Days Of the Klondike
See history come to life!
Experience the Klondike gold rush with the musical Days of the Klondike, by Composer/Lyricist C.W. Oxley. Original Staging and Design by Maureen Rooney. Directed this summer by Julien Constantin. With an original score of upbeat contemporary and ole-tyme honky tonk music, two very different Klondike Kates, Alexander Pantages, Robert Service, and many other men, women and children from this bygone era will once again bring history to life!
Original concept and research by the late Rita Martin and Mandy Martin Hackett.
Spectacular costumes by Rita Martin and Meghan Dunlop!
Featuring:
- Natasha Mason as Klondike Kate Rockwell, Famous Dance-hall Girl,
- Breann Twist as Klondike Kate Ryan, Canada's first female RCMP,
- Julien Constantin as theatre mogul Alexander Pantages,
- Dustin Stewart as Poet/Narrator Robert Service
- And the gifted supporting cast and crew of the Musicalmania! Performing Troupe!
Winner!
Public Choice Award winner, Edmonton Fringe Festival, 2014!
Our inspiration
Rita Martin
The inspiration behind Days of the Klondike is Edmonton’s original “Klondike Queen,” the late Rita Martin. As Klondike Queen and an established musician and dancer, Rita toured the region and performed for thousands, injecting Klondike spirit across the province. Rita’s hope was to help bring the fun and history of Klondike Days back to the region, and together with her daughter, Mandy Martin-Hackett, dug into researching the gold rush in her final years as she was battling cancer. Oxley was able to work briefly with Martin before her passing in 2013, and is pleased to be able to bring the Klondike Queen’s legacy back to the stage. Thanks to Rita’s husband, Reg Martin, the production also received a donation of the Klondike Queen’s spectacular handmade Klondike dresses and accessories. A percentage of the production's proceeds will go toward cancer research through the Alberta Cancer Foundation, which Rita supported. For more information about Rita and her fundraising efforts, visit albertacancer.ca/klondikequeen