HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-08-17, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017. PAGE 11.
`Ipperwash' to open at Festival on Aug. 18
In 1942, the Department of
Defense relocated the community of
Stony Point to neighbouring reserve
Kettle Point to establish the training
base Camp Ipperwash. The
department promised to return the
land after the war had concluded.
This promise went unfulfilled for
over 70 years. This act of
displacement still reverberates
through these communities today.
The world premiere of Ipperwash
by Falen Johnson and Jessica
Carmichael uses humour, movement
and song to tell the story of
reclamation, repatriation and the
resilience of a community. Directed
by Jessica Carmichael, Ipperwash is
on stage at the Blyth Festival from
Aug. 16 to Sept. 16. Reserve your
seats by calling the box office at
519-523-9300, toll free 1-877-862-
5984 or online at blythfestival.com.
The story follows Bea, a young
woman from the New Credit First
Nation, who has been serving with
the Canadian Forces since she
graduated high school. After two
tours of duty in Afghanistan, she
finds herself stationed with the
Department of Defence at Camp
Ipperwash, and tasked with the
cleanup of unexploded explosive
ordnance (UXOs), as part of the
decontamination efforts, in
preparation for the return of the land
to the people of the Kettle and Stony
Point Reserve. Upon arriving on
reserve, Bea rents a farmhouse from
an aging veteran of the Second
World War who slowly shares with
her the stories of his childhood
growing up on the land she is now
working to recover. As Bea settles
into the community, she begins to
have vivid dreams about a
mysterious little girl looking for her
home.
Full of song and rich imagery,
Ipperwash tells the intimate story of
one small part of the hopeful
recovery effort at Kettle and Stony
Point reserve.
Ipperwash features an all -First
Nations cast, with artists from
communities all over Canada,
including the Wikwemikong
Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin
Island, the Six -Nations reserve, the
Tahltan, Kaska, and the Beaver
Nation. The cast includes: Nyla
Carpentier, a multifaceted
performing artist, poet and powwow
dancer; Jonathan Fisher, an
internationally accomplished actor
and dancer; Nicole Joy -Fraser, who
returns to Blyth following her
performances in Kitchen Radio and
Stag and Doe in 2014; and James
Dallas Smith, who is performing for
the first time at the Blyth Festival.
Co -playwright Falen Johnson
(Mohawk and Tuscarora, Bear Clan)
from Six Nations of the Grand River
Territory is a writer, producer,
dramaturge and actor currently
living in Toronto. She is the former
playwright -in -residence at Native
Earth Performing Arts and Blyth
Festival. She was the 2015 recipient
of the OAC Emerging Aboriginal
Artist Award.
Jessica Carmichael (co-
playwright/director) has Abenaki/
Haudenosaunee heritage, and is a
director, dramaturge, actor,
playwright and drama educator. She
is also the past Artistic Director at
Carousel Players and past Artistic
Associate with Native Earth
Performing Arts. Jessica is a
graduate of the University of
Alberta's MFA in Directing
program, The Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art and King's College
London's MA in Text and
Performance Studies, and The
National Theatre School of Canada's
three-year acting program.
The creation of Ipperwash could
not have been possible without the
incredible support of Kettle and
Stony Point community consultants
Candace Scott -Moore and Barb
Bressette. The Festival is profoundly
grateful for the warm welcome the
community has extended to all of the
efforts.
The creative team for Ipperwash
includes Beth Kates, projections
designer; Jeff Chief, costume
designer; Deanna H. Choi, sound
designer and composer; and a
collaboratively -derived set design
led by Clayton Windatt for the
Festival's final season production.
Cowbell opens to Blyth residents
A big day
On Saturday, Aug. 5, Blyth Cowbell Brewing Co. welcomed nearly 1,000 residents of Blyth to
the opening of the new craft brewery, restaurant and event space. The event was well
received according to the brewery's owners and the facility would go on to welcome nearly
10,000 guests to Blyth over the next seven days. (Denny Scott photo)
Continued from page 1
all," he said. "We will make changes
as we need to and use that
information to better serve our
guests."
The site also hosted its first
wedding over the weekend and
Sparling said the feedback has been
positive.
"The space was well received and
we heard good comments from the
people that attended," he said,
adding he spoke to the groom after
the ceremony and the couple was
happy with the space.
The wedding was one of four
booked at the location in 2017.
In a letter to the editor, Cowbell
Founder Steven Sparling thanked
the community for its support.
"On behalf of my family and
everyone at Cowbell, thank you to
the residents of Blyth.
Your support for the Cowbell
project and your attendance at Aug.
5's First Look are appreciated.
During the weekend, over 3,000
guests visited the farm and for many,
it was their first visit to Blyth. It was
our pleasure to welcome them to our
hometown. Exciting times."
For more information about
Cowbell Brewing, visit them on
Facebook, call 519-523-4724 or
visit the company's website at
cowbellbrewing.com
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