Tweed & Company Theatre Receives Major Funding, Breaks Ground on New Outdoor Stage

You know what they say, a rolling stone gathers no moss, and Tweed & Company Theatre is certainly a polished rock. After taking over ownership and operations at the Marble Arts Centre in Actinolite this January, as well as assuming operations under a 10 year lease at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, this registered charity continues to rapidly expand and sell out shows across Hastings county.

The next major step in that expansion is a beautiful new state of the art outdoor stage in Tweed's memorial park. This new facility has been designed by Q&E engineering and will be constructed by TRD construction, breaking ground next week. "We could not be more excited about this incredible new piece of infrastructure for our community", says Artistic Director Tim Porter, "This stage has been in the works for several years with the cooperation of the municipality and 18 like minded organizations, we were all hoping for a permanent concert structure, and an alternative to indoor programming during future restrictions or times of uncertainty."

The stage is slated to be completed by March, and will be open for concerts, special events, and youth programming as early as next spring. Tweed & Company has also already purchased some outdoor technical equipment thanks to a separate grant, and is working closely with the municipality to purchase items such as an outdoor screen and projector to showcase movies in the park during the summer months.

With a price tag of just over $200,000.00 the structure has been almost entirely funded by a government grant, but at this time Tweed & Co is still unable to announce the funder. The stage will replace the existing picnic structure, and will allow the audience to enjoy the music while also enjoying the beautiful view of Stoco Lake. The field in front will be able to accommodate over 1000 patrons, and the goal is to offer a wide variety of programming and several free concerts throughout the year.

The Tweed & Company Theatre Outdoor Stage will also be available for bookings by independent parties, through the Tweed & Company website, making this the company's third venue. Once construction is completed, ownership of the structure will be turned over to the municipality, but Tweed & Co will be responsible for booking, operations and maintenance.

"Every expansion of our organization has led to more local jobs, huge increases in tourism to our county, and more people at our restaurants, shops and attractions. We are so excited to continue to add to our inventory of cultural attractions here in Tweed, and the addition of the outdoor stage will once again strengthen our organization and bring thousands of new people and new dollars into our downtown core. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement of our municipality, and ecstatic that we are able to provide this new venue for our whole community. We can't wait."

For more information and inquiries in regards to the outdoor stage, you can email tim@tweedandcompany.com. Popular programming such as music in the park will return to a new and improved stage next summer, as will events such as Tweed Summer Youth Theatre, municipal events, Tweed Music Festivals, and more.

For a calendar of outdoor stage events, visit www.tweedandcompany.com, or the municipality of Tweed website. Tweed & Company will also be accepting capital donations throughout the year to support additional technical equipment and upcoming renovations at their other venues. For more information visit their website.

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