Wagonstage Theatre presents free outdoor summer performances

Each year, for more than half a century, the University of Calgary has engaged young artists in work-integrated learning through Wagonstage, a touring theatre ensemble. Emerging artists from the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) write, design, direct, and present these popular summer performances on outdoor stages and parks to Calgary audiences over the course of nine weeks.

This year, Wagonstage presents a play about pollinators – those tiny but important creatures who are critical to the health of the entire ecosystem. Bee-trayal features bees, wasps and hummingbirds in a hilarious and interactive performance where our creatures vie for the top spot as Pollinator Extraordinaire (hint: moral of the story, they’re all really good at what they do – we need everyone to create a healthy and sustainable world). Bee-trayal is written by Clem Martini - an award-winning playwright, SCPA Drama Professor, and Wagonstage alumnus.

“I love Bee-trayal because it’s so theatrical! It’s like a mini-opera for children. Everyone enters in bold, colorful costumes, nothing is what it seems to be, disaster seems imminent, but in the end friendship proves stronger than pride and there’s plenty of music and honey to go around.”
- Clem Martini, SCPA Drama Professor

Each show will conclude with a call to action for our audience members to bee-come a citizen scientist and contribute their findings to the Calgary Pollinator Count.

You can find the troupe at various locations throughout Calgary from June 24 to August 27. For more information or to see the most updated schedule, visit scpa.ucalgary.ca/wagonstage. Please note that performances are weather permitting — check the Wagonstage Theatre’s Facebook page for any cancellations.

This summer, the Wagonstage Theatre is proud to partner with University of Calgary Biological Sciences, One Health at UCalgary, University of Calgary Office of Sustainability, Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry, Parks Foundation Calgary, Bee City Canada, Movieposters.com, and Springboard Performances.