Our Own Theatre on Campus

Hey everyone! This is my second blog posting, and I thought I would share with you a treasure I have found on campus; Hart House Theatre. This past Friday, I attended the opening night of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, which is the second time I have been to this theatre, and also sparked my interest in sharing this with you all. It was a part of the Mature Students’ Weekend, to which myself and my MatSA team had the pleasure of hosting for the fourth year in a row.

Last year I went with a group to see Equus, which rose to fame because of the London production which had Daniel Radcliffe (from Harry Potter movies) as its lead. In my two trips to Hart House Theatre, I have been thoroughly impressed. I thought it was run by students, but I quickly learned that the actors are professionally trained and hired by the theatre for their productions. It is a small, intimate setting that can house maybe about 200 patrons, and no matter where you sit you get the full theatre experience. The theatre hosts several different productions throughout the year, with an average run of about two to three weeks each. Shakespeare plays tend to be most popular; however the theatre occasionally gets celebrity producers to come in, such as this past spring, when Woody Harrelson brought his production of Bullet for Adolf. Hart House Theatre also does summer productions on the Philosopher’s Walk stage, where attendees are encouraged to bring their own blanket and snacks for this outdoors delight. Be forewarned, however, that they tend to produce plays that have nudity, for which you can only admire the actors for their bravery. I know that for myself, standing nude in front of 200 people is not exactly on my bucket list, so you really have to give these people props for what they do. Tickets tend to range from about $15 for students and $20 general admission, but you can get yourself a serious discount if you can get a group together. It might also be handy to know that most theatre-goers stop in to Sammy’s Student Exchange, which is right next door to the theatre entrance, prior to the start of the play to imbibe on a pint or a glass of wine. I highly recommend going to at least one production at Hart House Theatre this year, if not more. I also suggest joining their mailing list to keep up to date on new plays that are coming soon. If you have a theatre experience you want to share, do so in my comments! -Jon