AWT Presents The Actors Workshop Theatre!
Are you looking for something to do in Kamloops? Do you love theatre? How about supporting your local community and its young people? Well, look no further because I’m going to introduce you to the Actors Workshop Theatre.
So… what is the Actors Workshop Theatre?
The Actors Workshop Theatre is a theatre company based out of Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC and features shows and a directors festival each year featuring students in the theatre program. The program has been in operation since TRU was Cariboo College in 1985. The theatre produces shows that help to train future actors, stage managers, directors and more for a future in theatre.
How do the shows work?
The Actors Workshop Theatre functions like any other theatre company but trains new professionals in the process! We have students taking acting, technical and directing courses and then they put those skills to work by auditioning and preparing for shows, going to rehearsals 5 nights a week for 6 weeks and then perform the show over the course of two weekends. For those shows, we sell tickets and audience members get to enjoy some amazing theatre while also supporting students!
Caption: Actors performing in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at TRU. 2020. Photos by Elizabeth Nygren. Directed by Catriona Leger. Costume Design by Marian Truscott. Lighting and Set Design by Leon Schwesinger.
Who is involved with the theatre?
The program is currently run by two faculty members, Robin Nichol and Wesley Eccleston. Both professors direct mainstage shows for students to participate in. Normally the program has three professors who each direct a show but because of COVID-19, there are only two at the moment. The students in the program who participate in the shows are comprised of different areas in the four-year program. Students have the option to do a major, minor or concentration in theatre and start with first-year acting courses, working up to fourth-year courses, so there is an array of skill and talent throughout the shows.
Where can I find the Actors Workshop Theatre?
The Actors Workshop Theatre is located on the Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc territory in Kamloops, B.C. and can be found on the Thompson Rivers University campus in the Old Main building. The official address is 805 TRU Way, Kamloops BC, V2C 0C8.
You can enter TRU’s campus easily from McGill road, turning onto Dalhousie Drive. Once you’re on Dalhousie Drive, you will pass the Tournament Capital Centre, headed downhill. At the bottom of the hill, you will turn right onto Wolfpack road, leading you into visitor parking. Once you park your vehicle, you can walk to the Old Main building (see photo below), head in through the front doors and you have arrived. When you walk into student street through those front doors, you’ll see a Starbucks and then right beside it is our Black Box Theatre.
Caption: Map to Actors Workshop Theatre on TRU’s Campus
Caption: The front of the Old Main building on TRU’s campus (left) and the entrance to the Actors Workshop Theatre (right). Photos by Elizabeth Nygren.
When can I see shows at AWT?
Our season is generally during the academic year from September to April. We have our first two shows debut in the fall semester, normally one in early October and the other in late November and each show runs for two weekends. In the winter semester, we have one show that opens late February for two weekends and then we have our Director’s Festival in early April that normally features two different nights of shows for one week; three shows for each night, totalling six shows. There’s always something to look forward to at AWT!
Caption: Posters for the 2020/2021 season.
But why is the Actors Workshop Theatre important?
The Actors Workshop Theatre is like no other theatre company, giving students the opportunity to learn skills and diversify their talents. While we still hold auditions for our shows, we are actively training students to get better and better with each class. A first-year student may not get into shows they audition for in their first year, but by their fourth year, they became role models for new students entering the Actors Workshop Theatre program. Our theatre company fosters connections, relationships and networking within the community and although many companies have these benefits as well, nothing compares to how we prepare our students for a career in theatre than doing the work that will be required of them when they enter the job market.
Caption: Actors performing in ‘Dimly Perceived Threats to the System’ at TRU. 2021. Photos by Leon Schwesinger. Directed by Robin Nichol and Jeffrey Daniels. Costume Design by Marian Truscott. Lighting Design by Liam Befurt. Set Design by Leon Schwesinger.
So what are the amenities?
At the Actors Workshop Theatre, we have a variety of spaces being used in various ways and offer our students access to these facilities in order to complete their projects. We have a hefty costume department, overseen by a Work-Study student, where students can sign out costumes, shoes, among other things to look top-notch in their performances. There’s also a dressing room for shows which contains showing machines, washrooms and other practical materials. We have a working shop where our technical director/professor works to create set pieces and train our students on how to use the equipment. We also have a classroom where lecture work or extra rehearsals take place, a storage facility for stock furniture and shoes, a green room where our students can hang out between classes and performances, a technical booth where our stage crew calls the cues for shows and manage lights and sound and a box office where we sell tickets on show nights. And of course, what theatre would be complete without the theatre itself! We have a black box style theatre, meaning our audience seating can be configured in any way we’d like and we are also fortunate to host our classes, rehearsals and performances in this space. It is highly versatile and can be used for just about anything!
Awesome! Now, where can I go to stay in touch or learn more?
If you’d like to learn more about our program or see what we’re up to, check out our website at https://www.tru.ca/arts/departments/theatre/production.html. Here you can also find information on how to apply to our program so you too can be a part of the AWT family.
If you want to stay in the know about our shows and what’s coming up, make sure to follow us on social media on Facebook and Instagram, @TRUAWT. We hope to see you at one of our shows!
Check out this video for a sneak peek into our program and how it has helped other students!
