Some of Sechelt’s earliest settlers will come alive in a staged reading at the Seniors Activity Centre in Sechelt Nov. 30 and Dec. 6 by the Chair Actors.
You might remember this group of theatre-loving performers from their last year’s presentation, My Father’s Story.
This year their production, Restless Spirits, draws on the Sechelt Archives and the work of archivist Ann Watson who performs in the show, to introduce the audience to early Sechelt from pre-colonial days to the Second World War.
Each of the 17 members of the acting group takes on a character, 30 in all.
Louise Phillips, who pulled the stories together into a script, is the narrator — or you might say that she’s the spirit of Helen Dawe, the town’s first archivist.
Willard Joe of the Sechelt Nation also narrates. Pioneers T.J. “Johnny” Cook strides the stage and businessman Bert Whitaker makes an appearance, although he notes that his name is not as well remembered as that of his cousins, the Claytons.
The daughter of an English seaman father and a First Nations mother reminds the audience of the very first settlers on the land. Other townspeople talk about their experiences: how one woman became the first midwife for the area, how another lobbied to build a road to Sandy Hook, how one became the first law enforcer or built the first library and how one family of Japanese origin was interned during the war. Even the spirit of Bergie Solberg, the cougar lady, speaks out about her early wilderness home.
The stories are drawn from letters, notes, interviews and other records — some of the Chair Actors wrote their own stories or gave input. Katie Angermeyer provides the live fiddle music; she also stands in as the blushing bride of Major Sutherland. Rena Sutherland loved horses and founded the Coast’s first pony club.
The interest in the characters is huge — Angermeyer became so interested in the character of the soldier Sutherland, her stage husband, that she visited the Vancouver cemetery where he was buried in 1946. In one of those memorable moments, her visit happened to be on Remembrance Day when the Legion band played in tribute to the fallen.
Although a staged reading is usually not a full-scale production, in this case there will be live and recorded music, including a song from performer Ed White, costumes by Linda McTurk and photo visuals projected in the background.
The director, Martin Evans, has years of professional theatre experience across Canada. Currently, he is busy shaping up the original material and large cast in to a creative performance.
Tickets for Restless Spirits are $12 and are on sale now at the Sechelt Activity Centre’s reception desk (5604 Trail) and at the door before the performance. Shows are on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 and 7 p.m.
