Rosebud.ca

Rosebud Theatre is a real treasure. Most of the hamlet of Rosebud is either employed directly by the theatre, hospitality, accommodations or supporting ventures. The surrounding community supports the infrastructure such as Rosebud Memorial Hall, Rosebud & District Centennial Museum and Rosebud Volunteer Fire Association

A Short History

1971 Rosebud's local Severn School was closed and the merchant part of the hamlet left. In 1973 a youth ministry to Calgary NE junior high students was looking for a a camping facility away from the city. A group of college graduates brought forty some kids out for Easter weekend in the now empty Mercantile building. It was chaotic but fun with visits to Horseshoe Canyon, canoing in a rubber canoe down the river, campfire and lots of laughter. Thus began a summer arts camp and Retreat Centre backed by Crescent Heights Baptist Church but eventually transferred to Rosebud Fellowship. Eventually success with the campers persuaded staff to permanently move to start what became Rosebud School of the Arts.

1983 was the Centennial year for the community and special celebrations were being scheduled to celebrate. Also the staff of the Rosebud School of the Arts High School and Camp of the Arts started having families. They hoped to have their second halves employed closer to home so that they could share child care. Allen Des Noyers, the drama instructor at the time suggested the idea of dinner theatre. The Mercantile back yard was transformed with an outdoor stage and stand. Mrs. Gladys Dahlen acted as chef and took bookings. She was already cooking for 40+ students plus staff and families and she could watch through the kitchen window. The high school students, staff and special guests were the actors and musicians on stage and dinner music around the tables. Community people volunteered in the kitchen and as servers, ice cream was the dessert of choice and the two retired pastors (Art Dahlen and Arnold Erickson) in town didn't mind dishing up and then sharing the leftovers later. Allen suggested a craft shop and local people sold home made crafts and pies.

As 1984 came rolling around and Allen was inspired to write a full-blown musical loosely based on the story of the Prodigal Son (apt as farming sons and daughters were being lured to city jobs) and crafted around local history. The weather had proved to interupt the outdoor presentations the year before so that Allen and the School of the Arts negotiated for the use of the old Memorial Hall. It was large enough but had no running water and sanitary facilities and was a little drafty but for a lease of a $1 plus improvements it was eventually theirs to transform. Terry Schlinker and Lindy Turner wrote a grant for stage lighting, a church donated their old pews and they had an Opera House. (It was almost as drafty as Brunner's Opera House of the 1920s) Allen interviewed the community, wrote the playbook casting the high school students, composed the music, scrounged the costumes and sets and learned the banjo so he could be the narrator. He had the last act ready a week before opening of "When the Sun Meets the Earth". It was a hit! 40 years later (2024) Allen came back to Rosebud with a tribute show - you can buy his music at the Rosebud Centennial Museum.