Q&A – Dr. Kieran O’Callaghan

Arts Centre for Edson Society
Questions for Dr. Kieran O’Callaghan
Former Edson Doctor & Former Member of the Pandora Players

ACES Questions

1. What got you started in the arts community in Edson? How long were you involved in the theatre/arts community in Edson?

2. As someone who used the various facilities in Edson for performances, to what extent would it have been more beneficial to have a larger venue to perform?

3. As a physician who moved to Edmonton to be closer to more arts-related events, how important is a new theatre to retaining professionals like yourself in a rural community?

Dr. O’Callaghan’s Response

On a wintry Saturday afternoon in the mid nineties, I took a break from my busy life as a country doctor to attend a Theatre Alberta acting workshop at The Red Brick Arts Centre in Edson. This led to my appearance in several plays over the next seven years with the local theatre group, Pandora Players, who had organized the workshop. We performed with passion and enthusiasm, with limited resources, to appreciative audiences, who were delighted to enjoy our homegrown performances. We knew that our small effort had tapped into a desire and a need for artistic expression within the community.

For me, this involvement in the arts was not only great fun, but helped to bring balance to a life that, by virtue of my profession, naturally leaned a little too much towards the scientific. As a result of this experience, I never tire of preaching the simple lesson to patients and colleagues of finding balance in a busy life through interests outside the workplace. All work and no play does not only make Jack dull, it also really stresses him out ; and what better way to escape the hamster wheel of life, if only briefly, by turning off reality television and enjoying live performance artistry ; either as a performer or as a member of their audience.

During my time with Pandora Players, I became involved with all aspects of production. I also became increasingly aware of the desire, in the community at large, of people who wanted to perform and for whom there was no shortage of audience appreciation. What was lacking, of course, was a suitable stage, literally, for this potential to expand upon.

In common with many rural areas in Alberta, Edson depends on a steady influx of men and women, who bring valuable, and much needed, skills and training to the community. Attracting and retaining physicians at the Edson Medical Centre was a full time and difficult task for myself and my partner, in the years I spent in Edson. As part of the recruiting strategy, it is essential that potential newcomers be provided with a lifestyle that will encourage them to choose Edson as a home for themselves and their families. Artistic and cultural activities are a vital component of that lifestyle. The building of a community arts centre in Edson would not only stimulate the growth of local artistic groups and organizations, but would also be a venue for visiting artists and would enrich the lives of those who live in the community beyond measure.