Gravenhurst Music Venue Peter’s Players Receives $10,000 Grant

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Peter and Michelle Swanek with Canadian musician Kim Mitchell. Photo courtesy of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce

The Gravenhurst-based music venue Peter’s Players has received a $10,000 grant from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release from the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce on June 29.

Over 1,100 small businesses across the country applied for grants from the Canadian Business Resilience Network Small Business Relief Fund and Peter’s Players is one of 62 businesses to receive support. Recipients were chosen based on their ability to demonstrate financial strain, plans for how the business will use the grant to change or innovate, how the changes will help sustain the business’s recovery, and how the grant will contribute to the role the business plays in their community. The fund, which was created with the goal of helping businesses recover from and adapt to the pandemic, was managed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce with financial support from software company Salesforce.

“We are so excited to have been selected as one of the grant recipients,” said Michelle Swanek, who owns the theatre with her husband Peter, in the press release. “With our theatre being closed since March and our whole livelihood dependent on group gatherings to enjoy concerts, it has really made us have to think outside of the box on other ways to bring live entertainment back to Peter’s Players and to our community.” 

Peter’s Players qualified for the grant through their membership in the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, and chamber Executive Director Sandy Lockhart said they’re thrilled that the venue was chosen for funding. Lockhart described Peter’s Players as “an amazing attraction that draws visitors from across North America,” noting how their guests support the local economy while attending shows.

Peter said the grant will help them acquire the gear needed to host outdoor events while also allowing them to prepare for the winter months by funding recording equipment, which can be used to film live sessions to share online if the indoor theatre space still can’t be used in colder months.

“We know that other local business partners rely on Peter’s Players to bring people into our town,” Peter said, “which is why we are ready to get rolling again so we all as a community start the recovery process from this pandemic.”

For more information on the Canadian Business Resilience Network Small Business Relief Fund, including a complete list of recipients , click here.

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