L-R: Martin Finnerty and Jon Frolick set up the audio equipment for the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival.
If the clothes do indeed make the man, as the old chestnut goes, what does that say about Martin Finnerty? Pine Tree Players’ renowned “lighting and sound guy” can usually be found in the shadows, never making a brash sartorial statement in his smart button-downs and classic woollen sweaters. You won’t find this highly irreverent, “original” force sporting a bunny outfit or rocker T-shirts. Instead, he remains in those liminal spaces, letting his work steal the spotlight. Literally.
But would you know that? And if you did, would you appreciate it?
Likely not, explains Martin, quoting Marshall McLuhan who said “light is pure information.” In other words, without light there wouldn’t be any context on stage. “An objective of a lighting designer is to re-enforce the director’s messaging and to subtlety enhance the audience’s experience,” says Martin, “sometimes with effects and techniques that are not obvious to the audience.”
The technical set-up for the 2020 filming of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, produced during a COVID-19 lock-down.
What began as a teenage lark — handling the lights for a high-school production — grew into a deeply satisfying career that, clearly for Martin, has never lost its shine.
In fact, as long as it remains fun, he says, “I will carry on. It’s a great way to meet people and tackle new challenges.”
Mention a challenge and Martin is quick to remember Pine Tree Players’ production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Facing strict COVID restrictions, PTP couldn’t even bring the actors together into the same room—let alone perform in front of a live audience.
Thanks to a team of talented and dedicated volunteers we transformed the play into an animated film, shot live simultaneously across two different locations using green screens and Zoom audio connections. It was a technically complex undertaking: the actors had to push their skills in new directions, while video editors, audio specialists, and animators collaborated, learning and adapting “on the fly,” so that the show could go on.
L-R: Cat Roscoe and Martin Finnerty in the booth for Drinking Habits, April 2025 at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall.
Typically subtle, occasionally sardonic, and always, always funny, Martin grins when asked whether he watches productions differently because of his skills. “I have been known to say a few times during performances,” he admits, “’Did you see that great lighting cue?’”
So, next time a perfectly timed cue stops you in your tracks, remember: Martin Finnerty was probably smiling somewhere in the shadows.
told to and abridged by Deb Cummings
About the Author: Deb Cummings is a retired journalist (mostly) who is terrified to sit in the front row of any theatre for fear of being called up on stage. She does, however, have aspirations to be a doo- wop girl (although she can’t sing) and spends a surprising amount of time watching plays or reading books that normalize the mortifying experience of being human.