Lakeshore Players is a not-for-profit community theatre company that has been delivering professional-quality live theatre for
43 years. The company mounts three major productions a season, each of which runs for about two weeks (10 - 12 shows) and draws an audience of approximately 3,000.
Lakeshore Players got its start when a small group of drama enthusiasts came together in Pointe Claire in 1965. Their first production, Sabrina Fair, was directed by the late Pauline Rathbone on a budget of $400. The play was later entered in the Dominion Drama Festival, where the group received the D.D.F. Backstage Efficiency Award, as well as several Honourable Mentions.
Over the years, the company has also participated in many other activities, such as community summer theatre, Cable TV and TV Drama Festival shows, as well as producing experimental theatre and Café Theatre; the latter has proved so popular that it has become a regular summer feature.
In 1969, Lakeshore Players was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization, and in 1974 we entered into a reciprocal agreement with the City of Dorval, whereby we became part of the Dorval Civic Theatre.
Our budget for an average play now exceeds $20,000, a far cry from the early years.
Unlike most theatre companies, we continue to operate without any grants from public or private sources.
One satisfying endeavour was the transfer in 1977 of our production Not Now Darling to the Port Royal Theatre at Place des Arts for five very successful performances. We have had outstanding popular response to such productions as Amadeus, Count Dracula, Sly Fox, The Matchmaker, Steel Magnolias and another production of Not Now Darling in 1993. More recent successes include Lend Me a Tenor, The Mousetrap, Moon Over Buffalo and Run for Your Wife.
On October 21, 2005, the Borough of Dorval planted a tree in honour of Lakeshore Players’ 40th anniversary. Mayor Peter Yeomans and the counsellors of Dorval held the commemoration ceremony at the Dorval Arboretum.
Our goals still remain the same after 40 plus years: to provide high quality, varied entertainment for our audiences and an environment where our members can exercise their creativity and fulfill their love of theatre.
Finally, in keeping with our mission to be a community theatre group, Lakeshore Players continues a policy of assisting the fundraising efforts of not-for-profit organizations in our community. Over the years, numerous groups have benefited from this opportunity, including the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation and Auxiliary, the Montreal Lakeshore University Women’s Club, West Island Citizen Advocacy, the Karnak Shriners, the Cheshire Foundation and Literacy Unlimited.
