Is it only coincidence that the professional entertainers who express appreciation for the marvellous venue which is the Kamsack Playhouse are the acts who are cheered the loudest?
鈥淚f you build it, they will sing?鈥�
On their current Stars for Saskatchewan tour performing in rural Saskatchewan, the five members of Eh440, the a cappella group that brought the house to its feet several times on Friday night, are more apt to find themselves in school gymnasiums, town halls and church basements, than in an authentic theatre, with all its amenities including a stage, lights, cushioned seats, a sound system and a backstage green room.
At the Playhouse, entertainers know they are in a place they can feel like entertaining. Although not the size of the Massey Halls of this world, the Playhouse makes up with its acoustic quality, shared intimacy and general ambience.
That was evident Friday night when the four singers and one beat boxer added to their show by doing something they said they are able to do only in venues that have such good acoustics. They put down their mics, left the stage and filled the hall unencumbered by soundboard magic.
That number was only one of several showstoppers that included one of the best-ever renditions of Michael Jackson鈥檚 Billy Jean by Mike Celia, who pulled members out of the audience to dance with him on the floor and on the stage.
Several times the audience burst into applause hearing Stacey Bulmer鈥檚 rapid-style delivery with a voice which had made her a finalist on 鈥淎merica鈥檚鈥� Got Talent.鈥� In fact, as a judge, Howard Stern had said she could win the competition, and she had advanced, until she produced a 鈥淐anadian鈥� passport.
Left on stage alone, beat boxer Luke Stapleton filled the hall with amazingly entertaining and contemporary percussion music using only his mouth, lips, tongue and voice.
Hearing an entertainer commend the community for the Playhouse is another nod in the direction of those who, years ago, having been advised that the old Capital movie theatre building was destined to become a lumberyard warehouse, got together to lay possession to the property and then to upgrade it into a useable facility.
Even before the purchase of modern equipment, the Playhouse was still functional as a movie theatre, but because of the vision of dancer Colleen Martin and others, work was undertaken to extend its use to be a better venue for the performing arts.
A committee of volunteers is maintaining the facility and oversees upgrades which have taken it to now, when in addition to 小蓝视频 a fine venue for the performing arts, it includes state-of-the art theatre projection and sound equipment.
And it is the Kamsack audience that benefits the most, 小蓝视频 entertained by a group happy to be doing its best at what it does best, and the audience cheered.
Quite simply, Eh440 was the cherry on top of the 2015-16 season of the four Stars for Saskatchewan concerts brought to the community by the Kamsack Community Arts Council. Following the show, the kiosk containing the group鈥檚 CDs, T-shirts and postcards was crowded by fans wishing autographs and to take home memories of the event.
We will have to wait for the first of the four concerts that the arts council will be bringing to the Playhouse for the 2016-17 season until October 22 when Fred Eaglesmith, an award-winning songwriter whose songs have been performed by some of the biggest names in Nashville, will be here.
A group called The Lion, the Bear, the Fox will perform on November 24 in a concert of 鈥渟tomping blues, rock grooves and howling unbridled passion.鈥�
Eric Harper, an award-winning Flamenco guitarist who uses an infusion of rock, will be in concert on February 11, and The Middle Coast, a new trio, will perform catchy songs with 鈥渃lassic melodies, thick harmonies and grooves that guarantee some feverish head-bobbing鈥� to conclude the next season on March 10.
