History:

Amateur dramatics in North Grenville

by David Shanahan

In October, 1932, the Governor General of Canada, Viscount Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough, announced to a gathering of theatre representatives in Rideau Hall that he was inaugurating a new initiative to encourage amateur theatre groups in Canada. The project was the Dominion Drama Festival, which ran from 1932 to 1978, with a break during World War II. The national Festival took place annually, with winners of regional amateur festivals being awarded prizes in acting, design, direction, original writing, and production.

Inspired by the Dominion Drama project, a group of Kemptville residents organised their own Drama Festival Association in 1937, “to encourage dramatics primarily and principally by the organization and operation of periodic drama festivals. The Association was further encouraged by local political powerhouse, G. Howard Ferguson, who had served as Ontario Premier between 1923 and 1930, and as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom until 1935. As someone rather well versed in theatrics and dramatics on the political stage, Ferguson served as patron of the Drama Festival Association. He strongly supported the development of amateur theatrics in his hometown and provided a silver trophy to present to the winners of the annual festival held in Kemptville.

In the first year of the festival, 1937, The Honourable G. Howard Ferguson