Hugh C. Wilkinson Studio Theatre
Before the ribbon cutting that officially opened of the Hugh C. Wilkinson Studio Theatre, we heard from Norah and David Wilkinson ’73 as well as from Carl Wright Bradley ’78. They spoke of the importance of Hugh Wilkinson’s commitment to the school as its 6th Headmaster and of his passion for theatre and about the commitment of so many who have been instrumental in creating and preserving a fine arts program at Shawnigan.
The following is an excerpt from David Robertson’s programme notes:
The performing arts have always had a place of importance in the Shawnigan complete education, but now we have the quality of facility that speaks to that importance. The design of the new studio theatre has ensured that there will be great flexibility in the way that this particular theatrical space is used and yet a sense of the intimacy that is always associated with Shawnigan is preserved.
The Studio Theatre would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors and we cannot thank them enough for making this wonderful facility possible. There is something very appropriate for us at Shawnigan in taking something old and preserving the best of it as we make it current. In many ways, that’s what has happened to one of the oldest buildings on campus, the original gym, later the Assembly Hall and now the Hugh C. Wilkinson Studio Theatre. This very exciting addition to our facilities has deliberately been designed with adaptability and flexibility in mind so that it can serve all the performing arts equally well. Lending itself to a multitude of configurations, the Studio Theatre will retain an intimacy that is in keeping with Shawnigan and yet will be as well-equipped as any theatre on the Island.
I congratulate four people in particular for making the vision into a reality in an unusually tight time-frame: Leith Anderson, the architect, who responded so readily to the design requests; Gregg Perry, the Theatre Manager, who streamlined and smoothed the correlation between structure and equipment so well; Dean Yole, our electrician, for the huge number of extra hours and; of course, our own Ray Hollings, Maintenance Manager, who pulled off the impossible by completing the facility you see tonight in just over three months – an extraordinary feat!
We would also like to express our thanks to our sub-contractors and suppliers without whose commitment, the project would not have been possible.
Photos by Stephen Lane