Episode 58: Milestone anniversaries for local arts organizations
Featuring Alberta Theatre Projects, Lunchbox Theatre and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
As a new performing arts season is upon us, host Adora Nwofor sits down with Pieta Luti of Alberta Theatre Projects, Bronwyn Steinberg of Lunchbox Theatre and Kimberley Cooper of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks to reflect on how they started, how they’ve evolved over the years, and their ongoing passion for the performing arts.
Bronwyn Steinberg, Artistic Director of Lunchbox Theatre, which turns 50 this year, says it’s important to her that people leave the theatre feeling good for having gone there, even if the material itself is sometimes heavy. “Like sometimes there’s juicy, you know, intense journeys, but that you leave the story with a sense of hope, an uplifting sort of message, and a real feeling of being together with the storytellers onstage and with the other audience members. And I think because our venue is small and we do these smaller scale things, you really feel like you’re right there as part of the story, which is to me, really special, and why I love to do live theatre… I want to connect with people.”
For Kimberley Cooper, who started at DJD as a young dance before eventually becoming it’s Artistic Director, she is still excited about the 40-year-old company’s potential. “I still feel like I’m getting started, but like, what an opportunity to have that chance to grow. And then how am I going to help foster that growth, to encourage dancers to be choreographers, to keep them growing and hungry and to keep creating new work. All of our theatres are quite intimate, and I think that there is something about being close to the work, and that’s great for us for dance. We want audiences to feel like they’re a part of it and see our faces and be in it.”
Pieta Luti, Executive Director of Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP), which is marking its 50th anniversary, says the company was a trailblazer for new Canadian works in its earlier days. Now, as more theatre companies have joined that effort, ATP is evolving — and she’s excited to see what direction is takes in the next five years. But one thing that won’t change is the shared experience makes live theatre special. “What I love about theatre is that there is this collective decision by the audience to… believe everything that is happening on that stage. You know, wherever it’s set or whoever the characters are. And I think that that’s just, it lends itself to incredibly powerful storytelling. The audience can’t help just to be involved in whether they are, you know, standing, sitting, contributing vocally or clapping at the end.”
Learn more about the origins of these companies as well as what’s in store for this next season and beyond on this week’s Living a Creative Life.
For a full rundown on the arts events and culture scene in Calgary, visit our one-stop-shop events listings at yycwhatson.ca.
About the Living a Creative Life Web Series
As a salute to the thousands of Calgarians who are living creative lives, Calgary Arts Development has launched this web series to celebrate creative living in our city.
The Living a Creative Life web series, hosted by local activist and comedian Adora Nwofor and produced by Bamboo Shoots, will release a new episode each month, featuring stories of Calgarians living creatively.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
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