• Comment: Much of the content is unsourced, some of the sources are primary and/or not independent (written/published by those affiliated with the theatre) and much of the coverage about the controversy, though some published by otherwise reliable sources, is also mostly not independent as they are largely was those involved state. On a side note and not the reason for the decline, there is no need for separate sections each year's productions or the awards. Also the awards need to be notable which generally means there is already a Wikipedia article about them. S0091 (talk) 18:43, 7 April 2023 (UTC)


Theatre Outré

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Theatre Outré is a Canadian theatre company based in Lethbridge, Alberta dedicated to producing queer theatre and improvisation shows for live audiences. Founded in 2012 by Jay Whitehead, Richie Wilcox, and Aaron Collier, the company has become known for their unconventional approaches to theatre and exploring topics of sexual identity, drag performance, familial relationships, queer history, and social taboos.

History

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Theatre Outré’s mandate is to create alternative queer theater productions for the community of Lethbridge that offer “uncensored and uncompromising voice to those in our community who are often considered to exist beyond the fringes of social propriety, sexual norms and gendered expectations.”[1]

Theatre Outré’s first theatre space was located on the third floor of the historic Whitney building in downtown Lethbridge and was used for rehearsals and performances. Called Bordello, as a reference to Lethbridge’s historic red-light district, the theatre space was cramped and in ill repair, with toilets regularly clogging and the roof leaking. Nonetheless, Theatre Outré began producing theatrical productions such as UNSEX’d and The Drinking Game that were received positively.[2]

In 2014, Theatre Outré moved Bordello to a new space in the McFarland building in downtown Lethbridge.[3]

In 2023, Theatre Outré were featured as the subject of Acting Out: Celebrating a Decade of Theatre Outré, a Galt Museum & Archives exhibition.[4]

ImpromptOu

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Alongside scripted content, Theatre Outré regularly hosts live improvisation shows with their improvisation troupe, ImpromptOu. ImpromptOu has produced Gomorrah, an improvised soap opera, No Way Out, an improv tragicomedy, and their weekly Drunk Improv shows hosted at different venues around Lethbridge.[5]

Productions

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2012

My Funny Valentine by Dave Deveaux[6]

2013

UNSEX’d by Jay Whitehead & Daniel Judes[7]

2014

A Thought in Three Parts by Wallace Shawn[8]

CASTRATI: An Electro Drag Opera by Aaron Collier, Jay Whitehead, Richie Wilcox and Kathy Zaborsky

The Birth of Casper G. Schmidt by Sky Gilbert[9]

2015

How to Leave by Liam Monaghan[10]

White Gleaming Beach by Greg MacArthur[11]

2016

Late Company by Jordan Tannahill[12]

The Princess Show by Aaron Collier, Richie Wilcox and Deonie Hudson[13]

Montparnasse by Erin Shields & Maev Beatty with Andrea Donaldson[14]

2017

The Curing Room by David Ian Lee[15]

Tab & Landon by Jay Whitehead[16]

Vigil by Morris Panych[17]

2018

The Confession of Jeffrey Dahmer by Josh Hitchens[18]

No Way Out by David Gabert, Erica Barr, and Greg Wilson[19]

Sapientia by Roswitha[20]

2019

Like Orpheus by Brett Dahl

Where the Two Spirit Lives by Marshall Vielle[21]

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams[22]

2020

Whale Riding Weather by Bryden MacDonald[23]

Confessional by Jay Whitehead, Mia van Leeuwen, Kathy Zaborsky, Deonie Hudson, Anastasia Siceac & Lee Burckes[24]

2021

333 by Jay Whitehead[25]

A Very Didi Christmas Carol (staged reading) by Jay Whitehead & Kathy Zaborsky[26]

2022

The Sissy Duckling adapted by Nicola Elson, based on the book by Harvey Fierstein[27]

Awards

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2017

Dublin Gay Theatre Festival Eva Gore Booth Award for outstanding Female Performance – Kathy Zaborsky in Montparnasse[28]

2019

Dublin Gay Theatre Festival Hilton Edwards Award for Best Aspect of Production - for technical presentation and direction of Like Orpheus[29]

City of Lethbridge Celebrate Downtown 2019 - Innovator Award[30]

Controversy

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In January 2014, Theatre Outré posted on their website their intention to move Bordello to a new, larger venue in the McFarland building in downtown Lethbridge to support their growing company.[31] Following this, a petition to have Theatre Outré evicted was circulated by two tenants of the McFarland building, a music teacher and an insurance agent. The petition “expressed hypothetical concerns about exposure to homosexual lifestyles, ‘transsexual endorsement,’ child molestation, rape, indecent exposure and acquiring STDs from the building’s toilets,” from Theatre Outré’s presence in the building. Theatre Outré posted their concerns about the petition to social media and began receiving widespread support from the community.[32] The landlord and Theatre Outré were able to come to an agreement and Theatre Outré was not evicted.[33][34]

However, during the time of this petition, an anonymous call was placed to the office of Chris Spearman, Lethbridge’s mayor at the time, about the operations of Theatre Outré which prompted the city to review the companies permits. The city found that Theatre Outré lacked the appropriate development permit causing the opening of Bordello to be temporarily blocked until the issue could be resolved. As a result of this temporary closure, Theatre Outré was unable to mount their planned production of A Thought in Three Parts in their new space but was able to have it shown in the James Foster Penny Building owned by the University of Lethbridge.[35]

Later that month, Theatre Outré was able to obtain the appropriate permits and was allowed to reopen. They reopened in the McFarland building under a new name, Club Didi.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "THEATRE OUTRE". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  2. ^ Wilcox, Richie and Whitehead, Jay. "Homesteading a New Queer Frontier: Queering Performance and Cultivating Community from Outside the Centre." In Q2Q: Queer Canadian Theatre and Performance, edited by Peter Dickinson et al., 137-148. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press, 2018.
  3. ^ "Lethbridge theatre company claims it is homophobia target". CBC. January 29, 2014.
  4. ^ Oldale, Christian. "Galt Museum hosting temporary Theatre Outré exhibit until February 2024". Lethbridge News Now. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  5. ^ "IMPROMPTOU". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  6. ^ "Dave Deveau | My Funny Valentine". www.davedeveau.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  7. ^ Cook, Alex (2015-06-05). "In Review: Theatre Outre's UNSEX'd". The East. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  8. ^ "GayCalgary.com - Theatre Outré stages controversial and rarely produced Wallace Shawn play in its Calgary premier". GayCalgary Online. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  9. ^ Amery, Richard (November 3, 2014). "Theatre Outré explores shame in society with The Birth of Casper G Schmidt". LA Beat.
  10. ^ "How to Leave". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  11. ^ "White Gleaming Beach". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  12. ^ "Bullying and suicide take centre stage in play at Pretty, Witty and Gay Festival - Lethbridge | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  13. ^ Collier, Aaron; Wilcox, Richie; Hudson, Deonie (2021-01-01). "The Princess Show". Canadian Theatre Review. 185: 61–71. doi:10.3138/ctr.185.013. ISSN 0315-0836.
  14. ^ Hobson, Louis B. (August 24, 2017). "Lethbridge's Theatre Outre presents exotic love story Montparnasse". Calgary Herald.
  15. ^ Hobson, Louis B. (March 8, 2017). "Review: The Curing Room a harrowing but measured drama". Calgary Herald.
  16. ^ "Tab & Landon". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  17. ^ https://www.pressreader.com/canada/lethbridge-herald/20171114/281569471016105. Retrieved 2024-06-11 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Hobson, Louis (February 17, 2018). "Hobson's Choice: On-the-edge theatre dwells in dark corners of society". Calgary Herald.
  19. ^ "No Way Out (Quaint, Quirky and Queer Festival 2023)". Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  20. ^ "Lethbridge company showcases object theatre in contemporary adaptation of 'Sapientia' - Lethbridge | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  21. ^ "Where the Two Spirit Lives". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  22. ^ "A Streetcar Named Desire". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  23. ^ Herald, Lethbridge (2020-02-19). "Theatre Outre presenting 'Whale Riding Weather' for first time in Alta". The Lethbridge Herald - News and Sports from around Lethbridge. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  24. ^ Herald, Lethbridge (2020-09-19). "Theatre Outre offering personalized performances". The Lethbridge Herald - News and Sports from around Lethbridge. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  25. ^ Herald, Lethbridge (2021-08-26). "Theatre Outré back on stage this fall". The Lethbridge Herald - News and Sports from around Lethbridge. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  26. ^ "A Very Didi Christmas Carol". theatreoutre. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  27. ^ "The Sissy Duckling by Theatre Outré". Casa Lethbridge. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  28. ^ "Eva Gore Booth Award". International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. 2017. www.gaytheatre.ie/news/2017-gala-award-winners-announced/.
  29. ^ "Hilton Edwards Award". International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. 2019. www.gaytheatre.ie/news/2019-gala-awards-winners-announced/.
  30. ^ "Innovator Award". City of Lethbridge Celebrate Downtown. 2019. www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/Downtown/Documents/Celebrate_Downtown_24x36_winnerslist.pdf
  31. ^ "Venue," Theatre Outré, archived January 26, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20140126220349/http://www.theatreoutre.ca/about-us/venue/.
  32. ^ Lauren Strapagiel, “Lethbridge's Theatre Outre says Bordello closed after homophobic complaints,” Postmedia Network, January 29, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095039/http://o.canada.com/news/homophobia-blamed-for-closure-of-theatre-outres-lethbridge-venue/.
  33. ^ Stefanie Dunn, “UPDATE: Deal reached between landlord and Theatre Outré after closure sparks controversy,” Global News, January 30, 2014, https://globalnews.ca/news/1118906/theatre-outre-closure-sparks-controversy-across-the-country/.
  34. ^ Macfarlane, Ryan. "Local Theatre Group Caught in Social Media Storm, Requires Permit to Continue Business Operations." The Meliorist, February 6, 2014.
  35. ^ Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, “Theatre Outre and Lessons from a Welcoming and Inclusive Community,” in Towards Equity and Inclusion in Canadian Cities, ed. Fran Klodawsky, Janet Siltanen, and Caroline Andrew (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2017), 256–280.
  36. ^ “Theatre Outré In Lethbridge Says Homophobic Emails, Petition Forced Them To Close Their Doors (UPDATED),” Huffington Post Alberta, January 30, 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/theatre-outre-in-lethbridge-says-homophobic-emails-petition-for_n_4689596?utm_hp_ref=canada-alberta.