The Kiwanis Club of Orillia and the First Student Busing Company are providing the funding needed to bring elementary students to programs offered at the Orillia Opera House.
General Manager of the Orillia Opera House, Krista Storey, says she has literally been knocking on doors for years trying to get funding for the program.
In the past Storey shares that community schools had made use of the facility a lot, but programing fell to the way side over the years.
Storey says the Opera House is trying to go back to it’s roots of enriching the community while providing a service and giving youth a cultural learning experience.
Storey feels that as a municipal and cultural cornerstone it’s their responsibility to expose theatre to the youth of the community.
With this new program she says they hope they can generate interest in theatre amongst young people by offering interesting programs.
Storey says being in the theatre at an early age teaches proper etiquette and opens doors to youth that may not be able to enjoy the experience on their own.
Storey explains their dream at the Opera House is to be able to bring every elementary student through the doors at least once a year.
