Fonds F2882 - Kingston Summer Theatre fonds

Kingston Summer Theatre (KST) was a non-profit theatre company created in 1979 as a response to the lack of theatre groups in Kingston during the summer season. Each summer KST presented a season to the public consisting of three to four shows. They enjoyed great success during early years as the only group to present a summer season. The theatre group was run through a combination of paid staff and volunteers and supported by corporate and private sponsors, the Canadian government, fundraising efforts and ticket sales. KST was operated under the leadership of a salaried executive director and production manager with the support of seasonal paid staff and the Board of Directors.

KST embraced their role as a successful theatre company within the Kingston community. They accepted scripts from community members and encouraged the Kingston and Queen’s community to become involved in the summer productions. Many students from the Queen’s School of Drama and Music were employed by KST.

After ten years of successful productions, KST could no longer continue due to previously accumulated debts and increasing competition. During the 1988 summer season the Grand Theatre, where KST had been presenting shows for ten years, decided to split the theatre rental between KST and a new company, Silver Lining Productions. At this time it was not financially viable for KST to present half of a season. KST put a hold on their productions, but was unable to recover and disbanded.