Making a dream real

Dreams – we all have them. Teachers and parents encourage them. Friends share them. They are that lighter-than-air stuff that gives us hope.

But what happens when dreams crash into the hard, unforgiving walls of reality? How do people piece their lives together and move forward?

These questions and many more linger throughout Fortune Falls, the Edmonton premiere of Catalyst Theatre’s newest production opening Jan. 18 at the Citadel Theatre.

This new musical written by former St. Albert resident Jonathan Christenson and Edmonton’s Beth Graham received its world premiere in Oct. 2016 with Calgary’s Theatre Projects.

But it opened to mixed reviews. Since then, the script has undergone extensive rewrites cutting the two-hour plus, two-act to a 90-minute one-act.

Part of the buzz is due to Christenson’s illustrious career. He was nominated for the 2016 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, won many Sterling Awards and opened his hallucinatory Nevermore on Broadway.

While his latest production was the dramatic, blood-soaked Vigilante, Fortune Falls brings us a completely relatable character, especially in view of the oil price collapse.

We first meet the central character Everett, a young man hired as a security guard to patrol a shuttered factory after business relocates to Mexico.

The Mercey Chocolate Factory was the big game in town, and without it there is only a stark reminder of prosperity – a curse for a man trying to build a career.

The Calgary production was a dark show and rewrites were necessary to build stronger focus and add hope, says Christenson.

“When Everett goes to work, he knows the chocolate factory is closed. He felt he was stuck and we didn’t know how to keep the story moving forward. In this piece, his driving belief and desire is to see the fortunes of the chocolate factory revive after the initial closure,” said Christenson who also directs and writes the lyrics and music.

“It’s a very hopeful piece even though people experience loss and transition. It works because of how people deal with the time in between when a dream dies and the time when we find a new dream and the possibility of future.”

Christenson, a thinking man’s director, was inspired to create Fortune Falls after reading about Hershey Chocolate’s 2010 plant closure in Smith Falls, Ontario.

“All we have to do is look at the auto industry and even your field, journalism. It’s more than just jobs. It’s replacing an idea. When places close down, there isn’t any place to put dreams. Then where do you go? As we encounter a world where the future is unknown, it’s a human response to cling to what we know. We can’t do that. We have to move on.”

With deep philosophical thoughts at play, it was no wonder Christenson was having difficulty merging everything into a cohesive unit. Enter Beth Graham, an artist with whom he shared a creative dialogue for 15 years.

“I asked her to shake up the possibilities and find joy in the process.”

Together they’ve created a musical with a contemporary vibe that they hope will speak to people and resonate in a meaningful way.

“I’ve worked with a great team. Their enthusiasm and hard work has buoyed me. Each and every one has a real drive and it’s a real gift to work with them.”