Third Street Theatre

Third Street Theatre Official Logo

Third Street Theatre is a Calgary based theatre company run by Artistic Director Jonathan Brower. The company is dedicated to producing work that positively promotes queer culture, stories, and voices, with a focus on mentorship, LGBTQ community engagement and the artistic development of queer and queer-minded talent. It is currently the only active queer theatre company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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Creative Team

• Jonathan Brower, Artistic Director, Executive Producer & Co-Founder
• Alyssa Bradac, Artistic Associate
• Leon Schwesinger, Technical Director

Current Season (2014-15)

The 2014-2015 season was announced at the Stars of the Stage & Screen Gala in June 2014. Transgender Seeking was added after the huge success of X, the first show of the season [1]

X by Sunny Drake

• September 16 - 20, 2014 at MOTEL in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

Transgender Seeking by Sunny Drake

• January 17, 2015 - One-night only performance at Hillhurst United Church

Ludwig&Lohengrin by Kyall Rakoz

• February 24 - 28, 2015 to MOTEL in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

YOUth Riot: Queer Youth Playwriting Program

• May 2015 at One Yellow Rabbit's Big Secret Theatre

queerRites reading series

• Falling in Time by Chris Gatchalian. (July 2, 2014) at The Naked Leaf Tea Shop.
• Dear Mr. Klein by Bruce Chambers (November 6, 2014) at Contemporary Calgary. 10th Anniversary Reading & Queer Rights Panel
• New Work by Pam Rocker (March 2015) at The Pint on 17th Ave.
• Oblivion by Jonathan Brower (March 12, 2015) at the frank theatre company (Vancouver, BC). (April 2015) at Hillhurst United Church.

Stars of the Stage & Screen 2.0

• May 29, 2014 Fundraiser & Costume Ball at the Arrata Opera Centre

Mandate & Vision

• We are dedicated to the positive promotion of queer culture, stories, and voices, with a focus on production, mentorship, and the artistic development of queer and queer-minded talent.
• We are committed to work that engages and educates the community on relevant social issues pertaining to the often marginalized queer community.
• We strive to become a leading, respected alternative theatre company known for producing authentic and engaging work that explores the stories of our past, examines our present, and exposes our evolving understanding of what it means to be human.

History

Third Street Theatre is named after the non-existent 3rd St. in the Mission neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta. It is a metaphor for the queer community in Calgary, which is an often invisible minority group. The company was founded in 2012 by Jonathan Brower & Paul Welch in response to observations that there were continued negative social attitudes towards the queer community, as both co-founders had personally experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation in Calgary. It was observed that there was a need for the authentic and artful representation of queer content on Calgary stages; a form of social activism through art, which could help Calgary audiences understand the shared humanity of all gender identities and sexual orientations. As a result, Third Street Theatre has become a vehicle to artistically explore, examine, and expose both past and present social attitudes towards queer culture.

Brower & Welch co-led the company together for its first season (2012-13) acting as co-artistic directors under the titles Artistic Producer/Publicist (Brower) and Artistic Director (Welch). During the company's second season (2013-14), Brower took over as sole Artistic Director when Welch resigned from the company before the end of the second season. Brower continues to lead the company with support from Alyssa Bradac & Leon Schwesinger.

Third Street Theatre is the second queer theatre company to operate in Calgary, Alberta. The first was a gay, lesbian and two-spirited theatre ensemble called Teatro Berdache (Co-founders Steve Gin & Larry Smith), which had it's first production Brave Hearts by Harry Rintoul in 1995 and operated until 2008.

Third Street Theatre has worked with One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo, Theatre OUTRE, The Coming Out Monologues, frank theatre co., The Calgary Gay History Project, and Teatro Berdache (Steve Gin). 2014-15 season collaborations include Hillhurst United Church and Calgary OutLink. As of December 2014, Third Street Theatre had produced 11 events (7 productions, 3 readings, 1 gala fundraiser) with seven more events scheduled for the rest of Season 3 (Winter/Spring 2015).

Past Productions

Stars of the Stage & Screen Gala

• June 27, 2014 at the Arrata Opera Centre

The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus

• by the 2014 Queer Theatre Creation Ensemble (Matt McKinney, Amy Sawka, Simon Tottrup, Paul Welch)
• April 23 - May 3, 2014 at MOTEL in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

Late, A Cowboy Song by Sarah Ruhl

• March 12 - 22, 2014 at MOTEL in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

Club Carousel: A Cabaret Celebration of Calgary's Gay History

• January 30, 2014 at Big Secret Theatre
• Hosted by Jonathan Brower & Paul Welch
• Co-production with the One Yellow Rabbit's 2014 High Performance Rodeo & The Calgary Gay History Project

Unsex'd by Jay Whitehead & Daniel Judes

• October 29 - November 2, 2013 at MOTEL in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
• Co-production with Theatre Outre (Lethbridge, AB)

I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright

• April 24 - May 4, 2013 at MOTEL in the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts

This is How I Left

• By the 2013 Queer Theatre Creation Ensemble (Conrad Belau, Alyssa Bradac, Dale Lee Kwong, Lindie Last, Kyall Rakoz, Paul Welch)
• March 28-31, 2013 at Living Spirit United Church
• Inaugural production

Unsex'd by Jay Whitehead & Daniel Judes

• March 20, 2013 at Lunchbox Theatre, Workshop & Reading
• Blind Jury Selection: 2012 Third Street Theatre National Queer Playwriting Competition Winner

Artistic Partnerships

• One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo: Club Carousel: A Cabaret Celebration of Calgary's Gay History; YOUth Riot
• The Calgary Gay History Project: Club Carousel: A Cabaret Celebration of Calgary's Gay History
• Calgary OutLink: YOUth Riot
• Hillhurst United Church: Transgender Seeking by Sunny Drake; Oblivion by Jonathan Brower
• Living Spirit United Church: This is How I Left by the Queer Theatre Creation Ensemble
• Theatre OUTRÉ: Unsex'd by Jay Whitehead & Daniel Judes
• Sunny Drake: X; Transgender Seeking
• the frank theatre company: Falling in Time by Chris Gatchalian (reading); Oblivion by Jonathan Brower (reading)
• The Coming Out Monologues: This is How I Left
• Teatro Berdache (Steve Gin): Dear Mr. Klein 10th Anniversary Reading & Queer Rights Panel

Performance Venue

Third Street Theatre primarily works out of the MOTEL Theatre in the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts [2] at 225 8 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta (2nd Floor - wheelchair accessible). Shows produced at MOTEL include: I Am My Own Wife, Unsex'd, Late: A Cowboy Song, The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus, X, Ludwig&Lohengrin (2015).

Board of Directors

• Barb Mitchell (Chair), Jon Cornea, Barry Hrehirchuk, Weston Jacques, Emiko Muraki, Grant Stevens, Lisa Stowe [3]

Awards

The Calgary Critics Awards (or Critters) are held each year by Calgary's professional theatre critics [4]. The Betty Mitchell Awards are held each year to honour Calgary's professional theatre community [5]

Wins

• Calgary Critics Award for Best Solo Performance for Ludwig&Lohengrin by Kyall Rakoz to Kyall Rakoz [6] [7]
• Calgary Critics Award (Critter) Best Solo Performance in I Am My Own Wife to Paul Welch [8]

Nominations

• Critter Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play in Late, A Cowboy Song to Genevieve Pare [9]
• Critter Award Nomination for Best New Play for This Is How I Left to the Queer Theatre Creation Ensemble [10]
• Critter Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama in This Is How I Left to Alyssa Bradac [11]
• Betty Mitchell Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama for I Am My Own Wife to Paul Welch [12]

Media Coverage

• Avenue Magazine: The Passion [13], Jonathan Brower [14], Company Launch [15],
• ApplauseMeter: I Am My Own Wife [16], This is How I Left [17]
• Beatroute Magazine: Dear Mr. Klein [18], X [19], Season 3 [20], Club Carousel Cabaret [21]
• Calgary Beacon: This is How I Left [22]
• Calgary Gay History Project: Queer Theatre History [23], Stars of the Stage & Screen Gala [24], [25], The Passion [26], Club Carousel Cabaret [27], [28], Unsex'd [29]
• Calgary Herald: Stars of the Stage & Screen Gala [30], Late, A Cowboy Song [31], Club Carousel Cabaret [32], [33], Unsex'd [34],[35], I Am My Own Wife [36], [37], [38],
• Calgary Sun: X [39]; The Passion [40], Unsex'd [41], [42], I Am My Own Wife [43], This is How I Left [44]
• Calgary Is Awesome: X [45], Late, A Cowboy Song [46], Unsexd [47], This is How I Left [48]
• Calgary Journal: This is How I Left [49], Company Launch [50],
• CBC Radio: Club Carousel Cabaret [51], Company Launch [52], Jonathan Brower's Oblivion [53]
• CJSW Radio: The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus [Unsex'd [54], I Am My Own Wife [55]
• CKUA Radio: This is How I Left [56]
• FFWD Weekly: X [57], [58], Late, A Cowboy Song [59], Club Carousel Cabaret [60], Unsex'd [61], The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus [62], I Am My Own Wife [63], This is How I Left [64], Company Launch [65]
• The Gauntlet: Club Carousel Cabaret [66],
• Gay Calgary Magazine: X [67], Late, A Cowboy Song [68], Club Carousel Cabaret [69], Company Launch [70], Unsex'd [71], This is How I Left [72]
• Global Television: Stars of the Stage & Screen Gala [73]
• GetDown.ca: X [74], I Am My Own Wife [75]
• Metro News Calgary: Club Carousel Cabaret [76]
• NewsTalk770
• Radio-Canada [French]: X [77], Late, A Cowboy Song [78], Company Launch [79]
• Stephen Avenue Magazine: Season 2 [80]
• Swerve: X [81], I Am My Own Wife [82]
• Telus TV: This is How I Left [83]
• The University of Calgary: Jonathan Brower [84], Late, A Cowboy Song [85], Jonathan Brower [86]
• Xtra Vancouver: Company Launch [87]
• Zarubegom (Calgary's Russian Newspaper Blog): Unsex'd [88]

External Links

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

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