The Story of Clarkson Music Theatre
In 1945 Clarkson was a farming community, with little to offer in the way of entertainment unless one traveled all the way to Port Credit. Clarkson United Church had just built its Community Hall, complete with stage and audience area. Geoffrey Hatton (a former D’Oyly Carte cast member/ G&S aficionado) had just moved to Clarkson from England and he was willing to lend his experience and guidance to a young group of people eager to try something new. And so the fates lined up, and the times were ripe for the birth of a brand new entertainment group: The Clarkson Community Church Choir. Thirty young people (including Barb Batley, Marj McMillan, Sybil Abbs, Don and Ross Paisley, and Ralph and Eva Manley) came together to form this inaugural group. Pinafore, produced and directed by Frank Houston. Clarkson’s productions were devoted solely to the production of Gilbert and Sullivan shows. When Clarkson United Church moved to its new location and was re-dedicated as “Christ Church”, our productions moved right here to the Christ Church stage in 1957. In 1963 our name changed to the Clarkson Opera Group. In 1964, we moved our venue to Port Credit Secondary School, and our accompaniment grew from a single piano to a small instrumental music group. For our 25th Anniversary, member Jack Thomson was instrumental in having Clarkson “visit” Broadway with the production of Oklahoma (tickets were just $2.50). We moved to Glen Forest Secondary in 1972 for Guys and Dolls, then to Cawthra Park Secondary School’s auditorium in 1972 for Fiddler. We finally became Clarkson Music Theatre in 1973. We had to temporarily move back to Port Credit School in 1985, and then finally in 1989 we found our current theatre home in Meadowvale Theatre with the production of Anything Goes – tickets only $10. We are now one of the largest and most respected community theatre groups in the province. How we have grown! We proudly present to our theatre community both classic music theatre and productions new to the GTA. CMT continues to enrich the cultural community of Mississauga by fostering a love of music and theatre in our audience and our members. Speaking of members, Clarkson always offers a welcoming environment to our diverse membership reflected in a wide range of ages, talents and interests, and we are proud to have maintained a loyal following as well as many lifetime members; our roots in the community allow us to support local charities and encourage the future through an annual scholarship. In 2012 the Mississauga Arts Council recognized the contributions of Clarkson Music Theatre with the prestigious Marty Award. With the help of our members, and you, our loyal audience, we plan to continue to entertain Mississauga long into the future. Clarkson Music Theatre is a member of the Mississauga Charitable Gaming Association and is generously supported with funds raised through volunteering at RAMA Gaming Centre, Mississauga.
