For the 14th year in a row, Theatre in the Park is ready to tour across Saskatchewan.
Theatre in the Park will make various stops across the province from May 14 to June 30. For the fifth year in a row, Theatre in the Park will be performing in Prince Albert on Thursday, June 4 at 1:30 and 7 p.m. in Kinsmen Park.
Mackenzie Dawson is an artistic director for Sum Theatre in Saskatoon and is the director of The Colour of the Town, which is the play being performed this year.
In an interview with the Daily Herald, Dawson says the event is important because it might be the first exposure someone has to the arts community.
“I think what’s really special about Theatre in the Park is how much of a community builder it is in terms of making theater free and accessible for the general public while also offering it in the context of a really local event for a community to come together in their neighborhood park and enjoy totally free of charge. We’ve had so many people see their first theater play ever at Theatre in the Park and I think that gives us such an opportunity to spark interest, engagement and inspiration for people to understand what theatre, art or just the idea of being creative might mean for them throughout the rest of their lives.”
Theatre in the Park has two scheduled dates in La Ronge on Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. at Morley Wilson Park and Wednesday, June 3 at 1 p.m. at the Pre-Cam Community School.
Theatre in the Park will also have numerous dates in Regina and Saskatoon.
When asked why they make the trip north to Prince Albert and La Ronge, Dawson says they have a mission to spread arts all across the province.
“A few years ago, we decided that we wanted this to be as much of a provincial initiative as possible. If we were going to keep building the impact of this program and our work, then it was important for us to branch out outside of our hometown of Saskatoon. Prince Albert and La Ronge, they’re pretty well populated spots up the highway from us. Particularly in the case of La Ronge, when we go there, there’s even more scarcity when it comes to live arts programming. We hear this from our partners in the town and schools, just folks who attend the shows that they never have plays, especially on this scale, come to the community. It’s a particularly unique experience for the adults, for the kids, for all the families that get to see our shows. I think that, in terms of building out our logistical reach, has been really important for us to serve our mandate of bringing art to the people of Saskatchewan.“
The play “The Colour of the Town” is an original story created by Sum Theatre for the Theatre in the Park performances. Every year, members of Sum Theatre spend nearly a week in January brainstorming ideas and creating music for the performances.
Dawson says the play will be something people of all ages will be able to enjoy.
“The Colour of the Town is about a place called Taupe Town, where every week, they vote to paint the buildings a new color. But every week, they vote for Taupe so nothing ever changes. But then what happens when a butterfly with all of these new colors comes to town and teaches some of the kids that there’s a lot of other options than Taupe. It takes this theme of democracy, voting and community engagement. It encourages folks that it is really important to engage with our friends and our neighbors, especially when we disagree. We want to encourage folks too, that you can have such a powerful impact on the community you live in, because that’s really where it matters most if you want to play a big part in change.”
The runnings of Theatre in the Park are free to attend and run approximately 45 minutes in length.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
