Musical is king in Medicine Hat
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT John gets a flying lesson from Peter Pan, played by Abby Potter, during the opening night of the production by Firehall Theatre at the Esplanade. The show ran from Jan. 29 until Feb. 6.
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
Looking at Medicine Hat’s amateur theatre schedule for 2010, one thing is immediately apparent: In this city, the musical is king.
At Firehall Theatre, a cast and crew of about 100 recently performed the company’s biggest show to date: a musical version of Peter Pan that saw actors fly around the Esplanade theatre.
At the Community Theatre Arts Centre, jointly owned by Firehall and Medicine Hat Musical Theatre, the glam-rocking "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" opens March 12, while a musical version of cult horror film "Evil Dead" will hit the stage later this year.
Medicine Hat Musical Theatre will also mount Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s popular "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Esplanade this fall, and society president Derek Martin says the production will be even bigger than it was 10 years ago, when the company performed sold-out shows at the Medicine Hat College theatre.
"It's a very popular form,” says Martin, when asked why musicals seem to resonate with Hatters. “It's very approachable, I guess. People enjoy familiar songs."
Kevin Van Der Kooy, president of Firehall Theatre, says the quality of the city’s amateur shows also keeps the theatre community thriving.
"To have the quality of production we have in Medicine Hat with our local theatre community - we could rival the theatre community in Calgary or Edmonton, for sure," he adds.
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Accountant Leo Bloom, played by Lane O'Brien, dreams of becoming a Broadway producer after meeting down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock who plans to get rich by producing a Broadway flop, during Medicine Hat Musical Theatre's production of "The Producers". The show hit the Esplanade stage in November 2009. This fall, Medicine Hat Music Theatre will be bring back Andrew Lyoyd-Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" after a 10-year absence from the local stage.
However, increasing competition from touring professional shows and other forms of entertainment, combined with a slowing economy, has made it difficult for groups to generate the same level of audience support they’ve seen in the past.
Martin says audiences were surprisingly small for 2009’s production of The Producers. Karen Cunningham of FUT in the Hat - the city’s only non-musical amateur theatre company - also reports ticket sales went down about 25 per cent when the Esplanade first opened, and never bounced back.
As part of its 2010 lineup, Fut will team up with Medicine Hat College for its production of “The Children’s Hour” by Lillian Hellman. Cunningham, who will direct the play on behalf of Fut, says the team-up will help both groups.
“We're short of bodies, and it's a good way to increase your base,” she explains. “They have no older actors, no older women, and we have that."
The group has also experimented with ultra-low-budget theatre in the last year, staging four reader’s theatre pieces at the Prickly Pear Café.
Though audience numbers are down, interest in acting seems to be on the rise. Both Van Der Kooy and Martin say they’re seeing more participation from young Hatters than ever before.
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Willy the Newsy (Bruce Sandford), left, demands that Soapy Smith (Dave Townsend) pays up during a scene from "The Gifts of the Magi." The show, put on by actors from The Community Theatre Arts Centre, entertained audiences during the first weeks of December 2009. Later in the year, the CTAC plans on debuting a musical version of the cult horror film "Evil Dead."
To foster that interest, the companies are mounting smaller, off-beat shows - like Hedwig and the Angry Inch - at the Community Theatre Arts Centre, and handing the reigns over to younger directors.
"We're trying to develop a talent pool that can step up in the next generation and direct the bigger shows...” says Martin. “We've had a very successful run in this city, but we're not going anywhere if we don't have somebody to take over."
78 — REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community
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