For 15 years, local theatre group Stage Left Players has been delivering live theatrical performances for the community of Indian Head.
“I think that as a theatre group we say we’re here for the community and the community is here for us,” voiced member John Kort. “It’s really a partnership between us and the audience as well.”
The Grand Theatre has been a space for the arts and live entertainment in the small town since 1904. Kort said it’s because of the community’s support that the group has been able to put on yearly productions.
“It’s important to us that the theatre continues to operate and to be available to us because we don’t really have another good choice for a place to perform,” he shared.
However, performing in the century old theatre has its challenges, specifically relating to safety and accessibility.
With the goal of renovating the historic building, the theatre board has entered The Next Great Save 2025 Competition – a contest for cultural landmarks to help fund an innovative project with a grand prize of $50,000.
“The upgrades will be huge for the building and for the people of the community,” expressed Lisa Horsman, chair of Indian Head Theatre & Community Arts Inc.
“Right now, we’re not accessible. Anyone with mobility issues can’t access our building especially if they’re in [a] wheelchair. The bathrooms are not safe to enter. They also aren’t very diverse when we’re considering gender neutrality.
“There’s a lot of things that will make the building more welcoming and safer and more accessible for the community.”
Being a cultural hub in the community for more than 100 years, Horsman said the theatre has served many purposes for the arts.
“It was built as an opera house. The train would stop to let the travellers off and they would spend a few days here and there would be entertainment,” she shared.
“The travelling crews would come through and it would start, shows here were operas, and then eventually it kind of morphed into silent films, and then into a movie house.”
She added that being able to fund the renovations needed for the theatre will help draw people in for generations to come.
“It’s not only our community that uses this building. We reach at least an 80-kilometre radius,” Horsman voiced.
“We have patrons that travel quite a ways. It’s really a cultural hub for the area, not just for our community.”
Out of the 13 finalists, Indian Head Grand Theatre is the only landmark to represent Saskatchewan in the contest.
People have until April 17 to vote for their favourite historical site.
