Media Release!

MEDIA RELEASE

$24,800 COMMUNITY BUILDING FUND GRANT GIVES HANOVER COMMUNITY PLAYERS                                   A LIFT UP

HANOVER, ON (December 14, 2021) – On Saturday afternoon, the Hanover Community Players (HCP) welcomed an audience for its live production of a pantomime performance of Little Red Riding Hood. Local MPP Bill Walker also shared the news just before the show began that the Hanover Community Players received a $24,800 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario, and delivered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help keep the group a member of Hanover’s cultural scene.

“This Ontario Trillium Foundation Community Building Grant is an investment in the long-term sustainability of the Hanover Community Players by acquiring supplies to meet public health requirements, supporting facility rental and purchasing software to support online ticketing and performances. It is my hope the funding will help the organization to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, and wish them much continued success.” - Bill Walker, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound

The grant program, which was designed to help non-profit organizations with key operating costs, allowed the Hanover Community Players to rent needed storage space, cover the loss of revenue from ticket sales for the past 21 months and purchase PPE supplies. The unexpected increased costs for the amateur theatre group became overwhelming and, combined with the pandemic, made it uncertain whether the group would survive to put on more shows. The Hanover Community Players, an entirely volunteer-run group in its 15^th year of operation, would put on two comedy productions a year, with the Christmas one combining children, adults and seniors. The spring production was usually of more interest to adults, such as the recently cast Splitsville.

Every theatre group needs space for the storage of set, props, costumes and an area to build. The loss of free storage space and the ensued cost of rental became a mammoth hurdle to overcome, especially combined with the loss of ticket sales. Thanks to the $24,800 grant, HCP has more time to find area sponsors and donors who, with combined ticket sales, will enable them to keep functioning and offering people of all abilities and ages a time to be on stage or to work behind the scenes to learn theatre and have fun doing it.

“The impact and timing of the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be underestimated,”  said Marg Poste, Chair of the Hanover Community Players. “This grant means we have an accessible storage and work space and can breathe a little easier as we recover from our losses and move forward as a strong player in the arts and cultural community of Hanover.”

Hanover Community Players are committed to preserving amateur theatre in the area for all ages and look forward to the coming year with two productions in 2022. If you wish to know more about the group, or to join them, please visit the website at: www.hanovercommunityplayers.ca or find them on Facebook.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit www.otf.ca to learn more.

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Media Contact:

Marg Poste, Chair  Hanover Community Players

info@hanovercommunityplayers.ca