Creating theatre for the young and the young at heart

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Kevin Kermack (BA’10, BEd’12) drew inspiration from his 10-year-old daughter when he developed his latest children’s play, Storytelling Alive. The new show will make its debut during this summer’s Saskatoon Fringe Festival, which will run from July 30 to Aug. 8, 2026.

“When I think of the word ‘creativity,’ I think of her,” Kermack said of his daughter. “She started taking comic drawing classes this year and it was inspiring to me. To see her doing something so creative—that I honestly could not do very well—was amazing to see.

“I have done kids’ shows before at the Fringe, but she was so young when I last did one, she doesn’t really remember it—so I wanted to do something for her,” he added. “Also, whenever I’m trying to be funny, I ask myself, ‘Would she laugh at this?’ ”

Kermack is a local actor and teacher who earned two degrees at USask: A Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the College of Arts and Science in 2010, followed by a Bachelor of Education degree at the College of Education in 2012. Originally from British Columbia, Kermack moved to Saskatoon as a teenager, and the city has since become his “forever home.” After high school, Kermack decided to study at USask, where he met fellow students with whom he is still close today. That includes USask graduate Monika Holman (BA’13, BA’18), a local actor and entertainer whose creative input led to puppets being added to Storytelling Alive.

“With Monika’s experience with puppets and kids’ theatre, she was vital to the show,” Kermack said.

Since earning his USask degrees, Kermack has taught at Thunderchild First Nation, One Arrow First Nation, Mistawasis Nêhiyawak, and White Bear First Nations. Currently he is the Grade 8 teacher at St. Bernard School in Saskatoon. Kermack’s past experiences working as a substitute teacher also inspired him to develop children’s Fringe shows through his company, Lumina Productions. While working in substitute teacher roles, Kermack created stories and drawings to engage his students and to forge lasting relationships with them. He then went on to coin the term “draw-and-tells” for the pictures that he created in the classrooms through his storytelling. That draw-and-tell format is now a part of Storytelling Alive.

“The show is about expressing yourself creatively and knowing, when you do that, you share yourself with the world,” Kermack said.

“Though the show is aimed at kids, it is for kids of all ages—including every adult and their inner child,” he added. “Through the story, we want to show there are multiple ways to be creative and to tell a story, and we do so through traditional storytelling, puppets, and draw-and-tells. During the show we tell both original stories created by myself and traditional stories with an original twist, including The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Tortoise and The Hare, and The Gingerbread Man.”

Kermack has long been involved in youth theatre, getting his start with the Floyd Youth Theatre Festival during his time as a university student. Today, creating and acting in Saskatoon Fringe Festival shows reminds him of the good times he enjoyed in the past with Floyd.

For Kermack, the best part of being involved with the Fringe is the opportunity to watch other shows—for both children and adults—that are featured throughout the festival.

“There are so many great shows and actors who are both in our city and who come visit. It’s always great to be able to feel like I can stand side by side with them,” he said.

Prior to Storytelling Alive, Lumina Productions’ most recent Fringe show was a one-act play for adults, The Cucamonga Lounge and Hotel, which was written and directed by Kermack and was featured during the 2023 festival. Kermack and Holman both have previous Saskatoon Fringe Festival experience working on shows for children and adults. In 2016, for example, both actors were involved in the production of Hubby In Distress, and both also starred in the 2017 production of Imagination Station and its 2019 sequel, Imagination Station: The Watermelon of Despair.

Kermack believes viewers of all ages will enjoy his latest production, Storytelling Alive.

“They can expect to feel creative themselves and to laugh, especially when we get to the epic wrestling match involving Little Red Riding Hood,” he said.