To our Members:
Notes for July
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Theatre Alberta Board Member and friend Keith Ewasiuk. Keith joined the Theatre Alberta Board in 2010 as we celebrated the 50th Anniversaries of Artstrek and Dramaworks, and was a long time member and supporter of our organization.
Having taught musical theatre and drama at École Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School since 1988, "Mr. E" has touched the lives and inspired the careers of thousands of drama students and theatre artists across the Edmonton area, Alberta, and Canada. He was an active member of the Alberta High School Drama Festival Association, as well as a director in the Edmonton theatre community.
We extend our support and condolences to all of Keith's family and loved ones, as together we remember and mourn the loss of a great man. An obituary will appear in this weekend's paper, and a celebration of Keith's life will be held Wednesday, July 18th at 2:00pm at the McDougall United Church in Edmonton.
We have asked Jan Taylor to write a brief message about Keith for this edition of Buzz:
My dear friend and colleague, Keith Ewasiuk passed away on July 8, 2012 after a short, but intense, battle with cancer.
Keith’s contributions to theatre spanned close to forty years, sparked in grade twelve by drama classes at Archbishop O’Leary School in Edmonton and coming to a close after a twenty-four year dedication to drama classes at Beaumont High School. |
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It was at Beaumont High that I first worked with Keith. Urged by one of his star students, he decided to step over the abyss from straight plays to a musical (Godspell, 1994) and in his terror, he pulled me in as a quasi- musical director/vocal coach. Looking back I realize now that I knew only slightly more than Keith, but boy oh boy, we both gained a lot over our long-time collaboration. Some of our highlights: even students who have difficulty singing can muster up enough acting chops to win a provincial one-act award (Mikado, 1995) and enough charisma to win the hearts of an audience (Once Upon a Mattress, 1998). We also learned that teenagers may not admit it, but they don’t have trouble acting like children with parents (How to Eat Like a Child, 2000, 2007), or without (Annie, 1999). And most importantly we learned that you can make almost anything out of a pool noodle (Seussical, 2006).
I am so sad, and yes, also angry, that my time with Keith has been cut short; I fear I won’t feel the full impact of losing him until fall and for the first time in almost twenty years we will not be working on a musical together (he had finally promised to do Anne of Green Gables). I know his untimely passing will be felt profoundly by his family and close friends and by the thousands of people he sparked with a deep love for theatre –students, fellow educators, collaborators, community theatre associates and Theatre Alberta comrades.
Good bye my dear friend. You will be missed, but definitely not forgotten.
Jan Taylor
Theatre Alberta member and friend
“The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."
~ William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
What's New at Theatre Alberta
Click the headline for more information.
THEATRE ALBERTA CASINO REMINDER
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NOVEMBER 22 AND 23, 2012.
Theatre Alberta will be holding its casino at the Baccarat Casino — located in downtown Edmonton. We are looking for existing or new members to volunteer. Please contact the office and we’ll be happy to give you more information. Don’t worry if you’ve never worked a casino before (or even if you’ve never stepped foot in one!) there are a variety of easy roles to fill. You’ll be having fun with friends, meeting new members, and helping ensure Theatre Alberta receives vital funding.
Call us at 780-422-8162 (toll free 1-888-422-8160) or email us at theatreab@theatrealberta.com to volunteer.
All volunteers receive credit towards their Theatre Alberta membership!
CENOVUS ENERGY SUPPORTS ARTSTREK 2012 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Theatre Alberta is proud to announce we have applied a $5,000 donation from Cenovus Energy to sponsor the Artstrek 2012 Scholarship program.
“We are excited and grateful to partner with Cenovus to help kids that need financial assistance to come to Artstrek,” notes Keri Mitchell, Theatre Alberta Executive Director. “Memories made at Artstrek last a lifetime and you never want a family to say, ‘We just can’t afford it.’ With Cenovus’s help, they don’t have to!”
Cenovus Energy is a Canadian oil company. The company looks to create shared value by collaborating with community organizations through its community investment program.
This year, 15 students are receiving Theatre Alberta Scholarships to attend Artstrek. By applying Cenovus Energy's donation towards the Scholarship program, Theatre Alberta is working to ensure Artstrek is accessible to all Albertan teens, regardless of ability to pay.
From all of us at Theatre Alberta, thank you Cenovus Energy for your investment in Artstrek 2012!
Click here for full story.
ARTSTREK 2012 COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP PARTNERS
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Theatre Alberta would like to extend our gratitude to the community organizations across our province who have sponsored teens to attend Artstrek 2012.
This year 21 students in Exploration I and II took the initiative to source funding from organizations within their communities to help pay the cost of their Artstrek program fees. Students received either full or partial sponsorships from their community sponsor.
We are incredibly grateful to these organizations for their support of Theatre Alberta and theatre arts education in our province. Many sponsors are long-time members of Theatre Alberta and their continued engagement with us and our programs is invaluable. |
Community sponsors for Artstrek 2012 include:
About Time Productions
Alberta High School Drama Festival Association
Blackie Lions Club
Devona Reid
Edmonton Public School Board (Ben Suave Scholarship)
Horizon Stage
Horizon Stagelighters
NuFloors Prism Paint & Wallpaper Fashions
Peace Players
Rogue Players Dramatists' Guild
Rotary Club of Calgary
Theatre 75
Windmill Theatre Players
Thank you once again for your support!
WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Theatre Alberta held its Annual General Meeting on July 7th and we are pleased to welcome our new members of our Board of Directors:
Lynda Adams (Red Deer)
Michelle Brandenburg (Calgary)
Cyril Cook (Grande Prairie)
Kristen Finlay (Edmonton)
We also want to acknowledge and thank our Outgoing Board Members for their outstanding service to Theatre Alberta. The following excerpt is from Michele Brown's President's Report:
Amy DeFelice for your compassion and commitment to the integral values of our organization.
Anne Marie Szucs for your tenacity and dedication to the fiscal stewardship of Theatre Alberta and your clarity and vision at the Board table.
Adrian Tanasichuk for your ready and willing attitude and desire to help whenever help was needed.
Thomas Usher for indefatigable optimism and your inspiring and steady commitment to Theatre Alberta not to mention your stellar recording of minutes.
DRAMAWORKS 2012 IS A WRAP - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
A huge explosion of gratitude to everyone involved in Dramaworks 2012 - you all helped us make this year's event a resounding success!
77 participants from across Alberta travelled to Edmonton for our biennial adult theatre workshop event. We welcomed folks from Whitelaw in the north to Okotoks in the south, from Hinton in the west to Lloydminster in the east (SK side!). We were pleased to also welcome participants from as far as Manitoba and Québec.
Thank you to our Dramaworks instructors for creating such a dynamic and exciting curriculum this year in Immersive Theatre, Playwriting, Singing Technique, Lighting, Meisner Technique and Theatre Boot Camp. |
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We'd like to especially thank the University of Alberta Department of Drama for hosting Dramaworks 2012 once again this year. Thank you to Campus Tower Suite Hotel and Lister Centre for making space available for our out-of-town participants. And a special thank you to Catalyst Theatre and Northern Light Theatre for all of your support.
We've emailed a Dramworks 2012 survey to all participants through Survey Monkey. We really value your input and your thoughts - please take a few moments to let us know about your experience. If you did not receive an email with a link to our Dramaworks 2012 survey, please contact Michelle Kennedy, Programmer at 780-422-8162 (toll-free 1-888-422-8160 outside of Edmonton) or by email at michelle@theatrealberta.com.
Visit our Facebook page for pictures!
ANDREW RITCHIE: 2012 MICHELLE DIAS AWARD RECIPIENT
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Theatre Alberta is proud to announce the recipient of the inaugural Michelle Dias Community Service Award: Andrew Ritchie.
Andrew was selected by a jury of Theatre Alberta board members and representatives from the Citadel Theatre (where Michelle Dias was Head of Scenic Art for 16 years).
While the field of applicants was extremely competitive, Andrew’s award submission demonstrated a selfless commitment to the Alberta theatre community and to sharing knowledge with his colleagues and peers.
Andrew received a full scholarship to attend Dramaworks 2012. |
Michelle Dias was a well-loved member of the Alberta theatre community. She was an invaluable Dramaworks instructor and a former Dramaworks participant – she was a guest speaker at the 50th Anniversary event for Dramaworks in 2010. Michelle was also instrumental in the creation of Theatre Alberta’s Safe Stages, a vital resource for health and safety best practices in the theatre.
Michelle passed away unexpectedly on September 6, 2011, in Edmonton. In recognition of Michelle’s contributions to Theatre Alberta and the wider provincial theatre community, Theatre Alberta created a scholarship for our Dramaworks program in her name.
PUBLICIZE YOUR FRINGE SHOW ON THEATRE ALBERTA'S CLASSIFIEDS
Theatre Alberta members are invited to publicize their upcoming Calgary Fringe and/or Edmonton Fringe productions through one of the most popular sections of our website – Classifieds.
Simply fill out this online form, choose a date you wish your listing to be published and voilà - you have your own dedicated web post. You can upload a picture and one other piece of media – be it a song (mp3 file), poster, or another photo. (If you have a promo video on YouTube or another video sharing site, simply type in the URL of your video and it will automatically embed in your post.)
If you wish to update your listing – say, when your five-star review comes out and you want to upload a copy or link to the article - no problem! You will receive a unique hyperlink to have your post updated as new information becomes available.
Best of all, this service is free for Theatre Alberta members. (Membership must be current through August 2012.) Not a member? Need to renew? Visit theatrealberta.com/membership/ and apply or renew your membership online. Fees are low, and you’ll be eligible for all the perks that a Theatre Alberta membership has to offer!
LIBRARY HOURS
Just a reminder that Theatre Alberta's Library is now closed on Saturdays until September.
Theatre Alberta's Library will be closed August 4 - 6 for the Heritage Day long weekend.
The Drop Box will be unavailable.
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indicates production was written/collectively created by an Albertan artist/group
indicates production was written/collectively created by a Canadian artist/group
