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New GM excited for future of Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall

New GM excited for future of Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall

Long Sault native Brittney Waldroff is putting a spotlight on Aultsville Theatre’s future as the new general manager of the spacious venue.

Waldroff joined the theatre after returning to the region with her family. She’s worn many professional hats with the Bruyère Foundation in Ottawa, an organization comparable to Cornwall’s St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre (SJCCC), offering various types of health support such as palliative care, rehabilitation, long-term care, and research. She held the titles of director of communications and philanthropy, director of events and community engagement, and director of grants throughout her five-year tenure.

As a youth, Waldroff stepped foot onto the Aultsville Theatre stage for dance recitals and the Kinsmen Music Festival. Apart from this, Waldroff admitted she is fairly new to the theatre scene, but has an abundance of ideas for the space’s future.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Waldroff said she feels many people realized the value and importance of experiences like spending a night at the theatre.

“One of the wonderful things I’m seeing is… people coming out to enjoy the live experience again. I think we all got comfortable on our couches watching Netflix (during the pandemic) but there’s so much more to a live experience, getting out there, and leaving your worries at the door walking into a live show,” she said. “I’m really excited to help bring more arts and culture to our community, and hopefully we will be bringing in lots of top talent over the next few years.”

The theatre is gearing up for a busy spring and exciting start to 2023, according to Waldroff.

The Seaway Valley Theatre Company’s (SVTC) Sound of Music is set to occupy the space from Feb. 17-25. Waldroff said the last Broadway-style performance happened just before the curtains shuttered due to pandemic restrictions in 2020. Now, crews are hard at work preparing for the performance, opening the orchestra pit.

“Based on the phone calls I’m getting, it’s something the community is really excited about,” said Waldroff. “I know (the SVTC) is looking forward to getting in the building and in front of a larger audience again. It’s so nice to see local talent on the Aultsville stage.”

On March 21, Canadian gem, comedian, and social activist Mary Walsh is set to headline the stage, with the Cracked Up Comedy Festival scheduled for the following evening of March 22. Both comedic performances will be raising funds to benefit Carefor Health and Community Services. Then, Hotel California Eagles tribute will be captivating the audience on March 30. Cornwall Concert Series performances are scheduled throughout April and May. 

The Aultsville Theatre is looking for volunteers to assist with the upcoming events.

“We were really fortunate coming out of the pandemic to see a lot of our volunteers return to us. But as we gear up for a busy spring and look forward to getting back to our pre-pandemic-type schedule, we need as many hands as we can have from a volunteer perspective,” said Waldroff, noting how the organization relies on the support of volunteers.

A volunteer orientation session is set to take place on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Possible positions include greeters, ticket-takers, coatroom attendants, and ushers. Anyone interested is asked to email front of house and volunteer co-ordinator Gisèle Roy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;, "layout_section": "in-page-link"}" auto-tracked="true">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The theatre is operated by the Aultsville Theatre Group under a memorandum of understanding with the City of Cornwall, which leases the space from St. Lawrence College. Cornwall’s annual lease, which runs until the early 2040s, runs just over $207,000 a year.