By Mandy Thompson
As the curtain goes up on the Third Wall Theatre Company’s production of Julius Caesar, it will also be rising on the latest addition to the Ottawa theatre community.
James Richardson, artistic director and co-founder of Third Wall, saw a need for another theatrical outlet.
“The problem with Ottawa is there’s not enough theatre of a high quality,” says Richardson. “It’s time something was done about that.”
What Richardson decided to do was start a new theatre troupe.
That theatre troupe, Third Wall Theatre Company, is now in its inaugural year.
Richardson became aware of the amount of talent available in Ottawa, and how few outlets there were for it, after directing a show at Carleton University and then taking it on tour.
“We have that much homegrown talent,” says Richardson. “Why should we ship it to Toronto?”
Andrew Alexander, director of the current production Julius Caesar, says that a lot of the actors are amateurs who would like to make the move to professional careers.
Another theatre group means they have the chance to refine their craft.
“There’s not a lot of professional theatre in Ottawa, and that’s the aim of Third Wall,” says Alexander.
Actress Linda Medeiros recently moved to Ottawa from Toronto where she also participated in many plays.
She is a cast member of Third Wall’s current production.
“I have a professional mind about acting,” she says. “I think it’s a dream to pursue it as a career, but we all have day jobs to pay the bills.”
Richardson says part of the aim of Third Wall is to bring people back to the theatre by providing an entertaining show.
The company’s last performance, The Importance of Being Earnest, was a huge success.
It sold out several performances and was brought back for an encore run.
“I attribute it to marketing and promotions,” says Richardson. “And also that we stuck with the show and the idea to just do the show and entertain the audience.”
Richardson says Third Wall is planning to be around to entertain in the long run.
“There will be three shows next year instead of the two this year,” says Richardson.
“We plan to really become a major face in the Ottawa theatre scene.”
He says reaction within the theatre community has been positive.
“We shocked people because we had huge ambitions,” says Richardson.
He says that within the next 10 years, the company wants to have a space of their own to perform in.
Currently, they perform at the Arts Court Theatre.
Richardson says they love the venue and the chance to work so closely with other artists, but they want the chance to expand in their own space.
“So many theatre companies start up with no long term plan,” says Richardson.
“That’s not going to build a thriving theatre community.”
With the stage set to begin that development, Third Wall is looking toward the future with high hopes for lots of curtain calls to packed houses.
“We want to push [the company] out there, make the name known, and bring people to see theatre,” says Richardson.