The Management and Staff of Allstar wish to express their sadness at the passing of Albert "Monty" Montgomery, founder of Lighting by Monty and icon of our local entertainment industry on February 13, 2006 and dedicate this page to his memory.

Following is the speech from the 1999-2000 Season Sterling Awards Presentation to Monty Montgomery for Lifetime Achievement.

The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and lifelong contributions that have enhanced and brightened Edmonton’s Theatre Community throughout the years. Past recipients of this lifetime achievement honour include theatre founders, directors, actors and costume designers. If the winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award were to read like a souvenir program of Edmonton’s theatrical history, this year’s recipient would represent exceptional contributions toward the technical aspects of a stage production.

Albert Montgomery, known as “Monty” by his peers in the entertainment community, started his incredibly diverse career as a stage lighting technician more or less as a hobby, when he attended the Old Edmonton Technical School as a teenager, and was fascinated by lectures and demonstrations given by his principal, Mr. J.J. Hilton. The pull into the exciting world of the show business was further enhanced by visits to the Strand and Pantages Theatres in downtown Edmonton, plus, the development of his skills by studying the effects of proper stage lighting during community functions.

During his term in World War II, Monty was in the radio corps, and became proficient with electricity and electronics – a proficiency that would benefit show business professionals of all types, from theatre directors, to rock bands and dance troupes and even novelty acts such as Benny Boom Boom Koske, the human bomb, who enjoyed blowing himself up during Klondike Days.

After WWII, Monty returned to Edmonton and found employment with the Edmonton Public School Board, originally as a painter. When the School Board built a new theatre at Victoria Composite high school, Monty was chosen as the new electrician and lighting operator. Vic Theatre, in the days before the Jubilee Auditorium opened its doors, was the venue of choice for traveling road shows and theatrical events in Edmonton.

The Orion Theatre Group performed there, led by Dasha Goody, with help from musician Tommy Banks. The Light Opera Of Edmonton also used the Vic Theatre, performing such classics as “Oklahoma”, “Captive”, “South Pacific” and “Annie Get Your Gun”. Ruth Carse was dance director in those days before she went on to found the Alberta Ballet.

A lot of the professional shows presented at Vic Theatre used union crews. At one point in the stagehand union’s history, the local was comprised largely of off duty fire fighters. During the performance of an opera at the Vic Theatre, someone poked their head in to call out that a major fire had broken out at the six story Ashdown Hardware Building. 90% of the crew left for fire fighting duty, leaving two stagehands, one of them being Monty, to run the entire opera.

Vic Theatre was a very busy place during the early days, particularly in the winter months when the venue was booked for up to five nights a week. When you include stage set-up, tear down, rehearsals and shows, there wasn’t a lot of stage time for the Vic Composite High students. But, in terms of first hand experience and observation of the ins and outs of a theatrical production, the drama department at Vic could not be beat. The students were regularly put to work on stage, especially by the director of the Theatre For Children. Many familiar names started here, including Bette Anderson as director, Phil Silver as set designer, and budding actors Danny Jellis, Richard Gishler, Susan Woywitka and in the production of “Mysterious Adventure”, an unknown named Judy Unwin played the role of a mushroom. Monty designed and operated the lighting for most of the shows produced in that theatre.

One of Monty’s favourite memories of his time with the children’s theatre at Vic occurred. The shows had a lot of audience participation. When an actor exited through the audience during a performance and the entire crowd exited along with him, following him from the building all the way out to Kingsway Avenue!

Vic Theatre housed all types of shows, including “serious” theatre directed and produced by Walter Kaasa and Don Peacock, plus Evangelist shows. The Shumka Dancers gave their very first performance here, and, in the early days, their musical accompaniment was an old wind-up phonograph. Monty remembers that half way through the production, the music would slow down, and so too would the Shumka Dancers, until someone quickly re-wound the phonograph player.

As a point of interest to all the technical people here, Monty says that the first lighting board at Vic was a 27 4000 watt hand operated autotransformer dimming system. A major blackout was achieved by using both hands and one foot to get the proper effect at once. Things have certainly improved since then.

Monty was also involved with many theatre groups outside of Vic Comp. In 1962, the Torches Theatre at the University staged an outside production of “Dark of the Moon”, starring Kenneth Welsh and Beverly Barnhouse. Monty recalls seeing two bats swoop past the Witch Boy and the Conjure Man at an appropriate time in the show. Director Gordon Peacock couldn’t have timed it any better if he’d tried.

The Dominion Drama Festival played in town at Studio Theatre in 1965. Monty lit a production of “Two for the See Saw”, starring Len Crowther and Fran Belzberg. During one scene, the lead actor is desperate for a night of love with his female companion. She loftily informs him that she wouldn’t even sleep with Jesus Christ on the first date. He sadly informs her that it is his birthday, and, with a sigh, the actress replies, “Oh, what the hell.” With that statement, she drops her overcoat, displaying a body adorned in nothing but a black slip.

The lead actress, Fran Belzberg, was known as a perfectionist in her portrayals on stage. Because of this, everyone knew that something was seriously wrong, when Miss Belzburg hesitated while reciting the lines that led up to the dropping of her overcoat. With a sigh, she recited “Oh, what the hell,” and dropped her overcoat on cue. Revealed beneath was the actress wearing nothing but black panties and a bra. Miss Belzburg had forgotten to put on her slip.
A man in the front row of the audience turned to his wife and said: “Now that’s what I call a birthday present!” and the whole crowd collapsed with laughter.

Monty was involved in a production of “Murder in the Cathedral”, which was staged, appropriately enough, at the All Saints Cathedral. This show featured a stunning lighting effect using a light from outside, which shone through a stained glass window onto the stage, beautifully framing Archbishop Thomas Becket, who was portrayed by Walter Kaasa. This lighting effect so impressed the church elders that immediately after the show moved out of the building, they had a light installed to provide the same effect for their sermons.

For the production of “Night of January 16” at the Strand Theatre, Monty designed lighting for the show that picked twelve members of the audience and turned them into cast members as the jury. The show had two endings, each dependant on the verdict of this “jury”.

Monty was backstage at the inception of the Walterdale Theatre, which evolved from Circle 8 Theatre. Circle 8 ran their shows out of a restaurant downtown. This space was used by the theatre company for shows in the early evening up to 11:00, and as the theatre troupe came down the stairs at the end of their performances, they were often met by a group of jazz musicians coming up, including a very young Tommy Banks, who were arriving for their late night sets in the first Yardbird Suite Jazz Club.

Walterdale Theatre moved into a small building in the Walterdale Flats, where the Kinsmen Sport Centre now stands. In true theatre fashion, the Walterdale Theatre group started out flat broke. Monty built the first lighting system out of tomato juice cans and reflector bulbs. He stayed with the Walterdale throughout its moves to the building at Kingsway and its current location. A few years ago, Monty and his wife, Joan, were presented with a lifetime membership honouring their outstanding contributions to the Walterdale Theatre.

Monty began to build a small stock of professional and home built lighting equipment. By the mid 1960’s, Monty started getting calls from his friends who were developing their own traveling performance companies. The local clergy, who didn’t want that kind of “heathen” entertainment coming to their town, met an early trip with the Alberta Ballet to Tofield, Alberta with resistance.

With the opening of the Jubilee Auditorium in the late 1950’s, Vic Theatre lost its position as the main theatre in town, and Monty expanded his school board position to include all of the drama departments in all of the schools of Edmonton. Monty was able to take his knowledge “on the road”, involving himself in various High School drama departments, enabling them to bring the production values and qualities of their shows way up. In the course of all of this, Monty acted as a mentor to the young students, starting many of them on their careers in theatre as technicians and designers.

With the opening of the Citadel Theatre in an old Salvation Army building downtown, professional theatre took a huge step forward in Edmonton. Monty was on hand to support this new theatre group. Acting as lighting supervisor, Monty worked with a number of designers that had come up through the theatre ranks with him, including Danny Jellis and Phil Silver. Monty’s eldest son, Bill, worked as one of the first control board operators at the Citadel Theatre.

Monty continued to take his skill and experience into other show business ventures, including the touring music scene. Before the Skyreach Centre was built, a lot of shows ran in the old Gardens. Rock shows, Ice Capades and wrestling matches were all set up in the Sales Pavilion. It proved to be a very versatile place: technicians would simply take a blood stained canvas off of the wrestling ring and hang it up as a back drop for the rock bands. Pink Floyd set up in one half of the Sales Pavilion with the very first Quadraphonic sound system, while a hog sale ran in the other half. A major European opera star performed beautiful arias from the centre of the wrestling ring.

One of the greatest elements of Monty’s long career in the entertainment field is his ability to adapt to any situation, and solve the most complex of technical problems. Though he worked in practically every aspect of the show business industry, it was his long involvement with theatre that brought him the most fulfillment. How could you not appreciate the memory of a light opera on stage performing Act one, Scene One, while behind the famous red door at Vic Theatre, Scene Two was being painted by the stage hands. Scene Three was being nailed together by the carpenters who were asked by the director of the show if they could kindly synchronize their hammering in time with the music of the orchestra. They did.

Albert “Monty” Montgomery will soon celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary this summer with his wife, Joan, whom many of you know and appreciate for her own involvement in the theatre community. Monty is the first to acknowledge that Joan has been an equal partner in the success that he has enjoyed in the theatre community. In the often long hours associated with show business, Joan kept the family and business part of their venture together.

Albert “Monty” Montgomery will soon celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary this summer with his wife, Joan, whom many of you know and appreciate for her own involvement in the theatre community. Monty is the first to acknowledge that Joan has been an equal partner in the success that he has enjoyed in the theatre community. In the often long hours associated with show business, Joan kept the family and business part of their venture together.

In a world where the rebel of the family strikes out for a career in the entertainment industry, the exact opposite holds true for the Montgomery's. The rebel of Monty’s five children is daughter Carol, who owns her own real estate company. Monty’s other four children are all employed in the entertainment field. His son Bill is a lighting technician involved with film work and televisions shows, and daughters Diane and Joanne are long time IATSE members who excel in the wardrobe field. Joanne just finished the run of “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Citadel Theatre, and Diane has the distinction of being the first and only female president of the Edmonton IATSE local. Son, Robert, is also a long time member of IATSE, who runs the theatrical company Lighting by Monty, which was founded by Monty many years ago.

Monty’s grandsons, Shawn and Tim, work in the movie industries in Calgary and Vancouver. Several other grandchildren are waiting in the wings, hoping for their chance to continue the tradition started by their grandfather, Monty.

Although Monty, at 82 years of age, has been retired from active participation in the business for a few years now, all who came in contact with carries on his spirit and enthusiasm for his craft. There are many technicians, designers and directors now spread throughout the industry that started in community or high school theatre with Monty. This tradition continues with the creation of a bursary named for Monty and awarded for the first time this year to a graduating high school student to further his education at a technical college or university program.

Many of Monty’s early contributions to the technical theatre scene were un-credited and unpaid. He was known for his creative solutions to various technical difficulties, often with little or no budget. Directors knew that if Monty were on the job, at he would deliver what was needed. He was in the theatre for the love of his craft. While actors and directors enjoyed applause and accolades, Monty’s satisfaction came from creating the perfect lighting look, the perfect effect or bringing together a crew that delivered magic for the directors and casts.