Acting Out: Celebrating a Decade of Theatre Outré will be open at the Galt Museum & Archives from August 24, 2023 until February 11, 2024. (Photo: LNN)

By Christian Oldale

Galt Museum hosting temporary Theatre Outré exhibit until February 2024

Aug 24, 2023 | 2:06 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A new temporary exhibit celebrating the history of a local theatre company is up at the Galt Museum & Archives.

Acting Out: Celebrating a Decade of Theatre Outré is a showcase of the theatre company, which has become known in the community for its boundary-pushing productions meant to represent the aspects of queer life.

Sign for the exhibit at the Galt Museum & Archives, August 24, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

Theatre Outré co-founder Jay Whitehead said the company gives the chance for those in the LGBTQ+ community to feel comfortable and welcomed in Lethbridge, and in response, the community has helped Theatre Outré thrive.

He explained, “In the queer community, we often don’t have good support from our biological families, especially in places that are more conservative or religious. Often times, members of the community will find their own families and build a family from those who are surrounding and supporting them.”

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Work on the exhibit began in January, and it contains a collection of production pictures, newspaper articles, props and videos from performances to illustrate the shows run by the company.

The troupe held its final show at Didi’s Playhaus on June 13, 2023, after calling the venue home for nearly a decade. Theatre Outré is currently running without a set home venue, performing wherever they have the opportunity.

READ MORE: Theatre Outré to bid farewell to Didi’s Playhaus with one last show

Guest curator Jason Ranaghan spoke on how the company has worked through tough budget restrictions to make their shows flourish, as shown in the exhibit’s Design on a Dime display.

Display case with props and costumes from the exhibit, August 24, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

Ranaghan said, “Theatre Outré has been very scrappy, and has put things together, so you get several props and objects that have been highlighted here that have been made from little-to-nothing, or found out of their own closets, and that is one of my favourite aspects of the exhibition.”

Ranaghan added, “I hope [attendees] will take away a new side of Lethbridge that they might not have seen.”

Acting Out: Celebrating a Decade of Theatre Outré will be open at the Galt Museum & Archives from August 24, 2023 until February 11, 2024.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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