Passion, talent and dedication shine through on Medicine Hat stages


I water.'


Nearly 130 years ago handwritten programs were handed out as Medicine Hat Musical and Dramatic Club presented "The Fortune Hunter." Now the curtain rises and falls on 15 performances annually and the array of shows is not going unnoticed.


76 2014 REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA By MEGAN LACELLE


n 1885, the curtain rose on Medicine Hat Theatre. Years later, hundreds of volunteers are still putting on a show. The passion, dedication and pride the theatre community has is conveyed every time they take centre stage. The Gas City is often recognized for it's economical resources, but the city's talented theatre community has people saying 'there's something in the


"We chose to come to Medicine Hat because of the theatre community, as a drama teacher that's something you look for," says Richard Grafton, second year teacher at Medicine Hat High School, "I was really impressed. I think location has a lot to do with it. It's three hours to Calgary or the next bigger centre so people are looking to create something on their own doorstep."


That's exactly what the city has accomplished. History shows stages across Medicine Hat have been graced with a variety of theatre groups over the century. The Medicine Hat Musical and Dramatic Club became the Dramatic Club before the turn of the century, eventually becoming the Player's Club before the 1930. After that the group officially changed the name to Medicine Hat Little Theatre Association in 1934 sporting a membership of more than 400. The Little Theatre closed the curtain for the last time in 1948, but was quickly replaced in 1950 with Medicine Hat Civic Theatre. The Civic Theatre performed many well-known dramas such as "Of Mice and Men" and "The Diary of Anne Frank" in festivals across the country.


However, in the 1960s Henry Allergoth, member of the Civic Theatre, and drama teacher, Richard Mells, created the Medicine Hat Musical Theatre. It is one of the oldest surviving theatre groups in the city, opening with it's first performance, "Oklahoma!," in 1961. Medicine Hat Musical Theatre (MHMT) has performed 72 shows,


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