Live theatre is alive and well in Saskatchewan, and Theatre Saskatchewan exists to support it, providing resources, funding and assistance however they can, including providing much support to Crocus 80 Theatre as they hosted TheatreFest from April 1-8 in Weyburn.
The president of Theatre Saskatchewan, Donna Challis, spoke about the organization in a presentation to the Weyburn Rotary Club, noting a number of those present attended or took part in the TheatreFest as volunteers, or as in the case of exchange student Liza Biard, as an actress.
The provincial competition for community theatre groups was last held in Weyburn in 2005, and the group from Theatre Saskatchewan was “blown away” by the support of the community for live theatre and for the festival of plays, which wrapped up on Saturday evening with the last play and presentation of awards.
Noting she was a long-time Rotarian (since 1985, in North Battleford), Challis said, “Theatre Saskatchewan is my passion, and TheatreFest is a big part of it.”
The organization has 42 community theatre groups who are members, and she acknowledged there are many more who aren’t members.
“We do it to enhance the lives of the people of Saskatchewan by bringing them live theatre, whether it’s in Regina, or in a place like Kyle, which has maybe 100 people living there,” said Challis, explaining some of the ways they provide support.
There are grants they can make available to community theatre groups, she noted, such as to upgrade lights or to build sets, or to pay for someone to bring a workshop to the community, such as were held in conjunction with TheatreFest. The organization also has a list of professionals who can bring a workshop to a community theatre group, if they have a specific interest or topic they would like more information about.
This provincial festival is the 84th annual such event in Saskatchewan, as they began in 1932 when Governor General Bessborough established the Dominion Drama Festival, and Saskatchewan became a region under that umbrella group before eventually becoming Theatre Saskatchewan.
“We’ve got theatre groups from across the province, and it brings us all together with a common goal. We provide grants, we have a library, so instead of spending money to buy a script, they can phone the office and request a list of our scripts,” said Challis, adding they also have an apprenticeship program which provides the opportunity to attend TheatreFest and take in the plays and workshops that are put on with it. For those apprentices from out of town, they are also provided with hotel accommodations.
Challis acknowledged there are community theatre groups who don’t wish to take part in the annual festival of plays, but workshops can be put on in an area instead to bring expertise to any groups or individuals who want it.
She paid tribute to Crocus 80 for putting on a serious drama with an all-youth cast, and said these are young people who will benefit greatly in their lives as well as being actors, “because they can get up and speak and perform in front of people, and for many people that’s the hardest part. That will really bode them well in their lives.”
Of the 42 groups that are members, some clubs only have five members and others have 200, but Theatre Saskatchewan is there to serve them no matter what size they are, said Challis, noting that besides TheatreFest, which is a competition for full-length plays, they also put on a one-act play festival, which this year will be held in Yorkton for those theatre groups who don’t want to try putting on a full-length drama production.
Asked how Theatre Saskatchewan decides on which groups can take part in TheatreFest, Challis said they have to apply, and the first seven who apply and qualify with their play will get in.
Rotarian Mal Barber noted he knows of probably 10 communities within a 50-km radius of Weyburn that put on dinner theatre productions.
“Sometimes they’re strictly doing it for the community,” said Challis, noting that dinner theatres started in Saskatchewan around 1977, and has grown to become one of the most successful ways for a community group to raise money for local causes.
Asked what the ratio is of serious dramas versus comedies at TheatreFest, she said they get about 80 per cent entries as comedies.
“The reason for that is most of us are doing theatre to pay the bills, and people want to see comedies,” said Challis, adding that to do “a really good comedy” is much harder than to do a serious drama, because it’s more difficult to have actors who can come across well in a comedy, including the kind of timing needed to make a comedy work.
TheatreFest can be a very positive event for a community to host, said Challis, as they can hold fundraisers as a part of the event, such as the 50-50 draws that Crocus 80 has been doing each night as a part of the festival.
