Fifty years ago, Orillia’s Rotary Club erected an open-air theatre at the base of a gently sloping hill along the shore of Lake Couchiching.

In summer, the aptly named Aqua Theatre would regularly draw hundreds to the park for Sunday night performances featuring brass and woodwind music at its best.

A half-century later, the tradition continues.
“The band concerts have always been huge,” said Marcia Feddes, superintendent of recreation services. “On a nice night, we probably get 500 people out.”

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of both the theatre and the Sunday concerts, the city is inviting residents to attend a special performance on July 20.

“Not only are Sunday evening band concerts a great way to spend a regular evening, but this one in particular will be one where we can celebrate a tradition rich in history, music, friendship and community,” Feddes added.

Prior to its opening in 1958, musicians – among them the Orillia Kiltie Band – performed from the crowded confines of a small bandshell near the Champlain Monument.

The new addition to Couchiching Beach Park became a favourite of the Kiltie Band as well as the Orillia Silver Band – the group that would become a mainstay of the Sunday night concerts.

The marine-hued concert stage requires little in the way of amplification, its rippled ceiling serving to project sound back at the audiences that gather on the hillside.

“And the bands love it, because they’re sheltered from the rain and wind,” said Feddes.
The Aqua Theatre today often draws several hundred spectators to the park for the Sunday evening concerts that have become a summer tradition.

“It is built in such a great place and all these bands are of such a high caliber,” Feddis added. “It is the whole package.”

Buskers, rock bands and others have made use of the space on other nights, as did teams of young dancers this past Canada Day weekend.

The stage famously hosted the likes of Terry Fox, during his 1980 Marathon of Hope.
“(The Aqua Theatre) was a great asset to the town,” said long-time resident Pete McGarvey, who along with fellow Rotarians assisted in its construction. “Acoustically speaking, it is an excellent design.”

Admission is free to the Sunday concerts, though Feddis said donations are welcome.

This weekend’s celebration gets under way at 7 p.m. with a greeting from Mayor Ron Stevens, followed by a performance by the Orillia Silver Band.
Special guests included vocalist Bill Price.