OPENING DAY. 21 year-old John Bradley peered through the windows of the Garrick’s double doors, watching the gathering crowd on the street outside. It was Christmas Day, 1945 and optimism was in the air.
World War II was over, Newfoundland’s return to some form of self- government now seemed inevitable, and opportunities abounded. The Bonavista Cottage Hospital (the first publicly-funded medical facility on the Peninsula) was completed during the war, followed by the Bonavista Cold Storage Company’s new premises (still operated today by Ocean Choice International) which employed hundreds of men and women in the processing and export of frozen cod. Newfoundland’s prolonged version of the Great Depression had faded in the wake of wartime prosperity. John had every reason to believe the Garrick would thrive.
FOR THE FIRST THREE DECADES, the Garrick was open seven nights a week with matinees on Saturday. It was not unusual for folks to come in carloads from as far away as Open Hall or Trinity to see the latest movies. Older boys and men would gather in the lobby for conversation. Patrons helped take tickets and clean up, making it difficult to distinguish between paid employees and volunteers. Saturday matinees were the domain of the young - a time for meeting friends and making new ones. In an era when children were separated not only by community, but also by denominational schools, the Garrick was a great melting pot where all could meet without the strict supervision of parents, teachers or clergy.
THERE WERE CHALLENGES to the theatre’s success in later years, but none so great as the cod moratorium imposed in 1992. The shock of social and economic dislocation that followed still reverberates today. Bonavista’s population fell from about 5500 at the time to just 3500 in 2011, as people sought employment elsewhere. Other nearby towns on the Peninsula, where Cod was King, suffered the same or greater declines. Businesses struggled; many closed. The Garrick carried on until 2000, but by then, the theatre was no longer viable as a private enterprise. The market was now too small.
IN 2003, JOHN AND HIS FAMILY DONATED the Garrick to the Bonavista Historical Society and its sister organization, the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation. John’s younger brother, Gordon, who was chair of both organizations, felt there was a future for the Garrick as a community-run social enterprise. The project fit well with the Foundation’s work to strengthen the community, including the revitalization of Church Street. Raising the necessary funds took several years, but on April 3, 2010, the Foundation re-opened the Garrick as a multi-purpose facility equipped for both cinema and live performance.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 78TH ANNIVERSARY of the Garrick, and the twelfth year of the Garrick Summer Series (GSS). The oldest theatre in the province is now one of the most active. The SSMS and other events attract many of the province’s top artists to the Garrick’s stage, but the theatre also provides a forum for local artists, especially the young, to develop their talent.
TODAY, THE GARRICK IS FUELED by the same sense of optimism that led to its creation seven decades ago. That optimism and commitment is shared by a broad group - staff, volunteers, sponsors, donors and patrons - who have a special bond with the theatre. There is an understanding that this superb community facility has an important role to play in the quality of life in the region, and all must share in the responsibility to sustain it. Together, they have placed the Garrick on a strong footing, allowing it to reclaim its rightful place as the region’s premier social and cultural centre.
