From Touchmark's Press Release, May 26, 1999

The company plans to produce a variety of dramas and comedies in the intimate Co-operators Hall at the River Run Centre, aimed at an audience of theatre lovers. “The idea of Touchmark grew out of workshop productions I staged in the studio space at the Grand Theatre in London in 1997 and 1998,” Mr. Beattie said. “I wanted to direct some wonderful plays I wouldn’t otherwise have had a chance to do, because they weren’t commercially viable.” (The Zoo Story by Albee and Ghosts by Ibsen were two.) “The experience was a thrill for me artistically, and I was heartened to find that a small but dedicated audience quickly formed around the events. I saw there was a chance to create a purer theatrical experience than I was used to, to put some of our fine actors to work on well-crafted, rich and substantial plays in front of a small audience that really wanted to see them. People were so close to the performance in London - the quality of attention, the sense of everyone breathing as one, was extraordinary.”

Once Beattie decided to found a theatre company to expand on the workshop goals, he looked around for a permanent home. “I wanted to locate between Stratford and Toronto, so I could give actors across the region a chance to work within commuting distance of their homes. And it seemed to me a company like Touchmark would have to throw a wide net in order to attract enough real theatre enthusiasts to see our work. So the Guelph area was the natural location. Then I discovered the city (of Guelph) had just built a beautiful new arts centre, and, wonder of wonders, had included a studio theatre exactly the right size! I had to jump at the chance.”

The company will rehearse its inaugural production, Kingdom of Earth by Tennessee Williams, in Guelph starting October 4. “We’ll have four full weeks before production week which by today’s standards in Canada is luxurious,” Beattie said. “Touchmark’s goal is to put together the finest team of artists available and then give them the time and support they need to do their best work.”

To found a new, non-profit, professional theatre company dedicated to:

• producing and presenting on a regular basis in the Co-operators Hall at the River Run Centre in Guelph
  
• a rich variety of comedies and dramas from different countries and periods with an emphasis on plays which aren't often performed,
  
• plays which have in common that they tell stories adroitly and effectively, that they have good characters (and roles to play), that they engage our intellects, our feelings and imaginations, and that (whatever their age) they “speak” to contemporary life.
  
• the company will seek to cultivate an audience of discerning, enthusiastic theatre-lovers from the Guelph area and beyond
  
• and set and maintain a high artistic standard by engaging skilled artists from across the region and by providing them with the time and support they need to do their best work.