It is 2008. The economy is tanking. Belts are tightening. Governments are cutting grant programs. People are holing up in their homes and choosing to stay in instead of going out to spend money.
So what's a local theatre company to do? Ride it out and hope for the best? Shut their doors? Or find new ways to thrive?
Knowing what a challenging market it has been for theatre groups for the past several years, arts reporter Julie MacLellan set out to assess the health of the local theatre community.
She sat down to talk to folks from four different local theatre groups - Royal City Musical Theatre, City Stage New West, Patrick Street Productions and Vagabond Players - and what she found surprised her.
To borrow from musical theatre, where she'd expected to find Trouble in River City, she found instead a lot of Happy Talk.
Finding new ways to thrive has been the mantra of local theatre groups for the past several years - and today, in 2014, it's clear that their efforts are paying off.
In a world where arts groups of all kinds are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, New Westminster finds itself with an abundance of riches on the theatre front. From classic community theatre to small professional productions to large-scale musicals, there's something for everyone - and everyone involved is looking to the future with optimism.
In the first of a special series, Julie takes a closer look at the local theatre scene. Follow the related story links below or see the stories under the Entertainment tab.
