By Gillian Brunette
Decades may divide the community’s young people and its senior citizens but, thanks to a new arts education project, the gap has been somewhat narrowed.
An Edge of the Woods Theatre project titled Where I’m From is celebrating the lives of area seniors, whose stories are being immortalized through the arts.
The project is a collaborative effort between Edge of the Woods Theatre, Huntsville High School and Rogers Cove Retirement Residence, where HHS Grade 10 drama students recently presented a theatrical piece to media, invited guests, and the residents whose stories inspired their artistic work.
For two days in April, students interviewed residents of Rogers Cove, then over the span of two weeks worked with project leaders Dan Watson, his wife Christina Serra and other professionals to create poetry, theatre, photography and visual art based on the residents’ memories. The results of those interactions were a 15-minute theatre presentation, a video and drawings and poems created by Grade 10 visual arts students.
The event opened with a black and white video, taken by Lisa Riverin-Thomas, showing the students interviewing and working with the Rogers Cove residents. The drama students then followed with several clever skits and poem recitals, all of which related to the residents’ stories.
SCARY RIDE: Students in the Huntsville High School Grade 10 drama class perform a skit for residents and guests at Rogers Cove last week as part of the Edge of the Woods Where I Am From project. [Photo by Jon Snelson.]
The students’ efforts were met by an appreciative audience members, many of whom had ‘dressed down’ in deference to their young visitors.
“The residents, of their own volition, decided to wear ball caps, hoodies and jeans,” explained Watson, who is Edge of the Woods co-artistic director and an HHS alumnus. He added: “Next time it won’t be just the students performing.”
A quilt, one of two created by textile artist Meredith Powell, HHS and Huntsville Public School students, was presented to Julie Martin, activities director at Rogers Cove.
“The Grade 3/4 class at HPS took some of the poems and painted on little pieces of cloth and the collage was made into two quilts,” Watson explained.
Among the invitees were MPP for Parry Sound/Muskoka Norm Miller and Ontario Trillium Foundation representative Lois Cookman, who is chair of the grant review team for the area.
Announcing a $44,600 grant to Edge of the Woods Theatre, Miller and Cookman presented Watson with an Ontario Trillium Foundation plaque stating: ‘This organization is proudly supported by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which builds healthy and vibrant communities in this great province.’
“When the grant came in, I was thrilled,” said Cookman. “This is one of those ones that is special, one to cherish, because it partners the youth with seasoned citizens and records a history that we can all share. It’s a very good use of our funds.”
“This announcement is a huge step for our company,” said Watson. “It affords us an excellent opportunity to reach more audiences in more communities, and to take a greater role in developing and presenting the artistic talents of those living in the Muskoka and East Parry Sound region.”
The provincial grant will go toward three theatre projects this year. One is the Where I’m From Project, and another the Edge of the Woods Theatre Festival, which takes place this summer in Burk’s Falls (July 9), Huntsville (July 10 and 11), Port Sydney (July 12) and Bracebridge (July 13).
The third venture, taking place July 27 to Aug. 14, is titled the Downtown Project and will celebrate the 140th anniversary of Captain Hunt’s arrival to the area.
The Edge of the Woods Theatre company was created in November 2007 after the Huntsville Festival of the Arts approached Watson and Serra about bringing more alternative theatre to the area. Through this collaboration, the Edge of the Woods Theatre Festival was born and continues to grow.
