The Pumphouse Theatres Society

In 1913, Water Pumping Station No. 2 was built to protect Calgary from fire, but since 1972, it has helped fuel a burning theatre scene, instead.

Founded in 1972 as the Calgary Youth Drama Society, the Pumphouse Theatres Society manages one of Calgary’s most unique and essential performance venues: the titular Pumphouse Theatres. Saved from demolition in 1971 by a collection of far-sighted devotees led by Joyce Doolittle, the red brick building has grown into a haven for amateur and professional theatre companies.

Last season alone, the Pumphouse’s two theatres were home to 18 companies producing 40 separate shows — not including the regular waiting list of 10 to 15 performance slots. Demonstrating the demand for such a space, the most recent open slot was filled within two hours.

Of the venue’s success, Doolittle notes space for smaller companies is essential, especially given the current shortage of space for emerging Calgary artists.

“It’s a lot more fun to play in a full house of 60 than a house of 300 with 60 people in it,” she says.

To provide that space, the Pumphouse’s three permanent full-time staff manage its operations, while eight seasonal employees produce the theatres’ drama classes, camps and other programs. The theatres are also slated for a major expansion, adding two more theatres, as well as rehearsal and office space that will broaden the support that has been a priority since Pumphouse’s beginnings — providing space and logistical services like inexpensive ticketing for companies including Sage Theatre.

“Before Sage was in the Pumphouse, we were jumping from venue to venue with no regularity or consistency,” says Sage’s artistic director, Kelly Reay . “[Now] we can have the same time slots every year we know what to expect and we can program around that.”

In the Pumphouse, Calgary artists have a venue that combines a unique, historical character with an emphasis on small and developing companies. From the theatre’s near-demolition to its entrenchment as a Calgary institution, Doolittle sees an organization as solid as the building that gives the Pumphouse Theatres Society its name: “I think the Calgary theatre scene is as healthy as it’s been in the last 50 years I’ve lived here.”

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