Alex Mustakas, founding and current artistic director of Drayton Entertainment, has been honoured by Governor General David Johnston, with the prestigious Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division).
Created by Queen Elizabeth II, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to the country, officials say.
They highlight remarkable achievements that are accomplished over a limited period of time, states a press release from Drayton Entertainment.
Mustakas is being celebrated for his lifelong commitment to making the performing arts affordable and accessible throughout the province of Ontario.
“His peerless vision has created one of the largest and respected charitable arts organizations in Canada, featuring up to 20 productions annually across seven venues to an audience of 250,000, and generating $40 million in benefits throughout wider society each year,” the release states.
“I am beyond humbled to be singled out with this honour, and share this recognition with everyone involved in the success of Drayton Entertainment,” said Mustakas.
“It takes an entire creative community to produce such an ambitious lineup of shows each season, including our artists, musicians, technical crew, administrative staff, volunteer Board of Directors, sponsors, donors, and front line volunteers.
“Each person involved with our organization plays an integral role and shares in this accomplishment.”
Mustakas emigrated from Cyprus at the age of six. He was drawn to the stage but first honoured his father’s wishes to by earning a business degree in economics from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. He then found employment in the corporate sector.
In a bold move, he handed his degree to his father and said, “This was for you. Now I want to do something for me. I’d like to become a professional actor.”
After a few years on the stage, Mustakas pursued a Master’s Degree in arts administration at City University in London. His dream of a small theatre of his own began to take shape during these years.
“He was acutely aware of the physical, social, economic and cultural barriers that limited access to the arts, particularly in rural areas,” states the Drayton Entertainment press release.
“He also recognized the stigma that surrounded the arts in terms of their perceived value and contribution to society.”
Mustakas returned to Canada, merging his business and arts knowledge to create a theatre model that addressed these two issues and also set a new path for long-term sustainability within the charitable sector.
Drayton Entertainment’s unique theatre model amortizes pre-production and administrative costs across numerous venues.
The approach has enabled live theatre to flourish in the southern Ontario communities of Cambridge, Drayton, Grand Bend, Penetanguishene, Waterloo and St. Jacobs.
“From vision to execution, Alex’s innovative approach to overcoming challenges and celebrating the arts is repeatedly validated – from the first risky but successful theatre start-up, to the scaled up network of seven stages,” says Neil Aitchison, president of Drayton Entertainment’s board of directors.
“At the heart of his decades-long problem-solving ability, audience engagement success, and bottom-line focus on affordability within the arts, is Alex’s remarkably pure insight – to maintain an indigenous identity for each theatre, rooted in strong community ownership, with additional business and artistic synergies.
“We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments.”
Mustakas has previously been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Media & Entertainment), Theatre Ontario’s Maggie Bassett Award, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Meritorious Service Decorations are given to recognize outstanding contributions in any field, from advocacy initiatives and health care services to research and humanitarian efforts.
Past recipients of the medal include Colonel Chris Hadfield, Clara Hughes, Colette Roy Laroche, Sarah Burke, and Thérèse Tanguay Dion.
Mustakas will receive the award at a ceremony presided by the Governor General later this year.
