Centre Stage brings the fun of theatre to young audiences across the province
By Kevin Olenick, citizen reporter
The winds of change have blown through Calgary’s theatre landscape, sweeping in new leadership at Centre Stage Theatre.
John and Christie Vieira, who run Calgary’s Summit School of Dance, have taken charge of the theatre company’s mandate to create new and innovative works for children and teens while also making theatre accessible for all.
No major changes are planned, says general manager John Vieira, but rather to continue to focus on providing engaging theatre for younger audiences.
“Calgary has a growing theatre market and there certainly is room for more theatre for young audiences,” he said. “This year, the season was already planned [and] as we go forward, there will be some changes, but the mandate will remain the same.”
The new season will begin with three shows, including Munsch A Mia, Munsch A Palooza and this week, the cult classic, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged), will run Nov 14-18 at Epcor Centre – Motel.
“Everyone should have one or two shows they really have to do,” said director Brooklyn Ritchie. “This is mine.”
Complete Works has been touring around junior high and high schools in Calgary and across the province, including Viking, Ripley, and Standoff with upcoming shows planned for Fort Saskacthewan. The play has received a strong response.
“When you read the script, there isn’t a lot of direction given, however I really wanted to have a fun, interactive show,” Ritchie said. “Shakespeare’s style of theatre was that.”
Although the show’s target audience is young adult, the show is also for those of any age familiar and unfamiliar to Shakespeare.
“If you have seen Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio, you will be quite familiar with Shakespeare,” Ritchie said. “We do a lot of pop culture references including an Othello rap song.”
The show’s cast includes Matt Mckinney, Kristin Swirles and Ryan Irving. Ritchie said the cast was great to work with.
“Everyone was willing to ‘play’,” he said. “At the first rehearsal, I was prepared to give a speech about, ‘I can’t do this all by myself, I need your help’. Turned out, I didn’t need to. They were willing to interact right away.”
Ritchie has a unique perspective on the theatre scene in Calgary. He’s an actor, director and a designer with a carpentry company. He also runs an ad hoc theatre company with cast member Swirles called Ronin Theatre that produced a show at this year’s Calgary Fringe Festival called These Men and Sexual Perversity in Chicago in 2010. He is optimistic about the future of Centre Stage and their vision.
“There is two tiers [of theatre groups] in Calgary,” said Ritchie. “You have some companies that have mandates somewhat dictated by the season ticket holder or subscriber. But there is another [side] that want to push the boundaries. The beauty of theatre is it gives the opportunity to play, engage and feel. There is more of a need for that as that is what audiences are looking for.”
Ritchie adds that keeping theatre alive and exciting is crucial to connect to kids.
“When you bring in a show to a high school, you don’t want to be ‘preachy’,” he said. “Kids are going from class to class getting lectures. That’s not theatre. It’s more than that. Let’s get the young playwrights involved. Or even the parents with young kids involved. I see Centre Stage fitting very well for that.”
Centre Stage has become an alternative to the regular theatre options in Calgary, says John Vieria. Exposing the arts to younger audiences and other communities that may not have access is critical, he adds.
“The theatre scene in Calgary is growing,” Vieria said. “Some feel that there should always be a message attached to the play. There is value in exposing people to the arts; even a ‘silly show’ like Complete Works.
“There’s no downside to exposing kids to audience [and plays]. Often arts are overlooked in our society, but I think it makes us better people. We want to be a part of, and also support, that in our community.”
Complete Works runs at Epcor Centre Motel from Nov 14-18. For tickets and information go to www.centre-stage.ca
Category: Arts
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