We turn off the Trans-Canada Highway and onto River Road, where fields of large corn stalks crowd farmhouses on each side. The Chemainus Theatre, built by LaVerne Erickson and Ken Smith in 1993, greets us with spotlit banners showcasing current plays as we arrive into town. A few months prior, my mom had spontaneously bought my sister and I tickets to see their summer show, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Struck by the theatre’s grand, neo-classical architecture and cream walls, I feel as though I am attending a theatre from a distant past.

Its traditional archways and artistic grandeur complements the colourful murals encompassing Chemainus streets around it. It is, too, a work of art.

We park in the back lot, and gaze up at the majesty of Erickson and Smith’s creation, before heading inside.

“You would never expect a theatre to be there. Really, it’s unusual that there is a theatre thriving, that has year-round shows, in a tiny little town in the middle of Vancouver Island,” Director Naomi Costain shares with me as we exchange thoughts about the pleasant peculiarities of the Chemainus Theatre.

The building was inspired by the creative turnaround of the town in the 1980s and quickly drew in all kinds of aspiring performers and curious audiences.

LaVerne Erickson was the founder of the Christian performing arts school, Rosebud School of Arts in Alberta, which still operates today. Driven to bring his theatre students post-graduation opportunities, Erickson set out to create a space for them to show off what they’ve learned and expand their careers.

Having heard about the idea for a new theatre, Ken Smith felt moved by Erickson’s “strong faith” and “vision,” and wanted to be a part of the plan. Together, they chose Chemainus as the site. 

At the time, Smith was inspired by the potential that Chemainus was displaying as a town. In his letter about the history of the theatre, he mentions that “Chemainus was almost a ghost town” before a small population of artists began to move in.

The signature murals, pioneered by Karl Schutz, brought creative energy that rebranded Chemainus as a place for the arts to thrive—a perfect location for Smith and Erickson’s new theatre to thrive.

With the help of Smith’s family foundation—the Oswald Smith Foundation—a few investors, and some properties sold in Vancouver, the project was ready to go.

A headline from the Times-Colonist, January 9, 1993, reads “Christian School builds $3.5 million Chemainus Theatre.” The theatre does not “stage religious works,” the article explains, but Administrative Director George Perry comments that their investment in the arts and Chemainus as a town is evoked by Christian spirituality.

The theatre holds strong to their values, aiming to nourish “truth, hope, redemption, love, and the human spirit” through the experiences that they offer.

The Chemainus Theatre officially opened in June of 1993, and that same year won an award for “best building on Vancouver Island.”

Ken Smith passed away in 2017 and is remembered by the Chemainus Theatre with gratitude. He is described on their website as “the ultimate theatre angel … [that] would always encourage Theatre management to ‘dream big.’”

The Chemainus Theatre is small, yet magical, like the rest of town.

Just a five-minute walk from the theatre, I find the Chemainus Valley Museum, where I meet a man named Ron Waller.

Waller, born and raised in Chemainus, is president of the Chemainus Valley Historical Society, and seems to know this town better than I imagine anyone else could. He approaches me during my visit, full of fervour and tales.

We discuss his current exhibition about the previously prominent Japanese population in the town, the stores that used to stand down the road, and even about old friends he played soccer with as a child.

As he describes the details of early Chemainus, I think—who better to ask about the history of Chemainus Theatre than the person in front of me.

We agree to meet, and the next morning he brings me to a floor below the exhibitions. An amazing spread of archives lay out across the table, an array of old newspaper clippings and advert pamphlets. As you can tell, I put them to use.

Waller admits that he only attended his first show at the theatre approximately three years after its opening. That’s when he started boarding actors. “They had a Facebook page called Ron’s house … you either had to have lived at, or partied in my house to be a member. And there’s well over 100 actors on it,” Waller says.

Many of these travelling actors remain good friends of Waller. During their stay, his home was always full of dancing and singing. He once housed four women from the cast of Mamma Mia in the upstairs of his home who practiced their vocals all day. “I live downstairs, but I’d just go outside and listen to them,” he says.

After hearing about all the connections Waller has made over the years, it is apparent that the talent which has passed through his home is immeasurable.

This conversation brings us back to the impressive level of quality Chemainus Theatre offers. “It’s up there with Niagara,” Waller claims. We seem to agree that people don’t expect this calibre of production from such a quaint little town. 

But I was lucky enough to have my expectations completely blown away.

“Playful, talented, and dedicated” were the three words Director Naomi Costain chose to describe her team for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. But nothing prepared me for the excellence of this performance; not even her endless praise for the crew, creative team, and the theatre staff.

Set in the south of France, the scene is lined with palm trees and stone pillar balcony railings. The stage is unconventionally level with the floor and divides from the impressively steep seating area by a mere few speakers. The angle of the auditorium ensured that there was not a body in my way as I enjoyed the show. 

I laugh—a lot, and even cry a little. But for the most part, I am in a state of awe at how multi-faceted the performance was.

It is as if they mastered every style of dance, song, and acrobatics, for one show. They even yodelled. 

Director Costain is originally from Victoria, currently based out of Toronto, and has a long-standing relationship with the Chemainus Theatre as both a director and performer. I have the pleasure of speaking with her before seeing her show and attending the Chemainus Theatre for the first time.

“I’ll let you in on the secret. Most of our creative team was female,” Costain shares. Aside from the actors, Costain also breaks down some magic that happens behind the scenes of the show. She speaks to me about their amazing choreographers as well as their light and costume designers—it really shows when I see their work in person.

Hans Saefkow, responsible for set design, is another name that receives ample praise. “It’s so beautiful what he’s done with a fairly small stage,” Costain beams.

Categorized as a producing theatre rather than a presenting theatre, all of this work seems to be localized within the walls of Chemainus Theatre.

Valerie Reynolds, development manager at the Chemainus Theatre, graciously explains the difference to me. “We are a professional producing theatre. Sets are built here and designed here, and costumes are made here. We store them … in the admin building, which is behind the Best Western Hotel.”

Compared to a producing theatre, presenting theatres like the Nanaimo Port Theatre or the Belfry Theatre in Victoria invite shows that are already complete.

The Chemainus Theatre also offers a plethora of other fun amenities like a gift shop, an in-theatre dining experience, and even a hotel for visitors of the theatre.

Some of their other features took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, like their Island Savings Discover Theatre Workshops and Summer Theatre Camps, but they have been working hard to rebuild these segments.

Some positives also arose from the constraints of COVID-19. “We had shorter production runs and larger gaps in between. So, we would put these cabaret shows in between,” Reynolds shares.

The cabaret shows have been doing extremely well, with the Zachary Stevenson September show selling out in early August.

I look forward to attending Chemainus Theatre’s upcoming Peril in the Alps, running from September through October. As for the 2027 line-up, Reynolds recommends looking for updates around the second half of November.

The tickets usually start at about $24, which is really only $10 more than a ticket to the movies nowadays. “It might seem a little bit expensive, but you’re paying for all your designers, all your creative team, all your actors,” Costain explains.

The Chemainus Theatre is a nonprofit, mainly functioning with the help of donors and sponsorships. This is Reynolds’ area of expertise; she says that they could not operate the way they do without the generosity of their community. If you wish to donate, visit <chemainustheatrefestival.ca>.

She urges people to continue supporting theatre and to come witness the beauty of it for themselves. “Come hear a story, come and be moved by what is portrayed on stage,” Reynolds says.

“[It may make] you laugh or [cause] you to cry and discover more about who you are and your place in the world because you have experienced theatre.”

As the last scene of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels closes and the actors exit through the wings, the entire auditorium rises to a standing ovation. As they return for their bows, the actors flash bright smiles and wave their goodbyes. Our experience of the Chemainus Theatre is grandiose from the inside out.

As we descend the grand staircase and trail out the domed entrance of the theatre, I have a strong desire to share the experience with all of my friends. I can’t help but want everyone else to enjoy the excellence of theatre as much as I did. I feel a sense of elevation, a flutter in my chest, as I leave feeling fuller than I had when I arrived.

Reynolds sums it up perfectly: “The arts matter. The arts bring us together in a way that nothing else can.”