Kismet Theatre began in 2012 downtown Nanaimo onVictoria Rd. It only came into existence, because Actor/Director/Owner/Writer Bonnie Catterson (now Kent) had moved back to the island from Vancouver after becoming extremely ill with. Crohn’s Disease. Unable to continue her pursuit of theatre/film/TV she returned to her family home to get well. Once she was in remission, she began working within the local Arts scene, directing and acting in shows for Western Edge Theatre, and creating original social justice plays for underserved communities, that funded programming for these communities. Teaching an acting summer camp for kids through Arts Alive, she remembered her love of teaching. And once parents began asking where they could bring their kids to classes in the fall, she knew she needed to open her own school. With over 25 years of experience teaching and directing, it seemed like fate (another word for Kismet and how it got it’s name) A school where the craft of acting, confidence, creativity and fun would flourish. This was in July. By mid September Kismet Theatre was born. Kismet blossomed by creating original plays based on whatever the students could dream up. Each year a new course was added, and given Bonnie’s Musical Theatre background, Kismet began producing full length musicals such as Annie, Fame Jr, Rock of Ages, and the Original Indie Rock Musical Cascadia, which Bonnie co wrote with her now husband Andrew Kent. Kismet became known as a training ground for actors. As Bonnie brought over former colleagues from Vancouver to do Master Classes on camera and audition work, and offered filmmaking classes with industry professionals, students began to book professional work. One year, 4 young students were chosen from thousands across the country to be in a kids game show that shot in Toronto. Many of her adult students, and a few youth began to book parts with local theatre companies Western Edge, Theatre One, and Chemainus. Scene Study for adults was a huge success, as were the original social justice plays that raised awareness for local organizations such as Haven House, The Nanaimo Women’s Centre, and Hospice. As the school grew, Bonnie hired more exceptional teachers, and was fortunate to have them when her health took another downturn in 2018 and she spent much of the year in hospital. Kismet was next door to what is now known as The OV Arts Centre, and it is where most of it’s wonderful shows have been performed. Kismet was about to put on it’s first full length Original Musical written by Bonnie and vocal director Wren Beckley when Covid 19 hit. Sadly, this was the end of the downtown location. During the Covid years, Bonnie was in and out of hospital but still managed to act, write and direct shows for Western Edge Theatre. Many of her former students went on to obtain theatre degrees, some got agents and work in Film and TV, and many are hired by local companies in all aspects from behind the scenes as stage managers, to actors and assistant directors. In 2022 she received a grant from the BC Arts Council to produce an Original play with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, based on their lived experience called Emerge. It played on Pride Weekend and was an incredible success for all. As the pandemic slowed, Bonnie longed to return to teaching and was fortunate to have her talented carpenter husband turn the lower level of their Departure Bay home into an accessible theatre space. The doors of Kismet 2.0 opened in 2023, and two Musical Revues were performed in the past year, with vocal direction by Mary Littlejohn. We at Kismet are so excited to be offering more classes, including a teen acting intensive this July, and a plethora of offerings for every age in the Fall. Kismet is a place where everyone is welcomed, where diversity is celebrated, and where accessibility is important. Come play with us!