Gale Force Theatre
It was during their time at Mount Allison when Franziska Glen and Lily Falk discovered their shared passion for storytelling and theatre. United by their interest and desire to make theatre accessible to all, they founded Gale Force Theatre in 2019.
Their work spans productions for children and adults and includes new works, devised productions, and puppetry. In 2022, their play Crypthand, written by Falk, won Outstanding Emerging Production Guild of Canada’s Emerging Playwright Award. They are currently working on a new show for young audiences about change and growth called While We Wait, and another called Lupinder’s Tent, a tiny spectacle for a tiny audience.
The duo initially met at a speaker's lecture and later reunited during an audition callback for the play The Love of the Nightingale, where they auditioned and were cast for the roles of sisters. Glen was a fourth-year student studying French and drama and Falk was in her first year working towards a degree in international relations.
“I snuck into the theatre department whenever I could,” says Falk.
Following a year working together on their first show, they sealed their commitment to work together again with a pinky promise.
“I was graduating and Lily was continuing on with school, so we made a promise that once finished we would continue on with our collaboration,” says Glen.
Falk says they graduated from Mount Allison excited about making original work and creating stories that may resonate with their generation.
“We were offered the chance to take devising classes and movement classes at Mount A that allowed us to explore what it’s like to create stories without strictly being an actor and also without strictly using a script,” says Falk.
The name ‘Gale Force’ derived from their time exploring Sackville’s terrain.
“We wanted the name to reflect the Tantramar Marshes where we spent time together,” says Glen. “The marsh is so breathtaking and underappreciated as a landscape and features the sky in a way that is only ever featured in the Prairies.”
They knew that when deciding on a name for their theatre it would be related to Sackville and its marsh.
They both thought, “What's more Sackville than a gale, that whips your hair around October to May?”
“I think one of the big benefits to Mount Allison’s drama department is that it is not a conservatory program and because we weren’t siloed as actors, directors, or designers, it gave us the gumption to try it all,” says Falk.
Alongside creating and producing new work, Gale Force Theatre also runs an outdoor theatre with courses for teens and pre-teens in partnership with local outdoor centres. In 2020–2021 they created A Tale of Two Wheels, an outdoor show for young audiences and performed in parks across Nova Scotia on a tandem bicycle.
This past year, Glen and Falk were Crake Graduates in Residence within Mount Allison's drama program. The residency was created by the J.E.A. Crake Foundation and for many years has supported graduates returning to campus to give workshops, contribute to classes, and mentor students.
Looking ahead at the future of Gale Force Theatre, they plan to continue to pursue further training and professional development in areas such as puppetry, writing and collaborative creation, to name a few.
By embracing continuous learning and fostering new partnerships, Gale Force Theatre aims to enrich its artistic repertoire and reach new heights of creativity and innovation in the theatrical landscape.
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