Creating smiles, on and off the stage

From left, Mike Petryk School of Dentistry alumni Stephen Allred, Lauren McLeod and Michael Wenzel perform with Word of Mouth in 2015.

When Stephen Allred was asked in Grade 1 what he wanted to be when he grew up, he chose “dentist.” “I’m still not really sure why I already had that at the back of my mind,” says Allred now, a 2015 graduate of the University of Alberta’s Mike Petryk School of Dentistry. “It might be because one of my best friends had a really nice bike, and his dad was a dentist,” he laughs.

Growing up

Throughout his school years, Allred was always drawn to the sciences. “I liked the fact that the answers were usually clear and I liked the feeling of certainty that provided,” he recalls. At the same time, he loved music and started singing in his church choir as a child — even receiving a fine arts trophy from his Brooks, Alberta school in Grade 4 before he even really understood what fine arts were.

When he got to Grade 7, Allred chose drama as his elective and enjoyed it so much he took it every term — until the last term of Grade 9, when the vice-principal tried to insist he do something different. But no, Allred was not interested in trying something different … and he knew there would be a big performance at the end of that last term that he was not about to miss. He won that battle and drama class was where he stayed.

The passion for acting only grew in high school, to the point that when he returned from a mission for his church after graduation, he seriously considered pursuing it as his career. But he knew he wanted to work in the health professions, and after some careful reflection, he made the move from Brooks to Edmonton to begin university.

When it came to choosing between medical school and dentistry, the fact that the dentistry program — demanding though it certainly is — was shorter in duration than physician training was a big deciding factor. The idea of a career that wouldn’t involve shift work and being on call played a role as well. Having the time and space to pursue his artistic interests mattered to Allred.

The university years

At first, not knowing anyone in Edmonton’s theatre community, Allred focused solely on his studies. But his passion for the theatre stayed alive, and before long he found himself auditioning for local productions. This led to a very busy student life juggling classes, studying, memorizing lines, rehearsals and performances — including a lead role in West Side Story at Sherwood Park’s Festival Place during his final semester.

“I don’t really know!” Allred says with a laugh when asked how he managed to do all of that at the same time. “I guess I didn’t sleep very much.”

He notes that among his classmates, he was not the only one with creative extracurricular interests to juggle. There were many friends in the program who played instruments, he recalls, and they even started a band. “We called ourselves Word of Mouth and we performed at every major dentistry event,” he says. He laughs remembering a trip to an open-mike night on Whyte Avenue. They were approached by someone calling himself a Nashville record producer. “He seemed surprised when I told him we were all dentistry students and we weren’t really looking for a contract!”

In the office and on the stage

These days, Allred enjoys a fulfilling career as a dentist. “Being a dentist is creative and artistic,” he says. “You get to work with your hands to create something beautiful and you get to use your scientific knowledge. It’s wonderful to help people who are so grateful for what you’ve done for them. It feels great to know you’ve impacted someone’s life in such a positive way.” 

He also appreciates that his career of choice allows him time to continue to be part of Edmonton’s thriving theatre community. Over the years, he’s branched out from acting into writing and composing musical theatre, and his company has even been recognized with Sterling Awards, Edmonton’s local awards for theatre.

At times, his two worlds collide in amusing ways. Years ago, while playing the lead role in Mary Poppins at Festival Place, he recognized someone in the audience whose dentures he’d worked on as a student. And more recently, after a show during the Shakespeare Festival in Hawrelak Park this summer, a patient at his office told him she had seen him and was “star struck.”

Allred is committed to enjoying a vibrant life outside of his career, and he encourages others to do the same. “There are a lot of mental health struggles for people working in the health professions,” he says. “Doing something you love outside of work might not solve all your problems, but it will bring you joy. Your profession is important, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to give up other things you love in order to do your job. Life is so much more than working.”