“Collectively.”

That’s the maxim of the Grey Bruce Arts Collective – the new theatre arts group in town.

It’s baby steps for now, but the goal is to make a community group that utilizes all the arts, fine arts, music, drama, dancing and writing and local artists in regular performances. Even the stories will be local.

“People want to see themselves on stage,” said the six-person group almost simultaneously. “We have to make theatre accessible.”

The three founders, Roger Shank, Julie Miles, and Jamie Robinson met in Stratford. Miles was a stage manager; Shank and Robinson were actors.

They began talking then of starting a collective, and it was Shank and Miles who moved to Meaford and discovered a burgeoning arts community and a town rich in history. Shank phoned Robinson, and they called some friends.

“They called to tell me about it,” said Eli Ham, an actor in the group. “They said ‘We’re building a theatre group with the community for the community.’”

The group sat down for a celebratory lunch at the Dam Pub in Thornbury on Thursday, December 18. It was their first day of shows. They performed a two-person version of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe at Keppel Sarawak School in Owen Sound in the morning and at Beaver Valley Community School in the afternoon.

It was Shank’s directing debut, and he chose the play, not only for its classic appeal, but because it was one of his first acting jobs. He performed the play more than 300 times in his early acting career, and thought it was fitting for the collective’s first project.

Ham and fellow Stratford actor Sophia Kolinas performed for the kids using masks, high-energy body language, stunts and stage combat.

They rehearsed for weeks. Props were minimal and there was no set, per say, but the capacity of each scene was infinite.

“It became this epic journey,” said Kolinas.

Also traveling with the troop was Krystal Meadows, another friend from Stratford currently working as a voice over artist.

She said the show’s simplicity made it more meaningful.

“It shows the magic of theatre,” she said, adding that it doesn’t take a huge budget or extravagant sets to tell a story or perform a play. “This way leaves more for the imagination.”

Part of the mandate of the group is education. They want to get a new generation interested in theatre. After their performance, Shank and Robinson held two short workshops on stage combat and theatre masks.

“It’s nice to catch them when they’re young,” said Ham. “To tell them that imagination and fun and dressing up is okay.”

Robinson, Shank and Ham have experience teaching theatre. They were involved in a special “Teaching Shakespeare” program when they worked in Stratford. They would work with teachers and perform as guest artists in the classroom.

Right now, the team is working on a play about the Meaford Tank Range. It’s one of several stories that made the founders excited about the community theatre group. They have a passion for telling local stories and using local artists.

“If we can dramatize a local historical event, it will expand the audience … It not only excites [residents] about art, but about their community,” said Shank.

After their first day of performances, the group is optimistic.

“It’s good to see we can do this,” said Kolinas. “Because people are interested … theatre brings together a community. It’s a living experience … the Grey Bruce experience.”

The Collective is looking for community members and artists who would like to get involved. Call them at (519) 538 4903 or email them at greybruceartscollective@gmail.com.

“We have big ideas and we’d love for people to help us out,” said Shank.