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Just over thirty years ago, a small dream became a reality. Seven people gathered in the basement of the Ebenezer Mennonite Church with the simple idea of starting a drama troupe/ministry the common bond that brought them together. A vision was shared: let’s meet once a week to play theatre games, and maybe we’ll rehearse a show or two and put them on for the edification of the church. At that point, we didn’t know whether the troupe would stick together, nor did we know how long this ‘ministry’ would last. Yet, we persevered in that first year, producing a Christmas sketch revue and a dinner theatre featuring a lasagna dinner cooked by the church’s lady’s auxiliary.

One year became two years, and two years became five. This drama troupe idea was catching on and the vision expanded. Let’s open it up to the community. Five years became 10 and we expanded our programming to include full length plays from both the religious and ‘secular’ canon. A troupe became a company, then became an organization. 10 years became 15 & 20 years – the theatre troupe, now company now organization known as Gallery 7 Theatre and Performing Arts Society, fully incorporated as a non-profit society, and registered as a charity, made a move to a school, and then to civic facilities around the City of Abbotsford where we now operate.

Audiences grew, the family of artists and volunteers (no longer a troupe to be sure, but a large and diverse group of people) expanded, donor and corporate support increased…and here we are, 30 years later, still growing (and going!) strong.

I’ve left a lot of details out of the history of Gallery 7 Theatre – things like grey hairs, sweat, tears, lengthy, intense but healthy debates and discussions, mistakes we had to learn from, nearly closing our doors, a pandemic – but that’s essentially our history. One common thread has remained even as the people, plays, and venues have changed: our commitment to presenting entertaining and thought-provoking theatre of the highest quality that explores matters of the heart, soul and mind in a way that inspires hope, reconciliation, and redemption.

This bedrock mission continues to fuel our fires and gives us meaningful purpose and intention behind every single production we present. To us, theatre has never been ‘just entertainment’, though it can be very entertaining. Theatre has the powerful ability to connect to people’s emotions, intellect, and spirit and it can inspire and challenge in unique, personal, and immediate ways. Theatre encourages spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and social growth & development, for the betterment of our communities. Theatre brings people together in a shared, once-in-a-lifetime experience where a well-told story engages our imaginations, inspires us, challenges us, connects us to the spiritual or at the very least, brings reprieve from the grind of everyday life.

Theatre also has a powerful way of bringing meaning and purpose to the lives of the people who create it. It is a place of belonging, a place to be real, a place to exercise unique skills and talents, a place where artists can engage the world in positive and meaningful ways. It can be a place to experience community.

The reason Gallery 7 Theatre still exists today is part people’s passion to keep it going, part God’s continuous care and protection, part audience’s continued (and increased!) attendance, and part the support of generous donors and sponsors who invest in our mission and vision year after year with their hard-earned cash. Less than 60% of our revenues come from ticket sales. We make ends meet by developing partnerships with area corporations, applying for grants, and finally, going to you, our generous donors.

This year, we’ve set our annual individual donation target to $35,000. We’ve broken this overall target in to more manageable, mini-targets and we’ll be running unique fundraising campaigns at specific points during the year to hit those smaller targets: at Christmas, at mid-season and near the end of the fiscal year in June.

Now that our annual Christmas drive has arrived, we’re reaching out to see if you can help us achieve our first mini target of $12,000, one third of our annual goal. I invite you to help us light up the Christmas Tree by donating any amount by December 31, 2022. Revenues from our fundraising drives help us keep the lights on, the organization insured, the performance licenses paid, the sets built, the performance venues rented, and the costumes constructed.

Most importantly, your donations ensure another 30 years of meaningful theatre for the heart, soul and mind.

There are several ways to donate to our cause:

Online:

By Phone:
Call us at 604-504-5940

By Mail:
Send your cheque to Gallery 7 Theatre
P.O. Box 825
Abbotsford, BC
V2T 7A2

You can make your donations in chunks too! Consider starting a monthly donation program. You can set your donation amount and frequency to your liking, and you can set an end date. You can do this online or you can give us a call at the number above.

Thank you for helping us light up the G7 Christmas Tree. Your support is a tremendous affirmation of the mission and vision of Gallery 7 Theatre, and it ensures we can continue offering this venue of excellent theatre that brings the community together, provides a life-affirming space for participants and engages the community with inspiring story-telling the stirs the heart, challenges the mind and elevates the soul.

Merry Christmas!

Ken Hildebrandt

Artistic/Executive Director