MOOSE JAW — The Mae Wilson Theatre is a special place for Saskatchewan musician Jeffery Straker, as the venue was the first “big theatre” he performed in when he began his career 19 years ago.
While he has played several shows in Moose Jaw since then, the folk-roots singer-songwriter and pianist is still thrilled to return to the “Carnegie Hall of the Prairies” to support the community.
Straker and his band will perform on Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m., for a fundraiser The Friendly City Optimist Club is holding to support children and youths. Tickets are $36 each and can be purchased at or from the box office.
“It’s a great opportunity. I was honoured when they reached out and asked if I would be interested in doing such a thing,” Straker said.
The musician pointed out that he has collaborated with many Saskatchewan groups to support communities, with the 20-hour telethon Telemiracle his most notable contribution. However, he noted that this is the first time he has done anything with an Optimist Club or that is youth-focused.
Helping youths is important, especially today where being young “is a tricky thing to manoeuvre” since social media can make life difficult, Straker said. Furthermore, many pressures and stresses cause young people to question whether they are adequate or enough.
“That the Optimists are doing all sorts of programming in Moose Jaw … it’s great,” he continued. “It’s just a way to remind young people that community is out there, it’s looking out for them (and) it’s something they can be part of … .”
During this show, Straker will use a “gorgeous grand piano in that beautiful old turn-of-the-century theatre” to perform songs he wrote during his nearly two-decade-long career. However, he will also perform tunes from his recent Prairie-themed album, “Great Big Sky,” which received the 2025 Contemporary Singer of the Year Award from the Canadian Folk Music Awards in April.
During his show, the singer-songwriter plans to banter with the audience and tell stories about the songs he wrote. He will attempt to weave together the entire night “as a bit of an escape” to help people forget about their lives for a few hours and take them on a musical trip.
“I have a feeling there’s going to be a really nice feeling of community and camaraderie … . I think it’s going to be a nice warm night,” he said. “I really hope the entire thing feels like a warm hug.”
Since he’s been performing for 19 years, Straker admitted that deciding what songs to play “is really tricky,” especially since he has become attached to the most recent tunes he wrote. However, he has some favourites from past records and knows audiences also appreciate those songs — some people even email him requests ahead of time.
“I kind of look at (the songs) as my children in a way and some of them I just have to put to bed for the night so they don’t get to come out,” Straker laughed.
Besides the piano, the singer-songwriter will use a ukelele, giving him the chance to stretch his legs and perform closer to the audience. Those songs will be acoustically performed because, he noted, the theatre was built to amplify sound without enhancement.
“And it’s always such a treat … to sort of hear, ‘This is actually what this room sounds like bare naked,’” he said. “And it actually has really fabulous acoustics, so that’s cool.”
Straker “has a real affinity for” the Mae Wilson Theatre since it was his first “big theatre” in which he performed when he began playing 19 years ago. He was “floored with how beautiful the room” was and dubbed it the “Carnegie Hall of the Prairies.”
Since then, he has shot a music video there and helped the MJCAC create a promotional commercial.
“I just think it’s a really special place, one of the last theatres of that vintage to be left in Saskatchewan,” he added.
For a list of Straker’s upcoming shows, visit his or social media pages.
