If the festival is a success, director Laurel Smith hopes to extend it from May through October next year. (Kate Porter/CBC) The inaugural Classic Theatre Festival, the newest addition to Ontario's summer theatre circuit, opens in Perth on Friday night.

The festival is the brainchild of longtime theatre director Laurel Smith, who lived and worked in Toronto for several years.

The Classic Theatre Festival festival was the idea of longtime theatre director Laurel Smith, who lived and worked in Toronto for several years. (Kate Porter/CBC) Smith said she has always wanted to create a professional summer theatre festival and was eager to get out of "the big city."

After a year of research and consultation, she settled on Perth, which is about 80 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, for the new festival's home.

"One of our criteria was to find a town interested in the heritage, a beautiful town, and that's Perth for sure," Smith said.

She said Perth's proximity to Ottawa and the community's support of local theatre both lend themselves to a large potential audience.

Actor William Vickers, who met Smith while working at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said he's thrilled to be a part of the project.

Theatre director Laurel Smith said Perth, Ont., was chosen as home of the Classic Theatre Festival for its beauty and heritage. (Kate Porter/CBC) "A year ago, she [Smith] was talking to me and telling me this is happening, and it's really exciting to be in Perth in an inaugural season," he said.

Vickers plays Dr. Bradman in Blithe Spirit, which runs from July 9 to Aug. 1. It is followed by The Voice of the Turtle, which runs Aug. 6-29.

If the festival is a success, Smith hopes to extend it from May through October next year.