An entertaining century

Regent Theatre reaches milestone

It’s not often that a community gets to celebrate a historic building turning 100, and this year is that special year for The Regent Theatre. For a century now, the theatre has provided entertainment and enjoyment to this community, and the current management at the theatre are making strides to ensure that the Regent will still be serving the community for years to come. The theatre has presented both film and live shows through the years and continues with that tradition today. The Regent is a rare example of an Edwardian opera house, with a stage that is as large as that of the Royal Alexandra theatre in Toronto. The theatre was designed by architects Warrington and Page and was once known as an important stop for vaudeville shows travelling between Montreal and Toronto.

Neil Shorthouse has been the General Manager of the Regent Theatre for just over a year and took the theatre over with the goal of making it more sustainable for the future. Shorthouse has an extensive resume in music programming and was once the music programmer for Queen’s University as well a couple of music festivals held in Kingston’s historic Fort Henry. The programming that Shorthouse was doing in Kingston is what got him initially connected with Miss Emily Fennel, and when the Theatre started brainstorming on what to do for the 100th celebration, Miss Emily’s name kept floating to the top of the list.

For fifteen years Miss Emily has captivated listeners across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom with her unique combination of passion and talent. She started her career singing in competitions at the age of 13. When she reached legal drinking age she began getting noticed on the Canadian music scene, working her way up from playing bars, to clubs, to theatres and eventually being invited to larger outdoor venues like Ottawa Bluesfest and more. In 2011 she played the gig of a lifetime, opening up for Tragically Hip just outside of Bobcaygeon to a crowd of 25,000 people. That show fused a relationship between Fennel and The Hip’s Gord Sinclair, who produced, co-wrote and played bass on her latest album and brought bandmate Rob Baker as lead guitar and co-writer. In Between, featuring Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker, is the fifth album from Miss Emily. She’s looking forward to producing the show in Picton, and wants to make sure the night is successful.

“For this show, the charity is the Regent Theatre. There is a pre and a post-show event and people can upgrade tickets if they want. We just want to try and bring as much money as we can into the theatre building for the night. We are also playing on the exact night that the theatre opened 100 years ago. It will be a very special night,” says Fennel.

Once Shorthouse and Fennel decided on doing the show, Fennel really wanted the opportunity to curate the night and handpick who would be gracing the stage with her. In keeping with the community traditions that kept the theatre around for so long, Fennel chose all local acts to play with her on November 2. Ben Vandergaast is a local musician who also happens to be in Miss Emily’s band. Young upstart Siobhan Bodrug will also be joining Fennel onstage.

Bodrug’s spot on the show was earned after she was invited onstage to sing with Miss Emily’s band at the County Pop festival earlier this year and blew everyone away. Bodrug is a powerfully soulful young singer who is on her way to making a name for herself the same way that Fennel did. Singer/songwriter Suzanne Pasternak and country duo Instant Rivalry round out the bill. Fennel and Pasternak share some history with the Regent Theatre as well. They were both on the bill when the theatre was re-opened back in the 1990s and will be playing some of the songs that they had performed at that show.

For Shorthouse, the way Miss Emily has curated the show perfectly reflects the way the community and the theatre have interacted over the past 100 years.

“The hundred-year anniversary is significant to the community, and this is the community’s theatre. Its number one purpose is to be a local stage for local artists, and I think this concert really had to be a local show. We want it to be a real celebration of this theatre and the community it supports,” says Shorthouse.

For Shorthouse, choosing locally for a show like this means that he has his heart in the right place when it comes to being at the helm of this local treasure. The Regent Theatre is special. It has too many amazing stories within its walls to be told properly, but if you stand in the theatre at a quiet moment , you can hear and feel the energy of the people that have occupied it. It’s a warm welcoming feeling you get from a place that has always been there. A neon beacon of light through good and bad times. The Regent Theatre is and will always be the County’s theatre. Tickets for the 100- year celebration can be purchased at the box office, or online at www.theregenttheatre. org.