Pipestone Flyer
All the lasses and lads in Leduc are invited down to the Maclab Theatre on June 24th to celebrate all things Scottish with a fundraiser called "A Wee Cabaret".
Put on by a well known local young man named Tyler Smith and Grant MacEwan schoolmate Kristel Harder. These two young people have been honoured by being accepted into the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for their Masters Program of Musical Theatre Performance.
Both Tyler and Kristel graduated from their two year program of Theatre Arts at Grant MacEwan this year and when they heard that the Royal Conservatoire would be holding auditions for a few placements into their accelerated program beginning this September they both jumped at the chance to try out for the school.
With only a few spots available for overseas students Tyler knew it was a long shot to be accepted into the course. "The school only holds two auditions in Canada." said Tyler. "One in Ontario and one in Alberta. There are hundreds of students who would love to get into this school but very few spots available. I knew it was far from a sure thing for me to get in but I absolutely had to try." So it was certainly a dream come true for Tyler when he received notification that he was one of the talented few to be accepted into the school.
However, now the hard work begins! "It's very expensive for foreign students to attend the Royal Conservatoire." shared Tyler. "The tuition for the twelve month program I'm in is $25,000.00." That was when Tyler and Kristel decided to take their future into their own hands and put on a fundraiser in an attempt to allay some of the costs of their upcoming school year.
A Wee Cabaret will be an evening featuring various performances put on by some of the best up and coming actors, performers, and musicians Alberta has to offer. Many of Tyler's friends from Grant MacEwan have volunteered to help with the evening including his bandmates in 6 Minute Warning. 6 Minute Warning is an a capella group consisting of members Tyler, Caleb Nelson, Nathan Willis, Brett Ludwig, Kyle Carter, and Andrew Malcolm, who are rapidly creating a huge stir in the music scene around Edmonton. They have performed their stylized mix of jazz, rock and pop with musical icons such as Ben Folds, Glass Tiger, Mark Masri, and Ruben Studdard, and at high profile events like the Singing Christmas Tree, David Foster's Star Search, and this year they were asked by Mayor Mandel to perform at the Mayor's Celebration For The Arts at the Winspear Centre.
The evening at the Maclab will have two acts to the evening with the first part consisting of a mix of Scottish themed music and theatre with a storyline wending through to tie it all together. An intermission will allow everyone to peruse the silent auction items in the foyer and possibly refresh themselves with some Scottish treats, then the audience will be welcomed back to their seats to enjoy a more eclectic second act of performances.
"I'm not going to give away all our surprises but I will say that it will be a great evening with lots of enjoyable moments!" siad Tyler.
When asked how he was feeling about experiencing a new culture for an entire year Tyler shared that he is extremely excited about moving to Glasgow. "I really want to do some travelling while I'm young so this opportunity is fabulous for me." said Tyler, "But my mom and dad have already told me that they will be bringing me home for Christmas so I shouldn't get too homesick!" he chuckled.
The one thing Tyler confessed that he would miss the most is probably not what most people would expect. "Kraft peanut butter!" laughed Tyler. "I practically live on the stuff and have it every day so I'm not sure how I'm going to live without it. They don't have it there so I'll have to get friends and family to send me care packages of Kraft peanut butter to Scotland!"
Tickets for A Wee Cabaret can be purchased on advance by going to www.eventbrite.ca and searching for "A Wee Cabaret". Advance tickets are $15.00 plus a small surcharge, or $20.00 at the door. Tyler and Kristel are also still gratefully accepting items for their silent auction and donations can be made by contacting Tyler at tyler.smith121@gmail.com.
So for those who are fans of all things tartan, doors open at the Maclab at 6:30 pm on Wednesday July 24th for a wee cabaret.