Alex Mustakas is a Canadian

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. He is the founding

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of Drayton Entertainment, a

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

theatre company based in

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

. His current title is Founder and CEO.

Early life

Mustakas was born in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and emigrated to Canada at the age of six, the middle of three children. After watching his parents struggle as immigrants in a new country, his values of giving back were formed after they received help through the Greek-Cypriot community which he calls vital association. One of his first jobs as a teenager was working for his parents, serving coffee at the Bus Terminal Coffee Shop in Downtown Galt in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. While attending Eastwood Collegiate, he was a soccer and basketball star but it was apparent he was a performer at heart and drawn to the stage. Teachers encouraged him to attend the National Theatre School but that was not a path approved by his family. They were adamant that he attend university and study business. After earning a business degree from

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

, Mustakas became gainfully employed in the corporate sector. While thriving in the business world he privately studied voice with Victor Martens and continued to perform with Kitchener-Waterloo Musical Productions. It was there he met Alan Lund, Artistic Director of the famed

Charlottetown Festival The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which has run from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. The Charlottetown Festival is hosted in Confederation Centre of the Arts every year. Named after its host c ...

. He decided he wanted to pursue a career as a professional performer. Following a few years on stage, Mustakas became interested in theatre administration and pursued a master's degree in Arts Administration at City University in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. While in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, he worked on a project for

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England that does not accept students or award degrees. It was founded in 1597 under the Will (law), will of Sir Thomas Gresham, ...

where he evaluated data concerning ''A Historical Examination of Industrial Support for the Arts'' in the United Kingdom. When he returned to Canada he launched the

Drayton Drayton may refer to: People * Drayton (surname) Legal cases * '' United States v. Drayton'', 536 U.S. 194 (2002) Places Australia *Drayton, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region *Shire of Drayton, a former local government area in Quee ...

Festival Theatre in 1991 out of a tiny, virtually unused theatre in the crossroads community of

, Ontario. These were the first steps towards what is now known as Drayton Entertainment.

Drayton Entertainment

As popularity grew in Drayton, and the community continued to support the venture, a second stage was added in St. Jacobs – The Schoolhouse Theatre. The King's Wharf Theatre in

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene (, sometimes shortened to Penetang) is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a popu ...

followed suit in 1999. Nestled within Discovery Harbour on Georgian Bay, the rustic theatre was a perfect complement with the venues in Drayton and St. Jacobs. On the outskirts of

Grand Bend Grand Bend is a community located on the shores of Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Municipality of Lambton Shores in Lambton County. History In the 1830s a group of English and Scottish settlers bought lots from ...

, the Huron Country Playhouse which meant summer theatre to so many, joined the Drayton Entertainment family of theatres in 2001. To commemorate its 40th anniversary in 2011, the theatre completed a major renovation, expanding the intimate Huron Country Playhouse II auditorium. Located in the heart of Waterloo Region's Market District, the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse opened to instant acclaim in 2005 and operates year-round in this popular tourism mecca. The most recent venue, Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge (formerly the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge)

opened in 2013. Located in the historic community of Galt, the complex includes a 500-seat theatre alongside multiple rehearsal halls, as well as administration, props, wardrobe, and production facilities for Drayton Entertainment. Drayton Entertainment does not receive annual operating funding from federal or provincial governments, nor their respective arts councils. Annual attendance exceeds 250,000. This makes Drayton Entertainment one of the largest professional theatre companies in Canada. It is also recognized by

Canadian Actors' Equity Association Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA) is an association of performers in English Canada who are engaged in live performances before paying audiences in theatre, opera and dance. It negotiates agreements and working conditions for its members ...

as one of the largest employers of professional artists in Canada.

Major credits

Director

Mustakas has directed over 125 productions for Drayton Entertainment and other companies across Canada, including ''You'll Get Used To It .. The War Show'', the Canadian premiere of '' Rocky: The Musical'' (2019) and the world premiere of ''Marathon of Hope: The Musical'' (2016) ''–'' a musical about the life and legacy of

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

. Other directing credits outside of Drayton Entertainment include ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages is an epithet that is used in some translations of Isaiah 26, Isaiah 26:4 and may refer to: Films * Rock of Ages (1918 film), ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * Rock of Ages (2012 film), ''Roc ...

'' at Casino Niagara, the Toronto engagement of ''Million Dollar Quartet'', the North American touring engagement of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2008-2009), ''Twist & Shout: The British Invasion'' (2008) and ''Legends'' (2010) at The Grand in London, as well as ''Rock Legends'' and ''Twist & Shout'' at

Chemainus Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus River, Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainu ...

Festival Theatre,

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

. He has also directed productions for The Piggery in

North Hatley North Hatley is a village of 675 people (2021 Census), located at the north end of Lake Massawippi. It is part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Canada, also known as Estrie or Cantons de ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

; Lighthouse Festival Theatre in

Port Dover Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the site of the recurring Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. Prior to the War of 1812, this community ...

; Stage West in

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

; Theatre Aquarius in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

;

Waterloo Region The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfri ...

and Toronto Gilbert & Sullivan Societies; K-W Musical Productions and many more.

Producer

He has also served as producer for a number of productions including ''Top Dogs, Just for Laughs Festival'', Montreal (2010), Official North American touring engagement of ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...

'' (2013), Official North American touring engagement of ''Camelot'' (2009–2010) and the official North American touring engagement of ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (2008–2009).

Actor

Mustakas has many acting credits to his name including the Drayton Entertainment roles of Franklin Hart ( ''9 to 5 The Musical''), The Pirate King ( ''Pirates of Penzance''), Captain Hook ( ''Peter Pan''), Tito Merelli ''( Lend Me a Tenor'') and Nick ( ''Over the River and Through The Woods''). Most recently he appeared as Don Quixote in the 2018 production of ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

''.

Education

Mustakas earned a B.A. in Business from

. He went on to earn his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in Arts Administration from City University in London England. He later received an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from

Professional awards and accomplishments

Personal life

Mustakas is married to Jackie Mustakas (née Hadley). Jackie is also an actress with a long career with Drayton Entertainment and other theatre companies. The pair have two children Hadley and Lukas. Both children have also been on the stage continuing their family tradition.

Media

* The Record
Waterloo Region entrepreneurs win provincial awards
Oct 25 2013 * The Record
From a dusty historic opera hall to a seven-venue success story, Drayton Entertainment celebrates 25 years
May 30, 2015 * Cambridge Times
Meritous Service Medal for Drayton Entertainment’s artistic director
June 27, 2017 * Toronto Star

January 2, 2019

References

Drayton Entertainment Official Site

Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Alex Mustakas

The Inadequate Life Podcast Alex Mustakas

Alex Mustakas

Alex Mustakas - Laurier Alumni

Wilfrid Laurier University School of Business and Economics: Alex Mustakas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustakas, Alex Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of City, University of London Canadian male stage actors Wilfrid Laurier University alumni Canadian artistic directors