Flynn Comes to Big Oak at the Astor Theatre in November. (Winds of Change Dramatic Society)
CAST OF SADIE FLYNN COMES TO BIG OAK Ashley-Rose Goodwin – Sadie Flynn
Al Steele – Tom Shaw
Joseph Lyndon – Orson Hubble
Cynthia Walker – Rachel Blessington
Nicole Whynot – Bev Dupuis
CREW
Director – Annette Burke
Assistant director – Jackie Leonard
Producer – Sue Beaumont-Rudderham
Costumes – Crystal Doggett and Kylie Doggett
Set design – Craig Doggett and Alex Doggett
Stage managing/props – Sheree Chandler, Jane Mullen, Sue Higgins and Jane Stevenson
Lighting/sound – Kevin Colwell
Posters/graphic design – Greg Tutty
Cast photography – Brenda Deveau
Videography – Dan Williams
The Liverpool International Theatre Festival has issued a call for submissions for its 2026 event. (LaRocque Photography via Liverpool International Theatre Festival Facebook page)
The Liverpool International Theatre Festival is now accepting applications from amateur theatre troupes around the world to participate in the 2026 festival from Oct. 14 to 18.
“LITF is one of the Top 10 amateur theatre festivals in the world, and we’re incredibly proud to invite
troupes to bring their stories and artistry to our community,” festival chairperson Jean Robinson said in a news release.
“Each festival is a vibrant celebration of culture, creativity and connection.”
LITF features five days of performances which are usually one-act plays, along with workshops and many social events, which give audiences an opportunity to connect with the artists. Local residents are also given a chance to host the actors, writers and directors in their own homes, enhancing the cultural exchange component of the unique festival.
Lynn Cochrane is the vice-chair of the Astor Theatre Society. (Rick Conrad)
Liverpool’s historic Astor Theatre is launching a new endowment fund to help put it on firmer financial footing.
About 60 supporters of the Astor turned out at the theatre on Tuesday evening for the announcement.
The Astor Theatre Endowment Fund is separate from the theatre’s annual fundraising campaign. It’s a longer-term investment fund that would accept larger legacy donations from corporations or people’s estates.
Once the fund is built up to a certain point, the Astor could then use interest from the investments to cover yearly operational expenses and invest in new programs.
Outgoing Astor Theatre Society board chair John Simmonds said ticket sales from events account for about 40 per cent of revenues. Grants and fundraising are the theatre’s main sources of revenue.
Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor Theatre Society, spearheaded the effort to set up the fund.
“I’ve been on the board for a couple of years now and every year we come up with a bit of a shortfall,” she said in an interview, “and I started looking at ways of helping the theatre counteract that shortfall, talked to a number of other theatres and they have endowment funds or investment funds that donors can donate to and their money lives on for yers and the returns come to the theatre to cover those shortfalls every year.”
Cochrane and Simmonds said that they hope that in a few years, the principal in the fund will grow to about $1 million. At that point, the Astor can decide whether to use the annual interest earned or reinvest it and continue to grow the fund.
It will be managed by Mark Sapp at Scotia McLeod in Bridgewater.
Jean Robinson-Dexter, former interim executive director of the theatre, said the endowment fund is a great step toward securing the Astor’s future.
“I think there’s lots of work to do in the whole fund development area for the organization. So I think this is a great launch for the sustainability and long-term care of the organization.”
Tom Raddall, whose family are longtime supporters of the Astor, said he believes the community will support it.
“I know the community appreciates this theatre. I know our family does. I mean, my grandmother played the piano in the silent movies in this theatre. There’s a connection for probably for most of the people that have been born and brought up here and a connection for the people who have moved here.”
“I think a lot of people including myself will give this a hard look when we go home tonight and talk about our future plans.”
Deborah Raddall and Jean Robinson are part of the team organizing this year’s Liverpool International Theatre Festival. (Rick Conrad)
It happens every two years, it’s less than two months away and the organizers of the Liverpool International Theatre Festival want you to be part of it.
The festival is looking for local residents to open their homes and help welcome the almost 90 people coming to Liverpool from 10 different countries for the four-day event.
The volunteer-driven festival is celebrating its 16th edition from Oct. 17 to 20 at the Astor Theatre.
This year, amateur theatre troupes from Morocco, Egypt, the country of Georgia, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Wales and the U.S. will be putting on one-act plays in an event that celebrates theatre and international friendship. Winds of Change from Liverpool will also be putting on a play at the festival.
“For those that haven’t been to the festival in the past,” says festival chairwoman Jean Robinson, “they are one-act plays and they have to be between 25 minutes long and 50 or 55 minutes long. And so, it’s a great introduction to theatre and different types of theatre.”
Deborah Raddall is in charge of LITF’s marketing and promotions.
“LITF is a celebration of culture and theatre and community. And it’s a chance for us, meaning Liverpool, to experience the world.”
The festival relies on 40 to 60 volunteers from the community to make it happen.
Members of the theatre troupes are billeted at homes around Queens County. This year, organizers are putting an urgent call out for people to open their homes to the actors and crews coming to Liverpool.
LITF asks hosts to provide a bed and some breakfast for festival participants. The festival looks after everything else, including other meals and transportation. Hosts also get two free tickets to the play involving their guests.
Raddall and her husband Blair have hosted troupes in their home for many previous festivals.
“It’s a wonderful experience, my experience has been really great with that. We’ve been hosting almost every year and we’ve made wonderful friendships and connections. It’s quite unique for a theatre festival.”
“All you need to do is have a bed. It’s a bed and breakfast situation. What we ask of our hosts at a minimum is to provide a bed, provide a breakfast for them in the mornings and to pick them up when they arrive, if it’s a reasonable time. … At a minimum interaction, make them welcome in your home, give them something to eat in the mornings and our festival is designed to pick up all the rest of the stuff. … We’re really looking for a welcoming space and a little bit of breakfast.”
Robinson said hosts and guests have made lasting connections.
“Hosts can be as engaged in the festival as they want to be. We know that these have become lifelong friendships and also new experiences. People have gotten to go skating for the first time with their host, even being taken to the ocean to see a beach for the first time, going out on a lobster boat or things like that that have really cemented those relationships.”
Raddall says they’re still looking for space for about 40 troupe members. Troupes and potential hosts fill out questionnaires so that organizers can help make sure the experience is as positive as possible for everybody.
“It’s a process that’s not just we’re just going to chuck somebody on your doorstep without having a conversation about what works best for you and what works best for them.”
If you’re interested in becoming a host for the Liverpool International Theatre Festival, you can contact info@litf.ca , check out their website at litf.ca or message them at their Facebook page.
In a letter to members of the Astor Theatre Society, the board said Southcott is resigning for personal reasons.
In an interview on Tuesday, Southcott told QCCR she didn’t want to go into details. But she said she decided to return to her career with the federal government.
“At this point, it’s a personal decision and it’s the right one for my family and me right now.”
Before she took the Astor job, Southcott worked in communications for Health Canada and with other federal departments. And before that, she worked as a journalist with CBC and Advocate Media.
Southcott said that did not play a part in her decision to leave.
“I have a real passion for the organization, for the Astor Theatre. I see a lot of potential and hope there is somebody who will take over and realize its potential.”
John Simmonds, chairman of the Astor Theatre Society, said Southcott did a lot of great things in her short time as executive director.
“She’s been a stalwart and accomplished some significant things with grants and operations and community outreach and contact. So we’re very sad to see her go.
“Jerri was very much happy in her job. She loved what she was doing and she saw the contributions and she had the support, for the most part, of the board. But I think she decided maybe this is a better route for (her) to go.”
Simmonds said the board hasn’t decided yet when or if it will search for a new executive director. It’s been difficult for the theatre to find and hang on to one.
When Southcott was hired, it had been four years since the Astor had had a full-time executive director. Jean Robinson-Dexter filled in on an interim basis at various times since September 2020.
In May 2023, the theatre thought it had found a new manager, but that person decided not to take the job after all. Another search resulted in the hiring of Lesli Chandler, who began the job in July 2023 but resigned that September.
“We’re going to regroup,” Simmonds said. “We’re going to do some fundamental thinking, both staff and board, to determine what our best next approach should be.
“Our staff is very loyal and committed to doing what they need to do to get us through this. … We can take the time with a clear head and sort out what the best future for the Astor might be and how to prepare for that future, whether it be staffing or organizational change.”
Simmonds said that Southcott has committed to do what she can before she leaves to ensure the transition is smooth. And he said regardless of what happens, the board wants to make sure the Astor continues to serve the community.
More than 70 people turned out for the Astor Theatre Society’s annual general meeting on Monday evening in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
After years of discussing the need for it, the board of the Astor Theatre says that 2024 will be the year that they get serious about securing funding for a modern HVAC system.
The 122-year-old building has only ceiling fans in its performance space, making it pretty steamy in the middle of the summer.
The Astor Theatre Society board announced at their annual general meeting on Monday night that it plans to go after federal and provincial funding this year to make the whole building more energy-efficient and to install a state-of-the-art heat pump system.
That system would keep the Astor cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also plan to replace windows, reinsulate the roof and change all lighting to energy-efficient LEDs.
Board member Lynn Cochrane told about 70 people gathered for the AGM that the board will work with the Region of Queens, which owns the building, to ensure they maintain the structural integrity and acoustics of the Astor.
She said it’s part of a major capital campaign that the Astor will launch this year.
They also plan to create an endowment fund, supported by corporate and individual donations, to ensure the Astor’s financial security.
“It is our Astor,” Cochrane said. “So this endowment will protect it for many years, and hopefully save us from having to go hand to mouth with our finances every year.”
The Astor also got a $100,000 donation from the Greenfield-based sawmill Harry Freeman and Son Limited.
Board chairman John Simmonds told members that the Astor is in good financial shape, even though it reported a $40,393 deficit for the nine months ending Dec. 31.
The theatre’s total audience last year from April 1 to Dec. 31 was about 12,000, with 60 per cent of that coming from Queens County and 40 per cent from outside the region.
“So we’ve had a lot of people through these doors,” Simmonds said.
The first four months of 2024, however, were stronger, with 18 events bringing almost 3,750 people to the theatre, and a net gain of $27,900.
The Astor hosted many popular concerts and events from January to April, including the late February/early March production of Follies, its first adult musical production since 2018.
“The last few months have been very important to the Astor, we’ve been so successful, we’ve had so much going on,” Simmonds said.
He said the board plans to sign a 10-year lease with the region, which will help the Astor in its fundraising goals.
“It also gives us an opportunity to go after grants that require a 10-year lease so that we can establish to the grantors that we are going to stay around for a long time. So that could bring in some fairly big numbers to allow us to do some of the things we want to do.”
The Astor’s net assets as of Monday’s AGM are $232,000, according to treasurer Loris Azzano.
The Astor Theatre Society’s members also voted to add three new people to the board of directors, bringing the total to 11.
They are Melanie Atkinson, who also volunteers at QCCR, Terri Faber and Cynthia Walker.
They join Simmonds, Azzano, Cochrane, Anne Espenant, Willo Treschow, Dan Williams, Heather White Brittain and Colleen Wolfe.
John Simmonds, chairman of the Astor Theatre Society, addresses a members’ meeting on Thursday at the Liverpool theatre. (Rick Conrad)
The board of the Astor Theatre Society on Thursday clarified who can vote and who can be nominated to its board at its upcoming general meeting.
Some members who signed up in the past two months were concerned that the Astor would not allow them to vote.
About 50 people turned out for the members meeting on Thursday evening at the theatre. Board chairman John Simmonds explained that all members in good standing will be able to vote at its upcoming annual general meeting.
“There’s been controversy over conflicting bylaws and conflicting interpretations and we’ve tried to remain as quiet as we could on those issues. But it was necessary to do a lot of research to make sure we were on good ground in what we were proposing. Every member who is in good standing who is over 18 years of age and a resident of Nova Scotia can vote at the AGM.”
The meeting was held in response to a request from the ad hoc group Queens County Community Theatre Advocates. That group was formed after the resignation of associate artistic director Ashley-Rose Goodwin in March.
The group said it was concerned about recent decisions made by executive director Jerri Southcott and the Astor Board. The group said that as Astor members they wanted to hold the board accountable.
In an April 25 update to the group’s members, one of the founding members of the group Kevin Colwell wrote that the Astor appeared to be taking a “restrictive” approach to voting at the upcoming AGM. He said that in discussions with the Astor, it appeared they were planning to prevent anyone who became a member after Dec. 31, 2023 from voting.
He called on group members to attend the May 2 members meeting and the May 9 AGM.
About 50 people were at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool on Thursday evening for a meeting on voting at the upcoming annual general meeting. (Rick Conrad)
The issue over voting arose because of confusion about which set of bylaws was valid.
Simmonds said Thursday that until the board did a “deep dive” into their archives, even they were unsure of the proper voting procedures. So they hired Marjorie Hickey, a lawyer with McInnes Cooper in Halifax, to look into it and give an opinion.
“It outlines in great detail exactly what all the steps were, how the three sets of bylaws compare and contrast, where we stand legally now. And she has confirmed through case law and others that we are in good position now using the 2017 bylaws.”
As a result of that legal advice, the Astor has also changed the date of the May 9 AGM to June 24.
According to its most recent bylaws, the Astor will appoint people to replace three directors who resigned in the past couple of months.
There will be four open spots on the board of directors at the June AGM. Any member can be nominated to sit on the board.
“So hopefully this will set the record straight on where we stand and where we propose going with all of this,” Simmonds said. “It will be a true democratic process at the AGM in terms of nominations. We look forward to having many of you putting your name forward.”
Some members of the Queens County Community Theatre Advocates were at the meeting. But they didn’t want to comment until they could read the lawyer’s report to the Astor.
Simmonds said after the meeting that he believes it addressed many concerns from community members. He said the board believes it’s on solid legal ground.
“We’re very comfortable that we’re in good shape now with our current bylaws. And that allows us to move forward and alleviates a lot of the issues and controversy brought to us by the community,” he said in an interview.
“It clarified things that we didn’t know ourselves. So it was new to us. So once we digested it all ourselves and came up with a final conclusion verified by the lawyer, … all the rest of what went on in the past is not really relevant now.”
Simmonds said the Astor will announce the new appointed members of the board in the next week. He said it will also send notice about the June 24 annual general meeting to all members and advertise it in local newspapers and online.
Jerri Southcott with a small-scale model of the set for Seussical, the first production from the Astor Theatre’s Astor Academy. (Rick Conrad)
The Astor Theatre in Liverpool is launching a new theatre education program for youth with a production set to open in June.
The Astor Academy is designed to give youth aged 8 to 18 access to high-quality performing arts training. Its first production is Seussical, a musical comedy based on the works of Dr. Seuss.
Jerri Southcott is the Astor’s executive director. She said the Astor Academy was the “brainchild” of former interim executive director Jean Robinson-Dexter and some members of the Astor board.
The idea is to give kids and youth some training in the arts at little or no cost.
“The draw really is access to arts education, a creative and safe space to work with theatre professionals, musical theatre, and summer camps, dance and vocals and music at no cost,” Southcott said in an interview Tuesday.
“Too often, families are left in a position where they can’t afford to have private music lessons or private dance classes. We are trying to make it as a accessible as possible to allow everyone in rural Nova Scotia no matter what their economic situation is to this great opportunity.”
Preparation for Seussical is well underway, with up to 18 young cast members from Queens County and other areas of the South Shore. It’s being helmed by a production team of adults experienced in community and professional theatre.
Southcott’s brother Shane is the director, Malcolm Freeman is the assistant director, Kim Umphrey is vocal director, Kristopher Snarby and Michelle Riley are vocal coaches, Kerenza Verburg is choreographer and Cynthia Walker is stage manager.
It will open on June 20 and run until June 23, with two evening shows and two matinees.
“It’s about friendship, it’s about relationships, it’s about community and about treating people with love and respect.”
Southcott says they’re still looking for anybody who might be interested in joining the show. The cast is basically set, but they’re looking to fill some spots in the production crew, including costumes and set building.
“I have experienced and seen the benefits of what this kind of involvement in productions and the camaraderies and teamwork and everything can have on a person. Too often, it’s not just economics, it’s feeling excluded, feeling isolated, not feeling popular enough, not knowing the talent they have inside and creating an environment where they feel welcome and they feel accepted. … We have people who have never been on stage, and we’ve seen some hidden talents.”
Southcott says the Astor will soon announce summer theatre camps offered through the Astor Academy. She said there will be a small fee to help pay the instructors. The Astor has scholarships available for those camps.
The productions through the academy are mostly free with a $20 fee for registration and show T-shirt, though that fee can be waived.
“I do think it’s important for the Astor to offer this opportunity for youth in the area,” Southcott says. “I would love to see more kids come out. We are wide open to anybody who would like to come and see what it’s all about.”
Malcolm Freeman is the assistant director of Seussical and Easton Goodwin plays Cat in the Hat in the musical. It opens at the Astor Theatre on June 20. (Rick Conrad)
Easton Goodwin is playing Cat in the Hat in Seussical. He is a Grade 11 student at Liverpool Regional Regional High School. He’s been involved in other productions at the Astor, including the recent musical Follies, as well as Into the Woods and Peter Pan Jr., all directed by former associate artistic director Ashley-Rose Goodwin.
“Seussical is such a fun musical and it’s so entertaining, especially for younger ones too. I’ve always wanted to play a crazy fun character that moves around a lot. I just love musical theatre so much.”
Malcolm Freeman of Liverpool is the assistant director of Seussical. He has appeared in numerous Astor productions, including Follies. This is his first time behind the scenes.
“It’s fun being on this side of things and getting to learn the ropes on that (side of) the spectrum. I wanted to get involved with this because I’ve never worked with youth and I’ve never actually been a part of making the decisions and bringing a stage production to life. It broadens your horizon on your own skills and your own acting and singing abilities.
“It’s coming together so well. We have a fantastic cast, the kids and the youth are great and we really couldn’t have asked for a better group of people.”
About 25 people showed up at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool on Saturday to discuss the Winds of Change relationship with the Astor Theatre. (Rick Conrad)
The Winds of Change theatre group has voted to end a short-lived relationship with Liverpool’s Astor Theatre and re-form as an independent society.
About 25 people showed up at a meeting on Saturday at Queens Place Emera Centre and voted to reverse a February 2023 decision to become a subcommittee within the Astor.
Nick Moase was the acting chairman of the Winds of Change. He chaired the meeting on Saturday. He is also the technical director for QCCR.
“The decision is what I expected,” he said in an interview after the meeting.
“With everything going on and the comments that have been said to me privately, I was aware that people weren’t comfortable with what the Astor Theatre was doing and that they wanted to separate the Winds of Change again to re-form.
“For 25 years, this has been on the books to discuss. We gave it a try. Things didn’t go as expected, so now we just continue on as the Winds of Change as a separate entity.”
Under the arrangement, the Winds of Change was to use its $29,000 legacy fund for theatrical productions at the theatre. That fund would then be reimbursed from ticket sales, and the Astor would keep any profit.
But recently, members of the group wanted to re-examine the relationship.
Ashley-Rose Goodwin resigned as the Astor’s associate artistic director this March, shortly after the wrap of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. That was a Winds of Change-Astor co-production. Goodwin was the director of that show.
After her resignation, some in the community, including Winds of Change members, were upset at how the Astor was being operated by the board and recently hired executive director Jerri Southcott.
They were also annoyed when Southcott and the Astor decided not to pay for a Follies cast party at the Liverpool Curling Club. The relationship soured further when the Astor forgot to mention and thank the 70 members of the Follies cast and crew in its monthly newsletter. Southcott quickly sent out an apology the next day in another email to newsletter subscribers.
John Simmonds, the chairman of the Astor Theatre board of directors, was at the meeting on Saturday. He couldn’t comment on Saturday, but in an interview on Sunday, he said the group’s decision was unfortunate but not surprising.
“Maybe taking a long-term view, it’s probably the best for all concerned right now so that we can continue to do our thing and Winds of Change can re-form, get back and do the things that they were doing before, hopefully with the Astor. And as things cool down, we can re-examine the thing and take a look at it down the road.”
Simmonds said the Winds of Change will always be welcome at the Astor.
“We wish the Winds of Change well. That long history between the two organizations is not going to go away. Hopefully, everybody will feel comfortable working with each other again. I know I would. I was just thinking how important it would be to be able to meet people on the street, give them a smile, a handshake, a hug, whatever, and just continue on as friends as we were before.”
Moase said on Saturday that he will not remain on the board.
A slate of 10 people was nominated to form a new board for the Winds of Change. They must re-form as a legally recognized non-profit society through the registry of joint stocks.
Moase said he believes that the arrangement with the Astor for the past year worked well. But he said the Winds of Change is in good shape, especially given the level of participation in Follies.
“I think the interest is there, the people are there again. This issue with the Astor Theatre will come to a conclusion at some point and things will continue. Amateur theatre in Liverpool isn’t going anywhere. And I think we’re probably in good shape to have another production when folks are ready again.”
Nick Moase is the acting chairman of the Winds of Change theatre group. (Rick Conrad)
The Winds of Change theatre group is holding a meeting on April 20 to discuss whether to end its year-long merger with Liverpool’s Astor Theatre.
Nick Moase, acting chairman of the Winds of Change, said in an interview Wednesday that he called the meeting in response to concerns about recent controversy around the Astor. Moase is also the technical director for QCCR.
“I really want to make sure the community either wants to rescind this motion to become a part of the Astor Theatre and re-form as a society or if we are still comfortable going ahead and finishing up the merger with the Astor Theatre.”
Winds of Change Dramatic Society members voted to merge with the Astor Theatre Society in February 2023. The idea was that the group would become a subcommittee of the Astor and bring along its $29,000 legacy fund to be used for theatrical productions at the theatre.
But recently, members and former members of the group wanted to re-examine the relationship. Ashley-Rose Goodwin resigned as the Astor’s associate artistic director this March, shortly after the wrap of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. Goodwin was also the director of that show.
After her resignation, a group of people lobbed several accusations about how the Astor was being run. One of them was a concern about what would happen to Winds of Change and its legacy fund.
“I do want to make it clear, some of the concern that came out of the community was that the Astor took off with our money after the Follies. And that’s not the case,” Moase says.
“I have assurances from the operations manager of the theatre that the money was replenished to what it was. So the Follies up to and just after the production, actually I think was a success in terms of the merger. The name was used properly, the money was used properly, we didn’t have to pay rental for the space.”
The idea of Winds of Change merging with the Astor had been discussed for years.
Moase says the group’s legacy fund was kept in a separate line item on the Astor balance sheet and used for paying expenses in mounting productions at the theatre, such as costumes, sets and securing rights to plays. The Astor would then reimburse the fund from ticket sales and pocket any profit.
The Winds of Change would benefit by no longer having the expenses of running a non-profit society, such as insurance and renting the Astor for its productions.
After the decision to merge with the Astor, the Winds of Change Society stopped operating as a separate entity. It has no bank account, and it is not a recognized society on the Nova Scotia’s Registry of Joint Stock Companies.
Moase says it’s not a problem to relist the society with the registry, if the group’s membership decides to rescind the merger with the Astor.
“This meeting, it is the community telling us, the Winds of Change, what they want. And if they want to re-form as a society, get some names of people who are interested in joining, and then we start the process of getting everything squared away with the joint stocks … and then once that’s done we need to open a bank account again, we need to get directors insurance again. Then we can start (signing up) official members, making motions and getting back to the process of making plays at the Astor.”
Moase says that he planned to work on the terms of reference to complete the merger after Follies was over.
“The merger it’s been a little slow, it has been on my shoulders and due to some things going on in my own personal life, and the fact that I was the lead set designer and builder for Follies, things have been a bit slow so we hadn’t finished all of the merger process, the terms of reference, that sort of thing.”
He says the Astor board has told him they would like to continue with the merger. But that depends on what is decided at the April 20 Winds of Change meeting.
Moase said he also wanted to address two other issues that arose after Goodwin resigned and Follies wrapped.
Some members were upset that the Astor would not pay for a party at the Liverpool Curling Club. And they were irked that the Astor forgot to mention and thank the Follies cast and crew in its monthly newsletter, sent April 2.
“In isolation they’re minor, but as a part of the whole of what’s going on, people have really latched on to it a bit,” Moase said.
“I do think they are things we can work through. This is our first production as a sub-committee under the Astor. Of course we’re going to have things we need to iron out.
“And if you look at the framework that we’ve drawn up for our merger, we never talked about cast parties. So it’s something that we’ve usually had in the past, we’ve usually funded out of our profits that we made out of the shows, but we never mentioned it to the Astor that this is what we do. Again, I think this is something we could have overcome in the future.”
When asked if it could be seen as an honest mistake, he said: “In my view, it is.”
Jerri Southcott took over as the Astor’s executive director on Feb. 5. In a special newsletter to subscribers on April 3, she issued her “sincerest apologies” for the omission of Follies in the newsletter the day before.
“This oversight was in no way intentional, and I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest regret for any disappointment or frustration it may have caused. The dedication and talent of everyone involved in Follies deserved to be celebrated and recognized, and I am truly sorry for failing to do so.”
As for the cast party, Southcott says her personal philosophy is that she doesn’t believe it was an appropriate way to spend donated money, and that in her experience with non-profits, she prefers to see most of the money returned to the organization.
She says she consulted with the board at the time. Because she is new in the job, she says, she hasn’t been making any significant decisions without consulting them first.
Moase says he doesn’t know if he will continue on the board of the Winds of Change. He says he believes the merger with the Astor is still worth pursuing.
“I really have to see how this meeting goes and see how the community feels. I have to admit, everything that’s been going on, it’s caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it and I’ve had trouble keeping up with everything that’s been going on.
“I don’t know what the sentiment is. I’m not even sure what people think of me as part of this because i’ve been working on this merger for so long. Nobody’s messaged me or has messaged me very little directly to confront me about any problems. I genuinely don’t know what direction we’re going, so I really have to see what happens at that meeting.”
The Winds of Change meeting is scheduled for Sat., April 20 at 1 p.m. at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool.
About 70 people turned out to the Astor Theatre in Liverpool on Sunday for a community town hall meeting. (Rick Conrad)
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.”
Simmonds also reminded people that Southcott has been on the job for only two months, and appealed to people for patience.
Astor Theatre Society board members Lynn Cochrane, Loris Azzano, Tina Tucker and Anne Espenant, employee Malcolm Freeman and executive director Jerri Southcott took questions from the audience at the Astor Theatre on Sunday. Chairman John Simmonds is shown standing. (Rick Conrad)
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.”
Liverpool resident Sandra Atkinson speaks at the community meeting at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool on Sunday. (Rick Conrad)
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.
The Astor Theatre Society is holding a town hall information session at the Liverpool theatre on Sunday at 3 p.m.
In a statement released to their newsletter subscribers and posted on their Facebook page on Saturday afternoon, the Astor board and staff said they are organizing the public session to address “concerns in the community raising questions about what is happening. The purpose of this Town Hall is to identify concerns raised and provide factual and transparent answers.”
One board member, Kevin Colwell, recently resigned, shortly after the musical Follies wrapped up.
In a public post on Facebook, he said “I could no longer support, and was unable to change, decisions made by the Board regarding the direction of the Astor Theatre.”
He and others formed the ad hoc group, Queens County Community Theatre Advocates, and urged people to become members of the Astor Theatre Society and attend the upcoming annual general meeting scheduled for May 9 at 5 p.m.
Colwell and others signed a letter addressed to the board, alleging many things, including a change in direction for the theatre. He had included a link to it in his original Facebook post, but it has since been removed.
“Over the past six weeks,” the letter read in part, “we have observed, with shock and dismay, the radical shift in philosophy that seems to be taking place at the Astor – moving away from our cherished community-based approach to one that appears to be disregarding the heritage and values that have made the Astor such a beloved institution and a treasured and inclusive hub for the arts.”
The letter claimed that recent decisions made by the board and recently hired executive director Jerri Southcott “regarding programming choices, community engagement, and the future direction of the Astor suggest that Jerri has not undertaken any meaningful consultation with the community and instead is implementing her personal vision and agenda for the Astor.”
The others who signed the letter were former board member Annette Burke, Nathan and Rebecca Smart, Craig and Crystal Doggett and Paula Colwell.
The group had asked for a meeting with the Astor board. That was set for April 4, but the group called it off.
Instead, a group of seven members of the Astor Theatre Society have called a special meeting on Mon., April 8 at 7 p.m. at Liverpool Regional High School. They say the purpose of the meeting is to set a date for the annual general meeting and to elect an interim Astor board.
The Astor’s bylaws state that a general or special meeting can be held at any time and must be called if requested by the chair, requested by a majority of the board or requested in writing by five Astor Theatre Society members. The bylaws state that general or special meetings must be publicized seven days in advance.
The group calling the special meeting is upset that the Astor’s annual general meeting is scheduled more than three months after its fiscal year end, which is Dec. 31. The bylaws state that the annual general meeting must be held within three months of Dec. 31.
For its part, the Astor posted on Facebook shortly after Colwell’s post and comments from others on Astor posts that “the Astor Theatre Society Board of Directors, Executive Director and staff are aware of the hurtful comments and misinformation initiated by a few uninformed individuals and being circulated on social media.
“While we have tried to remain focused on our vision and mission for the Astor, which has not changed in any way, it has become increasingly apparent that this situation is having a negative and stressful impact on the Astor staff and volunteers.”
Colwell posted again, claiming that Southcott had threatened him and others with legal action.
In its notice Saturday of a town hall information session, the Astor said:
“The current Board of Directors and staff are working tirelessly in the best interests of the tradition and history of The Astor. It has been expressed in many circles that the theatre is in the best shape it has ever been, both operationally and financially. We have a full calendar of events in both the theatre and Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre.
“Whether you are currently a member of the Astor Theatre Society or not, if you are passionate and care about the future of The Astor, we strongly encourage you to attend. This is your theatre and we pledge to continue to make it the welcoming icon of our community.”
Cineplex Cinemas Bridgewater will close on April 29. (Rick Conrad)
While moviegoers on the South Shore may be mourning the impending closure of Cineplex Cinemas in Bridgewater, Liverpool’s Astor Theatre is getting ready to welcome film fans back.
Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell confirmed online rumours late last week that Cineplex will close its seven-screen multiplex on April 29.
No one from Cineplex was available for an interview on Tuesday, but the company sent the following statement to QCCR:
“We’ve made the difficult decision not to renew our lease and to close our Cineplex Bridgewater location, the last day of shows will be April 29.
“We are grateful to our team and the community for their support over the past 11 years.”
Mitchell said he’s contacted Cineplex to see if they would remain in town at a different location or in a smaller venue. He said Tuesday he hasn’t heard back from the company.
“Other than the date, I have no additional information from Cineplex,” he said in an interview.
“It’s a huge loss just because it’s an entertainment venue, it’s a place where all ages could go out and socialize. It’s a loss in terms of that social aspect in the community.”
But Bridgewater’s loss could be Liverpool’s gain.
The Astor Theatre has regularly shown movies in its 200-seat space. It just recently got a new sound system installed. Executive director Jerri Southcott says they plan to begin showing movies again by mid-April. She said it may keep more Queens County moviegoers at their hometown theatre.
“Personally, I think it’s sad. The timing is really interesting. While it’s not going to make a huge difference, because we’re not sure people will make the trip here, but it might help.
“We will certainly be looking at the opportunities that it will have for us as a functioning theatre.””
News of the Cineplex Bridgewater closure comes amid a few tough years for the movie theatre industry. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, theatres have struggled to bring people back. Competition from streaming services has also bitten into the bottom line.
According to a 2023 study by Telefilm Canada on Canadian movie consumption, 95 per cent of Canadians watch feature films. But 98 per cent of that movie watching was happening at home.
Big budget action movies are still a draw to the multiplex, the study found. But many older and rural consumers watch a majority of movies at home. Fewer than a third of people made two or more trips to cinemas in the previous 12 months.
“High spectacle genres are the preferred lures to cinemas, especially for younger moviegoers,” the report found. “By contrast, many older and more rural consumers watch an overwhelming portion of their movies in the home.”
Ironically, Cineplex has been reporting better audience numbers in the past year, though box office receipts are still lagging behind 2019.
Smaller theatres like the Astor, which are considered second-run movie houses, had been restricted in what kinds of movies they could show. They had to wait until new releases cycled through Cineplex.
With the Bridgewater theatres closing, Southcott isn’t sure how that will affect what the Astor can offer.
“We tended to be a place where they could see movies that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to see at a big cineplex anway. We’re excited about getting it up and running again. I’ts a great venue. Seeing a movie here is a really great experience.”
Mitchell said he thinks there’s still a great moviegoing market in Bridgewater.
“I don’t think this is the end of movies in Bridgewater. You can watch a movie in Liverpool and you can watch a movie in Chester at the two playhouses, which is great. But regionally, this is the only multiplex. There is a market here for the multiplex.”
In the meantime, an online petition has been created to convince Cineplex to reverse its decision. It has more than 800 signatures so far.
The cast of Follies on opening night Thursday at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
The curtain went up on a big, bold, breathtaking musical at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool on Thursday night.
Stephen Sondheim’s Follies began its eight-show run at the historic theatre. It features more than two dozen cast members from Queens and Lunenburg counties ranging in age from 14 to 77.
One of the many elaborate costumes in the musical Follies, playing until March 3 at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
A co-production of the Winds of Change and the Astor Theatre, it’s the first big musical mounted at the Astor since 2018. It runs until March 3. Tickets are available in person at the Astor Theatre box office, by calling 902-354-5250 or through Ticketpro Atlantic.
QCCR was at opening night and got reaction from some members of the audience after the show. Listen below.
The cast of Follies rehearses at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
The Astor Theatre’s first adult musical since 2018 is set to open this Thursday, Feb. 22.
The Astor and Winds of Change are co-producing the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. The Tony-award-winning show features elaborate costumes and big musical and dance numbers.
It features more than two dozen cast members from around Queens and Lunenburg counties, ranging in age from 14 to 77. That’s in addition to the many other people behind the scenes.
Cast and crew have spent hours each week over the past three months in vocal and dance training, as well as regular rehearsals.
We talked to some of the people behind the show during one of their rehearsals in late January.
Jerri Southcott took over this week as executive director of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
The Astor Theatre in Liverpool got more than a new executive director this week. It also got a new dog.
Jerri Southcott took over on Feb. 5 from interim executive director Jean Robinson.
And she’s already made one big change.
Macduff, her laidback nine-year-old Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, will be keeping her company as she leads the Astor.
Southcott isn’t worried about the old W.C. Fields warning against working with children or animals.
“He takes that saying and spins it to the positive for sure. He’ll definitely steal the show.”
Macduff and Southcott are no strangers to the stage. He made an appearance in the musical Pippin last summer at the theatre, which Southcott brought to the Astor with her own theatre company, South Shore Summer Theatre.
Macduff at the Astor Theatre. His mom, Jerri Southcott, took over as executive director. (Jerri Southcott photo)
The Astor announced in January that it had hired Southcott, who lives in Mahone Bay with Macduff and her husband Dave Stephens.
In her first week on the job, she says she’s been busy getting to know the theatre, its staff members Ashley-Rose Goodwin, Katy Hopkins and Malcolm Freeman and the community.
She’s already impressed.
“We’re really blessed to have Ashley and Malcolm and Katy here who are so incredibly skilled,” she said in an interview.
“I just observed over the past few days how wonderful the people are in this community and how much they adore this theatre and so I feel very fortunate.”
She says she doesn’t plan any big changes, because she knows what it’s like to balance a tight budget for a charitable organization like the Astor.
“I learned a lot when I started South Shore Summer Theatre. But it really helped me especially with this job understand the accountability you need as a non-profit, understanding the balance of providing an opportunity for professional training at no cost to the community, especially youth, and how you balance that cheque book.”
She says the key will be continuing the work the Astor has done in the past couple of years to bring people back to the theatre after the pandemic.
With homegrown productions like the musical Follies, opening Feb. 22, she says it’s an exciting time to be here.
“I’m coming at a really great time because we have Follies opening on Feb. 22 and it’s going to be a great show. But it’s also given me an opportunity to meet some really interesting characters who come through the doors and really take ownership of the building adn the theater. They are so giving and generous with their time, often their money. We’re very blessed to have such a great hub of the community here with this theatre.”
Southcott says it’s her priority to get to know the community and what they want from the Astor. It’s important to keep people coming back to the theatre, she says, whether that’s for great entertainment or by offering more training and workshops for youth, regardless of their financial background.
“This has always been a really strong passion of mine to make theatre, dance, music accessible to families who don’t have the money to pay for expensive music lessons … or private dance classes.”
With her background in government communications, Southcott says she is optimistic that the Astor can become the theatre destination for the whole South Shore.
“How do we get that message out there and how do we continue to let people know we’re here? When you look at the big picture, on the South Shore we are the biggest theatre. We have the potential for Bridgewater, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg to take ownership of this as their theatre on the South Shore because there isn’t a venue as big anywhere in the area. So I think that the future looks really bright.”
The cast of Follies rehearses at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
Liverpool will soon get a chance to see the first adult musical at the Astor Theatre since Rock of Ages in 2018.
The Astor and Winds of Change are co-producing the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. The Tony-award-winning show features elaborate costumes and big musical and dance numbers.
Set in 1971, in a decaying and haunted Broadway theatre, Follies tells the story of a reunion of former showgirls through their memories and their enduring friendships.
It features more than two dozen cast members from around Queens and Lunenburg counties, ranging in age from 14 to 77. That’s in addition to the many other people behind the scenes.
Cast and crew have spent hours each week over the past two months in vocal and dance training, as well as regular rehearsals.
Ashley-Rose Goodwin, director of Follies at the Astor Theatre. (Rick Conrad photo)
Director Ashley-Rose Goodwin estimates she’s spent about 50 hours a week with individuals and the full cast in preparing the show. The company has also partnered with Kinship Performing Arts Centre in Bridgewater to include some of their dancers in the show, and to help train cast members.
We talked to some of the people behind the show as they ramp up rehearsals in preparation for opening night on Feb. 22.
Jerri Southcott is the new executive director of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool. (Submitted photo)
By Rick Conrad
The Astor Theatre in Liverpool has hired a new executive director.
Jerri Southcott takes over the full-time position on Feb. 5, the theatre’s board of directors announced Tuesday
Southcott is no stranger to the Astor. As the founder of South Shore Summer Theatre, she brought two productions to Liverpool — Jesus Christ Superstar in 2022 and Pippin in 2023.
She says she’s excited about her new role.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the patrons and working with the board of directors and the staff. I really do have a passion for the arts and for this building and the theatre itself. … I’m very excited.”
Southcott has experience on stage, and behind the scenes. She is a professional actor, with voice-over work in commercials, documentaries and animated series.
She has a family background in theatre. Her parents ran a renowned music theatre program for young people in North Bay, Ont. She says that program is still going strong after more than 40 years.
She has also worked in various communications roles with the federal government, along with stints in journalism with CBC.
It’s been four years since the Astor has had a full-time executive director. Jean Robinson has been filling the role on an interim basis for almost three years, since September 2020, and plans to help with the transition.
The theatre began its most recent search for a permanent executive director in March 2023, when Robinson announced she was stepping back from the temporary role for health reasons.
In May 2023, the Astor announced that its successful candidate would not be taking on the role after all.
Another search resulted in the hiring of Lesli Chandler, who began the job in July but resigned in September for personal reasons.
Robinson returned to her role as interim director in the meantime, helping with the search for someone to fill the job permanently.
John Simmonds, the chairman of the Astor board, says Robinson played a vital role in the past few years in keeping the Astor afloat.
“She kept our doors open,” Simmonds said. “The good news is that through all this, the staff pulled together extraordinarily well. And Jean, as a part-timer, was putting in a full-time load. If it needed to be done, she would be here doing it.”
He says the board is excited about what Southcott will bring to the job, especially with what promises to be a packed 2024 season, starting with the Winds of Change production of the musical Follies in February.
“She will bring that leadership component which she has had before,” he said.
“She has done an awful lot on the artistic side. She’s run programs, she’s an actor, she’s done all of the things that we do in the theatre, plus she has had a strong administrative component in her various businesses that she’s run. So we think that will stand her in good stead to hit the ground running in February.”
Simmonds added that one of the things that most impressed the board was Southcott’s background in communications, which he hopes will help boost the Astor’s considerable promotional efforts.
Southcott and her husband moved to Mahone Bay three years ago. She said she plans to commute to Liverpool for now, but that she and her family may consider moving closer as she gets comfortable in the job.
“I do see the benefits of living in the community and working in a position like this one,” she says.
“And I also feel like the South Shore as a whole, it’s a great opportunity for me to introduce the Astor to people in this area who maybe haven’t really experienced the theatre.”
As she takes over from Jean Robinson, Southcott says she has “big shoes to fill”, but that she’s up for the challenge.
“I feel confident that it will be a wonderful experience thanks to the support from the board and from the outgoing executive director.”
Howe of the Astor Theatre, the Liverpool Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre. Photo Ed Halverson
The executive director at the Astor Theatre is taking her final bow.
Jean Robinson-Dexter announced she will be stepping away from the position at the end of March.
She has been in the part-time executive director position at the Astor Theatre for almost three years while continuing to run her own consulting firm.
Robinson-Dexter says that busy schedule combined with health concerns caused her to think about how she wants to spend her time.
“As a number of people would know is that I have been on a journey with breast cancer for over a year now and that treatment is still underway,” said Robinson-Dexter. “I think I just took a pause a few days ago to think about where I am you know, the treatment seems to be going well but at my age I needed to think about out one, my health for myself and my family and what I wanted to be doing over the next few years.”
Robinson-Dexter will no longer run the day-to-day operations of the theatre, but still wants to be involved.
She was originally drawn to the Astor as a producer for shows like “The Full Monty”, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the Winds of Change production of “Les Misérables” and would like to return in that capacity, helping to bring new shows to life.
But before show starts planning her next production Robinson-Dexter will be tying-off loose ends over the next couple of weeks.
“There are a few deliverables and pieces of work that I want to have completed and the board would like me to complete before I step back and of course, as I say, I’ll be around and happy to support and provide information for whoever comes next,” said Robinson-Dexter.
She speaks fondly of her time as executive director and looks forward to being involved with the theatre in a new capacity.
“The Astor is a pretty special place in our community, and I think I’ve been pretty privileged to have the opportunity to be part of the Astor family for as many years as I have and so my role is hopefully just changing.”
