By Michael Kryton
Over centuries, performance art has survived plagues, wars and social upheaval. This story is a snapshot of an amateur theatre company, Walterdale Theatre Associates, commonly known as Waterdale Theatre established in the late 50s in Edmonton; it is a story of resilience, perseverance and relentless dedication to theatre driven by volunteers.
Eric Rice, Walterdale’s current administrator (and Production Manager for the current production of ‘The Mask’) summarizes Walterdale’s current position within a COVID world. “Walterdale has the advantage of a strong volunteer core and ethic. Delays and cancellations don’t have the same financial impact as they do on professional theatres that have to buy out contracts. What’s important for Walterdale is to keep their volunteer base engaged and supportive.”
Richard Hatfield, the veteran Technical Director for Walterdale, echoes Rice’s perspective. “Many of our volunteers have been out of the theatre for 10+ months. I certainly wish to get as many people back into the fold as quickly as we can safely do so. Without our volunteers, we are nothing.”
Indeed, Walterdale’s volunteers, the backbone of the theatre, are unabashed in their commitment. Kahen Oosterveld is the Stage Manager for ‘The Mask’, a play in production and hanging in suspension in the face of a moving target: COVID and its ugly variant cousins. “The pandemic took a huge toll on theatre everywhere, including the Walterdale. It was a time of confusion and worry for everyone. This being said, everyone involved here has been doing an amazing job of keeping things under control and making sure safety is the top priority for everyone.”
Thanks to Board Members, such as Anne Marie Szucs, the author of Walterdale’s COVID program, Walterdale has established a robust COVID program. It is an important document. Bailey Ferchoff, a recent graduate from the University of Alberta’s BFA Theatre Design Program, is on the team designing sets and props for the Walterdale’s production of ‘The Mask’. “This pandemic has effectively turned what would have been the intimate and tight-knit process of designing a local show, into an experience equivalent to having design a production in another province, or even another country. It feels incredibly alien to have to be so distant with people you have worked so closely with in the past, when it feels like you should be able to be nothing more than an arms-reach away.”
Ferchoff’s perspective focuses the light on something that theatre, music and other performance arts entities are grasping as a reality. Adam Luijix, the Audio Director for ‘The Mask’ summarizes this context. “I believe it is important going forward to embrace the technologies and strategies used to keep theatre going without a physical audience, so we can continue to tell stories and give audiences something to experience.”
So, this begs the question: where does Walterdale go from here? Well, the answer lies in the legacy of art over time. If one is to take the perspective of those who have a long history with Walterdale, the answer is simple: theatre prevails. It continues, because, as truly defined by the tradition of Walterdale, the show must go on.