When Michael Duclos and his family moved back to Sault Ste. Marie two years ago, the veteran stage performer wanted to make sure local kids had affordable access to the performing arts.
Having a longstanding passion for working with children, as evidenced by his many years as a school principal, the decision for Duclos to form Soolebrity Youth Theatre last February was an easy one.
“When we moved back, we noticed there was an amazing number of sports for kids in the Sault, but there wasn’t seemingly anything that was affordable for families to get their kids into theatre,” he admitted. “I set this up as a not-for-profit because I want this to be affordable theatre for students.”
Fast-forward four months, the newly established theatre troupe has maxed out its current spaces, and members are now getting ready to put on the group's first-ever show entitled “Hilarity Ensues” at the Sault Community Theatre Centre from June 12-14.
The director has been blown away by the young talent on stage.
“It’s a really unique group of kids, and they’re all rock stars,” Duclos said. “It’s probably a little crazily ambitious we’re doing three one-act plays and skits for our first show, but they’re just so talented and they work really hard. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Bringing in plenty of experience from his days with the Sault Theatre Workshop and the Stage 1 Primers group, Duclos is directing a full group of kids between the ages of six to 16 as they prepare for this month’s comedic three-part show.
Four of those kids are his own.
“My kids are why I started this,” he said. “When my kids are young like this, I want to spend time with them anyway. But I also want to spend time with all the students and watch them get better and learn.”
While he’s thrilled to share comedy-driven shows with the community, Duclos would like to eventually expand the types of plays his group performs, such as Shakespeare works or musicals.
But perhaps most importantly, the director hopes Soolebrity Youth Theatre could one day be a stepping stone that helps launch his students into careers and professional roles in the arts industry.
“I eventually want this to be a program where kids can go through it, and if they want to pursue theatre and fine arts in their post-secondary, that we could have some kind of fund that they can access like bursaries and scholarships that could help pay for their tuition,” he said.
Following this month’s shows, the local troupe will be offering four full days of theatre camp in August for children six and older.
Then in the fall, the group will reassemble for 15 weeks of improvisation, theatre development, and performance for one to two nights each week. Tuition cost is $150.
“If families can’t afford to put their kids into the programming, just talk to me and we’ll figure something out,” Duclos said.
Parents are invited to check out the Soolebrity Youth Theatre Facebook page for more information on how to get their kids involved.
“I think it’s absolutely going to continue to grow and build,” Duclos said. “If their kids are on the fence about whether or not to do theatre – come watch the show. That always entices the kids when they see other kids up there, and it provides a bit of a spark.”
Next week’s “Hilarity Ensues” show, which runs at the Sault Community Theatre Centre from June 12-14, will feature the following plays:
- “Snore” by Celia McBride, a show where the husband snores and drives the wife crazy
- “How to Get Away with a Murder Mystery” by Don Zolidis, a hilarious spoof on typical murder mysteries
- “The Internet is a Distract- OH LOOK A KITTEN!” by Ian McWethy, a satire on society in this age of technology
- “Toktiks” by Michael Duclos, a combination of skits and shorts based on the social media app TikTok
“It’s a really funny show,” Duclos said. “Whether you’re six or 66 years old, you will laugh if you come to it. This will be the first time many of these students have ever been on a big stage like this, and they’re legitimately hilarious.”