New general manager for SNTC

At the onset of January, the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company (SNTC) hired a new general manager. Already in this role for two months, Alan Long is an integral part of the company’s artistic team and works with the founding board members Gordon Tootoosis, Tantoo Cardinal, and Flo Frank, said an SNTC news release.

“We are very pleased that Alan is bringing his theatre experience, leadership and mentoring skills to this position as our General Manager,” Tootoosis stated.
“His familiarity with SNTC along with is professionalism, training and commitment make him ideally suited to lead the Company in an exciting new phase of our work.”
Long has studied and worked in capacities as an actor, stage manager, director, production manager and technical director.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity and we’re looking forward to being out there in the community as the months go by,” Long said in a Sage interview.
Long comes to the role with experience in theatre and the arts working for companies around the province, including Persephone Theatre, Rosthern Station Arts Centre as well as the SNTC.

“I had worked at SNTC a lot over the years as a stage manager, as a teacher, as a production manager, as director,” he said. “So I knew the company very well, I knew what they did and their mandate.”

He grew up on a farm south of Lloydminster and several years ago moved to Saskatoon permanently, after which he completed a Masters of Arts degree in Theatre and History in 2007 at the University of Saskatchewan. He also completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and an MA in interdisciplinary studies in theatre and history.
Long said he wasn’t always into theatre but was a musician who played a lot on the road while helping his parents on their farm in Lloydminster.

“I just became tired of that kind of life,” he said. “I was bored and I started taking evening drama classes at Lloydminster at the college. To make a long story short I decided to give up farming and the music industry and start taking classes in theatre at the university and that led to a full-time career.”

He liked the aspect of live performances offered by the music industry and that interest was transferred to theatre.

“I really enjoy all the relationships, just working with all the different people in the theatre industry,” he said.
As for how he finds working for the theatre company in the last two months.

“It’s challenging and it’s a steep learning curve,” he said. “Those students who have trained at SNTC over the years really are the theatre. They’re the ones in my opinion, who have the most stake in the company and so we’re really wanting to hear from them,” he added. SNTC is an Aboriginal performing arts organization that uses theatre as a community development tool through a combination of community and professional arts programming and engages Aboriginal youth in the industry.