Evergreen Theatre
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Calgary-based nonprofit touring theatre company that used musical performance to teach environmental science and related subjects to young audiences.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Evergreen Theatre was a Canadian nonprofit theatre organization based in Calgary, Alberta, that combined live performance, music, classroom participation, and science education for children. Founded in 1991 by Scott Mair, Tara Ryan, Elinor Holt, Gerald Matthews, Don Enright, and Monique Keiran, the organization developed touring productions for young audiences from kindergarten through Grade 6. Its programming focused especially on environmental science, ecology, conservation, climate, weather, water, waste, energy, geology, health, and space science. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional venue-based theatre, Evergreen took educational productions to elementary schools and other organizations across Canada. Its musical shows were designed to make scientific concepts understandable and memorable through characters, songs, storytelling, demonstrations, and opportunities for students to participate in performances. In addition to touring shows, Evergreen offered artist residencies, workshops, presentations, and educational activities for schools, conferences, and community organizations. The company’s repertoire included productions such as Cliff & Edna Turn Green, PondScum Inc., We’re all Wet, Everything under the Sun, JUNK!, From the Ground Up, Full of Hot Air, Rockin’ and Eroding, A Breath of Fresh Air, and Captain Comet. Later seasons added works including Food for Thought, Go With The Flow, The Three RRRs, Flushed, Going to Extremes, Lost, the Mystery of the Missing Species, Princess Prudence and the Fairest in the Land, and Fever Pitch. These productions addressed subjects ranging from endangered species and food chains to recycling, water treatment, climate change, pollution, waste, and the disappearance of species. Evergreen also developed a significant community-infrastructure role. From 2007 to 2015 it operated Evergreen Community Studios at Calgary’s Currie Barracks. In 2015, it moved to Evergreen Community SPACES in Mayland Heights, a 24,000-square-foot facility containing studios, a presentation theatre, and offices. The organization owned and operated the space, making it available for rehearsals, workshops, performances, dance, music, and other arts and community activities. More than 80 arts and community organizations used the facilities, and Evergreen reported that the space supported activity reaching more than 100,000 people annually. Its work was supported primarily by program revenue and corporate partnerships, supplemented by public funding. The organization received support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Alberta Lottery Fund, and the Calgary Arts Development Authority, as well as other community and institutional partners. Evergreen received recognition including Alberta Emerald Awards, Calgary environmental awards, an NSERC Michael Smith Award of Outstanding Educational Merit, and a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics. After more than three decades of operation, Evergreen Theatre Society announced on May 1, 2025, that it would close on June 30, 2025. The closure followed the organization’s inability to renew a ten-year, approximately C$5.5 million loan from Alberta social-enterprise lender Social Enterprise Fund. The loan matured on March 15, 2025, and the lender said that despite multiple extensions and amendments, Evergreen could not meet its loan commitments. The closure ended a Calgary arts and education organization that had served schools, children, artists, and community groups for 34 years.
History
Evergreen Theatre was established in Calgary, Alberta, in 1991 by Scott Mair, Tara Ryan, Elinor Holt, Gerald Matthews, Don Enright, and Monique Keiran. From its beginning, the organization pursued a hybrid mission: it was a touring theatre company, an environmental education provider, and a nonprofit community arts organization. Its intended audience was primarily children from kindergarten through Grade 6, and its productions were structured to support school learning while remaining accessible as live musical theatre. The company’s early and continuing identity was built around science-based performance. Its shows translated topics such as habitats, endangered species, wetlands, food chains, photosynthesis, water treatment, electricity, recycling, composting, weather, greenhouse gases, climate change, geology, air quality, human health, and space science into theatrical stories. Students could sometimes participate directly in the productions, helping connect the performance with classroom learning. The model allowed Evergreen to tour to elementary schools rather than requiring schools to travel to a major theatre venue. The pre-2006 repertoire included a substantial group of environmental and science productions written by Tara Ryan. These included Cliff & Edna Turn Green, about endangered species and ecological relationships; PondScum Inc., about wetlands and food chains; We’re all Wet, about water and pollution; Everything under the Sun, about energy and electrical safety; JUNK!, about waste and recycling; From the Ground Up, about ecology and decomposition; Full of Hot Air, about weather and climate; Rockin’ and Eroding, about rocks and geological time; A Breath of Fresh Air, about air and health; and Captain Comet, about space and comets. Evergreen continued to commission and present new work in subsequent seasons. The 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons included Food for Thought and Go With The Flow, with book and music by Ethan Cole. The 2008–2009 season also featured The Three RRRs by Jacqueline Russell, with music by David Morton. Later seasons included Flushed, Lost, the Mystery of the Missing Species, Going to Extremes, Princess Prudence and the Fairest in the Land, and Fever Pitch. The repertoire broadened the company’s educational and theatrical range while retaining its emphasis on accessible performances for young audiences. In addition to touring productions, Evergreen developed artist-in-residency programs, school workshops, presentations, and activities for conferences and organizations. It also offered community access to rehearsal, studio, and performance facilities. Between 2007 and 2015, the organization operated Evergreen Community Studios at Calgary’s Currie Barracks. In 2015, it moved to Evergreen Community SPACES in Mayland Heights. The new facility covered 24,000 square feet and included studios, a presentation theatre, and office areas. Evergreen owned and operated the site, which became a resource for dance groups, musicians, theatre companies, grassroots organizations, and other community users. The community-space operation became an important part of Evergreen’s public role. More than 80 arts and community organizations used the facilities, while the organization reported that activity at the site served more than 100,000 people each year. In 2024, Evergreen reported nearly 5,000 activities in the studios, including approximately 800 explicitly designated for youth. Its affiliations included the Society of Educational Resource Groups, Alberta’s Promise, the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance, the REAP Sustainable Business Association, and Theatre Alberta. Leadership developed over time. Sean Fraser became president in 2004 and had served as executive director since 2007. Valmai Goggin became artistic producer in 2013. The organization’s artistic leadership also included Tara Ryan, who was identified as artistic director and was associated with the company’s early environmental-science repertoire. Evergreen financed its work primarily through program revenue and corporate partnerships, with additional support from public arts and community-development bodies. It received funding from the Province of Alberta through the Alberta Lottery Fund and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Calgary Arts Development Authority provided support for the Community Spaces operation. The organization’s achievements were recognized through awards including the Alberta Emerald Award for Communication, Media & Arts, Calgary Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, the Interpretation Canada Gold Award, the NSERC Michael Smith Award of Outstanding Educational Merit, the Alberta’s Promise Red Wagon Award, the Alberta Business Award of Distinction in Arts and Culture, the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics, and a 2023 Alberta Emerald Award for Environmental Education. The organization’s final period was shaped by financial pressure. Evergreen Theatre Society announced on May 1, 2025, that it would close on June 30. The immediate issue was the failure to renew a ten-year loan of approximately C$5.5 million from Social Enterprise Fund, an Alberta lender that invests in social enterprises and entrepreneurs. The loan matured on March 15, 2025. Social Enterprise Fund’s director, Ryan Young, said the lender had made numerous efforts to assist Evergreen, including nine extensions and amendments, but the organization remained unable to meet its commitments. The closure brought an end to Evergreen’s 34-year run as a touring educational theatre company and community arts-space operator.
- 2025
Closure announced
[1]Evergreen Theatre Society announced on May 1 that it would close on June 30 after failing to renew its Social Enterprise Fund loan.
- 2023
Environmental education award
[1]Evergreen received an Alberta Emerald Award for Environmental Education.
- 2022
BBB Torch Award for Ethics
[1]The organization received the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics.
- 2018
Arts and culture business award
[1]Evergreen received an Alberta Business Award of Distinction in Arts and Culture.
- 2015
Move to Evergreen Community SPACES
[1]Evergreen moved its community-space operation to a 24,000-square-foot facility in Calgary’s Mayland Heights.
- 2013
Valmai Goggin becomes artistic producer
[1]Valmai Goggin joined the organization’s leadership as artistic producer.
- 2007
Evergreen Community Studios established at Currie Barracks
[1]Evergreen began operating community studios at Calgary’s Currie Barracks, continuing there until 2015.
- 2002
Educational merit recognition
[1]The organization received the NSERC Michael Smith Award of Outstanding Educational Merit and a Global, Environment & Outdoor Education Award of Merit.
- 1998
Environmental and communications recognition
[1]Evergreen received an Alberta Emerald Award for Communication, Media & Arts and a Calgary Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Award.
- 1991
Evergreen Theatre founded
[1]Scott Mair, Tara Ryan, Elinor Holt, Gerald Matthews, Don Enright, and Monique Keiran founded the Calgary-based theatre organization.
Products and positioning
Participatory educational theatre and community arts infrastructure focused on children, environmental science, and accessible programming.
Educational musical theatre
Cliff & Edna Turn Green
An environmental education production about endangered species, habitat, and ecological interrelationships. It used theatrical characters and musical storytelling to introduce elementary-school audiences to conservation and the connections among living systems.
Educational musical theatre
PondScum Inc.
A science-themed production addressing wetlands, food chains, and photosynthesis. The show presented ecological processes through accessible performance for young school audiences.
Educational musical theatre
We're all Wet
A water-focused educational show exploring phases of matter, watersheds, pollution, and water treatment. It connected scientific concepts with the practical environmental issues encountered by communities.
Educational musical theatre
JUNK!
A production about waste and the world, including recycling, composting, and distinctions between manufactured and natural waste. Its subject matter reflected Evergreen’s emphasis on environmental responsibility and student participation.
Educational musical theatre
Full of Hot Air
A weather and climate science production covering clouds, meteorology, greenhouse gases, and climate change for elementary audiences.
Educational musical theatre · 2007
Food for Thought
A touring production performed in Evergreen’s 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons, with book and music by Ethan Cole.
Educational musical theatre · 2007
Go With The Flow
A touring production performed in the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons, with book and music by Ethan Cole.
Educational musical theatre · 2008
The Three RRRs
A production by Jacqueline Russell with music by David Morton, presented during the 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 seasons and centered on the environmental principles commonly summarized as reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Educational musical theatre · 2009
Flushed
A production by Meg Braem with music by David Morton, presented in the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 seasons.
Educational musical theatre · 2010
Lost, the Mystery of the Missing Species
A production by Ellen Chorley with music by David Morton about species loss and environmental change. It appeared in the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 seasons.
Community arts facility · 2015
Evergreen Community SPACES
A 24,000-square-foot Mayland Heights facility containing studios, a presentation theatre, and offices. It provided affordable and accessible space for rehearsals, workshops, performances, dance, music, and grassroots community activity.
Brand decisions
2025
Closure following loan non-renewalOtherBackground
Evergreen Theatre Society was unable to renew a ten-year loan from Social Enterprise Fund. The loan matured on March 15, 2025, after multiple extensions and amendments.
Action taken
The society announced on May 1, 2025, that it would shut down on June 30, 2025.
Aftermath
The decision ended Evergreen’s 34-year operation as an educational theatre company and community arts-space provider.
Loan principal. Approximately C$5.5 million (Ten-year loan; matured March 15, 2025)
2015
Relocation to Mayland HeightsStrategyBackground
After operating Evergreen Community Studios at Currie Barracks from 2007, the organization sought a new base for its theatre, studio, and community-space activities.
Action taken
Evergreen moved to and operated Evergreen Community SPACES, a 24,000-square-foot facility in Calgary’s Mayland Heights.
Aftermath
The facility became a major resource for local arts and community organizations, supporting thousands of activities and youth programs before the organization closed.
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