Feature: THEATRE FROM A DISTANCE With ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS

Heading into the month of Pride, news that Alberta is moving up its timeline for reopening, has made the idea of a Fall 2021 Theatre Season more and more likely. However, Calgary's artists and creators have not been idle. Some have spent their time creating new productions, while others have expanded their company to include more of the digital medium, and some, of course, have taken the opportunity to incorporate both: presenting new productions utilizing various online platforms.

Alberta Theatre Projects, celebrating 49 years this coming season, is airing the seventh and final reading of their 2021 Playwrights Projects on Friday May 28th 2021 over Zoom. The company is known for original plays and adaptations of Canadian works, pulling from artists all over the country. I sat down with Interim Executive Director (formerly General Manager) Kyle Russell to talk about how the company has navigated the leap to digital media.

The final in-person performance in ATP's home at the Martha Cohen Theatre was of 'Actually' by Anna Ziegler, on March 11th 2020, cancelling the final few performances following the announcement that Alberta would be heading into their first lockdown.

"I think everyone was disappointed that the theatre was going dark." Russell told me. ATP was also preparing to present a world premiere play entitled 'Cowgirl Up' by Anna Chatterton, which focused on misogyny in rodeo culture from a mythical perspective. "We were able to present a reading of the play internally to give it the first read treatment it was going to get on the day we were originally going to start with the company of the show, but it was hard for us all to accept that this production wasn't going to be staged as we had planned."

Following the play reading, a series of postponements (brought on by the increasing cases of COVID-19 and rising restrictions) would keep the company from presenting anymore full productions until December 2020. A staged reading of 'The Wizard of Oz', adapted by Andrew Scanlon, was presented live on the Martha Cohen Stage and streamed to audiences in their homes.

Russell confided that supporting staff through uncertain times took its toll on everyone. "We unfortunately had to lay-off our casual staff in the front of house and box office without any productions or rental clients in the Martha Cohen Theatre, as well as offering very limited work to our crew since the pandemic began... We've been really cognizant of offering whatever work we can to staff and artists, but given the restrictions on major events (both in person and virtual), it has been much more infrequent than we'd like."

With little work to be done in the theatre, the answer for ATP was: community. "We've been okay at best with this, but the stress of continuously pivoting plans takes a mental and emotional toll on anyone... We're facing the same desire to be back in the theatre as any other industry who can't operate as normal.

"I think the most support we've been able to offer is a sense of community. Our leaders have been keeping in touch with their staff and our artists, and providing any updates we can when they arise. I think this has given us a stronger connection than we had before to our entire team, but I wish we could be doing more to put people to work in the industry they love."

The company also faced a personal tragedy in November 2020, when Artistic Director Darcy Evans lost his battle with cancer at the age of 50. Evans, who joined ATP in 2018, left behind a legacy of commercial success, visual creativity, and national collaboration. His work helped ATP to remain stable during the theatre's shut down.

Without the continuous connection of the stage to engage with their audience, Alberta Theatre Projects turned to their education program, most notably: their Playwrights Unit. The program (which for 2020 and 2021 were presented through a series of Zoom meetings) connects playwrights through a workshop of new works, at the end of which, it is presented as a staged reading. 2021's final reading will take place on May 28th and more information can be found here.

Beyond that, ATP also made their spring and summer day camps into a digital experience. The program is designed for students ages 9-12, and involves a pre-packaged kit of items sent to the student for them to use in a full day of activity. "This has been great because it mixes screen time with non-screen time, includes many different topics such as puppet making or improv, and because adult supervision isn't required, we find that parents love this as a way for them to work from home while keeping their kids busy!"

Sending theatre into the world of streaming was not an easy leap for any company to make. A large part of the in-person experience goes beyond what is seen on the stage, and seeing actors on a screen generally does no evoke the same emotion as a live performance. The Executive Director understood this all too well. "You get a glass of wine, you meet friends, you experience a different show each night you go; you are immersed in the art of theatre as soon as the lights go down with no distractions, and you interpret the show a number of different ways when you see it live and in person.

"However, when you try and replicate this online, you're now competing with Netflix, magazines, a smartphone - anything that might take your attention away from the art - and you're used to a different experience. Through all our digital offerings, we've kept it top of mind that we're not competing with TV - we're trying to give an experience that our audiences will feel is valuable to them. But it's tough to know what experience we can provide that audiences will feel is connecting them to contemporary theatre from home."

As a way to make watching an ATP show a night to remember, the company partnered with Deane House, a local restaurant in Downtown Calgary. "Because restaurants have faced many of the same challenges as the theatre community, we've partnered with them to offer a 'dine and view' product where you get a delicious meal from the restaurant to enjoy at home while watching an Alberta Theatre Projects presentation."

Though creating theatre in uncertain times has made life in the industry difficult, there are always silver linings to be found. "If anything, COVID-19 (from cancelling our in-person shows to constantly re-jigging our season) has shown the need for flexibility." Russell told me. "One area that I think we are interested in, is eliminating geographic barriers in new play development and education programs."

However, the Executive Director concluded, the goal for ATP is to welcome patrons back to the Martha Cohen as soon as it is safe to do so. "I think people will be extremely interested in meeting in person again for any shared connection - whether that is in developing art or consuming it as an audience member... We really want people back in the theatre, but we want to do so safely. That being said, we're ready to move on next season as soon as it's possible to do so."

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