Frolic in the Forest celebrates unknown theatre in Calgary

By Rachel Woodward, July 21 2016 —

To celebrate their fifth anniversary, Urban Stories Theatre will present Frolic in the Forest, a celebration of local art, theatre and music in the city. The woodland creature-themed costume party will take place at Knox United Church on July 22.

“The reason we picked Frolic in the Forest is because the company is turning five in August. The fifth anniversary is wood. We were trying to find something that goes with the theme of wood,” says Helen Young, artistic director of Urban Stories Theatre.

Young says the event encourages attendees to dress up to meet the event’s theme however they see fit. She says her husband plans on coming dressed as a lumberjack.

Urban Stories Theatre focuses on telling stories by local playwrights. Young approached other local theatre companies in the city to ask for ticket donations for next season and 22 companies will contribute tickets for auction at the event.

“We are going to have a silent auction, so I’m taking the tickets and putting them in bundles. If you are bidding on this bundle, then you’re going to get three or four different shows with different companies,” Young says. “It encourages people who haven’t even heard of them to get out and see some of the other
theatre groups in the town. It’s everything from little independent companies that have just started to dinner tickets at Theatre Calgary.”

Local vendors will be on site to sell handmade goods, including leather masks, crystal dog collars and art donated by local
painters and sculptors sold for under $100.

Young hopes that by incorporating this collection of local creativity, attendees will be exposed to new local creations.

African dance group Woezo African Music and Dance Theatre will perform with the Persian Majnoon Dance Academy alongside live music from two Alberta-grown bands, The Dearhearts and Walking Backwards.

With all the artistic mayhem Frolic in the Forest entails, Young hopes the event will expose Calgarians to a variety of local theatre groups and artists.

“It’s nice because it gives people a chance to see that there’s a lot of theatre in Calgary. Anyone that says that there’s nothing happening, there’s stuff out there,” she says.

The event takes place at Knox United Church on July 22. Tickets are $25 for entry with first drink free.

For more information, visit urbanstoriestheatre.org