To our Members:
 Honourable David Eggen, Minister of Culture and Tourism, with the APAC Resource Guide
| On October 30, the Alberta Partners for Arts and Culture, a coalition of Alberta’s eight Provincial Arts Services Organizations and four Cultural Industry Associations, proudly presented the Honourable David Eggen, Minister of Culture and Tourism, with a new guide we created to help Alberta’s MLAs learn more about and connect with our province’s vibrant arts and culture industry. Theatre Alberta’s contribution was a copy of the 2015/2016 Playbill poster, which will be distributed in the guide to all MLAs over the coming weeks.
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This year’s Playbill poster lists 338 productions by 188 Albertan theatre companies—that’s almost a play a day (or many more when you consider the festivals)! 34% of the productions this season are written/created by Albertans, and another 11% are Canadian works. The Young Playbill contains information on 70 youth theatre programs and productions across the province. Please don’t hesitate to call or write your MLA to highlight the productions and programs in your region.
 Theatre Alberta Executive Director Keri Mitchell poses in the Cabinet Chambers of the Federal Building during Minister Eggen's post-budget reception. |
At our meeting with Minister Eggen, the Alberta Partners for Arts and Culture thanked the Government for their budget commitment to increase their support to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in 2016/2017 and beyond, and commended the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their work over the past six years, as many difficult decisions have been necessary in order to best support Alberta’s artists and arts organizations with the funds made available to them. We look forward with great excitement to the increased capacity to make and share art with our fellow Albertans—and to share Alberta’s stories with the country and the world—that the future promises! - Keri |
"I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost - it's there and then it's gone.”
~Maggie Smith
WORKSHOPS BY REQUEST:
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES
 The Banff Centre |
There are just ten days left to register for our Workshops by Request: Rocky Mountain Series’ inaugural master class at The Banff Centre, led by Mammalian Diving Reflex’s Darren O’Donnell.
Initiated by Calgary’s Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, the Compelling Telling: Imaginative Interventions in Public Spaces master class will focus on the basics of Mammalian’s “social acupuncture” method to create innovative ways for artists to engage and interact with the public. Through discussions, case studies, exercises, and designing and testing out performance interventions in the Banff community, participants will gain tools and ideas for developing an artistic practice that is socially-minded, playful, and engages members of their own communities.
Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a special talk by Ghana ThinkTank, a non-profit art collective who work globally to allow “third world” communities to intervene with issues affecting the “developed world.” The talk is part of the Banff Centre Talks series, and should provide insight related to the learning in the master class.
This class is a must for any artist interested in creating socially engaged work, and a chance to connect with like-minded artists from across the province. No previous experience with social practice or participatory performance is necessary.
The class runs from December 4-6, 2015 at The Banff Centre.
The deadline for registrations is Wednesday, November 18, 2015. To register, click here.
Tuition is $350 + GST, plus the cost of an accommodation and meal package at The Banff Centre. Shared rooms at The Banff Centre are available for approximately $35 per person, per night, and meals plans will be approximately $40 per day. Should you wish to arrange for accommodations off-campus, you will receive an artist card to purchase on-campus meals at a discount.
Questions about the class? Interested in hosting a master class at The Banff Centre as part of the Rocky Mountain Series? Please contact Theatre Alberta’s Operations and Partnerships Coordinator, Morgan Norwich, at morgan@theatrealberta.com.
Theatre Alberta thanks The Banff Centre for its assistance with the 2015 Compelling Telling Workshop.
WORKSHOPS BY REQUEST:
HOMETOWN SERIES
Workshops by Request: Hometown Series are coordinated by Theatre Alberta at your request and targeted to the specific needs of your theatre organization. These highly subsidized workshops bring trained professionals right to your community for 1, 1.5, or 2 day workshops.
Click Here to Apply for Your Own Workshop in the Hometown Series of Workshops by Request.
Workshops by Request applications are accepted throughout the theatre season. Any group member of Theatre Alberta may apply for a workshop on any topic of their choice. For more information, please email Patrick Beagan, Program Coordinator at patrick@theatrealberta.com.
PICKS OF THE EDMONTON FRINGE:
We are back on the road! The first touring production of the 2015-2016 Picks of the Edmonton Fringe is Rapid Fire Theatre’s Off Book: The Improvised Musical. On tour from November 4-16, watch for it in Edson, Grande Prairie, Peace River, Fort McMurray, and Medicine Hat.
Performance dates are still available for SodHouse Theatre’s Shangri-La, touring from February 2-15, 2016, and Azimuth Theatre’s Real Time, touring from April 1-13, 2016.
Theatre Alberta staff had a great time at Alberta Showcase, held at Fort Saskatchewan’s Dow Centennial Centre on October 25! Our newly announced shows for our 2016-2017 touring season performed excerpts to a very receptive audience of potential presenters, and we announced our receipt of a Community Initiatives Program grant from Alberta Culture and Tourism for the project. We received expressions of interest from towns visited previously and from towns we have yet to visit! Defiance Theatre’s OCD will travel as a double-bill with Impulse Theatre’s rooms//apart in November 2016, with Grindstone Theatre’s Life is a Musical hitting the road in February 2017.
For more information about each production, including tour dates and pricing, please visit theatrealberta.com/tour. Picks of the Edmonton Fringe is presented by Theatre Alberta, Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta, and
Fringe Theatre Adventures.
THEATRE ALBERTA 2015 RAFFLE DRAW
The 2015 Theatre Alberta Raffle (AGLC Raffle Licence #410832) was held at 3 p.m. on October 30 in the ATB Financial Arts Barns. Congratulations to all of our winners!
PRIZE |
WINNER |
CITY |
TICKET |
Draw #1: Calgary Experience Package,
value of $609.90 |
Sue Charlton |
Edmonton |
0588 |
Draw #2: Edmonton Experience Package,
value of $582.25 |
Shauna Murphy |
Rosebud |
0860 |
Draw #3: Rosebud Theatre Package,
value of $280 |
Donna McIsaac |
Edmonton |
0769 |
Draw #4: Sundance Hot Air Balloon Package,
value of $650 |
Annemarie Strand |
Toronto |
0344 |
Draw #5: Battle of Alberta Package,
value 0f $2200 |
Christine Campbell |
Calgary |
0496 |
Draw #6: Build Your Own Adventure Package,
value of $2000 |
Jeremy Willis |
Edmonton |
0729 |
Theatre Alberta would like to thank everyone who purchased a ticket as well as our Board of Directors who worked to make tickets available across the province. And, of course, a big thank you goes to each of our 2015 Raffle donors:
2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Theatre Alberta members gathered at the ATB Financial Arts Barns in Edmonton on Friday, October 30 for the Society's Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Board had the pleasure of welcoming its two newest members: Frazer Andrews and Thomas Bradshaw.
Frazer has a wide variety of experience in almost all aspects of theatre including as an actor, a technician, a dramaturge, a production manager, and, until recently, as the Program Coordinator at Theatre Alberta. Frazer currently works at the University of Athabasca and now lives in South Athabasca with his wife and son. |
Thomas is an instructor at the School of Creative Arts at Red Deer College in the Theatre Performance and Creation Program. His education includes an MFA (Acting) and a Graduate Teaching Diploma (Voice and Speech). Thomas has also held the position of Programmer for the Performing Arts for the City of Red Deer. |
WHAT'S NEW AT THEATRE ALBERTA
WELCOME TO APN'S NEW 'ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE NORTH!
 Catherine Vielguth |
The Alberta Playwrights’ Network (APN) and Theatre Alberta have been affiliated with each other since 1995.The position of Artistic Associate North, located in Edmonton, was recently created by APN as an outreach initiative for northern Alberta. On September 1, 2015, Catherine Vielguth was hired to fill the position and we are happy to welcome her to our office! |
THEATRE ALBERTA LIBRARY
WHAT THE YELLOW STARS IN THE ONLINE CATALOGUE REALLY MEAN
We upgraded our library software this spring and would like to explain the yellow star icon visible on search results.
- Search the title you’re looking for in our online catalogue.
- If a yellow star appears on the bottom of the book cover, it is a Collection Item. The line below the title (starting with “in...“ will list the name of the Collection in which this title is located.
- This time, search for the Collection.
- If the search results show the Collection with a green IN symbol, it’s available to borrow. If the OUT icon is visible, the Collection can be reserved.
Here’s an example:
“Essay" is identified as a Collection Item as indicated by the yellow star. It is found within the Collection "The Russian Play and Other Short Works / CCO.”
Happy Reading!
LIBRARY HOURS
Please note Theatre Alberta's Library will be closed November 11th for Remembrance Day. 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
