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About JM Drama

Who We Are

JM Drama is a vital leader in nurturing a healthy performing arts community in Waterloo Region, encouraging and supporting artists at every stage of their development.

History

JM Drama has its roots in Kitchener’s downtown high schools. It was founded in 1983 by graduates of St. Mary’s and St. Jerome’s, who wanted a way to keep making theatre together while mentoring students from their former schools and creating a welcoming space for people who didn’t always feel they fit elsewhere.

Over time, that small alumni group grew into a community-based, not-for-profit theatre organization with a broader mandate: to encourage and support the development of the performing arts across Waterloo Region. Today, JM Drama and JM Drama Alumni continue that work by producing community theatre, offering learning and training opportunities, and supporting artists at many stages of their careers.

A major milestone in the organization’s history came in 2000, when the former Waterloo County Registry Office at 122 Frederick Street was transformed into a performing arts venue. It reopened in January 2001 as The Registry Theatre, with JM Drama as its manager and operator. Since then, The Registry has become a beloved, intimate home for local productions, concerts, festivals, and community events, and a key way that JM Drama serves the region’s artists and audiences. The Registry Theatre serves as an affordable venue for independent producers, emerging artists, audiences, and more.

Our Focus

  • Community productions that welcome performers and crews with varied experience
  • Opportunities to develop acting, directing and design skills
  • Partnerships with local arts and cultural organizations
  • Inclusive programming that reflects the diversity of our region

The Registry Theatre was originally built in 1938–39 as the Waterloo County Registry Office and is recognized as one of the few remaining examples of Art Deco architecture in Kitchener/Waterloo Region.

An evening street view of the Registry Theatre. Warm light shines through tall windows and the entrance is brightly lit. A large tree frames the right side, and two people are walking toward the front doors. The marquee sign near the sidewalk displays the quote: ‘If living life is an art, let us all become artists.
Digital Painting -Trevor Clare - Registry Theatre

From Registry Office to the Registry Theatre: A Timeline of Community Spirit

  • 1983 JM Drama founded as a community theatre group
  • In the 1990s, JM Drama was actively looking for an affordable, sustainable performance space. An early plan to create a venue on the old St. Jerome’s campus fell through after many volunteer hours and planning work.
  • The City of Kitchener then acquired the former Waterloo County Registry Office at 122 Frederick Street and approached JM Drama to see if it could become their new home.
  • JM Drama’s dedicated volunteers raised funds to convert the former Land Registry Office into the theatre it is today.
  • Volunteers were also deeply involved in the physical work; one story notes that on New Year's Eve 2000, JM Drama volunteers were literally painting the theatre to get it ready, as renovations wrapped up and the space opened as The Registry Theatre.
  • In 2000, Don Bourgeois, as President of JM Drama Alumni, was recognized by the Waterloo Historical Society and the City of Kitchener as the “principal architect of a plan that saw the old Land Registry Office converted into The Registry Theatre.” Bourgeois continues to be a vital asset to the JM Drama organization.
  • 2001 The Registry Theatre opens as a performance venue operated by JM Drama
  • Today, it continues to have a robust calendar of plays, concerts, and community performances.