Submitted by the staff of the Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH)
In 2020, Mariposa Arts Theatre (MAT) celebrated its 50th anniversary, an event that passed with limited fanfare as the occasion was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, three years later, MAT has at last been able to celebrate its milestone anniversary with a revue, a presentation as part of OMAH’s History Speaker Series (available on OMAH’s YouTube channel), and an exhibition at OMAH. MAT is a powerhouse in the realm of Orillia theatre, producing four shows annually. The company dabbles in comedies, musicals, and dramas, regularly debuting an impressive cast of local talent both on and off the stage.
On Oct. 17, 1970, the company’s inaugural performance was a play called On Monday Next, a comedy about the challenges facing a theatre group leading into production. The show ran for three nights at the Orillia Opera House, admission to which cost $1.50. If you attended MAT’s revue show, Try to Remember, last weekend, you would have been lucky enough to have seen a scene from that play re-enacted.
Since that first show in 1970, MAT has staged more than 180 performances in Orillia. In addition to the Orillia Opera House, shows have been performed at MAT’s own facility, the Stephen Leacock Museum, and even at the Pav, a dance hall that once stood next to Couchiching Beach Park. This poster for A Sentimental Journey: A 1940s Cabaret!, was performed circa 1980 at Uncle’s Holiday Inn on Memorial Avenue in Orillia. This is just one of the many plays MAT has staged for Orillia audiences over the course of 53 years. We’re so fortunate to have them still creating incredible spectacles for our community.
At OMAH, we currently have an exhibition called 50 Years of Mariposa Arts Theatre, which showcases the history of the company through a selection of props, playbills, costumes, and more from past MAT productions. This exhibition runs until Jan. 6, 2024. Additionally, on Saturday, Nov. 25, OMAH is offering two programs inspired by the exhibit. Glue as the Romans Do is an improv comedy show featuring the Old Dance Hall Players. I’ve Got the Part… Now What Do I Do? is an introductory theatre workshop for ages 14-plus led by James Fairbairn, a multi-talented actor, director, ballroom dance instructor, and former MAT board member. If you would like to learn more about these programs or the exhibit, you can visit the OMAH website at www.orilliamuseum.org.
Next week, we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.