I admit that I'm a huge sucker for ghost stories and haunted houses, so when I heard that the Pumphouse Theatre was reportedly haunted I had to immediately check it out. I purchased a couple of tickets for my sister and myself to a little production one night. The tickets weren't expensive at all - $25 for a couple hours of entertainment is definitely worth it. Even though I didn't get to experience any sort of paranormal activity I was thoroughly pleased with the whole evening. The play was interesting and appealing; the seating is limited, so therefore very intimate; and there was always the added excitement of having a run-in with a ghost. I'll probably head back to the Pumphouse Theatre the next time I'm in the mood for a play... or when I'm hoping for a good scare. read more

Pumphouse Theatres - *photo credit pumphousetheatres.ca - Performing Arts Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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The Pumphouse has incredible ambience as it easily wrests somewhere between theatre and historical site. The beautiful red brick building, acoustics, and large stages enable intimate but feasible setting for plays, shows, and the like. My only complaint is the comfortability (or lack thereof) of the seating. The chairs are not conducive to sitting for a three hour show. Most shows include intermissions. I suggest you make good use of said intermission and stretch your legs!! Also, the Pumphouse is tucked away off the beaten path meaning that no eateries are in the area. Do not expect to stop at a restaurant before the theatre if you only want to park once. No restaurants are theatre-adjacent. read more

30 minutes before intermission I had to use the washroom. Was not allowed to return to my seat after going to the washroom. I was instructed by an employee that I had to wait until intermission to return to my seat. So I missed almost 30 minutes of the first half of the performance. At any other theatre performance I have not ever seen people subjected to this. I would not ever go back to Pumphouse theatre or recommend it to anyone. read more

I haven't been to the Pumphouse for a performance; I would rather like to discuss the theatre as a rental facility. The Pumphouse has two options for spaces to rent and the most exceptional thing about this is their rental prices. To rent a theatre facility here in Calgary for under $600 is unheard of, plus you have to pay for the tech staff, rehearsal time and the security. At the Pumphouse rental theatre space runs around $300, this is a non profit price. For this reason the Pumphouse is already booked for the the 2010 year. Pumphouse is a venue for around 30 independent theatre companies in Calgary. The most impressive part of their service to the community is the Calgary Foundation Centennial Stage that they offer, this is a portable stage that is provided free of charge to Calgary's cultural community. It is available to theatre companies that work with Pumphouse as well as the ethno-cultural and community organizations in Calgary. Basically is around 48 risers that they have that are 8 by 4 feet long, you can elevate them whichever way you want by using different levelled legs. Organizations can use these as a stage or as bleachers and can borrow 10 risers at a time at absolutely no charge. Unheard off. Because of services such as these that Pumphouse provides, Calgarians can be sure to see a community event realised with a next to nothing budget. read more

Last night I went to check out the latest play at the Pumphouse Theatre. I hadn't been here for about 15 years, and I was pretty excited considering I used to take day camps here and this is where I first learned to juggle. I know, right?!?!? You can imagine how heavy my heart was when I realized that my memories of the place it was were just that: memories. No longer present. I mean, the place is exactly the same visually, which is great, but let me tell you why I wont be going back: - The seats in the theatre couldn't be more uncomfortable. It's in fact 'bum hell' for anyone watching a play because sitting for 2-3 hours on the rocks they call chairs isn't pleasant for anyone. -There is NO leg room. I was stiff 30 minutes into the play and I wanted to leave SO badly. - At exactly this same time last year, I saw the exact same play in Toronto. It was performed by a recreational theatre group, and let me tell you, this group of students and young people was amazing. Unfortunately, the crew at Pumphouse overacted for the full duration of the play, and the play was WAY too long. Mediocre acting just isn't fun to watch for hours on end. I know this is harsh, but it's my job to be honest. And being completely honest, I must say that the best part of the evening for me was when the lights went back on, and I got to leave. I didn't enjoy the acting, I didn't enjoy the theatre, I didn't enjoy the seats and I didn't enjoy the experience. Never again. read more

Went here for the always entertaining Evil Dead : The Musical play. I'd never been to this particular theatre spot, oddly, but I'd go to great lengths to see my favourite play. It's a decent little place complete with a small bar and play merchandise in one big room, vending machines in a small hall and the coat check you'd see at most live theatre venues. Side-note : I have a ton of love and respect for live theatre and the people that pull it off. It takes talent to create the sets and to do the acting and singing. I couldn't do either. I'd likely put a nail through my hand building a set, and drink far too much to memorize lines and timing. Top that off that if anybody outside hears me singing in the shower, it would likely be followed by dogs howling, cats hissing in the the streets and multiple phone calls to the police requesting them to shoot me and don't ask questions later. The theatre itself is spacious enough that I didn't feel cramped and uncomfortable (other than the man in front of me having the special mutant ability of the most powerful neck in the world considering the size of his head....) The sound is decent, though one of the actor's mics was failing for periods of time during the show. Thank goodness he had a booming voice. "But Blake you handsome and wise man," you may ask, "why only 3 stars?" Well, this theatre is kind of hidden if you're not too familiar with the area as I'm not. The parking is all along the street since the fairly small parking lot is only for staff (not a huge problem but if you're not fairly early, you have some walking to do) My big problem is that aside from the merchandise stand, the bar only takes cash. That wouldn't be a problem with me if there was a debit machine in the Pumphouse. Nope. There isn't. When I was told that, the only thing I could say was "What?!" The closest debit machine is at the Greyhound station. This "No debit machine for you, silly man" concept seems fairly odd to me. And since I had no cash on me, I became dangerous. Blake doesn't like being without access to booze on a Friday night. If they solve this ATM situation, I'm better. And no, I don't feel like thinking ahead and taking out cash before I come next time. Take that, common sense! read more

I've seen two shows now at Pumphouse Theatre and I'm a fan! The staff are really helpful and friendly, the productions I've seen (Bare & Evil Dead: The Musical) were done extremely well, and the space is great for what they do. It is a tad cramped and cozy, however it does not affect the performance in any way. They make the best of the stage they have, and do a great job with props, lighting, etc. I would not hesitate to return here for another production! read more

The Pumphouse Theatre The Blue Room - Round Robin Copulation. After an absence of twenty years in Calgary, I finally visited the Pumphouse Theatre this week, to see the Sage Theatre production of The Blue Room, in the Joyce Doolittle Theatre. Little has changed. There are two theatres in the Pumphouse. The Doolittle is the smallest of the two, seating around 80 people. It's intimate, cosy, and ideal for plays that require stage intimacy and close connection with the audience. This particular theatre brought back sweet memories of a forgotten past in apartheid South Africa in the mid seventies. The Space Theatre in Cape Town, which spawned some of the finest acting talent in Southern Africa. A community activist theatre, providing a defiant non-racial theatre venue, to a racially divided society and fragmented country. I remember the tiny entry lobby, the cramped facilities, and the uncomfortable seating...very similar to the Doolittle. Never complaining in those days about the cramped conditions, why should I do so now? The Pumphouse provides valuable facilities to the various arts groups in Calgary and needs to be fully supported. The Blue Room is a play by David Hare, adapted from a Schnitzler drama written around 1900. The original play was too sexually explicit to be performed at the time and was intended to be read by friends. The format of the play is unusual, in that it is daisy chain, or rather Round Robin arrangement, of sexual encounters, between ten characters, played by two actors. A copulates with B, B copulates with C, etc, in all sorts of places and in all sorts of positions, but never for very long, until the circle closes. This is not an easy play to direct, nor is it an easy play for the actors to exhibit their sexual and erotic experiences in their performances. The difficult aspect in this play is the line between gratuitous nudity and titillating sex, and indecent pornographic exposure. Having seen two productions of this play in London and in Cape Town, I was curious to see how the Calgary production one was going to be directed and how well the chemistry and coital copulations between the two actors would be handled. Personally I don't believe that this is a great play. On a number of levels, the play is thought provoking and entertaining, but never profound. The play is fundamentally about dialoque. Words, give all the meaning and significance to the characters and the performances. Not their actions. And that`s where I feel that the play fails. None of the productions I`ve have seen, have managed to boldly cross the boundary of words. So we have superb and accomplished acting performances, using the right voice, the right gestures, the right words. They slip comfortably into their characters, their personalities and their accents, all in record time, like their copulations. But something is always missing! The irony, the mood, the sexual tension, the ephemeral sparks, the overheated flames are simply not there. The play simply fails to live up to its risqué reputation, as the actors simply cannot, or will not, cross the very boundaries that are needed to make this a riveting performance. The Calgary Herald and Sun gave this performance rave reviews. I am less enthusiastic about raving about the performances. I believe that the two actors, Vanessa Holmes and Chad Nobert who played all the characters, are accomplished and excellent actors with huge potential, who could have pulled it off. But they held back under Reay`s direction, which appears to have been a little too taut and subtle. Maybe the Director should have left it to the two actors to find that fine balance of sexual tension and mood, instead of the pathetically mechanical, cynical, boring outcomes. While recognising the distraction of nudity on stage, the decision to play the roles as `sexy` and scantily clad, (whatever that means) simply made little sense to me. I found the single male nude scene most distracting and somewhat gratuitous in the circumstances, when all the other non tittillating character copulation scenes could have accompanied the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Copulation and decadent sexual encounters are not sexy. It`s cold, brutish, it`s empty, its futile, and it cannot be portrayed as if it is, or was, sexy! It`s neither glamorous or pleasurable. The actors should have recognised this, if they had any real life experience! The set was beautifully designed and all credit to Gunvordahl. The music was fabulous and all credit to McGuigan. A young 30 something blonde, leaving the theatre in front of me, muttered to her friend....`what a big yawn! And then commenced to read her emails on her mobile. I did not share her view about it being boring. But I was disappointed too (once again?) ...as sex and meaningful relationships are always an illusion! read more

Well I bought tickets to Premium Content and google maps took me for a bit of run around so I ended up at the theatre 3 minutes after 8.. (this is not an exaggeration)... and they had legitimately given my tickets to people on standby and even though the show had not started, refused to let us into our seats.. they didn't even suggest that we could stay and see the second act. They did refund me but that doesn't erase the fact that they will give reserved seating away one minute after 8.... just a heads up because I was not aware that they could just give away my pre-purchased seats. read more