When I sat down recently with Michael Khashmanian, founder and artistic director of Beech Street Theatre Company, I expected to learn about the history of a theatre company that has become a familiar presence in Durham Region.
What I discovered instead was a story about community, generosity, and the quiet ways one person can influence the lives of others.
Ironically, Michael never set out to become a theatre producer.
“I’ve been a writer since Grade 2,” he told me.
Like many writers, he accumulated his share of rejection letters over the years. Writing remained a passion, but success proved elusive. Then, in 2003, theatre entered his life almost by accident.
A local church – St. Mark’s United Church – needed a male performer for a Christmas musical. Michael had never acted before and readily admits he cannot sing. Nevertheless, he agreed to participate.
“I had so much fun,” he recalled.
The experience changed the course of his life.
Inspired by the production, he wrote a dinner theatre fundraiser for St. Mark’s. The result was Dial M for Music, a light-hearted parody that sold out. Encouraged by its success, he wrote another play, and then another.
One of those early productions, Where’s the Minister?, was inspired by Ontario Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who attended a nearby church. In Michael’s comedy, three would-be kidnappers mistakenly abduct a church minister after confusing “the minister” with “the Finance Minister.” The play proved popular enough to be staged twice.
At the time, there was no Beech Street Theatre Company.
“There was just me as a playwright learning the craft and seeing if people liked my stuff,” he said.
Those early productions revealed something that would shape the next two decades of his life. Theatre could do more than entertain. It could bring people together and strengthen communities.
That belief led Michael to launch the Durham Theatre Festival, an ambitious effort to unite theatre companies across the region under a single banner. Schools, church groups, and community theatres all participated, introducing audiences to a wide range of local productions.
Although the festival eventually proved difficult to sustain, it reflected a philosophy that continues to guide his work. Michael has never been interested in building monuments. He is interested in building connections.
That same philosophy would eventually find a permanent home.
While discussing incorporation and searching for a name, Michael happened to stop at an intersection and notice the street sign beside him: Beech Street.
“It had a Baker Street kind of ring to it,” he laughed.
The name stuck.
Since incorporating in 2013, Beech Street Theatre Company has become known not only for producing original works but also for creating opportunities for people who might otherwise never find their way onto a stage.
“Theatre should be accessible to everybody,” Michael told me.
That belief shapes everything he does. He welcomes first-time actors, encourages emerging playwrights, embraces performers living with disabilities, and maintains a pay-what-you-can philosophy because he believes financial circumstances should not determine who gets to experience the arts.
One of Beech Street’s most successful programs began with a simple phone call.
Several years ago, a woman contacted Michael after becoming confused while purchasing tickets online. During their conversation she explained that she was living with the effects of a serious brain injury sustained in a car accident.
The exchange prompted Michael to contact the Brain Injury Association of Durham and ask a straightforward question:
“Would you be interested in a drama program?”
The answer was yes.
Six people attended the first session.
From those modest beginnings, the program has grown into one of the association’s most popular offerings. Participants have performed original productions, discovered creative talents, developed confidence, and found a sense of community through theatre. New initiatives now include opportunities for participants to write their own plays.
Listening to Michael describe the program, it became clear that the productions themselves are only part of the story. What matters most are the people whose lives are changed by the experience.
As our conversation continued, I began to understand what truly drives his work.
Michael spoke about a course offered through the Playwrights Guild of Canada that explored what happens to an artist’s work after they are gone. The discussion led naturally to a broader reflection on legacy.
“I am one of the people who believe that none of us got to where we are strictly on our own abilities,” he said. “Everything I’ve got, I owe some of it to somebody.”
For Michael, that realization carries a responsibility.
Throughout his life, people have encouraged him, supported him, and opened doors. The question that now guides much of what he does is simple:
How do you give something back?
Perhaps the answer can be found in a comment from one participant in the Brain Injury Association program.
“When I’m here on the stage, they’re clapping for me,” the participant told him. “The rest of the time, I’m just someone with a brain injury that no one gives a crap about.”
The remark has stayed with him.
“If I can influence one person’s life,” Michael said, “that means so much to me.”
Success, in his view, is measured not only in ticket sales or standing ovations, but in opportunities created, confidence restored, and lives touched.
“The only way we’re going to survive and get ahead is to help each other through the tough times,” he said. “Community spirit. What can I give to somebody?”
During our conversation, I found myself describing Michael’s approach as “planting seeds.”
The phrase seemed to resonate.
Wherever he goes, opportunities seem to take root. Some grow into productions. Others become workshops, community programs, or creative partnerships. Many blossom into something less visible but equally important: confidence, friendship, and belonging.
And perhaps that is where his story intersects with my own.
For much of my life, theatre has been more than entertainment. It helped me find my voice as a young person. It sustained me through difficult periods. Following the death of my husband, Julien, it became one of the things that helped me move ahead when doing so seemed almost impossible.
That is why Michael’s work resonates with me.
Theatre is often viewed as an art form rooted in the past. We revive old plays, celebrate traditions, and tell stories that have been handed down through generations.
Yet theatre is never really about the past.
Every production is an act of renewal. A script comes alive through new actors, new audiences, and new interpretations. Community theatre, at its best, creates connection in the present while offering hope for the future.
That may be the real story of Beech Street Theatre Company.
More than twenty years after discovering theatre by accident, Michael Khashmanian continues to plant seeds.
Some grow into plays. Others become programs or opportunities for people who never imagined themselves standing in the spotlight. Many simply give someone the encouragement to take a creative risk, discover a hidden talent, or find a place where they belong.
In a world that often encourages us to dwell on what has already happened, there is something profoundly hopeful about that.
After all, planting seeds is an act of faith in what comes next.
The story of Beech Street Theatre Company continues to unfold through its productions, workshops, and commitment to nurturing new voices. To learn more about the company and its upcoming activities, visit www.beechstreettheatre.com.