The latest from The Lyric Theatre is setting out to improve the variety and reach of its theatrics.

Hoping to accomplish as much, a new festival of the arts is coming to Swift Current.

At a press conference last Friday, The Lyric Theatre announced that they would be bringing three acts to the city as part of their Winterruption festival.

Magical, musical and multi-media performances will be coming to Swift Current as part of the event.

At the conference, Gordon McCall, the executive and artistic director of The Lyric Theatre, said that they were happy to be able to entertain Swift Current with the three-night event.

"There are many events that we can bring here that are connected to the performing arts. In the middle of winter, what a wonderful break it'll be."

The festival comes to Swift Current thanks to a joint grant with Saskatoon's Broadway Theatre, and the Regina Folk Festival.

"Having linkage in the province outside of our community, just spreads our reach, and spreads knowledge of us to other theatres and other communities," McCall stated. "We will also benefit from events that they might be doing in their community, possibly coming out way."

McCall said that they have big plans for connection to the arts in other communities as well.

"What the idea was, let's spread this to our region of the province, basically, and then eventually, we'll probably hook up with Alberta and maybe Manitoba and be a part of a big circuit."

According to McCall, doing so would allow for a bigger selection of acts, as well as drawing in more people from the surrounding areas.

He said that due to the Lyric's reach to centres like Regina, Medicine Hat, and Saskatoon, they would not have a problem being able to support their busy schedule of performances, further bolstered by Winterruption.

The different draws of the three various performances were also something McCall said he was confident would draw people in.

"In one week, they might want to see two or three things, in another week, they don't want to see anything, but somebody else wants to see it."

"I don't think there's anything healthier than to have a very vibrant variety of opportunities for audiences."

The diverse nature of the festival is another avenue of the theatre's operation plans.

"It's all part of a vision to balance the programing between music, dance, theatre, education, spoken word, and other performing arts events."

Winterruption is coming to Swift Current thanks to a Tourism Saskatchewan grant split between The Lyric Theatre, Broadway Theatre, and the Regina Folk Festival, as well as a donation from S3 Enterprises.

Overall, The Lyric Theatre is also funded by an annual grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board, and box office funds.

McCall said that thanks to events such as the Great Southwest Shakespeare Festival and Winterruption, funding from the art board might increase in the coming years.