Recently four Ladysmith women put their musical talents together and formed Ladysmith Musical Arts (LMA).
The company is owned by Emma Alsop, Katarina Skakun-Ward, Sarah Abdulkafi, and Lindsay Skakun-Ward. Alsop and Katarina (Kat) have lived in Ladysmith almost all their lives, with Abdulkafi moving to Ladysmith as an exchange student in 2011.
“Lindsay and I purchased our home in Ladysmith in 2017, which made Lindsay an official Ladysmithite," said Kat, the LMA spokesperson. "LMA is an all women-owned company that is also made up of members of the LGBTQIA2S community and people of colour.”
“The production company that we used to perform with shut down in 2021," said Kat. "The pandemic was not kind to anyone, but especially theatre companies. We decided as a group that we wanted to fill the enormous void that Bard2Broadway left with something here in Ladysmith so that we could make theatre more accessible to folks closer to home. To us, that meant giving actors and musicians a place to perform that didn’t mean travelling too far. It also meant offering entertainment to our community at a price point that was more accessible to everyone. On top of all of that, we find that other production companies don’t offer entertainment with live music, citing that they don’t have the room or budget to include musicians. We’re working to show that musicians do have a place in live theatre and that it’s worth the cost, and it’s always possible to make the room.”
Each of the four principals have a background in the musical arts with Alsop being the daughter of long-time high school music teach, Rod Alsop, who got into musical arts herself.
“Lindsay began playing guitar at the age of 12 and went on her first Canadian tour with her band at the age of 16," said Kat. "I began my musical journey at the age of 10 playing flute in my elementary school band class.”
Rounding out the talent, Abdulkafi has performed singing in choirs and playing violin.
“However, her true strong suit in this company is her marketing genius,” said Kat. “In the musical theatre front, between Emma, myself and Lindsay, there is a combined total of over 30 shows worth of experience in various aspects, including stage, backstage and behind the scenes. Emma, Lindsay and myself have all had music education at a university level.”
Kat said the vision for Ladysmith Musical Arts is to build a vibrant community through the arts.
“We aim to inspire local talent and create inclusive spaces where music and performance bring people together," Kat said. "It’s to create spaces that welcome everyone, from budding performers to seasoned talent, bringing the community together through music. Ladysmith’s vibrant spirit and creativity fuel our commitment to high-quality entertainment that resonates with all ages. We believe that what we do is more than putting on a show; it’s about bringing our community together to do things that bring Ladysmith to life.”
LMA has already had a show this past May. It was the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors.
“Our tickets sold out before opening night and we had many folks tell us that they had wanted to come see the show but didn’t get a chance to before tickets sold out," said Kat. "We’re hoping for a similar excitement behind Ruthless, in June.”
The group worked with support from others such as the folks at Ladysmith Little Theatre, Geoff Cram from Old Town Bakery and Rod Alsop from Bayview Brewing Company.
“We also worked with local actors, musicians, and artists who all came together to work on the show," Kat said. "This included actors who had never been on stage before or musicians who didn’t have musical theatre experience. It also included actors who have been on stage since the age of five and musicians who have countless musical theatre credits under their belt. We look forward to putting together a similar band of like-minded people for our next show.”
Their next production is the "wickedly hilarious" show Ruthless. It will run for three weeks and at the historic Ladysmith Little Theatre building in the Diamond.
"Ruthless is a deliciously campy musical where sweet, ambitious little Tina Denmark will do whatever it takes to land the lead in her One-Night-Only, Grade 3 performance of Pippi in Tahiti. Outrageous twists, dark humour and a hint of mystery, this show will keep the audience laughing and guessing right up until the final curtain falls,” said the team.
Kat said there are significant up front costs to putting on a musical.
"The rights alone for a musical are several thousand dollars. We are hoping to be able to pay our actors and musicians for their talent. We believe that it is important to pay for talent in the arts just like employers pay for talents in the workforce. Other costs to put on a musical include costumes, props, rental space, set building costs, etc,” Kat said.
The group said that costs for Ruthless will come to well over $20,000. Sponsorship packages have been sent to many businesess within the Ladysmith area. For those interested to see the full financial breakdown or sponsorship tiers, LMA can be contacted at ladysmithmusicalarts@gmail.com.
“If folks can’t give as much as they would like to, there are other ways that we can be supported as well," Kat said. "Individuals can purchase tickets, once they go on sale, but get them early because they went fast last time. Also supporters can also follow us on our social media platforms @ladysmithmusicalarts and share our content to help spread the word.
“Our Little Shop of Horrors show was a success and we owe a lot of that to the businesses that supported us at that time, such as Old Town Bakery, Bayview Brewing Company, Mid Island Co-op, Ladysmith Pharmasave, Ladysmith Home Hardware, the Mactier Real Estate Group, Ladysmith Downtown Business Association and Long & McQuade Musical Instruments,” the four principles said.
