seaworthy, the ship came to be the home of the Ship’s Company Theatre. Initially, the landlocked ship was turned into a makeshift theatre with little more than a tarp tent over the deck. In 2004, it was renovated into what visitors see today, with the original stern and bow still intact and a new deck through the centre. With the building behind and a wooden overhang roof, it still gives the impression of being in a shipyard. No matter the stage, this venue has had numerous successes and highlights over its 40 years of performances. One that Laura is proud of is a production called The Summer of Handley Page by Carol Sinclair. “The Handley Page was a World War I aircraft that made an emergency landing in Parrsboro in 1919. The event was a huge moment in Parrsboro history,” she explains. “And so this play was a huge moment in Ship’s history because it told a Parrsboro story.” Since the play was such a turning point for the Ship, the Company is celebrating it by doing a reading of The Summer of Handley Page on July 25.
82 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 2 The venue itself is steeped in Atlantic Canadian history. The aptly named theatre is constructed from the MV Kipawo. The ship worked as a ferry between Kingsport, Parrsboro, and Wolfville in the Minas basin from 1926 until it was called to be a part of Canada’s naval defense in 1942. After the war, it spent some time in Newfoundland, where it was eventually found in a state of disrepair. In 1982, thanks to the Kipawo Heritage Society, the ship returned to Parrsboro with the goal of restoration and conversion into a cultural heritage centre. Though she was no longer
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