In a Word... Stephen Heatley (Cocktails at Pam's, Staircase Theatre Equity Collective)

Lemoine's Controlled Chaos

by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

Stephen Heatley has worked in professional theatre for over 40 years. During his 12-year stint as Artistic Director of Theatre Network in Edmonton, he directed over 30 world premieres.  He also directed outdoor productions of Shakespeare for the Free Will Players from 1991-1995 and has directed for theatres as diverse as the Blyth Festival and La Boit a Popicos Theatre pour enfants.  Before arriving as a faculty member at the University of British Columbia in 1999, he spent five years as Associate Artistic Director of the Citadel Theatre where he ran the Theatre School and directed in each of the theatre’s performance spaces. Mr. Heatley is the 2013 recipient of UBC’s Dorothy Somerset Award for Development in the Performing Arts and recently directed Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle for Theatre at UBC.

CHARPO:  This first question may seem odd, now that you are in BC, but it is germane, I promise: tell us about the theatre scene in Edmonton.

HEATLEY: I would tell you about the scene in Edmonton but it would be entirely historic as I haven't lived there since 1999.  I do get back there from time to time but my knowledge of the evolution of the theatre community is limited to little bits of information, hearsay and gossip.  I know that the Fringe continues to evolve – I took a show there in the summer of 2012 and was overwhelmed by the scale of the event (which was always huge, now it is even more so).  I know that the Citadel is still the main player.  What were the smaller companies back in the 80s have either established themselves as regular mid-sized companies or have found their own particular niche (Northern Light Theatre, Catalyst Theatre, Theatre Network, Workshop West Theatre).  Stewart Lemoine's company has passed on to a new Artistic Director in Jeff Haslam, but the same aesthetic holds.  Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

Alberta Report, November 4, 2011

Launching the Canadian Comedia of Stewart Lemoine

Why is this brilliant playwright still a local boy?
by Anne Nothof

On Sunday, October 16, NeWest Press and Teatro La Quindicina threw a party in the Varscona Theatre, Edmonton for the launching of Witness to a Conga and Other Plays by Stewart Lemoine.  The playwright appeared as himself onstage, seated on a comfortable chair, and interviewed by CBC radio host, Peter Brown.  He spoke about the genesis of his plays, his use of music, and the ways in which his characters are informed by the actors for whom they are created.  Although a great time was had by all, the launch was attended by only a few loyal fans, theatre people, and NeWest staff, although the playwright has a large and enthusiastic following in the city.  Even with free food and wine, book launches attract small audiences.  And, inexplicably, with a couple of exceptions, Lemoine’s plays have yet to reach an audience in theatres across Canada.  

This is the third publication by NeWest of Lemoine’s works, following A Teatro Trilogy: Selected Plays (2004), and At the Zenith of the Empire (2007).  They are not best-sellers. So why launch the publication of a play collection?  Why even publish plays?  Because they are good.  Because they deserve a wider audience.  Because Lemoine has a distinctive, unique style that is not dependent on specific venues or particular actors.