Guelph's Story:
A Community Play in the Making

From Arts in Guelph - September/October, 2004

by Vaughn Barclay

We're in an empty storefront in Guelph's Old Quebec Street, on a hot July afternoon. Folks of all ages shuffle in, and a young English woman directs us briskly, "Sorry, it's hot in here. Now we're going to take your measurements and your photo. And please record on the form how often you're available."

Don't worry - it's only a casting session for the Guelph Community Play Project, scheduled to open October 23 at Old Quebec Street. After measuring for costumes and providing photos to keep track of all the actors (there could be 75), British director John Oram and his assistants lead us through simple theatre exercises to warm up, then invite us to read parts of the script.

Suddenly we're the Olivers and the Coughlins, a Catholic and a Protestant family of nineteenth century settlers, our wagon wheels deep in mud on an old track between Guelph and Galt, engaged in a heated clash that will lead to the death of one of their children. It's one of the many rich story-lines playwright Dale Hamilton has conjured up in her first draft script.

The Guelph Community Play Project was launched last December by Eden Mills playwright Dale Hamilton, partnering with the Guelph & District Multicultural Centre. Hamilton has mustered the same professional team she used in the 1990 Eramosa Play Project, to create a community play about Guelph. The Native Men's Drum Circle christened the project and those interested signed up for set-building, acting, singing, lighting, or stage managing.

In collaborative community theatre, a community enacts its own story, often in unusual venues. Typically, it is performed promenade-style with the audience following on foot. Whoever wants a part, gets one. Community building and regeneration is the aim. Many local residents will remember the impact of the The Spirit of Shivaree: The Eramosa Community Play Project.

From January to April, weekly story-gathering sessions saw Guelphites young and old exchanging their stories. What does Guelph mean to you? What are the key issues in our community today, yesterday?

A Community Sounding, based after a Danish folk model, was held in April in Norfolk Church Auditorium; even members of council were invited. Hamilton and Oram guided us through exercises to prioritize community concerns. We called out our sacred places and institutions: Ignatius Farm, The Bookshelf, Goldie Mill… the list filled a large blackboard.

That weekend, Oram led participants through a Drama Search. Through improvising physical scenes, without text, we explored possible story lines like that of John Galt, the visionary businessman and artist who founded our city. Local troubadour James Gordon later held song-writing workshops to create music for the play.

Hamilton presented her first draft script in June at a public reading, with excerpts read by local personalities. Her imaginative weaving of the many stories and themes brought forward, takes us on a wondrous journey layering past, present, and future. We leap from scenes like the famous tree-cutting ceremony of John Galt and his cronies, to a council meeting in the year 2025, where the councilors use a talking stick and the former Walmart has been converted into a wind farm to harness natural energy. (Imagine!)

Now the casting sessions are over. Part and scripts were handed out in mid-August. Oram and designer Hilary Duff will return from England in early September when production will begin in earnest. Are you handy behind the scenes, in lighting or other technical aspects? There's still time to be involved.

This community play is an enriching opportunity for us all to reflect on our collective story and the present moment within it, an exciting chance to re-envision our future. Not to mention twelve nights of entertainment unlike any Guelph has seen.

Twelve performances will take place October 23 to 28, 30, and Nov 1 to 6, in Old Quebec Street. See you there!