Theatre veteran Ed Bayly remembered

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on October 26, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

When the curtain rises tonight on the Lethbridge Musical Theatre production of “The Full Monty,” Ed Bayly will surely be with the cast and crew in spirit.
Bayly, a fixture on the Lethbridge theatre season for decades, died earlier this month at the age of 86.
Bayly, who was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England emigrated to Canada with his parents and sister in 1951.
Behind the scenes or on stage, Bayly spent many decades with LMT and Playgoers of Lethbridge and was the manager of the Yates Memorial Theatre for more than three decades.
Bayly made his first on-stage performance here in LMT’s production of “Finian’s Rainbow” at the old Capitol Theatre in 1964. But not only did he shine under the spotlights, Bayly was known and respected for his skills in set design, painting, sound, lighting and construction.
“Being on stage with him was just a treat,” recalled Mardi Renyk on Monday. Renyk recalls Bayly as a selfless man who never put himself first, his entire focus when on stage being about the performance and the audience.
Working with Bayly was a privilege for everyone who had the opportunity, she said.
Dawn Flexhaug recalls working with Bayly when she was only 12 years old building sets with him, her father and Bayly’s dad.
“And my mom was in the show,” recalled Flexhaug, whose husband Rod served a stint as LMT president.
As a director, Bayly understood everyone had families and worked rehearsal schedules around the busy lives of his performers.
“He was a mighty fine guy,” said Flexhaug, believes Bayly was in most shows that LMT staged. He had more than 80 performances to his credit in his time involved with local theatre which also included roles in Coaldale Little Theatre and Our Town Workshop. In a production of “Teach Me How to Cry “for the latter company in 1967, he was honoured as best actor at the Alberta Regional Drama Festival.
He was an honorary lifetime member of Playgoers. One of his shows for that troupe was “Moon over Buffalo,” a 2009 production co-starring Sheila Matson.
Name a show and Bayly was part of it in one way or another: “Guys and Dolls, “The Sound of Music,” “A Breath of Spring,” “Priscilla Pringle’s Predicament,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” “A Midsummers Night Dream,” Lil Abner” are just a few of the many diverse productions that Bayly acted in or directed over the decades.
With his knowledge of all aspects of theatre, Bayly “knew what it involved and what it took to get it on stage,” Flexhaug said.
A post by a long-time local actor after Bayly died stated “he was one of those rare specimens that taught without teaching. He made you love it as much as he did, and he had so much trust and faith that you could accomplish great things, that you had no choice but to muster up the confidence and go and accomplish great things, all while having enormous amounts of fun!”
Bayly is survived by his wife Linda who for years was a driving force behind the annual Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts festival in Lethbridge, along with three daughters and other family members.
“The Full Monty” runs until Nov. 4 at the Yates. Rated suitable for audiences 14 and over due to strong language and mature themes, the production focuses on “six unemployed steelworkers in a charming town dare to reclaim their self-esteem and provide for their families with a bold and hilarious plan. This play production is a roller-coaster of emotions, exploring friendship, identity, and the power of taking risks,” says LMT.
The production is directed by Drew Andreachuck with choreography by Jessica Ens and musical direction by Jillian Bracken.
This will be LMT’s first production since “Newsies” in 2019. It’s most previous show before that was a fundraiser in 2015 called “Lights on Broadway.”
Over the decades, LMT staged a range of musicals that ranged from “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Camelot,” “Brigadoon” and “Finian’s Rainbow” to “Man of la Mancha,” “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific” and “Zorba.”

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