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This Article Is reposted from The Toronto Star, Dec 21, 2024 by Joshua Chong.
You’ve likely never heard of this theatre. But it’s doing some of the most meaningful — and overlooked — work in the city
Smile Theatre performs for seniors at retirement homes and community centres who may not otherwise be able to see live performance.
For the three actors who perform with Smile Theatre, their jobs are rarely glamorous.
With up to nine shows per week, each at a different venue, their schedules are often long and taxing. And not only do they act, sing and dance, the trio are also tasked with building and tearing down the sets before and after each show.
You can forget about star billing. Standing ovations? Out of the question. They’d be lucky to even perform on a proper stage.
But this job isn’t about them. Just ask Emily Masurkevitch, one of the actors performing in Smile Theatre’s endlessly imaginative production of “A Christmas Carol.”
“We’re doing this job for the audience. It’s not for us,” said Masurkevitch. “So while there are many things about it that fill up my cup, it’s really about pouring the things that I have in my cup into theirs. That’s what makes this job special.”
These audiences, though, aren’t made up of your average theatregoers. Many of them, in fact, would not otherwise be able to attend a live performance.
Millie Hunter, left, receives a mint from Dorothy Cedgewick ahead of Smile Theatre’s performance of “A Christmas Carol” at the Briton House, a retirement home in Toronto.
Smile Theatre performs almost exclusively in retirement homes and assisted-care facilities. Though the professional company has been treading the boards for more than half a century, few Toronto theatregoers are likely familiar with the organization. But the not-for-profit charity also does some of the most meaningful — and overlooked — work in the city: bringing musical theatre to seniors and vulnerable people living in care.
The brainchild of two professional actors, Brian Robinson and Peter J. McConnell, the theatre company began in the early 1970s after the pair received a government arts grant. They initially performed for seniors at a monthly luncheon in the basement of Bloor Street United Church.
Smile Theatre now presents three to five musicals each year, many of them abridged versions of Canadian classics, including “Anne of Green Gables” and “Johnny Belinda.”
The productions themselves are modest. Most run for an hour and are written for a cast of fewer than five actors, each playing multiple characters.
The sets for “A Christmas Carol” are simple: three metal frames covered with prints that depict Victorian-era London. They can be easily assembled and disassembled in less than 20 minutes, allowing the company to perform multiple shows each day across the GTA.
But as unassuming as this production is, its quality could rival any show mounted by Smile’s larger professional counterparts.
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Kristi Woods, Mark Allan and Emily Masurkevitch in Smile Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol.”
For a company of its size, the theatre has attracted a host of top-tier talent over the years. Its alumni include Stratford Festival and Broadway veterans, such as Gabi Epstein and Sara Farb.
Smile “is like a rite of passage for so many actors,” said Masurkevitch. For the emerging artists who’ve come through Smile’s ranks, the experience is often as rewarding for them as it is for their audiences.
“It wasn’t until I started working with Smile that I began to really understand the incredible and immediate power of theatre for an audience,” said Jim Betts, the company’s former artistic director.
“One of my favourite memories was of one man who saw a Christmas show at one venue (who) made a point of coming to another performance in another retirement home a couple of weeks later because he thought he was going to have the opportunity to dance with one of the performers. That’s exactly what happened. And we found out later it was the first time he had danced with anyone since his wife had passed away.”
Betts adapted several classic Canadian musicals for Smile, including this version of “A Christmas Carol” that was originally written by Mavor Moore (who also happens to be Masurkevitch’s grandfather).
It’s a process, Betts said, that usually involves paring down the dialogue, cutting songs and consolidating characters to fit the theatre’s typical 60-minute show format.
These small-scale productions allow the company to be flexible, explained Smile’s current artistic director, Tom Carson. Often, they’re performing in care homes with limited facilities, setting up in empty rooms or even hallways.
Actor Mark Allan tears down the set following a performance of “A Christmas Carol.”
The company’s annual budget fluctuates depending on external funding and donations, though it’s usually between $500,000 and $700,000. It’s modest compared to other professional theatres in the city, but enough to subsidize Smile’s programming. (It costs $380 to book a single performance of Smile’s “A Christmas Carol.”)
The company’s work, though, has become especially vital since COVID-19, as the loneliness epidemic among seniors has continued to grow. In 2023, nearly four in 10 Canadians over the age of 65 reported feeling lonely at least some of the time.
Kate Barris, Betts’ wife and president of the theatre’s board, recalls one response from an audience member that will forever stay with her. “You make me want to keep on living,” a Smile attendee once said.
“I sometimes think that all we’re doing is putting on a show,” said Barris, “but you hear a quote like that and you realize that we’ve given them such a feeling of connection.”
