A surprise announcement came midway through Miss Emily’s Christmas concert at The Regent on Sunday 8 December.

Ms. Seay took the stage to urge the audience not to forget The Regent when it came to Christmas giving. She then said, “and now comes the tough part.”

“I am standing here today to share the news with you that as a result of funding shortfalls The Regent Theatre can no longer support two full-time positions, both an Artistic Director and a General Manager.”

“In order to free up some of those funds and redistribute them back into the Regent, effective today I’m stepping down as Artistic Director.”

Her voice strained at times with emotion, Ms. Seay concluded, “I will miss working with everybody here and I will miss the artists that perform on this stage, but I will know, walking out of here today, that it will keep going, because of you, because you keep this place going. I want to thank you for everything.”

Loud applause closed out her brief remarks.

Keeping the historic cinema top of mind for County residents and visitors alike, while pursuing new revenue streams, along with grants, sponsorships, and community support, has been a signal strength of Ms. Seay’s tenure.

Ms. Seay has been at the helm of the theatre for five years. She took a job as Theatre Manager in December 2019 — only to be hit with a global pandemic and the closure of the theatre in March 2020. Ms. Seay used that time to completely refurbish what was a well worn space, adding new seating, upgrading the floors, painting the entire theatre, and commissioning a new concession stand and bar in the lobby.

Keeping the historic cinema top of mind for County residents and visitors alike, while  pursuing new revenue streams, along with grants, sponsorships, and community support, has been a signal strength of Ms. Seay’s tenure.

A vibrant host and speaker, Ms. Seay welcomed live musical performances and theatrical productions in addition to regular film screenings of all kinds, and launched a popular film series featuring a Q & A with the director after the show.

Ms. Seay was soon made General Manager, then Executive Director, until finally, as Artistic Director, she presided over the advent of the County Adaptation Film Festival in 2024, for which she successfully secured $200,000 in startup funds from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2023.

CAFF, as it quickly became known, was inspired by the art of adaptation. The inaugural festival showcased films adapted from novels, histories, memoirs, and biographies, and invited writers and screenwriters as well as directors and producers into conversations about the art of collaboration required to make a film. 

Rick Szabo, who has served on the Regent’s Board of Directors for 8 years, noted, “Alexandra’s top ability was always as a County connector, helping showcase the best of the County with partnerships on Main Street, out in the vineyards and with the venue up on the hill.” 

“On behalf of the board, I’d like to thank Alexandra Seay for her dedication and leadership to the theatre over the past 5 years and wish her well on her future endeavours.”