After nearly 20 months of uncertainty, live shows are slowly beginning to return to the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre’s Mae Wilson Theatre. 

Recently the theatre hosted musician Jeffrey Straker, Cornerstone Christian School’s performance of Seussical the Musical and Vanier Collegiate’s All Together Now. 

For Moose Jaw Cultural Centre General Manager Derik Cronan, it was nice to have school performances back at the Mae Wilson Theatre. 

“It's actually been two full years since we were able to have the schools back in our facility, so it's really great to be back to it, and we're looking forward to what's coming and cautiously optimistic that things are starting to open up across the country,” he said. 

Although live performances are returning, COVID-19 protocols will still apply. Anyone wishing to attend a performance must have proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. 

Even with protocols in place, attendance at the theatre has been down. 

“We hosted Jeffrey Straker back in October and usually we see about 250 to 300 for his show and I think it was about 150 that was in attendance for that one,” Cronan said. 

He added that there is lots of room in the theatre and they are allowing people to move seats to allow for social distancing if someone doesn’t feel safe. 

There are quite a few acts booked right up into the new year. 

On Monday, musician Zachary Lucky will be taking the stage. The nominee for the 2017 Canadian Folk Music Award for Solo Artist of the Year, Lucky will be bringing his brand of country music to Moose Jaw. 

The Mae Wilson Theatre will be welcoming A Louisiana Hayride Christmas on Nov. 27. This show has been a long-time coming for the Cultural Centre as it was postponed twice due to the pandemic. A Louisiana Hayride Christmas features holiday music from Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Crystal Gayle, Lefty Frizzell and Shania Twain tribute artists. 

The year wraps up on Dec. 11 with a unique event for the theatre. There will be a film screening of Florian’s Knights. The documentary is about firefighters in the United States and Canada that form a motorcycle club to cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Tickets for these events are available at the Cultural Centre Box Office on Main Street or through the Cultural Centre’s website.