Sabbatical PresentationAugust 20, 2014Dr. Annie Smith

Professor of DramaGrande Prairie Regional College

Chasing the Dream

The GP Century Play

Doctoral Research – empirical project employing participatory theatre performance taught as a 6 credit summer course for 3rd and 4th year undergraduates in the Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing at UBC. Doctoral research home: Centre for the Study of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, UBC.

Doctoral Dissertation, 2006: “Elasticity, Community and Hope: Understandings from Participatory Theatre Performance”

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Field: Curriculum and Instruction – “Participatory Performance and Pedagogy.”

Research Interest/Artistic Interest

Community Plays were developed by the Colway Theatre Trust in the UK in the 1980's. Basically, a small group of theatre professionals are contracted by a community or community group to help them develop and perform a play to celebrate or mark an important event in that community's life. The whole process takes 2 years - to gather and write stories; to shape the themes from the stories into a play; to build an infrastructure to support the production of the play; to recruit musicians, actors, designers, choreographers, dancers, costume and props people; to gather all the materials; to raise funds; to publicize the play and build momentum; to rehearse; to perform; to document..... It's a big project that directly touches hundreds of people in its creation, 100 - 200 performers, and an audience of the whole community.

What is a Community Play?

 

Step 1 - Seed sowing - Fall 2011- Spring 2012 - talking to people about the play (city officials, theatre people, musicians, artists, writers, community organizers, business people ...) to gather the Steering Committee - the core group of people who will strategize the play development process and take leadership roles in all the necessary sub committees, artistic and producing.

  Step 2 - Story gathering - Fall 2012- Spring 2013 - The community meeting is held; hosting "tea parties" with

small groups of community members to tell and record stories of the people of Grande Prairie. The stories will be solicited from all members of the community - all ages, all ethnic communities, all genders ... The linking themes will be established and the playwright(s) will begin to write the play. The Production Team established; Musicians asked to write original music, designers asked to assist with planning the staging. Funding sought and secured to mount the production; the community play has a presence at community functions.

  Step 3 - Preparation - Fall 2013 - Play Manager and Play Office set up; the script and music developed to rehearsal

readiness; acting and special skills workshops held in the community; the community play has a presence at community functions - special projects.

  Step 4 - Rehearsal - Winter 2014 - Spring 2014 - actors, musicians, dancers, will be auditioned and cast;

costumers and props people will be drafted to create and gather materials; the set designers and builders will begin to create the set; the production will go into rehearsal. Advertising begins.

  Step 5 - Performance - early June 2014 - the performance site will be set up; advertising will intensify; the show

will go on. Documentation will occur.  Step 6 - Wrap up and Evaluation - Summer 2014 - the Production Team will gather statistics, testimonials, and

documentation and write a report on the Community Play project. A documentary video will be produced.    

Basic Timeline Proposed for the Community Play

The two playwrights, Kristjanna Grimmelt and Catherine McLaughlin interviewed over 200 people between November 2013 and November, 2014.

My focus was to help them develop a script for performance. They received writer’s grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to assist with their living expenses while writing the script.

Four developmental drafts were written between August and January, 2014. Draft 2 was presented to the public, for feedback, by a group of 14 volunteer play readers, both children and adults. These public play readings were hosted by Daryl White, and were held at the Muskoseepi Park Pavilion, and at the GP Museum.

Playwriting Process

From September through May, a number of workshops, open to anyone, were taught by professionals from the community and from

across Canada. These included:Giant Puppets Acting Skills

Dance Hooping

Stilt Walking

Skill Building Workshops

We received funding from 3 levels of government:

Federal: Heritage Canada Anniversaries GrantProvincial:

- Human Rights, Education, and Multiculturalism Fund

- Community Initiatives Program- Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Municipal: City of Grande Prairie, 100th Anniversary Fund

Getting Grants

GPRC provided the most significant Gift in Kind support for this project, with my sabbatical salary and by providing workshop and rehearsal space.

Other community groups who supported the project:Centre for NewcomersCentre for Creative ArtsCentre for Native CounselingCMHACommunity VillageGP MuseumCity of GPChrist Church Anglican … and many more

Community Sponsorship

The play was written in 3 Acts:

Act 1: 1900 to 1958 Act 2: 1950s to 1995 Act 3: 1990’s to 2014

Overall there were over 100 characters as well as many group roles.

Each Act had its own cast, ranging from 25 to 40 people.

The casting was done largely by availability for rehearsal. The method of casting used was “blind casting” – disregarding age, gender, ethnic background, (dis)ability.

10 Auditions were held in January and about 75 people of all ages attended.

Rehearsals were held weekly on Tuesday evenings, Saturday afternoons, and Sunday evenings from February through June. Extra rehearsals were scheduled from mid-May through to the first week of June.

Casting the Play

Artistic Director/Play Director – Annie SmithPlaywrights – Kristjanna Grimmelt & Catherine McLaughlinSet Designer - Tim HeimdalProps Designer and Props Team Leader – Mandy KozieMusic Coordinator – Mark BrazierChoreographers – Jo-Anne Lambert, Melissa ShalaganWardrobe Mistresses – Gail Schau and Heather FedorukPhotographer – Paulene WaughVideographer – Michael BourreeStage Manager – Dorothy Jenkins, contracted through the Actor’s Equity GuildTechnical Director – Bryan StrongAssistant Stage Managers – Carmen Heemskerk, Melissa Shalagan, Mary ObstfeldBackstage Managers – Rebecca Anderson, Janet Farnquist, Rachel LayounSongwriters – Hank McDermott, Susan Picard, Deborah Gregson, Mark Brazier, Julie RobertsonEditor, Souvenir Program – Wanda JohnsonLogo and Poster Design – Tahnia Greene

Creative Team

Tim

Heimdal

Rebecca and Mandy

Catherine McLaughlin

Jo-Anne Lambert

Mark and Hank

Rehearsal Snapshots

Audience Processions leave from The Museum, GPRC, Elks Lodge, lead by Stilt Walkers and the GP

Marching Band

3 Stages at Borstad Flats – audience moves from stage to stage lead by Dale Dryer, the Town Crier

The performances begin with a peal of bells in St. Joseph’s Church Bell Tower

Guest performances by Chris Warkentin, MP; Everett McDonald, MLA; Bill Given, Mayor; Counsellors Chris

Thiessen, Jackie Clayton; Former Counsellor, Dan Wong

Performances – June 12 to 15

Act 1 Begins

Act 2 Begins

Act 3 Begins

Finale

Hope You Enjoyed the Show!