For 25 years, this man has made shows at NACC look (and sound) good

Martin Emslander’s arrival in Yellowknife involved an exit, pursued by a bear.

Theatre fans who know their Shakespeare may consider that apt. This month, Emslander is celebrating 25 years as one of the people central to almost any production staged at the city’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.

When he reached the NWT’s capital in 2001, he camped at Yellowknife’s Fred Henne Territorial Park for his first night.

“I would have made a second night but there was a bear spotted, and you can’t stay in a tent with the bears around,” he recalled in an interview this month. His boss had to put him up instead.

What has followed is a quarter-century of masterminding the lighting, sound and many other aspects of the productions you see on the NACC stage – Yellowknife’s premier arts destination.

“He is the epitome of a one-man show,” said Shannon Lyman, NACC’s executive director, noting he was recently recognized by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees for 30 years of membership. “He has incredible knowledge.”

Emslander started out lighting concerts in British Columbia in the 1980s that featured the likes of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Boz Scaggs and Tony Bennett.

He came to Yellowknife seeking something that would emulate the enjoyment he had found helping to run the technical side of Fort St John’s North Peace Cultural Centre in the 1990s.

Susan Shantora, a music teacher at Sir John Franklin High School, has worked on musicals and drama productions with Emslander for much of the past 20 years.

Not only does he do a “very, very demanding” job, she said, but he shares his knowledge with class after class of students.

“He’s able to do all these aspects of stagecraft and he’s able to show the students so they can execute them themselves,” said Shantora.

“It really opens their eyes to what the world of tech is. This year, in particular, I know there are three students planning to go into the theatre world. Through Martin’s help and patience, students are able to see how this can really impact them in their future.”

‘Get the feeling across’

Emslander picks out two NACC shows that have stuck with him.

One is Jake’s Gift, which he described as a one-woman show about a World War Two veteran in his eighties.

“She plays at least 12 characters, maybe more,” he said, marvelling at the ingenuity of the show he helped to stage.

“It was just turn-on-a-dime boom, boom, boom, it was insane. She turns around, she’s a 12-year-old girl. She turns around, she’s a 35-year-old schoolteacher. Turns around, she’s the 80-year-old man. Phenomenal, amazing show.”

He also holds special memories of designing the lighting for fellow Yellowknifer Pat Braden’s show A Place to Call Home.

On stage, Emslander recalled, Braden would tell a story of being a boy outside at Christmas.

“He’s waiting for the parents to come out and it’s getting cold. He’s like, ‘I’m just going to take a peek,’ and he opens the door. He’s just miming it, but I threw in the light from the front to light up his face as the door is opening. It was a ton of fun,” he said, remembering a contribution that made a difference.

Ultimately, the two got to take the show to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Seeing his lighting design play at that venue was “so freaking cool,” Emslander said.

“The best compliment to lighting is that nobody notices,” he said.

“Hopefully it’s helping create the feel and the mood, but not in a way that people are like, ‘Oh, the lights are dimming,’ or whatever. If you manage to get the feeling across, you’ve achieved your goal.”

Part of the community

Lyman said she is “constantly blown away” by Emslander’s dedication and professionalism.

As a director of amateur productions herself, she spent time with him trying to literally blow away the cast in 2023.

The show was Alice in Wonderland, Lyman’s directorial debut for local group Ptarmigan Ptheatrics.

“I distinctly remember I was trying to describe to Martin that I wanted the stage to feel like a hurricane – flashing lights with lightnings and strobe, and I had all of the actors swirling around the stage as though they were swept up in a tornado,” Lyman recalled.

“He said, ‘OK.’ He went away for a day or two and, after doing a bunch of research and dabbling in whatever programming he has to do on his lighting board, he really pulled it off.

“It was fun for me and it was fun for him. I think it was just another challenge to his day.”

Emslander says he is “still having fun” after 25 years and, though he’s approaching retirement age, he doesn’t “really intend to at this point.”

“As long as they’ll let me do it, I’m happy to,” he said.

“I’m super lucky. I get to do all these cool shows and things, and I love being part of the community. That’s a huge thing for me.”