Merge Profile On Eva Cairns
June, 2011

One of the people behind this cutting-edge theatre company is Eva Cairns. Cairns has been the Managing Producer at Catalyst since 2006. "I started in an interim capacity and then never left," she says. "I loved the big vision of the company and the courageous spirits of the artists. The people I work with every day are caring, committed and really good to each other. I have an exceptional working relationship with Artistic Director Jonathan Christenson. It is a very personal environment. So far it has been very challenging but I have been fortunate to also see many rewards and results for all the work."

Cairns grew up overseas and settled in Edmonton in 1999 after moving around the country. "Edmonton provides committed audiences and great media support for theatre," she says. "The work produced in Edmonton is very influenced by the two major training programs [at the U of A and Grant MacEwan] as well as by the Fringe."

However, she also notes the challenges of working in theatre in the city. "A big challenge for our artistic community is that we are relatively isolated. This means that both practitioners and audiences do not benefit from the exposure and stimulus of outside work the way they would be in larger centres. We have to work a lot harder to get 'on the radar' nationally with audiences, colleagues and the media."

Cairns also believes that, despite the challenges the city presents, local artists have a lot of potential to develop Edmonton's creative power. "We believe that Edmonton artists can stand among the best anywhere if we make choices that support ambition and excellence," she says.

"To really do that takes a lot of resilience, commitment and vision. I can tell you the path so far has not always been easy, but when I am supporting artists who have such big visions and who are so relentlessly determined it makes all the difference. We need to be able to keep our best artists here, and support them, to ensure the dynamic balance of emerging, established and senior artists that provides a healthy ecology."

Catalyst Theatre is one of the top local theatres that is both creating and exporting original works. Cairns explains that the success of the organization is definitely a team effort. "We have two resident artists, Jonathan Christenson [writer, director, composer] and Bretta Gerecke [designer of sets, lights, costumes and props], who have worked together as a team on every Catalyst show for the past thirteen years," she says.

"This long partnership has allowed for the evolution of a particular and very recognizable aesthetic. Jonathan and Bretta are not afraid of being very big and bold in their choices and they do not fear failure. They are also relentless perfectionists and very hard workers. We made a strategic choice five years ago to commit to fewer productions but put a lot of focus into each production. So our output is limited but hopefully each work has a big impact."

Catalyst's recent strategies have worked in its favour, in particular by appealing to a wider audience. "Our work seems to effectively bridge a range of audiences—from teens to seniors and newcomers to theatre as much as experienced theatre-goers," Cairns explains. "The very particular look and sound of our work is a draw, and audiences seem, for the most part, very willing to dive in and engage with us. I think we provide a great balance between the highly unusual and the accessible. With recent productions we tell well-known stories but in a very surprising way. Generally our subject matter focuses on big, universal emotions such as love and loss."

As for what is next in terms of Catalyst's productions, eager theatre-goers will have to wait and see. "Jonathan, Bretta, and I are spending a lot of time these days on that question!" Cairns says. "We have a lot of ideas in the hopper. We haven't made a final decision yet but we hope audiences will take the next leap of faith with us as they have in the past couple of years."