A Labour of Love
You may have heard of a local Medicine Hat theatre production company, Top Hat Productions, from their bold launch with Spring Awakening in 2018 and most recently, the cult classic Heathers. But what you might not know is the amount of time and passion that goes into one of the musical productions for this non-profit organization.
Elaine Jeffery, who started Top Hat Productions, found her love for the theatre several years ago while looking for ways to get out and be involved in the community. Her first foray into musical theatre was a role in the chorus of Hello Dolly. Jeffrey recalls how nice everyone involved was, and how “the theatre community here… nurtured [her]” and provided the solid groundwork for a love that evolved into wanting to bring her own productions to Medicine Hat.
So, how exactly does a production like RENT come together for a show in Medicine Hat? It all starts with getting the rights to the music. The cost of getting access to the music alone can cost upwards of five-thousand dollars – and oftentimes that does not even include the scripts or music tracks, which can bring the initial production investment to a whopping eight-thousand dollars. Once rights are acquired, volunteers are needed to fill acting, stagehand, costume and other various roles. That’s right – every single position that goes into putting on a show is completely volunteer-based. Did you know that any additional money raised is given to the Medicine Hat SPCA?