A Complete History of Concrete Theatre

See our production history here

Concrete Theatre started in 1987 and was officially registered in 1989 as a Not-For-Profit Society. It began as a collectively-run company committed to using theatre in the community to explore and analyze social issues. The founding artistic directors were Mieko Ouchi, Caroline Howarth, Kazimea Sokil, Jan Selman and Elinor Holt. Concrete Theatre operated on a project-to-project basis facilitating community groups to create theatre that reflected their realities. These early projects included work with street involved youth, teen mothers and single parents. The name Concrete reflected the company’s commitment to the urban Edmonton community.

In 1990, Concrete Theatre began working in schools with a participatory workshop project called Love, Anger and the Media that explored relationships, gender roles, dating violence and the impact of media. This workshop toured to schools around Edmonton and Northern Alberta. In the early 90’s, new artists joined the collective. Padma Viswanathan and Philip McIntyre-Paul created a collective theatre and visual art project called Acting Our Colours exploring race relations among teens and created a mural and theatre piece that toured to schools and teen conferences. The company also facilitated a number of community-based workshops and small performance projects with social service agencies, churches, and schools.

In these early years, the company was administered by a group of Artistic Co-Directors, who worked for the company on a volunteer basis. Funding to cover the cost of projects came from social service agencies, Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), Canadian Heritage and the City of Edmonton.

In 1994 Concrete Theatre partnered with four social service agencies to develop Decisions, Decisions;a participatory theatre piece written by Mieko Ouchi for Junior High students that explored a wide variety of issues including racism, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, and dating violence. This project was co-produced by Concrete Theatre, AADAC, The Sexual Assault Centre, Planned Parenthood Edmonton and the Support Network, with funding from The Wildrose Foundation and The Government of Alberta Early Intervention Program. Directed by Caroline Howarth, Decisions, Decisions was a highly successful program that toured to Edmonton schools from 1994 to 1996. In the casting and content of this project, Concrete Theatre made a commitment to promoting cultural diversity and reflecting the diverse nature of school populations.

As Concrete Theatre’s connection to schools developed, other projects were created including The Multi-Cultural Project, which explored the issues of new Canadians and ESL students in the school community of Louis St. Laurent Junior High School and Crossing the Line, a participatory workshop on harassment and bullying which toured extensively to Junior Highs across Northern Alberta. Concrete Theatre also worked with individuals and community groups to provide theatrical forums for alternative voices. Youth Under Pressure provided performance opportunities for young artists at the Edmonton Fringe Festival and First Night Festivals for several seasons.

Crips Against the Law of Gravity and Returned to Sender were plays by and about the disabled community. The playwright Heidi Janz, a writer with cerebral palsy, worked extensively with Concrete Theatre and with the disabled community to create two shows. These shows were performed at the Edmonton Fringe Festival and at the U of A Hospital Theatre in conjunction with the U of A Bioethics Committee and the Association For Community Living. Concrete has continued its relationship with Heidi, including commissioning her short play, The Hare and the Hedgehog – A “Challenging” Fable for the 2002 Sprouts Festival.

The Road Show explored environmental issues and came out of a partnership with Eco-City, an Edmonton-based organization committed to urban environmental issues, and the Edmonton Transit System. The show was performed on an ETS bus at the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

During this period, the company continued to operate as an artistic collective working on a project-to-project basis with no formal administration. The evolving membership of the Artistic Collective included Uma Viswanathan, Elyne Quan, Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, Andrew Houston, Wendy Philpott, Lise Ann Johnson, Juleta Severson-Baker, Caroline Howarth, Kazimea Sokil and Mieko Ouchi. The company accessed funds from Foundations, The Provincial Government and the City of Edmonton.

1998/1999 Season

In 1998, the Artistic Co-Directors of the company decided to develop a performance piece that explored their own cultural diversity. Triptych was made up of three personal performance pieces that explored aspects of Asian Canadian culture: Surface Tension by Elyne Quan, By This Parting by Mieko Ouchi and subtext by Uma Viswanathan. Triptych was successful both critically and strengthened the company’s commitment to creating diverse theatre.

1999/2000 Season

Naomi’s Road, adapted by Paula Wing from Joy Kogawa’s novel, and directed by Mieko Ouchi, was produced for school and community audiences in 1999. We cast the production with Alberta-based Asian-Canadian artists. In our search for artists, we were able to assemble a database of Asian Canadian artists. Because of this companies are beginning to use Concrete Theatre as a resource to contact Asian Canadian artists for projects.

2000/2001 Season

Building on the success of Triptych, the company developed Rice-Stories with a Slant, a multiphase performance project exploring the experience of Asian Canadians, which included a multi-media installation in 1999 and a theatre performance in 2001. The performance of Rice wove together three stories: The Story of the Little Bird by Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, The Story of the Old Man and the Buddha by Mieko Ouchi and What? by Elyne Quan.

Are We There Yet? written by Jane Heather, grew out of our original collaboration with Planned Parenthood Edmonton on Decisions, Decisions in 1994. The show toured to Grade 9’s as part of the Grade 9 sexuality curriculum, in Edmonton to both Public and Catholic schools in the Fall and the in the Spring this year.

As a result of the rapid growth of the company, the Artistic Co-Directors began the process of developing a Board of Directors drawn from the community and began a search for a part time General Manager. In 2001, Concrete Theatre hired Marian Brant as General Manager. Along with this change, we also began to create more structured seasons of plays, featuring shows aimed at Elementary, Junior High, Senior High and Family Audiences.

2001/2002 Season

In 2001, Concrete Theatre produced their first TYA production targeted at K-6 students. Lig & Bittle, written and performed by Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull and Elyne Quan explores and celebrates difference. The play toured for two weeks. We also toured Are We There Yet? to Edmonton and Area Jr Highs for four weeks in the Spring of 2002.

In Spring of 2002, Concrete Theatre introduced a new play initiative, Sprouts New Play Festival For Kids. The goals of this annual project were to expand the pool of new TYA scripts that specifically promote cultural diversity, to develop new playwrights who are interested in writing for young audiences, and to develop a stable of short scripts that could grow into full length touring and main-stage productions for Concrete Theatre. Sprouts 2002 plays were by Trevor Anderson, Tololwa M. Mollel, Patricia Darbasie, Janet Hinton-Mann and Heidi Janz.

2002/2003 Season

Our 2002/2003 season included a fall/winter mainstage production of The Shape of A Girl by Joan MacLeod at the Kaasa Theatre, aimed at Jr/Sr High. Directed by Caroline Howarth, the show starred Beth Graham. A new workshop initiative Getting In On It focused on the new health curriculum on healthy living developed with Alberta Learning. This workshop toured to Edmonton schools and Jr Highs in Fort McMurray. Lig & Bittle was remounted in Edmonton, and toured nationally to the Kids On The Waterfront Festival in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, both in the Spring of 2003. We also toured Are We There Yet? to Edmonton and Area Junior High Schools for four weeks.

Sprouts 2003 featured plays by Elyne Quan, Leona Brausen, Mark Haroun, Marty Chan, Maralyn Ryan & Jim De Felice.

2003/2004 Season

Our 2003/2004 season included a fall tour of The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito by Tomson Highway to Edmonton Elementaries. Lig & Bittle was remounted for a few public performances for families in Edmonton, and then toured to The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People in Toronto, and to the IDEA Congress in Ottawa, both in Spring 2004. Are We There Yet? also toured to Edmonton Jr Highs for four weeks in Spring 2004.

Sprouts 2004 included plays by Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, Jan Taylor, Chris Bullough, Beth Graham & Daniela Vlaskalic, and featured a preview of songs from Nami Namersson, the Viking Who Liked To Name Things.

2004/2005 Season

Our 2004/2005 season included a fall main-stage production of The Plum Tree by Mitch Miyagawa at Catalyst Theatre in Winter of 2004. This show was aimed at Jr/Sr Highs, and explored Japanese-Canadian Internment.To celebrate Black History Month in February, we toured a double bill of two short plays A Promise to the Sun by Tololwa M. Mollel and Carnival Magic by Patricia Darbasie to Edmonton Elementaries. The shows were performed for a sold out three week run. In Spring we produced a short remount of The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito at the Library Theatre before touring to the Alberta Scene at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in April 2005 and the Kids on the Waterfront Festival in Dartmouth, NS in May 2005. In April/May we presented the 8th tour of Are We There Yet? which traveled to Edmonton Junior Highs for four weeks.

In early 2005, Concrete Theatre and community partners including Planned Parenthood, the University of Alberta Departments of Drama and Human Ecology, Native Counseling Services, NeWorld Theatre in Vancouver, Saskatchewan Native Theatre in Saskatoon & Mulgrave Road Theatre in Guysborough, NS, were awarded a research grant worth $952,000 from the SSHRC Program through the CURA (Community University Research Alliance) for the ground-breaking participatory play program Are We There Yet? The grant was used to tour, analyze and study the show for four years, test the show in other communities across Canada, conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the learning outcomes of the project, to write and publish the script along with details of the development process and to hold a national symposium.

Sprouts 2005 featured readings of four short new plays, a kids’ art exhibit and a bilingual project: a reading of Jeremy Fisher, in both French and in an English translation, in collaboration with L’Uni Theatre, Edmonton’s Francophone Theatre. Playwrights included Mieko Ouchi, Portia Clark, Isabelle Rousseau & Sheldon Elter.

2005/2006 Season

We opened the season with a remount of The Shape of A Girl by Joan McLeod. The play toured to Edmonton and area Jr/Sr Highs, as well as to Grande Prairie Live Theatre and Saskatoon’s Broadway Theatre. The play, directed by Caroline Howarth, featured Clarice Eckford as Braidie. In February we produced a second remount of The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito at the Library Theatre before the show traveled to London Ontario for a run at the Grand Theatre. In February we debuted the premiere of Nami Namersson, The Viking Who Liked To Name Things, the first play to come out of Sprouts. With book and lyrics by Trevor Anderson, music by Bryce Kulak, the play toured to Elementaries with three public shows at the Library Theatre. In April/May saw the 9th tour of Are We There Yet? which toured to Jr Highs for six weeks.

Sprouts 2006 included new short plays by Collin Doyle, Andrea House, Jana O’Connor and Marty Chan. We also presented a reading of Marty Chan’s new full length play Nearly Normal.

2006/2007 Season

We opened the season with Offensive Fouls by Jason Long, which toured to Jr/Sr Highs. Directed by Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, the play featured Nadien Chu and Chris Bullough and was stage managed by Gina Puntil. In February, we presented the English language world premiere of Jeremy Fisher by Mohamed Rouabhi, translated by Mieko Ouchi. The play was directed by Ron Jenkins and featured Sheldon Bergstrom, Patrick Howarth, Rebecca Starr & Guillermo Urra. It was stage managed by Shaun Throndson and designed by David Fraser. It toured to Edmonton Elementaries and had four public shows at FTA’s PCL Studio. In April/May we presented the 10th tour of Are We There Yet? by Jane Heather, which traveled to Edmonton and area Junior Highs for a sold-out six week tour, also heading up to Fort McMurray for a week of shows. This production featured Ryland Alexander, Jeremy Baumung, Nadien Chu and Kristi Hansen. It was stage managed by Shaun Throndson and directed by Mieko Ouchi.

Sprouts 2007 included plays by Cathy Derkach, Mark Haroun, Mieko Ouchi & Guillermo Urra. The plays were directed by Caroline Howarth and stage managed by Michelle Chan.

This year we saw changes in our administration. Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, Artistic Co-Director since 1994 moved on to pursue work with the Alberta Workers’ Health Centre and Marian Brant, our GM, took on a new role as Production Manager with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Caroline Howarth and Mieko Ouchi continued on in their capacities as Artistic Co-Directors, with David Cheoros filling in as Interim General Manager.

2007/2008 Season

We opened the season with a remount of The Shape Of A Girl by Joan MacLeod. The play had a successful sold out two week tour in Edmonton Jr/Sr Highs with public performances at Concordia University College. This remount featured Tracy Penner, was directed by Tracy Carroll and stage managed by Ha Neul Kim. Our Elementary school show was a remount of Nami Namersson, The Viking Who Liked To Name Things. The play had a 10 day run at Fringe Theatre Adventures in the Westbury Theatre, followed by a sold out 2 week run to Edmonton Elementaries. The production was again directed by Mieko Ouchi and featured Ashley Ball, Cathy Derkach, Jesse Gervais and Sylvia Wong. It was stage managed by Ha Neul Kim. 2008 marked the 11th tour of Are We There Yet?, touring to Edmonton and Calgary for six weeks. Featured artists included Jeremy Baumung, Kristi Gunther Hansen, Mark Jenkins and Natasha Napoleao. It was directed by Caroline Howarth and stage managed by Gina Puntil.

Sprouts 2008 featured ASL interpretation at both performances, featuring scripts by Dave Clarke, Rita Espechit, Dave Horak and Conni Massing. The plays were directed by Caroline Howarth, stage managed by Michelle Chan, and designed by Amanda Franklin.

In March of 2008, Debbie Giesbrecht came on as full-time General Manager.

2008/2009 Season

We opened the season with Smokescreen by David S. Craig. Directed by Caroline Howarth, the show featured Mieko Ouchi, Garett Spelliscy and George Szilagyi and was stage managed by Jamie Betts. Our Winter Elementary tour was the premiere of Apples and Oranges by Chris Bullough. The play was directed by Mieko Ouchi, stage managed by Lester Lee & featured Pat Darbasie, Scott Shepley, Sara Vickruck & Julie Golosky.

Are We There Yet? returned for its 12^th tour. This year the show toured to The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People for a 12-day run before touring to Alberta grade 9 students. This year’s show was directed by Mieko Ouchi, stage managed by Beth Dart and featured Nadien Chu, Monice Peters, Ryland Alexander and Nick Green.

Sprouts 2009 featured new works by Todd Babiak, Julie Golosky, Twilla MacLeod & Gregory Shimizu and Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull.

2009/2010 Season

We opened the season in November with the premiere of Routes by Collin Doyle, directed by Mieko Ouchi, stage managed by Nicole Piotrkowski, and starring Joshua Beaudry. In February we debuted The Early Bloomer by Jana O’Connor. The show was directed by Caroline Howarth, stage managed by Nancy Yuen, and featured Ming Hudson, Ntara Curry, George Szilagyi & Farren Timoteo. Are We There Yet?, our 13^th tour, was directed by Nadien Chu, stage managed by Anna Davidson, and featured Kristi Gunther Hansen, Richard Lee Hsi, Simone Saunders and Adam Beauchesne.

Sprouts 2010 featured new works by Patricia Darbasie, Nick Green, Ian Leung and Mari Sasano. The plays were directed by Caroline Howarth, stage managed by Michelle Chan. We also hosted the official book launch for Sprouts! An Anthology of New Plays from Concrete Theatre.

2010/2011 Season

We opened the Season with a world premiere of Under Cover by Mark Haroun. The production was directed by Mieko Ouchi, dramaturged by Tracy Carroll, SM’d by Naomi Lagerweij and featured Richard Lee Hsi, Garett

Spelliscy, Carmela Sison & Andrea Jarowsky. Production design by David Fraser and sound design by Dave Clarke.

In the Fall we also remounted Collin Doyle’s Routes touring it to the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young Audiences in Toronto for a sold out two week run. The show featured the same artistic team as last year. This year’s Spring production of Are We There Yet, our 14^th tour by Jane Heather was directed by Caroline Howarth, stage managed by Anna Davidson and featured Cole Humeny, Ming Hudson, Monice Peter and Garett Spelliscy.

Sprouts 2011 featured new plays by Christine Sokaymoh Frederick, Kevin Kerr, Valerie Mason-John (aka Queenie) and Tololwa M. Mollel. As it was the 10^th Anniversary, our programming was supplemented by a special Saturday reading of Dave Clarke’s opera for children Songs My Mother Never Sung Me directed by Caroline Howarth, dramaturged by Mieko Ouchi, stage managed by Gina Puntil and featuring Eric Wigston, Faye Stollery, Mary Hulbert, Scott Shleply & Jeremy Baumung. Music provided by Cathy Derkach and Thom Golub. Anniversary celebrations also included a special Coffee Klatch co-hosted by the APN for artists interested in writing for kids.

2011/2012 Season

We opened the Season with a remount of Offensive Fouls by Jason Long, directed by Caroline Howarth. It featured Cole Humeny and Chantelle Han and was stage managed by Betty Hushlak, with tech support by Josiah Hiemstra. It again featured the production design of David Fraser and the sound design of Dave Clarke. After Christmas we remounted Lig & Bittle by Elyne Quan and Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, directed by Tracy Carroll, stage managed by Betty Hushlak, with assistant directing by Carmela Sison. The show starred Paul Welch and Ming Hudson. The production design was by Marissa Kochanski with sound design by Jay Lind. Public performances were presented for the first time as part of the FTA Arts at the Barns Series. This year’s production of Are We There Yet?, our 15^th tour by Jane Heather was directed by Mieko Ouchi, stage managed by Betty Hushlak and featured Carmela Sison, Jenny McKillop, Richard Lee and Garrett Spelliscy. Sexual educators were Carolyn Gratton and Emily Vespi.

Sprouts 2012 featured scripts by Carmela Sison, Nadien Chu, Joshua Dalledonne and Richard Lee & Joel Crichton. It was stage managed by Gina Moe, directed by Mieko Ouchi, music by Paul Morgan Donald with design by Cory Sincennes. Actors were Jesse Gervais, Julie Golosky & Zina Lee.

In August 2011 Gail Yakemchuk joined the company as General Manager.

2012/2013 Season

Fall featured a remount of Smokescreen by David S. Craig which toured to Jr/Sr Highs for 3 weeks. The show was directed by Mieko Ouchi and featured Matt Hulshof, Troy O’Donnell & Ntara Curry. It was stage managed by Dawn Friesen with tech support by Josiah Hiemstra. Public shows were performed at C103. Our winter Elementary tour was the premiere of Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull’s Paper Song. Directed and dramaturged by Caroline Howarth, the show featured a production design by Cory Sincennes, and sound and projection design by Dave Clarke. The show was stage managed by Rachel Rudd with tech support by Josiah Hiemstra. The show starred Zina Lee, Ntara Curry & Richard Lam. The show had six shows at FTA as part of their Arts at the Barns Series, and toured to Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon for 4 shows on the main-stage. Are We There Yet? by Jane Heather had its 16^th and final tour this season. It was directed by Mieko Ouchi, and stage managed by Dawn Friesen, featuring Richard Lam, Peter Fernandes, Carmela Sison & Jenny McKillop. It also marked a rebuilding of our relationship with Options Sexual Health who came on as sexual education partners for this last tour. Sex Education support in Calgary was provided by Calgary Sexual Health.

Sprouts 2013 featured plays from Malcolm Azania (Minister Faust), Tracy Carroll, Michelle Todd & Vern Thiessen. The plays were directed by Mieko Ouchi, dramaturged by Caroline Howarth and stage managed by Dawn Friesen. Design was by Lisa Hancharek with sound design by Jason Kodie. Cast: Matt Hulshof, Patricia Cerra & Julie Golosky.

2013/2014 Season

Fall began with the premiere of I Am For You. Written and directed by Mieko Ouchi, the play featured Jonathan

Purvis, Patricia Cerra & Samantha Jeffery. Design was provided by Patrick Beagan with sound design by Dave Clarke. The Production was stage managed by Rachel Rudd with tech support by Josiah Hiemstra. The school tour included 24 performances with public shows at C103. Winter Elementary show was a remount of Apples and Oranges by Chris Bullough. Cast included Nadien Chu, Mary Hulbert, Patricia Cerra & Diego Stredel. Production designer was Lisa Hancharek. Julie Golosky joined us as Musical Director, and the show was stage managed by Dawn Friesen. It was a large tour, with an additional week in Fort St. John and Tumbler Ridge, and a four show tour to Persephone for a total of 40 performances. Our spring show was the premiere pilot tour of The Bully Project. The show was performed 39 times. The production was written and directed by Mieko Ouchi and featured Sheldon Elter, Jenny McKillop & Carmela Sison, with Dawn Friesen as Stage Manager. ECF funded this pilot.

Sprouts 2014 featured three playwrights instead of four: Natasha Deen, Cat Walsh & Ken T. Williams. Plays were directed by Tracy Carroll, with dramaturgy by Caroline Howarth and were stage managed by Dawn Friesen. Design was by Lisa Hancharek with sound design by Dave Clarke. This is our last year in the Stanley A. Milner.

In March, Gail Yakemchuk departed the organization and Mary-Ellen Perley came on board as General Manager, from her previous post as Booking Coordinator. Cat Walsh joined the organization as Booking Coordinator.

2014/2015 Season

This was the first year we moved The Bully Project to its new fall dates, and piloted the Elementary adaptation. The show was performed 41 times. Both scripts were written and directed by Mieko Ouchi with dramaturgy and research done by Caroline Howarth. The show featured Adam Beauschene, Kristi Hansen and Nikki Shaffeeullah, with Mary Hulbert SM’ing. ECF funded this second pilot year. Winter 2015 was the Premiere of The Antyssey, book and lyrics by Joel Crichton and Richard Lee His, performed by Nadien Chu, Oscar Derkx and Jesse Gervais, with stage management by Sang Sang Lee. Tech support was by Perry Harris. The show was production designed by Patrick Beagan. We had a total of 28 performances in Edmonton. Spring Teen show was a remount of Routes, featuring Colin Dingwall and Ntara Curry as SM. With this show we did see a lull in bookings. Schools articulated that they were nervous about cutbacks from the Prentice pre-election budget. The NDP win and their promise to reverse the cuts came too late for this show. We had 19 shows, down from previous totals of 24 and 28.

Sprouts 2015 saw us moving venues to the Fringe Theatre Adventures Westbury Theatre as part of the Arts at the Barns Presentation Series. We received a grant from the ECF to assist with the move.

2015/2016 Season

Financially, we had an unexpected move from our home at the Stanley A. Milner Library after over 15 years in the same office. We once again saw lower than anticipated school sales, and this coupled with our unexpected move, had us run a small deficit. We did however, make significant progress in fundraising, hosting our first Sprouts Anniversary fundraising online silent auction. We remounted The Bully Project in the fall, and produced two remounts in the Winter to bring our costs down. The Early Bloomer did well, but bookings for Under Cover were below projected numbers. Schools articulated that they decided to hold on to any money they had, just in case.

Despite these challenges, we were able to research, find and negotiate a long term lease on a new space with Alberta Opera Touring Association. We were able to pack up and move our office and multiple storage spaces using staff and volunteers at little cost. We looked to create new revenue sources through rentals at, as well as through a new book selling program, and continued to weather a tough time along with our national sister companies with schools and school funding.

2016/2017 Season

In our first full year in the space, the newly named Playhouse was a huge success.

We procured new funding from the Wu Chien Michael Tan Foundation, the Allard Foundation, Alberta Status of Women and the United Church of Canada Helen Mack Fund. We wrote a strong 4 year multi-year operating grant for the Canada Council. The AFA announced an increase to PPAO Operating funding for the first time in 10 years, and reinstated funding for the Artists in Residency Program.

Our co-production of Bello with L’UniThéâtre was very successful, both financially and in terms of connecting us with new schools and communities. It was our first co-production. Young People’s Theatre picked it up for 2017-2018. In February, we participated in the inaugural SOUND OFF Deaf Theatre Festival with a workshop reading of our Deaf Opera for Kids Songs My Mother Never Sung Me, starring Elizabeth Morris, leading to interest and national presentation offers. We ran our first summer camp, in coordination with the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and Catholic Social Services One World One Centre, with 15 children in English & Arabic.

Organizationally, Mieko Ouchi was chosen to attend the International ASSITEJ Conference in Cape Town, SA in May. In July Cat Walsh departed the organization and Patrick Beagan joined as our new Booking Coordinator.

2017/2018 Season

We made significant progress in fundraising. We were accepted into the Birdies for Kids program which matches individual donations, and artsVest, a national program to help train staff in organizations on how to find and steward corporate sponsorships. This program also gave out matching funds for new and renewed sponsorships. We also held our first pre-Christmas Give Twice online auction campaign. We were awarded a $30,000/year increase to our Canada Council Multi-year operating funding. Compared to many other organizations across the country, this was a very generous increase. We continued to build revenue from our book-selling social enterprise.

Our first rep tour in Winter of 2018 worked well. Our remount of Paper Song and the premiere of Consent were well received, and featured the artistic team of Mieko Ouchi (PW/Director), Suzie Martin (Assistant Director), Troy O’Donnell (SM), Production Designer Adam Tsuyoshi Turnbull, Sound Designer Dave Clarke, Projection Designer Kim Clegg, Lighting Design by Patrick Beagan and tech support by Perry Harris. Cast included Richard Lee Hsi, Carmela Sison and Bobbi Goddard. Bookings were also helped by the subsidization from our Alberta Status of Women grant. We worked with two community partners: SACE and Compass.

Organizationally, Mary-Ellen Perley retired at the end of this season, and Patrick Beagan came on board as our new GM. Heather Cornick joined Concrete as our new Booking Coordinator.

2018/2019 Season

Our book sales grew exponentially with the addition of four new publishing houses.

We continued to build our fundraising. We did a second year of the Birdies for Kids program. We held our second pre-Christmas Give Twice online auction campaign, raising more money than last year.

Our second rep tour in Winter 2019 was a success. The shows were directed by Mieko Ouchi, with Assistant Direction by Corben Kushneryk. They were stage managed by Heather Cornick and Ian Leung, with tech support from Daniel Belland and Erik Mortimer. Production Design was by Patrick Beagan and CM Zuby, with Lighting Design for both shows done by Patrick Beagan and sound design by Dave Clarke. The shows featured Natasha Napolaeo, Graham Mothersill and Christopher Scott. Our remount of The Antyssey by Joel Crichton and Richard Lee Hsi was well received by schools with 19 bookings. Our premiere for Teens, CTRL-ALT-DEL by Jana O’Connor had 32, helped by a large subsidization from a Family and Community Safety Program, and the support of community partner SACE.

Sprouts 2019 featured plays by David Cheoros, April Banigan & Morgan Yamada. They were directed by Mieko Ouchi, designed by Caro Van Rensburg & Patrick Beagan and featured Richard Lee Hsi, Geri Schaer & Beth Graham.

2019/2020 Season – 30^th Anniversary Season

We continued to build our fundraising, enrolling in a third year of the Birdies for Kids program, with a focus on celebrating our Anniversary year. We held our third pre-Christmas Give Twice online auction campaign.

We prepared our third rep tour in January 2020, featuring two premieres in celebration of our 30^th Anniversary: Pia and Maria by Joshua Dalledonne and Bianca Miranda and Signs by Collin Doyle. The shows were directed by Mieko Ouchi, with dramaturgy by Vern Thiessen. They were stage managed by Betty Hushlak, with tech support planned with Alex Boldt. Production design was by Whittyn Jason, with lighting design planned for by Heather Cornick. Costumes were done by Mieko with the cast, with sound design by Dave Clarke. The shows featured Heather D. Swain, Davina Stewart and Geri Schaer (P & M), Geri Schaer, Chris Pereira and Melanie Bahniuk (Signs). We made it through four weeks of rehearsal when COVID hit and we had to shut down the entire tour and close the Playhouse space and our offices on March 13, 2020.

We cancelled our Lawyer play fundraiser with the Players de Novo Laughing Stock shortly thereafter, as well as our Sprouts New Play Festival for Kids, which was going to feature scripts by Dave Clarke & Marissa Kochanski, Mika Laulainen and Patricia Cerra, both of which were planned for May 2020. Because our public performances of Pia and Maria and Signs were cancelled, we also had to call off our 30^th Anniversary Gala in April, which was built around a family style Italian dinner at La Cité Francophone and a performance of Pia and Maria.

Since then, the team has been working remotely. In November of 2020, after 31 years in a leadership position with Concrete, co-founder Mieko Ouchi stepped down as Artistic Director, and in December a new team of Co-Artistic Directors: Tracy Carroll and Corben Kushneryk were welcomed in. Mieko will remain connected to the company as an Artistic Associate, while working as the TD Associate Artistic Director at the Citadel.

Concrete Theatre Today

Concrete Theatre is a not-for-profit society and a registered charity (no. 89738 7478 RR0001), and operates as a full member of PACT. The organization operates with a Board of Directors, one to two Artistic Directors, a General Manager, and a Bookings Coordinator as well as two Artistic Associates. Concrete Theatre employs professional artists on a contract per project basis. The various artists deliver workshops, design (set, lights, costumes, sound and graphics), create and perform in both our school tours and our main-stage productions. Concrete has worked in partnership with many community organizations, agencies and theatres across the province. Recent collaborators include Alberta Health Services Addictions Services, Compass Center for Sexual Wellness, SACE (The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton), The Canadian Red Cross, the Centre for Race and Culture and Edmonton Public Libraries among others. Concrete Theatre receives operating and project support from many different organizations and individuals including: the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Community Foundation, Stollery Foundation, The Alberta Status of Women, the Allard Foundation, United Church Helen Mack Fund, Telus Community Board and Wuchien Michael Than Foundation among others.

Last updated: 3/16/2021

Awards and Honours Received

2023 CTRL-ALT-DEL

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Corben Kushneryk)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Set Design (c.m. zuby)

2019 Songs My Mother Never Sung Me

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Acting (Luc Tellier)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Musical Score (Dave Clarke)

CTRL ALT DEL

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Writing (Jana O’Connor)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)
Nomination for the City of Edmonton Mayor’s Award for Accessibility and Inclusion (Body of Work)

2018 Consent

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding TYA Direction & Writing (Mieko Ouchi)
Inaugural Compass Award from the Compass Centre for Sexual Wellness

2017 Bello

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Achievement in TYA – Writing & Translating (Vern Thiessen and Brian Dooley)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)

2016 Under Cover

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Nomination for Kristen Padayas for Outstanding Achievement in TYA – Acting
Nomination for Mieko Ouchi for Outstanding Achievement in TYA – Directing

2015 The Antyssey

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Script and Score (Joel Crichton and Richard Lee)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Acting (Jesse Gervais)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Design (Patrick Beagan)

2014 I Am For You

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Fight Choreography and Acting (Jonathan Purvis)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)

Apples and Oranges

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Acting (Mary Hulbert)

2013 Smokescreen

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Performance (Matt Hulshof)

Paper Song

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Design (Cory Sincennes)

2012 Offensive Fouls and Lig & Bittle

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nominations for Outstanding Direction (Caroline Howarth and Tracy Carroll)

2011 Under Cover

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audience
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)

Routes

Dora Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences (Toronto)

2010 Routes

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination Outstanding Performance by Actor – Leading Role (Joshua Beaudry)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding New Play (by Collin Doyle)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Direction (Mieko Ouchi)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Artistic Achievement (David Fraser, Set Design)

The Early Bloomer

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nom – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, Theatre for Young Audiences (Lisa Hancharek, Design)

2009 Apples and Oranges & Smokescreen

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Noms – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences

2007 Jeremy Fisher

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences

2006 Nami Namersson, The Viking Who Liked to Name Things

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Score (Bryce Kulak)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Musical Direction (Cathy Derkach)
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Musical

2005

Mayor’s Evening for the Arts – Winner of the Syncrude Award for Innovative Artistic Direction

Artistic Co-Directors: Caroline Howarth, Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, Mieko Ouchi

Nominee for the Laurel Awards

Concrete Theatre

2004

Mayor’s Luncheon – Nominee for the Syncrude Award for Innovative Artistic Direction

2003 The Shape of A Girl

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences

2002 Lig & Bittle

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences

2001 Naomi’s Road

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Set Design

Rice: stories with a slant (Dave Fraser)

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Nomination for Outstanding Lighting Design
Alberta Writers Guild Nomination for the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Outstanding New Play

2000 Are We There Yet?

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award – Outstanding Production for Young Audiences