ITR Celebrates 50 Years Of Live Theatre
By Judy Beltzner
Can you believe that ITR Theatre Company is 50 years old? Jorie Basque, ITR President, said it best, “A community theatre company celebrating 50 years would be a huge milestone under any circumstances as so many struggle to survive. But in this post-pandemic era, where you can stream content on any device anywhere, to see community theatre not only survive but thrive is inspiring.”
ITR is not just celebrating itself, it is also celebrating the army of volunteers, patrons, sponsors and supporters who collectively made these 50 years possible. Helen Visbach, Chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee, stated, “We have all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child; in the same vein, it takes a community to maintain a community theatre. Without this involvement and commitment, it is not likely that ITR would have survived this long.”
In terms of the celebration, ITR has already held a highly successful, sold-out Murder Mystery in March. Death by Dénouement was written by Mary Jane Maffini, an award-winning mystery writer who resides in Manotick.
Coming up is The Way We Were, a retrospective of our productions over the past 5 decades which includes a tribute to our very first show, Jesus Christ Superstar, a song from one of our Christmas plays, and a short scene from each of Boeing Boeing, See How They Run, There Goes the Bride, Perfect Wedding, Alone Together Again, Steel Magnolias and The Foreigner. The original cast will, for the most part, be returning to perform. There will be both a matinee performance and an evening show on June 10 at the Osgoode Community Centre. Tickets for this show are on sale at www.itrtheatre.com at $20 for adults and $16 for seniors and students.
On September 9, ITR will be joining other community theatre companies to present a Community Theatre Expo at the Osgoode Community Centre. There will be booths showcasing these groups, demonstrations of a variety of aspects of theatre production, workshops including directing, acting, promotion and youth in theatre as well as well as other activities for the whole family. This Community Theatre Expo is the very first in the Ottawa area.
ITR would like to welcome everyone to join in the celebrations.
