Alex Mustakas is a Canadian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

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

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

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Drayton Entertainment Drayton Entertainment is a not-for-profit professional theatre company based in Southwestern Ontario operating seven venues across the Ontario, province: the original Drayton Festival Theatre in Drayton, Ontario, Drayton, Huron Country Playhous ...

, a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

theatre company based in

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...

Early life

Mustakas was born in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

and emigrated to Canada at the age of 6, the middle of 3 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. As a teenager, one of his first jobs was working for his parents, serving coffee at the Bus Terminal Coffee Shop in Downtown Galt in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. 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 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 in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

, 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 runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965. Named after its host city Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and its Charlottetown Conference, since its inc ...

. 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 and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. While in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, 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. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

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

Drayton Entertainment

As popularity continued to grow and the community continued to support the venture, a second stage was added in

St. Jacobs St. Jacobs is a community and former village located in the township of Woolwich, Ontario, Woolwich in Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario, Waterloo Region, Ontario, just north of the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo. It is a popular locati ...

– 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 populat ...

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 Grand Bend is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron ...

, 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

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 neighbourhood of downtown Galt, the complex includes a 500-seat theatre alongside consolidated administration, production and wardrobe facilities for

. Drayton Entertainment does not receive funding from any level of government for its annual operations and annual attendance exceeds 250,000. This makes

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. Not only does Drayton Entertainment have a significant artistic and economic impact on all the communities it serves but Mustakas also recognizes the importance of youth and theatre. The Youth Usher Program allows youth ages 12 to 15 the opportunity to learn the responsibilities of having a job and be part of a team while gaining valuable work experience as youth ushers at the various theatres. Drayton Entertainment's Youth Musical Theatre Program and Pre-Professional Production Program provide aspiring young performers with opportunities to learn from professional theatre artists.

Major Credits

Director

Mustakas has directed over 100 productions for Drayton Entertainment and other companies across Canada including several productions of ''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, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

. Other directing credits outside of Drayton Entertainment include ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

'' 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 Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainus is now famous ...

Festival Theatre,

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

. 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 ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

; 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 w ...

; Stage West in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

; Theatre Aquarius in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

;

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 Dumfr ...

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

Producer

He has also served as

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

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 composed by Stephen Schwartz with 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 to lyrics from traditional hymn ...

'' (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 ''Lend Me a Tenor'' is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play was produced on both the West End (1986) and Broadway (1989). It received nine Tony Award nominations and won for Best Actor (Philip Bosco) and Best Director (Jerry Zaks). A Broadway re ...

'') 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 Cervantes ...

''.

Education

Mustakas earned a

B.A Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

. in Business from

. He went on to earn his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

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

Professional Awards & 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 Lucas. 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 Canadian male stage actors Wilfrid Laurier University alumni Canadian artistic directors