It showcased the talent of this community, while bidding goodbye to an important facility.
"A Farewell Tribute to Sutherland Theatre "- the final concert in the facility before it is torn down later this year - was held on January 22.
About 200 people filled the somewhat lumpy seats of Sutherland Theatre in Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) to watch a huge variety of acts perform for the last time on the Sutherland's stage.
There were dancers, singers, violinists, and even a comedy troupe in the lineup for the evening - most of whom were former HCI students, or those who have performed regularly in the musicals held at the theatre - performing songs and acts that they had performed in the Sutherland in the past.
The show began with a slideshow of photos showcasing the 36-year history of the theatre, which officially opened its doors on August 21, 1975.
HCI variety nights, graduations, and drama productions like "Arsenic and Old Lace" have graced Sutherland's stage over the years. Performers like Stompin' Tom Connors have stood in its spotlights, as have local dancers and singers at local music and dance festivals. And community musical productions like "Oliver" and "Fiddler on the Roof" have transformed the facility into different worlds through fantastic sets.
About five per cent of all that has gone on in the theatre was included in the slideshow, said Larry Jorgenson, a member of Arts Humboldt, the organization that put together the tribute concert.
It was evident by what was said at the concert that the theatre has meant a lot of things to a lot of people over the years. And before it is knocked down when renovations turn the present HCI into the new Humboldt Public School, many of those people really wanted to say goodbye.
For Glenda Lees, the president of Arts Humboldt, the theatre has been her classroom.
A teacher at HCI, Lees said she even tried to sleep in the theatre once, and that seeing the work of her drama groups come to fruition in a fantastic show have given her some of her best memories.
This farewell concert, put together in a short period of time by the Arts Humboldt committee, was held because "this was an event they felt had to take place," Lees said.
The concert featured dancers from DK Dance Visions and Jacquie's Dance Academy, instrumentalists Kevin and Michelle Ackerman, and Nadia Babchouk, singers Angela Yakimoski, Jillian Ramsay, Maxine Moore, Greg Torwalt, Andy McAnally, Bob Henderson, Trevor Ross, Chelsea Meckelborg and Ashley Crooks, and bands Horse's Mouth and 40 Oz Philosophy - the latter of which played the last song of the night, which was "Sweet Caroline."
As a nod to the literary arts, Sheila Moormann read a short story.
And HCI alumni Lee Bells and Mark Schweighardt of Don't Mind Us, an improv comedy act, had the audience roaring with their performance, while Ryan Josephson, another HCI alumnus, had them giggling and a little tearful with his parody song, "The Sutherland."
In the crowd, watching the concert, impressed by the talent on stage, were some special guests. Cathie Smith, Stacey Smith Coleman and Avari Coleman - the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Spencer Sutherland, the former mayor and school board president for whom the theatre was named. The family came in from St. Brieux and Prince Albert to take in the concert.
Another special guest was Rod Dolmage, now the assistant dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, and the former English and Theatre Arts teacher at HCI.
"The last time I was on this stage, I had hair," Dolmage laughed as he took the podium to give a little history of the theatre.
"Can you see my feet?" he asked the audience.
When those in the back replied in the negative, Dolmage explained why.
When they were converting the building from gym to theatre, Dolmage asked that they keep the gym floor as the stage, as it would be perfect for dancing. However, the architects came back with a design that included a built-up stage.
Dolmage had them take the stage out, but that's all they did. They didn't change the ramp of the seating.
"The seats are ramped for a four-foot stage," he explained. "That's why it's never been right, and why plays are up on risers," he noted.
The original stage that was in the gym before is still in existence, he added - it's underneath the ramp of the seats in the back of the theatre.
Dolmage gave credit to the school board of the day who fought to turn the gym into a theatre.
"The right things came together and it happened," he said.
There were a lot of glitches along the way in the beginning, he said. HCI's first drama production in Sutherland Theatre, for example, was done without curtains, they had many issues with the lights, and there was no sound system.
Dolmage even told a harrowing tale of how a scaffold he was standing on fell over, and he had to grab onto a light pipe hanging over the first row of seats or fall on top of the seats. Luckily, he was able to get down by performing what he called a "Cirque de Soleil" number, balancing on a student's shoulders, but the falling scaffold left a dent in one of the seatbacks that is still there today.
Dolmage came to the farewell concert, he said, because though he has done a lot of things in his life, "this place has had a profound influence on me."
And it's had an influence on Humboldt, he said.
There was no community theatre group in Humboldt before the theatre was there, he said, and no place where groups could hold fundraisers like fashion shows. There was no place for dance recitals or arts council performances.
"I'm asking you to think seriously about the future of these activities once this facility is gone," he said. "You're about to lose much more than a facility... I hope that you build a new one soon, because I fear you will lose those things if you don't."
Norman Duerr, a man who has directed many musicals in Sutherland Theatre in the past, echoed those sentiments.
"Oh, the memories that come flooding back tonight," Duerr said in his address. "I must confess to feeling overwhelmed."
Sutherland Theatre provided the venue "for us to create scenes of wonder and magic," he said.
He still has dreams, he said - one of them was to mount a production of "Les Miserables" in Sutherland Theatre.
"Sadly, that now cannot be, but for you, the dream must not die," he said. "I challenge you, the people of Humboldt, to lobby and work hard so that someday you may again have a facility of the same class.. so the magic of theatre may continue to be part of Humboldt's cultural life. Please, please don't let that dream die."
Mayor Malcolm Eaton was the last speaker of the night.
Sutherland Theatre, he said, is a very important part of Humboldt's history, heritage and cultural experience - something that is evident in many ways.
Many residents of Humboldt, including city council, have special memories of events that have occurred in the theatre, from graduations to drama productions and concerts.
Deciding not to have the city take over the theatre and all the renovations that are needed was a difficult thing to do, he indicated, but it was based on input from and discussion with the community.
"It was a very difficult process for us because of our connection and the realization of the importance of the facility to the community," he said.
"Sadly, we are coming to the end of one journey, but beginning another. The new journey is pretty exciting," he said.
In the coming months, the city will be getting the ball rolling on plans for a new recreation and cultural facility, he indicated - a process that will include input from Arts Humboldt.
"We should all be excited about the opportunities that lie ahead," Eaton stated. "The loss of Sutherland Theatre presents us with the opportunity... to build a new one that is going to serve our community for the next 40 years.... So let's get it done."
