Snack size theatre, full size heart: Lunchbox Theatre celebrates 50 years

The schtick for Lunchbox Theatre has always been one-act entertainment to fill your lunch hour, but as the bustle of the core has shifted, so have the audiences that appreciate daytime entertainment in a digestible portion.

Lunchbox Theatre is celebrating its 50th season this year. Looking back, artistic director Bronwyn Steinberg says even before the pandemic, the company saw a shift.

In 2008, the company moved from Bow Valley Square to the base of the Calgary Tower, which took the theatre geographically away from the centre of downtown office workers. At about the same time, office workers started spending less time in the office.

But, Steinberg said it’s less about where people work, but rather how that has affected Lunchbox audiences. She said not a lot of people take lunchbreaks anymore.

“I talk to people who work through their lunch constantly and leave early, or eat at their desk,” she said. “That idea of taking a break and going and doing something in the middle of your day is something that most people are like, ‘I could just never do that.'”

But Steinberg says there is a key demographic still very interested in daytime entertainment — people who aren’t working.

She explains retirees love the convenience of travelling to the theatre mid-day. School groups are also able to take advantage of the timing as well, exposing Calgary students to live theatre without having to make a trip after school hours.

So, despite the smaller amount of office workers taking advantage of a show during lunch break she said that audience hasn’t vanished entirely.

“I think our culture is maybe a little too workaholic,” Steinberg said.

Lunchbox runs theatre in a more relaxed setting — snacks, lunches, and rustling around is tolerated.

The 50th Anniversary season kicked off with “Jake’s Gift” — a show which has run at Lunchbox several times before with a Remembrance Day message. The rest of the season is made up of new works written by Calgary playwrights and developed at Lunchbox in the Stage One Festival.

The Stage One festival is in its 38th iteration, and submissions for this year are now open.

For a look at the full season, visit Lunchbox Theatre’s website.