One in every of Canada’s oldest operating theatre teams is being featured in a quick movie that premiered in southern Alberta this week.
It began in 1923, when Ernest Sterndale Bennett entered a church in Lethbridge.
“The history of the membership that began on this constructing proper behind us 101 years in the past at this level,” mentioned Allen Gibson, the producer behind Lifers: A Century of Habit to Theatre. “Two individuals confirmed up on the first assembly — Sterndale Bennett and one different man. However, inside a number of years, they have been promoting out the 1,000-seat theatre that we had right here in Lethbridge, and the way many individuals know that we had a 1,000-seat theatre right here in Lethbridge known as the Majestic?”
The membership, Playgoers of Lethbridge, stays one of many oldest working newbie theatre teams in Canada. So, to have a good time a century of historical past, Gibson created a brand new quick movie to encourage the subsequent 100 years.
“I’d say my secret want was that it would encourage a number of extra individuals to return out and become involved in group theatre. They’re at all times on the lookout for individuals. You don’t should go on stage, there’s numerous issues within the background which are equally essential to placing on an excellent present,” mentioned Gibson.
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Playgoers’ president, Elaine Jagielski, says it’s nice publicity for the volunteer group.
“We have been actually excited with the ultimate product. It appears unbelievable and permits individuals to be launched to among the historical past of playgoers,” mentioned Jagielski.
She says theatre helps communities develop.
“It’s leisure; it could deliver ahead consciousness round sure matters or points or deliver to gentle one thing, one thing that perhaps the individual has had expertise with, or hasn’t had expertise with. It’d open up an entire new space of one thing to look into.”
The movie highlights the love many have of appearing, whereas additionally documenting the enduring historical past.
“It value a buck to go to the theatre in Lethbridge again within the Twenties, however you could possibly go to the films for like 50 cents or 1 / 4. So, that made it tougher to get an viewers. Over time, the theatre moved increasingly more in the direction of lighter leisure as a result of individuals nonetheless like to snicker,” mentioned Gibson.
The movie was created alongside Telus Storyhive and Gibson has two completely different movies that premiered this week. The primary is the quick movie. The opposite is much less of a story journey and extra of a factual telling of the historical past of Playgoers.
Each movies can be found on YouTube.
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