Steven Karcher is the executive director of Drayton Entertainment, which is one of the country’s premier live theatres. Drayton Entertainment is an award-winning, not-for-profit charitable organization, and is the proud recipient of six Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Arts. Drayton Entertainment’s production welcomes over 250,000 people annually across their seven theatres.
"The programme came to us at the right time."
During the prolonged closures of the pandemic lockdown, Steven Karcher and his team worked to make their theatre more accessible both to the public and for performers. The project sought to create more accessible washrooms, dressing rooms, and auditoriums, as well as increasing visibility for the visually impaired, and introduce energy efficient and green fixtures.
By engaging production staff and leveraging their expertise, Drayton Entertainment was able to complete their projects while ensuring that their team remains employed during the lockdowns. “This project really took us back to our beginnings, dealing with skeletal staff, it felt like a startup”, recalls Steven. “[the project] was done entirely by staff. We were able to conceive, manage, and execute using our own internal resources.”
As of the interview, Steven was pleased to report that this year’s attendance is back to their pre-pandemic levels. “Many arts organizations continue to struggle, so we are very thankful for the depth of support with our audience”, states Steven. “The theatre is a community asset, so we have utilized the theatre for more programming opportunities geared towards school youth and students and added March break and Summer Camps in addition to our theatre programming.”
When asked to summarize his experience with the programme, Steven answers “the programme is extremely beneficial and came at the right time at our history, and I’m grateful for its existence.”