Max Power

After the Depression and WWII, theatre in Vancouver was at low ebb. Max Power was an important figure in the group that scraped by on part-time jobs so that they could take the opportunities that were offered.   However, Max, instead of working as a cabbie, night clerk or waiter, carefully built a retail business called Fashion Bootery to support his family.  The highest standards in local theatre at the time were found in Vancouver Little Theatre Association productions, and Max make his real break into theatre with them, in Three Men on a Horse, Room Service and other plays.  He was remarkable for his enthusiasm for theatre and especially for the show at hand.  Max wanted the best, settled for nothing less, and pulled many a cast up a level or two.  In 1954, Max and his friend Ben Kopelow appeared in VLTA production of Stalag 17.  The play was a hit but ran out of time in its performance space. Seeing the potential, Max and Ben organized a contribution of $20 from each cast member, talked the manager of the Denman Auditorium into a profit-sharing arrangement, added Doug Hellier, turned themselves into The Barnstormers, and became producers.  The show was a success.  As one third of The Barnstormers, Max was active in every aspect of production; the three men traded jobs as time allowed.  The last play they produced was The Diary of Anne Frank at the Denman Auditorium.  Max moved on to become a stalwart at TUTS, performing in many musicals.  His first role for them was in Pajama Game.  In Kiss Me Kate; he and Ben Kopelow were a local hit with a memorable performance as gangsters singing, “Brush up your Shakespeare.”  He was also lauded for his performance as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls.  Although the success of his shoe business kept Max from a full time commitment, he continued to use his production and business skills to aid Ben and Doug in various other ventures-working on Cave publicity, doubling on anything to do with Pacific Show Productions (Ben’s company), and performing when asked.