New on the scene: The Theatre brings ‘The Drawer Boy’ to life in Calgary’s Beltline

Have you heard of The Theatre yet?

Tucked beneath a residential tower just off 17 Avenue, Calgary’s newest black box venue is stepping into its first official season. Simply called ‘The Theatre,’ the space seats fewer than 80 people and is co-led by Abagail Vanmerlin and Jakob Schaefer, who describe it as “something unique to Calgary — the kind of venue you might find in Toronto, Vancouver, or New York.”

Capacity shifts show-to-show, it can be anywhere from 40 to 80 seats.

The creative payoff of that scale, Jakob Schäefer says, is proximity: “Yes. The audience is very close. It’s almost like watching a film. Like it’s as close as the camera is in a movie. So you’re right up front.”

“The audience becomes part of the action sometimes… [it’s] this unique combination of almost film acting meets theatre,” Vanmerlin adds.

For the co-artistic directors, The Theatre represents three years of work transforming what used to be a swimming pool into a fully licensed, flexible performance space.

“Well, it’s been a long road to open our doors,” says Vanmerlin “And it’s been about a three-year journey to get us fully open operational.  But we have been doing shows intermittently. So we’ve probably done, I don’t know, about 10 shows.”

They have operated as a venue, but this is their first curated full season as a theatre company.

Their second show is now onstage: The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey is a Canadian classic that won the Governor General’s award in 1999.

Set on an Ontario farm in the 1970s, it follows two veterans whose quiet life is disrupted by a young actor researching rural living for a play, uncovering layers of memory, loss, and friendship.

“The story is about friendship, memory, and loss, not only are these two characters farmers, they are also war veterans,” Van Merlin says.

The cast features Mark Edwards, Noah Sharon, and Richard Beaune — the latter also serving as artistic director of The Shakespeare Company. Together, the trio brings an intimate realism that matches the venue’s scale.

“It’s naturalistic theatre,” says Schäefer. “The audience becomes part of the action.”

Performances of The Drawer Boy run through Nov. 15, including a special Remembrance Day show.

Van Merlin and Schäefer say they’re eager to grow The Theatre’s audience and spotlight new Calgary talent.

“There are a lot of professional actors moving here from Toronto or Vancouver,” Van Merlin adds. “It can be hard to get in front of artistic directors, so we want to give them a stage.”

Future shows this season include The Boss of It All, Appropriate, and two works by local playwrights — part of a bold mix the founders hope will help cultivate a culture of independent theatre in the city.