For Clayton Bellamy, the last three years has been like the blink of an eye. It’s also been an eternity.
Bellamy was inside the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre in Bonnyville on Saturday, helping put the finishing touches on the venue before its inaugural concert March 21. The project has been spearheaded by his Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts.
“I would say there were some points where we were wondering whether the money was going to come in. Now everything seems to be flying at a million miles an hour getting ready for March 21,” he said. “But it’s been an incredible experience.”
The Strathcona Centre is built into Bonnyville Centralized High School, occupying space that had been the gym. But the project has been more than a mere remodel—there’s nothing about the thoroughly modern 340-seat concert hall that remotely suggests basketball or floor hockey.
Fittingly, the featured performer for the first show is Mike Plume, who attended the school in the late 80s and began on the path that launched his international music career. His performance, Songs and Stories from the Road, is sure to include some Bonnyville memories.
That community connection is important to Bellamy, who says Bonnyville’s enthusiasm for the new theatre has inspired him and even changed him.
“I didn’t ever think I could be part of something this big, and it has changed me irreparably,” Bellamy said “In the last three years I’m a different person after being a part of something so amazing, and seeing how much this town has given and people have given personally of their own time and their own money and their own energy.”
“It’s given me so much.”
And now the theatre is ready to open its doors and give back. The Grand Opening concert will be April 30, and the team is working to keep the venue hopping with first-class entertainment.
In addition to the headlining acts, Bellamy says it’s important to offer arts education programs and community performances. The stage floor is “sprung” to make it suitable for professional and amateur dance, and the stage itself is a welcoming space for all kinds of performances.
“Everybody sees the need and sees what it can bring as far as tourism and the other businesses in town, and what it can do most importantly for our kids,” he said.
“Not every kid is a sports kid, and we need to build those kids up just as much. And this is gonna create the next generation of great artists from this area—the next Mike Plume or Brett Kissel or the next Lyle Victor Albert. This area has been amazing in what it’s brought to the arts in Alberta, Canada, and worldwide with playwrights, musicians, and songwriters.”
And it’s not just the kids. A recurring feature will be quarterly Lakeland Live concerts that welcome local amateur performers to take the stage.
Bellamy says the roots of the Lakeland’s artistic soul reach far back. “I’m happy to be a part of that tradition,” he said, “and I want that to carry on.”
Information on upcoming shows and how to buy tickets is available at bonnyvilletheatre.com.
