The new theatre at Oak Bay High School is being named for longtime band teacher Dave Dunnet, a beloved staff member for close to 30 years, at a ceremony on Friday.
The Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, part of the new school complex that opened in September, will be officially named at the event, and six people will be inducted into the school’s fine arts hall of fame. Dunnet was inducted last year when the hall of fame was inaugurated.
Dunnet said having the theatre bear his name is “humbling” and a “career honour.”
He said the theatre is an excellent facility that was made possible by a widespread public effort. It was built at a cost of about $2.7 million, with the District of Oak Bay donating $1 million.
“The sound is wonderful in there,” Dunnet said. “It’s beautiful. I’m very impressed with it.”
A highlight of the 6 p.m. event will be a performance by the Oak Bay High School Band Alumni, along with some current band members, said Oak Bay teacher Tina Horwood, a former band student at the school. One of the songs to be played is Totem Pole March, a staple for students throughout Dunnet’s tenure.
Horwood, a trombone player from the graduating class of 1989, anticipates about 60 musicians will be on hand to serenade Dunnet. Anyone wanting to be part of the event is welcome at a pair of preliminary get-togethers, she said.
“We’re going to have a practice at the school for anybody who wants to practise, [if] they’ve got cobwebs in their instruments or have to rent one, on Thursday night from 7:30 to 9.”
The practice will be in the band room, accessible through the school’s main doors.
“On the actual day of the event, we’re going to meet one more time for a quick run-through at 5 o’clock, once again in the band room,” Horwood said.
Horwood said messages acknowledging Dunnet have been coming in from former students around the world.
“I’ve gotten them from so many people because people really did have so much love for the guy.”
