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Creative Catalyst

Having a production tour the country is a huge deal for any theatre company. Having that happen three times in a row is another matter entirely. But that's what Jonathan Christenson, the artistic director of Edmonton's Catalyst Theatre, has managed to do. First, there was 2007′s Frankenstein, followed by 2009′s Nevermore, a story of Edgar Allan Poe's life that played in Calgary, Toronto, London and New York. Last March, Catalyst launched Hunchback, a play that extrapolates scenes and characters from Victor Hugo's famous novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, including, of course, Quasimodo. Like its predecessors it will travel, starting with Vancouver in February 2012.

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Edmonton Sterling Nominees Unveiled

Catalyst is pleased to be nominated in the following categories:

Outstanding Production of a Musical: Tosca (Edmonton Opera); Jack and the Beanstalk (Alberta Opera); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mayfield Dinner Theatre); Hunchback (Catalyst Theatre commissioned by Citadel); The Infinite Shiver (Teatro La Quindicina).

Outstanding Set Design: Narda McCarroll, True Love Lies (Citadel); Sue LePage, August: Osage County (Citadel); Cory Sincennes, Mump and Smoot Cracked (Mump & Smoot/Theatre Network); David Fraser, Billy Bishop Goes To War (Citadel); Bretta Gerecke, Hunchback (Catalyst Theatre commissioned by Citadel).

Outstanding Costume Design: Leona Brausen, The Ambassador's Wives (Teatro La Quindicina); Leslie Frankish, The Three Musketeers (Citadel); Bretta Gerecke, Hunchback (Catalyst commissioned by Citadel); Tamara Marie Kucheran, Intimate Apparel (Obsidian Theatre presented by Citadel); Sheena Haug, Hard Core Logo LIVE (Theatre Network/November Theatre/Touchstone Theatre).

Outstanding Lighting Design: David Fraser, Billy Bishop Goes To War (Citadel); Robert Gardiner, Studies in Motion (Electric Theatre Company/Citadel); Bretta Gerecke, Hunchback (Catalyst Theatre commissioned by Citadel); Narda McCarroll, True Love Lies (Citadel); Cory Sincennes, Dog (Surreal SoReal).

Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical: Aaron Macri, True Love Lies (Citadel); Dave Clarke, Dog (Surreal SoReal); Jonathan Christenson, Hunchback (Catalyst Theatre commissioned by Citadel); Greg Morrison, Mump and Smoot: Cracked (Mump & Smoot/Theatre Network); Ryan Sigurdson and Farren Timoteo, The Infinite Shiver (Teatro La Quindicina).

Outstanding Musical Director: Don Horsburgh, Hunchback (Catalyst Theatre commissioned by Citadel); Van Wilmott, Dark Star: The Life and Times of Roy Orbison (Mayfield); Jeff Unger, Jack and the Beanstalk (Alberta Opera): Ryan Sigurdson, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mayfield); Cathy Derkach, The Infinite Shiver (Teatro La Quindicina).

The Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration: Eva Cairns

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Edmonton theatre producer Eva Cairns honoured for arts management

Calgary foundation salutes her work at Catalyst Theatre with Rozsa Innovation Award

BY BOB CLARK, CALGARY HERALD

Artistic creation is one thing, but finding a way of sustainably presenting it is quite another.

The all-important enterprise of running an arts organization in Alberta took centre stage in Calgary on Monday at Jack Singer Lobby with the presentation of two prestigious annual awards celebrating outstanding business management and innovation, respectively.

Administered by the Rozsa Foundation, the Rozsa Awards were created in 2002 to honour philanthropists Ted and Lola Rozsa, both longtime supporters of the arts in Calgary.

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Catalyst Theatre: Making Waves In The Theatrical World

Story by Paula E. Kirman
Merge Magazine
June 2011

Catalyst Theatre is a small company with a huge reputation that continues to grow.

Catalyst was founded in 1977 as a social action theatre company. Its mandate changed in 1996 to focus on the creation of new works, and since 2006 the company has prioritized the development of one large-scale production every second year, along with the touring of each production. Since 1997, Catalyst has toured its productions across Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.

Some of the company's past productions include Frankenstein and Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe. Hunchback, an interpretation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, was commissioned by the Citadel and won rave reviews from both critics and audiences.

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