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Catalyst Theatre is a multi-award-winning theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta. Founded in 1977 as a social action theatre, it was taken over by Artistic Co-Directors Jonathan Christenson and Joey Tremblay in 1996. Christenson and Tremblay drastically changed the company's mandate to focus on "creating original Canadian work that explores new possibilities for the theatrical art form and the process through which it is created, to exposing the work locally, nationally and internationally, and to challenging the artists and audiences who participate in the creation of that work.” Since 2002, Catalyst Theatre has been developing new work under the creative leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Christenson in collaboration with Resident Designer Bretta Gerecke. Catalyst Theatre's artistic team has created original productions that have toured the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States.

History

Between 1978 and 1996, Catalyst Theatre’s offices were located in the Macleod Building in downtown Edmonton and later in the Garneau Community League on Edmonton’s southside. In 1996, Catalyst moved from the Garneau Community League to a derelict warehouse in Old Strathcona where they completed a renovation that included re-roofing, installing public washrooms, offices, lobby, studio and office space, dressing rooms, a green room and a performance space. The space was leased from the building’s owner, the Edmonton Jazz Society, which operates the Yardbird Suite, a performance venue at the north end of the same building.

In 2000, Catalyst raised the roof and removed the pillars, creating a 2400 SF black box theatre with 20-foot-high ceilings. From 2000 to 2015, the company developed and presented its productions in this space, as well as producing an annual international presenting series (“Blind Dates"). During this time, Catalyst also rented the theatre to the Edmonton International Fringe Festival each year as a Fringe Venue as well as renting to a variety of Edmonton-based theatre, music, and dance companies throughout the season.

In 2015, Catalyst became a resident company at the Citadel Theatre in downtown Edmonton and raised $1.2 million to renovate the Citadel’s Maclab Theatre and lobby and to build a suite of offices where they continue to be based.

The black box theatre created by Catalyst Theatre continues to be an important part of Edmonton’s inventory of live performance venues and has been home to Theatre Network (2015 to 2021) and Workshop West Theatre (2022 to the present).

Between 1997 and the present, Catalyst has been presented at such festivals as the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), Luminato (Toronto), The Edinburgh Fringe, Carrefour International de Théâtre (Québec), PuSh Festival (Vancouver), High Performance Rodeo (Calgary), and Magnetic North (Ottawa). They have performed at such theatres as the Barbican Theatre (London), New World Stages (NYC), the New Victory Theatre (NYC), the Liverpool Playhouse, The Traverse (Edinburgh), The Tron (Glasgow), The Pleasance (London), La Caserne (Quebec), The National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Canadian Stage (Toronto), The Grand (London, ON), Theatre Calgary, Vertigo Theatre (Calgary), ATP (Calgary), Persephone Theatre (Saskatoon), The Globe (Regina), The Eric Harvie Theatre (Banff Centre for the Arts), Vancouver Playhouse, The Arts Club (Vancouver), and The Cultch (Vancouver), as well as many other theatres across Canada, the UK, the United States and Australia.

Productions

until the next breath (2020)

Conceived by Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke. Text and Music by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Design by Bretta Gerecke. Choreography by Laura Krewski. Music Production and Sound Design by Matthew Skopyk.

The Invisible - Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2019)

Book, lyrics and music by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Original Choreography by Laura Krewski. Music Production and Sound Design by Matthew Skopyk.

Fortune Falls (2016)

Co-Written by Jonathan Christenson & Beth Graham. Directed and composed by Jonathan Christenson. Lighting and set design by Kerem Centinel. Costumes by Megan Koshka. Music Production and Sound Design by Matthew Skopyk.

Songs for Sinners & Saints (2016)

A concert review of all previous works. Directed by Jonathan Christenson.

All Our Unworldly Possessions (2015)

Conceived by Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke. A season-long installation piece.

Vigilante (2015)

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Choreographed by Laura Krewski. Set Design by Jonathan Christenson with James Robert Boudreau. Lighting Design by Beth Kates. Costume Design by Narda McCarroll. Music Production and by Matthew Skopyk. Sound Design by Wade Staples. This original rock musical follows the story of the Donnelly family, as they escaped their homeland of Ireland to the rough country-side of Ontario.

The Soul Collector (2013)

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Choreographed by Marie Nychka. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Music Production by Matthew Skopyk. Sound Design by Wade Staples.

Whisper (2012)

Text by Jonathan Christenson and the Ensemble. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Music by Jonathan Christenson with Matthew Skopyk. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.Choreography by Laura Krewski. Sound Design by Matthew Skopyk. In 2012, Catalyst produced Whisper in association with Studio Theatre at the University of Alberta, which was performed by the school's BFA Acting class of 2012.

Hunchback (2011)

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson, from Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Original Choreography by Laura Krewski. Music Production by Matthew Skopyk. Sound Design by Wade Staples.

Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe (2009)

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson, from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Original Choreography by Laura Krewski. Music Production by Matthew Skopyk. Sound Design by Wade Staples. Nevermore had an 11-week Off-Broadway run at New World Stages from January 14, 2015 to March 29, 2015. On June 16, 2015, The Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe soundtrack was released by Broadway Records. This was Catalyst's first soundtrack album.

Frankenstein (2007)

Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Original Choreography by Laura Krewski. Music Production by Matthew Skopyk. Sound Design by Wade Staples. From Mary Shelley's 1813 novel, Frankenstein.

Sticky Shoes (2005)

Created by Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke.

Love + Love (2004)

Created by Jonathan Christenson, Annie Dugan, Bretta Gerecke, and John Ullyatt.

Carmen Angel (2003)

Written by Joey Tremblay. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Music composed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Sound Design by Wade Staples.

Dream Life (2003)

Written by Chris Craddock. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Music composed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Jonathan Christenson.

The Blue Orphan (2001)

Written by Jonathan Christenson and Joey Tremblay. Directed by Jonathan Christenson. Music composed by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke. Sound Design by Wade Staples.

The House of Pootsie Plunket (1999)

Written and directed by Joey Tremblay and Jonathan Christenson. Sound Design by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.

Songs for Sinners (1998)

Written and directed by Joey Tremblay and Jonathan Christenson. Music composed by Paul Morgan Donald, Jonathan Christenson, and Joey Tremblay. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.

Abundance (1997)

Written and directed by Joey Tremblay, Jonathan Christenson, and company. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.

Electra (1996)

Written and directed by Joey Tremblay and Jonathan Christenson. Music and Sound by Jonathan Christenson. Production Design by Bretta Gerecke.

Elephant Wake (1996)

Written by Joey Tremblay and Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson.

My Perfect Heaven (1996)

Written by Joey Tremblay and Jonathan Christenson. Music composed by Jonathan Christenson. Directed by Jonathan Christenson.

Awards and nominations

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References

1. The Catalyst Theatre Archived 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
2. Nicholls, Liz (July 13, 1996). "Catalyst re-born as funky, alternative". Edmonton Journal. pp. C2.
3. Nicholls, Liz (September 25, 2002). "Catalyst's Joey Tremblay takes up the freelance life". Edmonton Journal. pp. C5.
4. Nothof, Anne (February 2, 2020). "Catalyst Theatre". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
5. Nicholls, Liz (September 26, 2015). "Diamond in the Rough - How a theatre company turned a derelict railway storage warehouse into a playhouse". The Edmonton Journal. p. 41. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
6. Nicholls, Liz (October 5, 2020). "Cool breath in, warm breath out: Catalyst's 'until the next breath' in the great outdoors". 12thnight.ca. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
7. Hunt, Stephen (May 24, 2019). "The 'invisible women' of World War II are celebrated in a stylish new musical at Calgary's Vertigo Theatre". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
8. Hobson, Louis B. (October 24, 2016). "Review: Wonderful detail obscures story in Fortune Falls". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
9. Nicholls, Liz (February 18, 2016). "Saints and Sinners: a musical retrospective from Edmonton's Catalyst Theatre". The Edmonton Journal. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
10. Nicholls, Liz (March 13, 2015). "Theatre review: Vigilante a sexy, dangerous rock anthem". The Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
11. "Vigilante". www.catalysttheatre.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
12. Hicks, Graham (May 6, 2013). "The Soul Collector: Catalyst Theatre is back in all its beautiful, macabre glory". HicksBiz Blog. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
13. "Catalyst Theatre | The Soul Collector". www.catalysttheatre.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
14. Maclean, Colin (March 31, 2012). "Submit to the emotional Whisper". The Edmonton Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
15. "Submit to the emotional Whisper". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
16. "UofA Studio Theatre: whisper". www.mailoutinteractive.com. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
17. "whisper - Vue Weekly". Vue Weekly. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
18. Huculak, Chad (March 12, 2011). "THEATRE: Quasimodo, fully satisfying". Gigcity.ca. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
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20. Mooney, Sam (June 12, 2009). "LUMINATO 2009 – Nevermore, The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
21. "Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording) [2 CD set]". Broadway Records. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
22. "Cast Recording Will Capture Edgar Allan Poe Musical Nevermore". Playbill. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
23. "Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
24. Yeo, Sharon (February 17, 2008). "Catalyst Theatre: "Frankenstein"". Only Here for the Food. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
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26. Nicholls, Liz (May 27, 2005). "Little theatre goes big". Edmonton Journal. pp. G1.
27. Nicholls, Liz (May 29, 2004). "An examination of what love is, and what it's not". Edmonton Journal. pp. E4.
28. Birnie, Peter (October 28, 2004). "Horror enclosed in a weird world". The Vancouver Sun. pp. C7.
29. Nicholls, Liz (November 16, 2003). "Craddock's Dream Life captures the suffering of a broken spirit". Edmonton Journal.
30. Scott, Alec (August 27, 2002). "Edmonton fringe duo earns raves in Scotland". National Post. pp. AL3.
31. Gardner, Lyn (March 29, 2001). "Reviews - The House of Pootsie Plunket". The Guardian. p. 20.
32. Nicholls, Liz (May 31, 1997). "A comic, gruesome vision of Alberta". Edmonton Journal. pp. D4.
33. Nicholls, Liz (October 6, 1996). "Electra's shocking secrets". Edmonton Journal. pp. D3.
34. "CATALYST THEATRE | Elephant Wake". www.catalysttheatre.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
35. Cox, Gordon (May 10, 2015). "'Hamilton' Dominates the 2015 Lucille Lortel Awards (FULL LIST)". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
36. "THE ELIZABETH STERLING HAYNES AWARDS". www.sterlingawards.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-07. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
37. "The Elizabeth Sterling Hayes Awards 2014/2015 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
38. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2019/20 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
39. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2012/2013 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022.
40. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2016/2017 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
41. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2010/2011 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022.
42. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2008/2009 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
43. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2006/2007 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
44. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2004/2005 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
45. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2003/2004 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
46. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2002/2003 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
47. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 2000/2001 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
48. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 1998/99 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
49. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 1997/98 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
50. "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 1996/97 Recipients" (PDF). Sterling Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
51. "2019 Betty Mitchell Awards". Betty Mitchell Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
52. "Betty Mitchell Awards 2017". Betty Mitchell Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
53. "Betty Mitchell Awards 2011". Betty Mitchell Awards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
54. Robb, Peter (November 13, 2017). "Capital Critics hand out their 2017 awards". Artsfile. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
55. Fuller, Cam (September 19, 2017). "Displaced makes home for four SATAwards". The Star Phoenix. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
56. Richardson, Marnie (October 28, 2016). "The Finalists for the 2016 Siminovitch Prize". National Arts Centre - Centre National des Arts. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
57. Wittier, Brent (March 24, 2015). "Arts Awards Nominees Revealed". Edmonton Journal. pp. B1.
58. "SATAwards 2012". SATAwards. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
59. Piane, Charlie (June 2, 2010). "Dora Award Nominations Announced, Ceremony Held 6/28". Broadway World. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
60. Cook, Mark (March 24, 2001). "The House of Pootsie Plunket". The Guardian. p. 34.

External links

• Official Site

53°31′16″N 113°29′40″W / 53.52111°N 113.49444°W / 53.52111; -113.49444

• Theatre in Edmonton
• Theatre companies in Alberta
• Performing groups established in 1977