A gathering place for all aspects of the community, arts, and performance is entering the final construction phases.
Emmy Alcorn, the artistic director of Mulgrave Road Theatre tells our newsroom about the new Centre for the Arts saying, “It’s a place where many different types of activities can take place.”
Features of the space include a black box theatre with 75 retractable seats that when retracted create a large open space to allow for community activities and different types of performances.
The lobby will also be an art gallery.
There will also be a technical workshop, dressing rooms and our administrative offices.
It will be certified zero carbon with 87 per cent of its energy coming from solar power.
“We’re building a space that is very friendly to artists of all disciplines, so they can do their best work,” says Alcorn.
It will serve people in this region from Antigonish to Port Hawkesbury, along with tourists who are in town.
“Mulgrave Road has historically done a lot of community development work at the same time as we do our professional theatre work, and sometimes those two things overlap,” Alcon shared. “So now, we’ll have a building where all of that activity can take place under one roof.”
The exterior of the building is done, and the interior is currently being drywalled.
Next will come the floors, painting, and retractable seating installation.
The new Centre of the Arts is expected to be completed in February 2026.
The grand opening will be either in late spring or early summer that will also celebrate the Mulgrave Road Theatre’s 50th anniversary in 2026.
They look forward to acknowledging all of their donors and having some activities.
Their first production in the space is going to be a play. that was written for Guysborough, about Guysborough.
“So, it’s a perfect play to kick off the centre with,” says Alcorn.
Special visitor to the new Centre of the Arts
American actor, author, and film director, Ethan Hawke visited the new Centre for the Arts while under construction.
There were a few things that made his visit special.
“He made time in his life to come to Guysborough to see what we were doing here,” Alcorn exclaimed.
She gave him a tour of the whole site where they shared a special conversation because they agreed on a lot of things.
“We talked about the intersection of community development and professional theatre, and he totally agreed with that,” Alcorn added. “It was like having conversations with a long-lost friend.”
She shared when they finished the tour, he was really enthusiastic and said unequivocally supports this project.
“For someone of that stature, who’s had an incredible career [and] continues to have an incredible career to endorse our project really meant a lot,” said Alcorn. “It really showed how generous he was, you know, his real generosity and spirit.”
Hawke told Alcorn that he wants to come back for the opening.
He also had his own theatre company many years ago and he was an artistic director for six years.
Alcorn explained how with this background experience, he could see what the theatre was doing from an artistic point of view, as well as what it was doing from a community point of view.
“We were very, very intentional about the floor plan and how you get from one area of the theatre to another area, and how the backstage is configured, so yeah, he loved it,” says Alcorn.
Upcoming storytelling night
The Mulgrave Road Theatre is hosting a storytelling night at the Cast Away Café on October 10 at 7 p.m.
The event is featuring a much-loved storyteller from Guysborough County named Allister Chisholm.
It is a 19 and over event, so guests can get their drinks and the pub and hang out for an hour of hilarious storytelling.
Tickets are $15 including taxes and fees and can be purchased through the Mulgrave Road Theatre website.
