Catalyst Theatre's Grand "Vigilante" Send-Off
- Feb 25, 2019
- 3 min read
"What if there were such a thing as ghosts? And what if those ghosts could speak?" - Jonathan Christenson
On February 12th, 2019, an eager crowd gathered in the Maclab Theatre, waiting to hear the fiery Canadian story of the Donnelly family. Vigilante, created by the Edmonton production company, Catalyst Theatre, follows a fictitious reimagining of the lives and deaths of the Donnelly family. Narrated by the ghosts of the family, this rock musical is an intense story of love, family, and justice.
For those of you who do not know, Catalyst Theatre is an Edmonton-made theatre company that has had a long history of bringing creative, provocative, and highly stylistic productions to Edmonton and around the world. Over the years they have presented in London (Ontario and England), New York, Glasgow, Toronto, Liverpool, and many other cities. The company has received more than sixty local, national, and international awards and nominations for its imaginative shows. Among their successes include Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, which completed an Off-Broadway run and has released a cast recording of the production.
This is not the first time Vigilante has stepped onto the Maclab stage, as this production was presented several years ago, in 2015, but this particular performance was a little different, as it featured no set, costumes, or makeup. This ‘performance’ was in fact, a final rehearsal and send-off for the cast and stage managers, who would be heading to the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, for a run of the show, February 22nd to March 8th.
The infamous Canadian tale of the Donnelly’s has been told many ways, in various forms, but Vigilante has created an extraordinary story, told from a unique perspective. Jonathan Christenson, director and creator of Vigilante, described his journey of creating this piece in the 2015 playbill for Vigilante, “it’s been said that history’s told by the victors, a reminder that what we call ‘history’ is vulnerable to the biases of those who present it as fact. One thing that’s certain is that we’ll never really know what happened to the Donnellys, or why it happened, or what they were actually like as people. As such, the Donnellys of this play are unapologetically imaginary.”
This special rehearsal was initially intended solely for donors and major supporters of Catalyst but was later opened to a limited number of the public, who quickly filled all remaining spots. As a fan of Catalyst’s productions since 2011, after seeing Hunchback, their musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I was not surprised to see how quickly the public reached out to attend.
To open the production, both Lana Michelle Hughes, the Associate Managing Director and Jonathan Christenson, the Artistic Director of Catalyst Theatre spoke about this production and the company. Lana remarked on the unique position of Catalyst Theatre as a representative of Edmonton created theatre on larger stages across Canada and the world. Jonathan, as the director and creator of Vigilante, mentioned the unique aspects of this particular rehearsal, describing what the full production would look like when it opens at the Grand Theatre, as well as introducing the Stage Manager, John Raymond, and Assistant Stage Manager, Molly Pearson, who would be travelling with the cast.
Then the show began…
Select photographs of the Vigilante cast: Jan Alexandra Smith, David Leyshon, Kris Joseph, Carson Nattrass, Eric Morin, Scott Walters, Benjamin Wardle, and Eric Wigston.
Photographer: Jennifer Galm
It was stunning to see the haunting notes ring through the theatre once again. Having seen the production in 2015, I, as well as several other audience members, still remembered some of the lyrics to the show's beautiful and evocative songs.
This thoroughly enjoyable experience was echoed by many of the audience members who attended the production. Eva Cairns, the previous managing producer for Catalyst, described Vigilante as “an amazing production! Gutsy, uncompromising, riveting… fantastic work by the full team on a production that requires superlative skills and teamwork.” A student at Strathcona High School, Taydem LaRocque, said the production was “an enticing show that portrays history through killer vocals and a fantastic cast. I would recommend it to anyone who loves or wants to love theatre.”
Judy Kemp, another audience member, eloquently summed up this unique experience, “You know a play is amazing when there is no backdrop, no set, no costumes, no makeup… and it is STILL one of the best shows you have ever seen. Hope the full production will come back to Edmonton someday.” The rehearsal ended with a standing ovation from the audience, which I am sure is a good sign for the run at the Grand Theatre.
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