Guelph Community Play

From Arts in Guelph- January/February, 2004

The city of Guelph is about to become the backdrop for an exciting new community arts theatrical project. A collaboration between Everybody's Theatre Company and the Guelph and District Multicultural Centre, the Guelph Community Play will be developed over the space of the next several months, with actual production scheduled for the fall of 2004. It will be about life in Guelph and area, and how people came to live here.

The brainchild of area playwright Dale Hamilton, the Guelph Community Play is what is known as "collaborative community theatre", meaning that everyone who wants a part, gets a part, on stage or behind the scenes. At the December 2, 2003, project launch in Old Quebec Street - Guelph's new downtown retail development - sign-up sheets were made available for a wide range of activities from script-writing or song-writing to set-designing, set-building, costume-making, lighting, stage-managing, and much, much more. People from all cultures and all ages from toddlers to seniors citizens were invited to participate (children under age 10 must be accompanied by an adult).

Throughout the Guelph Community Play project, it will be as much about the process as it will be about theatre - getting community members, many of whom would not normally get involved in theatre, to work and "play" together in a way that strengthens community spirit and brings "the arts back into the community in a tangible way." It will also be multidiscplinary, combining theatre, music, dance and visual art, including larger-than-life puppetry, examples of which were displayed at the December 2 launch.

The development process for the Guelph Community Play will start in January with story-gathering sessions 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday evening in Old Quebec Street. Anyone whose family has lived in the area "for one day or 200 years (or anything in between)" is invited to come and share their stories. Theatre workshops will commence in March, followed by a public script-reading and script re-writes in May, casting in June, design and building over the summer, rehearsals and finally performances in September/October.

The resulting play will be performed in the area of Old Quebec Street. It will be offered in "promenade" style, so that for most of the time the audience will be on its feet, walking from scene to scene, intermingling with the performers, in effect, becoming part of the action of the play. Performers never go back stage. Anyone who remembers The Spirit of Shivaree (Eramosa Community Play 1990) or Many Hands (Blyth Community Play 1993) will know how exciting, indeed exhilarating, it is to be part of the audience for a community play performance.

To guide the Guelph Community Play process throughout, Dale Hamilton has assembled a strong professional team, including many of those who were involved in the creation of The Spirit of Shivaree in 1990. Jon Oram (England) will be the director, Ruth Howard (Toronto) designer, and James Gordon (Guelph) music director. Dale herself will be the artistic director and script-writing co-ordinator.

Stay tuned for more about what promises to be a truly memorable event in the life of the city of Guelph.

To learn more about the Guelph Community Play or to sign up for a part, contact Dale Hamilton at (519) 856-9891 or daleham@albedo.net.