William Crooks
Ruth and Derwyn McKinven, along with their son Trevor, stand proudly in front of the Piggery Theatre—a place their family helped revive and has nurtured for over two decades
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
North Hatley’s iconic Piggery Theatre is celebrating its 60th anniversary this summer, and those behind its continued existence say its story is far from over.
Founded in 1965 by English theatre enthusiast and New York transplant Marjory Virgin, the Piggery was built inside a converted pig barn on her summer property. Her vision was simple but ambitious: to create a space for high-calibre English-language theatre in the Eastern Townships. The building, rustic but atmospheric, offered a perfect home for what became an enduring cultural hub. Though the programming has shifted over the decades, the theatre’s role as a cherished gathering place remains.
“My grandfather worked for Mrs. Virgin as a farm manager after coming over from Scotland in the ’50s,” said Trevor McKinven, a local artist and long-time Piggery contributor. “Later, in 2003, when the place was struggling after bankruptcy, I got a call to help bring it back. One thing led to another, and my parents got involved. Now we basically run the place.”
The McKinven family’s efforts helped resuscitate the venue at a time when it was on the brink of permanent closure. From installing seating to securing acts and handling sound, McKinven wears many hats at the Piggery. “It’s really a team effort,” he said. “We take pride in what we’ve built.”
He recalls the early 2000s as a turning point. “Johnny Reid came and put us on the map. Then came the Haggard boys. We found our groove with music,” McKinven said. Though the theatre was originally known for its stage plays, the transition to concerts and events was partly a financial necessity. “Plays are expensive. You look at the budgets from back in the day — posters, actors, everything. Some runs averaged 50 people in a 260-seat house. It wasn’t sustainable.”
The Piggery’s 2025 season, officially its 60th, is full of special programming meant to celebrate its storied past while looking ahead. Historical displays, screenings of vintage footage, and storytelling events are all part of the schedule. Some of the video clips, discovered in a dusty attic, include scenes from the Ayer’s Cliff Fair and Lake Massawippi from the 1950s. “We’ll be showing those and setting up a little museum in the lobby,” said McKinven. “It’s a window into what the Townships looked like back then.”
McKinven is also starting a Piggery Podcast to share interviews, anecdotes, and audio archives from the venue’s long history. “I want to capture some of the magic that makes this place what it is,” he explained.
The season’s opening event is a collaboration with Write Here Write Now (WHWN), a local creative writing collective currently sponsored by Grace Village. Their performance, titled “More than Words,” will feature five short plays and a selection of poetry and prose. “It’s a win-win,” said WHWN coordinator Jan Draper. “Writers get to showcase their work, and all donations from the event go to support the Piggery.”
Draper, who has guided the group through multiple transitions since it began as a Townshippers’ Association project in 2016, said the Piggery was an obvious choice for the performance. “It’s rare to find a venue with this much character that’s also affordable. We knew it was a special place the moment we walked in.”
The Saturday afternoon event is structured to be dynamic and accessible. “There are five short plays — none longer than 10 minutes — and a variety of readings, so the pace should keep things fun and engaging,” Draper said. Local vocalist Carolyn Benway will sing “Happy Birthday” to the theatre, and long-time community figure Mead Baldwin will deliver remarks on the Piggery’s history during intermission.
Draper also noted the group is working on a new anthology on the theme of resistance, and plans are underway for a video project featuring readings by group members. “We’ve been working with Kasimir MacDougall at Bishop’s to teach people how to record at home using Zoom and their phones,” she said. “The idea is to produce a clean, professional video that showcases local talent.”
Looking ahead to the fall, WHWN hopes to experiment further with the Zoom platform to produce virtual plays. “We want to explore what theatre on Zoom could really be,” Draper said. “Not as a compromise, but as a real creative form.”
Back at the Piggery, other birthday initiatives are in the works. A local brewery in North Hatley is developing a special-edition Piggery ale for the season, and McKinven is selling limited-edition prints of artwork he originally created for the theatre’s 50th anniversary. “We’re not a big-budget operation,” he said. “But we get it done. I think we’ve brought more people through here in the last 20 years than in the three decades before. And we’re still having fun.”
One memorable event that stands out for Draper involved a Rotary Club fundraiser featuring Sherbrooke-based singer Tim Brink. “Graham Moodie had been supporting him, and Tim owed him a concert,” she explained. “The Piggery gave us the space for free, and all proceeds went to Rotary’s PolioPlus program. With matching funds from the Gates Foundation, we raised $10,000 that night. It was something special.”
From Dracula in the 1970s to spoken-word poetry in 2025, the Piggery has long embraced variety. Draper remembers attending campy productions as a teenager and seeing cutting-edge Montreal groups like Instant Theatre perform. “It’s had its phases,” she said, “but it’s always been a place that welcomes the community.”
“The story of the Piggery isn’t finished,” Draper added. “It’s just entering another act.”