By Steven Karcher
Published in March 2014
Alex Mustakas is a theatre impresario with a passion for shining a spotlight on Waterloo Region. His hectic schedule is a balancing act, requiring him to assume the role of director when helming productions that tour across North America; shrewd negotiator when securing rights to the hottest shows on Broadway; and talent scout when scouring the country for the best talent to appear on Drayton Entertainment’s seven stages throughout Ontario.
Alex’s balancing act extends beyond the confines of the stage. On a daily basis he is tasked with balancing family and work… art and commerce… and delighting us all by balancing the improbable.
The sum of his professional accomplishments culminated last fall when he was awarded the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Media & Entertainment, in recognition of his creativity, innovation and singular vision.
But for Alex, the true fruits of his labour were recognized at a second EY gold carpet event several weeks later, when he was called to the stage to receive a national citation for outstanding community partnerships.
The achievement marked widespread recognition of Alex as a social entrepreneur who contributes to both the economy and community, thereby setting new standards for business excellence.
“We are very fortunate to have tremendous community support for our theatre organization,” says Alex. “Hence, we recognize the importance of paying it forward and continually giving back. It has been a privilege to work with so many great charities over the years and shine a spotlight on many worthy causes.”
In addition to donating resources from his charitable arts organization to support the individual fundraising efforts of over 750 charities throughout Ontario, Alex has personally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local initiatives by spearheading successful collaborations with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo, United Way of Perth-Huron, Salvation Army, Rotary, and many others.
Alex’s affinity for The Working Centre runs deep. His father, Christianos Mustakas, rented Joe and Stephanie Mancini one of their first buildings for Working Centre projects in downtown Kitchener. In 2002, Alex aided St. John’s Kitchen (which serves 120 families daily) with a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which raised over $15,000 in two sold-out performances.
Alex has generously supported numerous community arts groups by providing his business acumen, benefiting Kitchener-Waterloo Musical Productions, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Waterloo Region, and Twin City Harmonizers. He has also served on Advisory Boards to Conestoga College and Wilfrid Laurier University, the latter of which awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Letters in recognition of his lasting impact on Canada’s artistic and cultural landscape.
Alex’s lifelong commitment to improving the fabric of Waterloo Region extends back to his childhood. He emigrated from Cyprus at the age of six, the middle of three children.
“I saw firsthand how my parents struggled in those first years as immigrants in a strange new land,” he says. “We were fortunate to connect with the Greek-Cypriot community, and through that vital association the values of helping and giving back were cemented.”
As a teenager, one of Alex’s first jobs was working for his parents, serving coffee at the Bus Terminal Coffee Shop in downtown Galt. He attended Eastwood Collegiate where he was a soccer and basketball star, but as a natural performer at heart, he was always drawn to the stage.
“I did all the shows,” he says. For proof, look no further than the photos that live on as Alex dressed up as the Pharaoh in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
His teachers encouraged him to go to the National Theatre School, but that was a non-starter in the Mustakas family.
“One of the reasons the family moved to this country was for a better future for the children,” he says.
The family was adamant: Alex would go to university and study business. Alex started in business at Laurier and ended up graduating with a degree in economics. Together with his buddy David Chilton (who later won fame and fortune as author of The Wealthy Barber, and more recently, landed a stint on CBC’s popular television series Dragons’ Den), Alex became a partner in Davalex Investments, acting as agents for about 60 trust companies.
He continued to keep his feet planted in artistic soil, however, by taking music courses and studying voice privately with Laurier legend Victor Martens. He also continued to perform with Kitchener-Waterloo Musical Productions, and it was there that he met the legendary Alan Lund, Artistic Director of the famed Charlottetown Festival.
Alex was gainfully employed in the corporate sector at the time, but seemed unable to shake his artistic desires. What followed is like a scene out of a play. In a bold theatrical stroke, Alex 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.”
In his thick Greek accent, his father responded, “So. You’re going to be a gypsy.”
Mustakas smiles as he tells the story. “He understood. It’s a gypsy life. My uncle, Sotiris Moustakas (who had a prominent role in the film Zorba The Greek), was probably the biggest star in Greece.”
So with his family’s reluctant blessing, Alex set off for unchartered territory. After a few years on the stage, including appearances at the Charlottetown Festival, Alex became interested in theatre administration and pursued a Masters Degree in Arts Administration at City University in London. While in England, Alex worked on a project for Gresham College where he was responsible for evaluating data concerning An Historical Examination of Industrial Support for the Arts in the United Kingdom. There his dream of a small theatre of his own where he could positively impact the lives of artists, the community, and society as a whole began to take shape.
Alex returned to Canada, and the rest is the stuff of showbiz legend. Out of a tiny, virtually unused theatre in a crossroads community of Drayton he built a theatrical empire comprised of seven theatres in five locations in Ontario: the original Drayton Festival Theatre (1991), St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre (1997), King’ Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene (1999), Huron Country Playhouse and Playhouse II in Grand Bend (2001 merger), St. Jacobs Country Playhouse (2005), and most recently, the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge (2013).
As Artistic Director & CEO of Drayton Entertainment, Alex is responsible for managing all facets of the company’s $8.3 million budget – including the artistic product, administration and technical departments. Under his astute leadership, Drayton Entertainment has become one of the largest regional theatre companies in Canada and employers of professional actors in the country.
As it turns out, the business degree came in handy – Alex’s father was proven right in the final analysis. The success of Drayton Entertainment is unparalleled on the Canadian theatre scene. Despite no federal or provincial arts council funding for annual operations, it maintains an enviable reputation for annual surpluses, consistently sold out performances, creative marketing initiatives and exceptional private-sector support, making Alex Mustakas one of the central figures in Canadian theatre today.
Drayton Entertainment has had an enormous economic and artistic impact on all the communities in which it is involved. “I really like to think that each theatre is indigenous to its community,” Alex says, and his dedication to those communities has been exemplary.
He is a champion of community arts organizations (a collaboration with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in 2013 netted $10,000 for the local group), and extends his generosity into other sectors, spearheading a successful multi-year Christmas Choirs & Carols CD to support local healthcare initiatives. In 2011, he rallied the artistic community in a benefit concert for social services to aid victims of the Goderich tornado, raising $100,000 in a single afternoon.
Alex also believes in supporting programs and services for youth. He collaborated with senior brass to develop two productions showcasing the Waterloo Regional Police Service, raising $125,000 for community youth programs and women’s shelters. Alex also engages young people in the arts, subsidizing performances exclusively for local schools. Moreover, his student usher program gives young people their first employment opportunities and exposure to the arts, with over 160 participants annually.
Alex is a true visionary, who strives to enhance the cultural life of our communities while simultaneously benefiting local economies. As Alex himself says, “The second part of show business is business.”
Alex Mustakas embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity, and genuine passion that makes Kitchener-Waterloo such a desirable place to live, work, and of course, play. He has played a leading role in the development of Waterloo Region for several decades.
And, he’s not done yet. We’ll just have to wait and see what he does as an encore.
Steven Karcher is Executive Director of Drayton Entertainment. His responsibilities include overseeing marketing, fundraising, communications, event planning, grant writing, and new program coordination. Most recently, Steven managed fundraising for the $4 million renovation to the Huron Country Playhouse.
