Shuswap Theatre — live theatre at its best!

Dec 3-5, Salmon Arm –

It seems that live theatre has been around the Shuswap since just about anyone can remember. Early on, the Shuswap Players were a popular group of amateur actors and actresses in the area, entertaining theatre buffs as early as the 1960’s.

When, in 1977, the Salmon Arm Recreation Department, with the thought of perhaps starting a theatre group, advertised for people who loved live theatre, they were astonished when 24 people showed up to a meeting in the drama room at J. L. Jackson Secondary School! Thus began the first season of the Shuswap Theatre.

Early on, it was realized that the group would need its own home if it were to survive and so a former supper club was rented, where, for the next two years, the group performed for enthusiastic audiences. Meanwhile, funds needed to be raised for a permanent home for the Theatre and so the determined group set to work to find and renovate an old building in downtown Salmon Arm. In 1980, they moved into their own theatre at 41 Hudson Avenue, where they have been ever since.

Shuswap Theatre’s purpose is three-fold:

1. To perform live theatre productions to foster the appreciation of live theatre,
2. To develop the theatrical abilities of society members, and
3. To do everything incidental and necessary to promote and attain the foregoing objects in Salmon Arm and vicinity”.

Each season, the theatre presents 3 mainstage productions, the final one being entered in the Okanagan Zone Festival. As well, in 2002, Second Stage Productions was instigated for the intervals between the three major events, to provide a venue for play readings and also to enable new actors and directors to gain valuable experience. Shuswap Theatre has also sponsored summer theatre productions.

The current Shuswap Theatre’s production is a musical revue called “Stranded’ and it just has to be the perfect theme for the holiday season. Set in the Salmon Arm International Airport, just before Christmas, with passengers bound for warmer places and stranded by a blizzard, the story revolves around the passengers who “keep their spirits bright” by entertaining each other with song, dance, storytelling, poetry recitation, etc.

Mark December 3-5, 2009 on your calendar because you will want to see this amazing performance! Tickets will be available at the door only. Adults are $10, students are $5.

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Shuswap Theatre, you can fill out an online questionnaire at http://www.shuswaptheatre.com/interested. Acting may not be your area of interest of expertise, but there are many areas of involvement in the successful production of a stage play. Costumes, lighting, set design and many more jobs give enthusiasts a way to be a part of the team.