One night in 1998, Professor Peter Loeffler gave five $100 bills to Gerald Vanderwoude (MFA’91), a graduate student running the box office at the Frederic Wood Theatre. The money came with a challenge: to put on a show.

“Direct a little Beckett perhaps,” Loeffler told Vanderwoude. His only requirements? A good cake and a little toast to theatre at the end.

As it turned out, the performance and party that followed proved unforgettable—and the Beckett-themed alumni reunion has returned in one form or another nearly every year since. 28 years later, the celebration of creativity and mentorship continues to draw alumni back to the beloved Frederic Wood Theatre, where they built so many memories. Many bring their children and proudly show off the stage where they trod the boards, or the wall where they signed their names as students.

“Everybody who went through the program feels a sense of ownership of that stage,” says alum Cam Cronin (BA’94). “It’s literally for the joy of theatre. You get to work on something fun. Sometimes it’s weird and absurd—and doesn’t get done in Vancouver.”

Beyond a reunion, the event has also become an important fundraiser in the Faculty of Arts calendar. In September 2026, the event will be raising money for three student awards, across three nights of performances: the Errol Durbach Graduate Scholarship in Theatre, the Norman Young Scholarship in Theatre, and the Peter Loeffler Memorial Prize. These awards have had a profound impact on past recipients.

“Receiving the Peter Loeffler Memorial Prize in my final year of studies was a gift from the Theatre Department,” says Alaia Hamer, BA’12, BFA’17. “It took immense pressure off of me working external jobs and allowed me to focus much more deeply on generating a wonderful body of work in my final year to prepare me for graduation and my career to follow.”

Dr. Katrina Dunn, MA’16, PhD’20, who received the Errol Durbach Graduate Scholarship in 2017, echoes Hamer’s sentiments.

“Receiving support in the form of the scholarship not only eased some of the financial burden of graduate work, but it also allied my research with one of the Department’s important early scholars and teachers. I am humbled to be a part of this lineage of theatre thinkers and writers.”

Each year, five alumni and long-time contributors develop the Beckett productions. Vanderwoude and Cronin, along with Deb Pickman (BA’91), Beverly Bardal (BFA’91) and Joe Procyk (BFA’99), experiment with Beckett’s work and pieces conceived by Bardal and Vanderwoude. Over time, the annual production has become a way to hand down cherished Theatre and Film Department stories. Alumni see themselves as stewards, connecting current students with the people who helped build the program, from founding figures such as Dorothy Somerset to distinguished faculty members, including Peter Loeffler, Norman Young and Errol Durbach.

“It’s a continuum. We’re all connected through our time together,” says Vanderwoude, recalling his work with Young, a student of Somerset, and witnessing theatrical traditions pass from one generation to the next. “The way he held his face,” explains Vanderwoude, “he knew how the light was striking it.” Today, he sees traces of Durbach in fellow alum Procyk’s performances. “What a gift to see that progress of style over the years.”

As they look toward the future of the Beckett productions, the five say they feel fortunate to have been able to give back for so long. “To have this constant in the productions,” says Procyk, “we’re fortunate.”

All agree that the Frederic Wood Theatre doors are open to all interested alumni, and Vanderwoude points out that it’s still fun. “And there’s cake,” adds Pickman, by way of enticement. “Every night.”