Phoenix Theatre rises from the ashes of Burns Wharf

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Phoenix Theatre rises from the ashes of Burns Wharf

Michael Erskine

Apr 22, 2026 - 4 min read

Isaac Gosse is a familar face at Island event wearing his sound man hat. The longtime Burns Wharf Theatre Players alumni has taken on the lead, along with his partner Natalia Bell, in a new theatre company called Phoenix.

Phoenix Theatre rises from the ashes of Burns Wharf — Isaac Gosse is a familar face at Island event wearing his sound man hat. The longtime Burns Wharf Theatre Players alumni has taken on the lead, along with his partner Natalia Bell, in a new theatre company called Phoenix.

Bonnie and Clyde the Musical is currently in production

MINDEMOYA—For the past decade-and-a-half, Burns Wharf Theatre Players have titillated the senses with outstanding musical performances, mostly in the theatre located in the upper floors of the historic Burns Wharf buildings in Manitowaning, but time took its toll on the venerable buildings the company called home and, in the end, the structures became unsafe. Performances moved on to the venues of Knox United Church and then Manitoulin Secondary School, most recently with a hilarious rendition of The Addams Family. After several years of negotiations with the Town of Assiginack, the company came to the decision that it could no longer call Manitowaning home.

The Municipality of Central Manitoulin stepped up to offer the company a new home in its Mindemoya Community Centre and negotiations with that town are ongoing. But, now fully separated from its namesake location, and under the guidance of new and younger group of producers, the company now operates under a new name—fittingly—Phoenix Theatre Company, rising from the ashes to begin anew.

Partners Isaac Gosse and his fiancé Natalia Bell have taken on the “role” of producers for the company.