Community spotlight: The Stage New Westminster

While some of the ways in which advertising or sharing information about theatre might be changing (hello, social media!), the fundamentals of acting, singing, or working behind the scenes of a production have not.

The Stage New West’s Instagram account (@thestagenewwest) has done an exceptional job showcasing cast members from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Frog and Toad, and Spelling Bee. These are the plays showcased during StageFest New West, which wrapped up over the weekend.

Visiting the Instagram account, people interested in the shows (and the participants) get to read a variety of stories of how much fun the cast members are having, what they’ve learned – and, in some cases, a tongue-in-cheek write-up about how badly their family spells in texts. The online posts have played a large part in a successful run of shows over the weekend. An overwhelming majority of the actors are kids and teens.

Stefanie Swinnard – who is the founder and managing director of The Stage New West – remembers, as a kid in Chilliwack, the excitement around being featured in the local newspaper.

“My [vocal] teacher for the first, I don't know, decade and a half of my training was really good about highlighting those types of things. And I think for me, social media is a way of recognizing the work that [The Stage New West does] as individuals as they come together into this one, big group,” Swinnard explains.

“It’s great because parents want for their kids to feel like they’re doing something; that people are noticing and they’re being appreciated for it,” explains Swinnard. “The weird thing about putting on productions is, because you think it's a performance art which inherently makes it a visual art, you put it out there for people to watch, but at the same time, I'm gonna go ahead and say 75% of the work isn't noticed.”

Swinnard says because the arts are so inherently ingrained into our daily lives, we sometimes brush them off as lesser – but that’s far from the truth.

“We've got music in our elevators. That's an art. And it's just something that we just kind of take for granted which is why it's often something that is cut It's not something people think about as being important or integral because we're almost blind to a lot of it,” she observes.

Anytime you’re supporting a production run like StageFest New West, Swinnard says you’re also supporting the development of critical skills that go beyond the stage. Giving kids and teens the space to be able to speak; to hear their voices in the safety of a theatre is invaluable.

“The practice of, ‘I'm here, I'm speaking. People are listening.’ There's an internal mechanism that I think builds a sense of – I hate using confidence because all arts programs will tell you it builds confidence because that's inherent in what we do – but I think it's a muscle. This idea of ‘I can say this,’ ‘I can calculate this risk,’ ‘I can say it and I know that I'm going to be okay regardless of the outcome.’ ”

Swinnard says it’s been wonderful returning to the stage: last year’s fest included digital performances; the year before everything had to be cancelled due to COVID-19.

For kids and teens interested in performing, or for those who’d like to volunteer to help bring these performances to life, you can take a look at the group’s website or email [email protected].