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Alberta

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Province of western Canada with a population of 3.5 million in 2009, and a flourishing theatre scene.

Though it was the formation of the Manitoba Theatre Centre /MTC in 1958 which started the boom in post-war professional theatre in the prairies. Alberta wasn't far behind with the establishment of Citadel Theatre (1965) and Theatre Calgary (1968).

However, Alberta has enjoyed a vibrant theatre scene since the end of the nineteenth century. Christmas festivals in Edmonton as far back as 1879 included dramatic readings and recitations. After the railroad reached Edmonton in 1891, the population grew and a local theatre was established: the Edmonton Amateur Society was formed in 1891, the Garrick Club in 1900, and the Edmonton Operatic and Dramatic Society in 1903

In May of 1892, the first professional troupe to visit Edmonton arrived and the town's sheriff, W.S. Robertson, built the first real theatre in 1982, which he named Robertson's Hall, but which burned down in 1906. In summer 1904, the Thistle Rink Theatre began to present plays until the Opera House was built in 1906 and the Rink reverted to roller skating in the summer. Alexander Cameron, who had built the House, also built the Kevin Theatre behind it in 1907 - which burned less than two months after it opened; however Cameron quickly built the Dominion Theatre on the same plot in 1908. In 1906 the first Empire opened for vaudeville (which never caught on). The Dominion changed hands in 1911 and became the Majestic and then closed for good in 1914. The Opera House became the Lyceum Theatre in 1910.

The second Empire opened in 1909 and proved suitable enough to receive big names like Sarah Bernhardt and Johnston Forbes-Robinson. But it was the third Empire, opened in 1920, that was seen as one of the finest theatres in the country.

Calgary had its first group, the Calgary Amateur Music and Dramatic Club, in 1884, and boasted a fine theatre, Hull's Opera House, by the 1890s. With the formation of the Calgary Operatic Society in 1895, came the ubiquitous Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

1912 saw the opening of the Grand Theatre and a visit from Forbes-Robinson to inaugurate the building. In the 20s, the Calgary Little Theatre was using the building. By 1921, the town boasted many theatres, including the Capitol, The Royal, The Princess, The Monarch, The Empire and The Lyric.

By then, touring companies from outside the region began to dominate the cultural landscape.

Had it not been for the ongoing activities of amateurs between the wars and during WW II, indigenous theatre in the prairies might very well have been a moot point.

Alberta formed the Drama League in 1929, which became a model for the Dominion Drama Festival .

The creation of Banff Centre for the Arts (by Elizabeth Sterling Haynes - who also helped organize the Drama League - and EA Corbett in 1933) also set the stage for the development of Alberta artists and a Western dramaturgy.

Then came the post-MTC boom. The history of theatre after that is one of the companies and venues, artists and funding , of course. But it must be said that theatre, particularly in Edmonton and Calgary, is very well supported by the public as seen in the popularity of companies like Citadel Theatre , Workshop West Theatre , Catalyst Theatre , Theatre Network , Teatro la Quindicina , Theatre Calgary , and Alberta Theatre Projects .

Other related articles in The Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre on the WWW: Lyle Victor Albert ; David Belke ; Canmore Opera House ; Ron Chambers ; Marty Chan ; Clifford E. Lee Award ; Chris Craddock ; Stewart Lemoine ; Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards (Sterling Awards); Richard Epp ; Morris Ertman ; Fringe Theatre Adventures ; Ghost River ; Greg Nelson ; Northern Light Theatre ; One Yellow Rabbit ; Phoenix Theatre ; Eugene Stickland ; Theatre 3 ; Theatre Junction ; Vern Thiessen ; Bob White ; Rachel Wyatt .

Further reading: John Orrell. Fallen Empires: Lost Theatres of Edmonton 1881-1914. Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2008.

E. Ross Stuart. The History of Prairie Theatre. Toronto: Simon and Pierre, 1984.

Anne Nothof, ed. The Alberta Advantage: An Anthology of Plays. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press, 2008.

Also see the CTE article: History of Canadian Theatre

Last updated 2009-12-29