History of SVT

The Souris Valley Theatre began in 1989 when a group of concerned citizens formed a Tourism Committee to promote the city. In 1989, the City Council officially approved and established the committee. Tourism Saskatchewan then advised the committee to find a strategy that could boost overnight trips because money was spent on hotels, meals, and shopping. The Souris Valley Theatre was founded later that summer. The City of Estevan offered a reward of $2000 to the playwright who wrote the best script for a play about Estevan’s rum-running past. The entries were supposed to be judged by Dr. Ron Mavor, Head of the Drama Department at the University of Saskatchewan. Billy Morton’s The Volstead Blues was his choice.

He then offered to have it produced by his senior students for their spring trip. They would then perform for the theatre in Estevan. With the help of Ron Ror, a recently retired director/producer for CBC Television in Toronto, the theatre was able to add a second production the following year. The Souris Valley Theatre evolved through time, from an open-air venue to a rented tent and finally to a tent acquired by the Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. The new tent led to our move to our current position at Woodlawn Regional Park. The most significant stride forward was when Ray Frehlick had Frehlick Hall constructed for us.

We started bringing tourists from all around the province, including busloads from Manitoba and a large number of Americans. Since the construction of the hall, we’ve continued to improve our amenities, such as our main office and concession, as well as our technical equipment. We have worked on evolving our resources to make each theatre experience unique and memorable. Our supporters are crucial to Souris Valley Theatre. We would not be able to present live, professional summer theatre to Estevan and the surrounding area without the help of the City of Estevan and the Woodlawn Regional Park.