Virtual Tour of Catalyst Theatre

After rehearsal yesterday, my musician friend Marie-Josee Houle, who also happened to be in town visiting family and friends, gave me a wonderful driving tour of downtown Edmonton. We also went for some darn good pizza and limoncello. Anyway, I thought I would offer my own virtual tour of the Catalyst Theatre workspace. Yes, everyone, this is where it all happens…

From the outside, the gray-blue building looks pretty ordinary: just off a busy road that leads to the highway, a solitary structure in an open field with tall apartments in the distance.

view from the road

A little closer look shows an imposing wooden door with scattered colouring that suggests something unusual lurks inside… (alright, there’s a reason I’ve never written mystery novels)

front door

And this is where it gets interesting: the entrance way of the theatre. Talk about atmosphere! Imagine audience members piling into the theatre and running their hands along the walls covered in thick crumpled fabric with dim lights… and a recycling bin! To the right of the door are the office spaces of the Artistic Director, Managing Producer, and the other administrative staff.

entrance way

Here’s a closer look at the material, likely put together by Resident Designer Bretta Gerecke.

fire extinguisher

Then we move closer into the theatre where, for now, many of the costumes and props are laid out for rehearsal. That structure on the right is a bar, and the washrooms and dressing rooms are to the left.

hallway into the theatre

This next photograph is a shot of the theatre itself: it’s a black box space with a raked seating area that comfortably seats 138 people. If you look closely to the right you can see director Jonathan Christenson hard at work, even during the actors’ break. His focus is admirable.

rehearsal / performance space

Here is another shot of the space, so you can get an idea of how much room they have to perform. I’d say it’s only slightly bigger than the Arts Court Theatre in Ottawa. The shows, though, could easily fill a larger space than this: in terms of audience and in terms of the spectacular nature of the productions. You may also notice a rising garage-like door at the back: for a touring company, this is very important for transferring their materials directly from the theatre to the moving van.

rehearsal / performance space

Speaking of materials, here are a few costume pieces from Nevermore, mostly skirts for the ladies. They are made from a variety of materials: sticks, twine, duct tape, tent poles, and lace. During the Magnetic North, Gerecke was asked a question about her use of unusual materials and she replied “Well, I’m not really fond of sewing…”

costumes

And this is her studio…. ah, streaming sunlight! All the staff at Catalyst work in close proximity to one another so that the designers can be working in their studios, but it is easy enough to be constantly dropping by the rehearsal hall.

the design studio

And here is one more photo, just to give you the shivers. BOO!

mask