Article Origin
Volume
Issue
Year
Page 4
Since its creation in 2000 for the New Millennium celebrations at the Back to Batoche Festival, The 65th Wedding Anniversary of Ernestine and Alphonse Pillon has been thrilling audiences as part of that annual celebration of Metis culture. Now the musical, created by Batoche Theatre Company artistic director Maureen Belanger, is finding equal favour with a wider audience.
The musical was performed for the first time outside of Back to Batoche at the Saskatoon International Fringe Festival over the summer, and had its first performance outside of the province at the end of August, during the annual Metis Nation of Alberta general assembly held in Edmonton.
With its historical dramatization and humour, the musical, although based on fictitious characters, uses as much realism as possible, said Belanger. Each stage in the married couple's life is re-enacted, beginning with the time they met, and continuing on through the years, stopping to visit significant points in their marriage along the way.
Belanger, who is from Ile-a-la-Crosse, said most of the play is based on her own experiences and her recollections of how she grew up.
The cast is made up of both First Nations and Metis performers, all of whom spoke fluent Michif during the play. The role of old Ernestine was played by Belanger, with Joe Welsh playing the old Alphonse. Krystle Pederson played Young Ernestine, while Angus Vincent played Alphonse in his younger days. Rounding out the cast were Lon Borgerson, Rita Bouvier, Duane Favel, Bruce Sinclair and Jack Walton.
The crowd of more than 250 people at Edmonton's Mayfield Inn was thoroughly entertained for more than two hours, with the musical stirring up memories for many in the audience.
Jane Woodward, a former instructor at Grant MacEwan College who attended the play, said that she really enjoyed the history, the humour and the characters. "It was great. It was a good way to educate people about the Metis as well as educate the younger Metis people on their culture," Maureen Belanger said.
"From an educator's point of view I believe that if you really want to learn about a culture, a musical is the way to do it effectively. Someone could stand and lecture to you and tell you something about a culture but you won't absorb half as much as if it is presented in an artistic way. People relate to that kind of stuff because it kind of speaks to all of our senses. The group had everything in the play. They had the visual, the music, the dance and the language and these kinds of things appeal to our memories. It was well-researched. The people behind the play thought of everything, right to the last little detail."
Belanger and the other members of the cast all volunteer their time and talents to the project. "It is a passion for us, that is why we do this play. There is no financial gain," she said.
While the Batoche Theatre Company is currently made up of a core group of performers, the company is looking to expand its membership by offering workshops to train aspiring actors. The workshops would cover everything from improvisational theatre to jigging.
"Quite a few people come to us because they absolutely love the story and they see the success we have with it and they want to be a part of it. It makes them really proud that they are Metis."
As a social worker in Saskatoon, Belanger sees many social issues that Aboriginal people face because of lost identity. She said doing this musical is important to her because it educates people about the Metis. But she also does it because she enjoys entertaining the crowd.
"I enjoy doing it and that is why I do it. I love it when I can make people laugh or smile,especially older people."
She also does it because of the benefit it provides to her own children, George and Jessica, who both have roles in the musical.
"They move from the reserve or from a Metis community and into the city and all of a sudden the children grow up not knowing who they are. Tis play has worked for my children and I'm hoping that it will also work for other youth and people so that they can also get the same feeling of pride in their identity," she said.
"I don't want my children getting lost. I know who I am as a Metis person. I grew up in the North and I grew up in the bush so I'm always going to know who I am. But the scary part was moving to the city with my children. I don't think that they are going to run into trouble, but I want to make sure that they know that they can be confident in who they are as Metis people."
- 1531 views