ClimateSense Stories: Future Booths

This is the sixth installment in a series of blog posts by ClimateSense Intern Alexis Bulman, who is sharing monthly insights into her research, creative process and artistic explorations as she works with us to develop community-engaged artworks and programming around climate change adaptation.

I’ve been enthralled by PEI’s road-side produce booths for many years, and even more so since my ClimateSense position began.

Produce booths are structures at the end of farm driveways that proudly display the produce grown there. A booth may have a prominent heap of corn, bags of potatoes, an abundance of pumpkins, etc. Most iconically, these booths are never staffed; instead there’s an honor system in which a box is secured to the booth and the customer is expected to drop in their money and leave with only the quantity of produce they paid for. The trust and sharing aspect of these booths are so charming!

Two photos side by side. The left photo depicts a white container with a silver lid, on the front four black letters spell out “beans”. The container rests on two wooden beams with four black tires affixed beneath, surrounded by a grassy landscape with blue sky. Right photo shows a red building with white trim, surrounded by pumpkins and an autumn landscape. A white sign reads “Please pay here, thank you”

I’ve come to appreciate these booths for their DIY aesthetics too, as well as their functionality, rural locations and for their sense of happenstance. The booths popup around the island at different times, depending on what their crop is and when it’s harvested. If a crop has done especially well it may have a booth for the first time, and sometimes when you arrive, the booth’s stock has already been depleted for the day. All of these factors make finding a stocked produce booth feel like an event.

Two photos side by side. Left photo: a blue booth with lettering that reads “mushroom for sale u-pick”, inside are two wooden shelfs with a yellow sign and a cooler. Leading to the booth is a pallet walk-way, surrounding landscape is of grass and trees. Right photo: a black folding table with stalks of rhubarb on it, to it’s right is a wooden sign with blue painted letters “Rhubarb $3/lb or 2 lb for $5", surrounded by grass with a dirt driveway in the background

When I began my ClimateSense position almost a year ago, I read the Prince Edward Island Climate Change Adaptation Recommendations Report, published by The University of Prince Edward Island’s Climate Research Lab.

This article outlined how climate change will have a significant impact on the present and future of island agriculture. There will be more hot days, and a change in precipitation patterns leading to increased drought. PEI’s agriculture industry will have to adapt and shift away from familiar crops to crops that are better suited for warmer, drier conditions, such as winter cereals (zorza, chickpeas & lentils), sweet cherries, grapes, lavender, hascaps and more.

After reading that article my mind flashed back to the road-side produce booths I’d been fixated on, and I began to think of them as portraits of agriculture, and then I began to wonder what these portraits might look like in the near future.

Two photos side by side. Left photo depicts a red produce booth with white trim, wooden legs and a green sign that reads “Fresh Produce”. Next to the booth is a white coolers with “POTATOES” written in black marker. A farm and farmyard fill the background. Right photo: A wooden shelf lined with sacks of potatoes and a silver cash box is centered in the photo, behind it are three grey buildings, grass and a golden sunset

With the support of UPEI ClimateSense and a PEI Arts Grant, I decided to start Future Booths, a body of work that would encompass three elaborate produce booth art installations. Future Booths would embody a form following function approach, meaning the design of each will be inspired and informed by the crop, farm and location. Each booth will embody the DIY aesthetic and honor payment system iconic to traditional PEI produce booths and would feature adaptive agriculture. While working on this project, I also made an effort to stop and document produce booths around the island.

A landscape photograph depicts a field of green grass with rows of purple lavender plants, a horizon of trees, a wooden fence to the left, a green-roofed building to the right and a basket of picked lavender in the foreground

For the first Future Booth I contacted the Islander Lavender Distillery and after pitching the art project to them, they invited me to tour their lavender farm. The farm was an oasis of open fields planted with rows and rows of purple lavender, and situated around the fields were some rustic wooden buildings and red-feathered hens roaming freely. In July, the farm operates as a fresh lavender u-pick, so we decided a produce booth displaying bundles of dried lavender could extend their season by an additional two months. With that in mind, I got to work in my sketchbook.

Two pages of a sketchbook with a coiled spine down the middle. Left page shows four lavender paint chips and numerous pen sketches of a building. Right page shows a black pen drawings of a wooden lavender booth with a hen in the foreground

I drew plans for a booth that incorporated the aesthetic of the farm. I used lavender paint for the ‘Lavender’ sign, included a few hens, found some old barn boards and weathered cedar shingles to up-cycle and built a booth that would display hundreds of dried lavender bundles while keeping them shaded from the sun. The booth was installed at the end of Apple Tree Lane in Bonshaw in August, and remained installed until October 31st. 100% of the proceeds went to the farmers of Island Lavender Distillery.

A landscape photograph shows a lavender-stocked produce booth to the right-hand-side with a sign atop it that reads "lavender” and two red painted hens out front. In the left-hand-side of the photo a road spotted with sunlight vanishes behind some trees

Two photos side-by-side. left photo depicts rows of hanging bundles of lavender, each bound by a colorful elastic rubber band. Right photo depicts a red painted hen, behind it are rustic painted cedar shingles on a close-up building

For the second Future Booth, I wanted to select a crop that would ignite the curiosity of islanders, and soon enough I found it while driving past Red Island Cidery and saw their promotional signage for a Quince cider. Curious, I contacted the owner and learned that many island orchards were beginning to plant quince trees along with their apples and pears because it can yield fruit with less water and in warmer climates. So again, I got to work in my sketchbook.

Two sketchbook pages divided by a black coiled spine in the center. left page has black pen drawings of fruit signage, and two yellow marker drawings in the shape of fruit, one reads “QUINCE” in brown the other reads “10 for a toonie” in black. Right page shows a carefully rendered color pencil drawing of a big piece of yellow fruit surrounded by a basket and plants, all resting on a black circle

Quince trees bear a deciduous pome fruit, similar to a pear but smaller and lumpier, and bright golden-yellow when mature. The unusual shape and bright color of quince immediately made me want to create a large, kitschy quince sculpture, similar to a fiberglass attraction at an amusement park. Quinces are small, so I designed an art installation that would be petite so as to not overwhelm the fruit. The quince were displayed in a breathable basket so that air flow would prevent rotting and encourage continual ripening. I also wanted to repeat the round motif of the quince throughout the installation, and lean into an autumn aesthetic, so I chose a circular mulch flower bed, a rounded basket, curvy lettering with several circular bouquets of planted yellow, orange and white mums.

A photograph of a large yellow sculpture of Quince fruit surrounded by yellow, orange and white mum plants, and a two-toned woven basket containing quine fruit, tongs and brown paper bags. Situated beside the quince sculpture is a sign on a post with three yellow planks of wood, the first one reads “Quince” in light letters, the plank below it reads “Delicious in Jams, jellies and tarts!” in black letters, and below it the last plank reads “10 for $2” in light letters. The entire display rests on a circular black bed of multch and is surrounded by grass and trees

Two photographs side-by-side. Left photograph is a close up on a yellow quince sculpture and a sign on a post with three yellow planks of wood, the first one reads “Quince” in light letters, the plank below it reads “Delicious in Jams, jellies and tarts!” in black letters, and below it the last plank reads “10 for $2” in light letters. Right photo is a close up on two hands, one hand holds a brown paper bags and the other is using silver tongs to take a yellow quince out of a basket of fruit. Grass, black mulch, trees and flowers are visible in the background

I had the pleasure of installing the quince Future Booth during The River Clyde Pageant’s inaugural Sharing the Field event at The Mill in New Glasgow during the first weekend of October.

I hope to make many more Future Booth art installations because it’s been a great experience to create art that celebrates the functionality and modest absurdity of traditional road-side produce booths while sparking conversations about adaptive and sustainable farming in PEI, in the rural communities where change is already happening! The project may be called Future Booths, but climate change is a concern of the present and future - change is happening and adaptation is necessary to ensure food security on PEI and around the world.

If you have a new crop, contact me! I’m already itching to build more art installations in this series!

Two events in Charlottetown this weekend!

Euphoria - A Rainbow in the Sky

New date & location!

Saturday, September 18th, 7-8:30pm
Florence Simmons Performance Hall

Holland College Prince of Wales Campus
140 Weymouth Street, Charlottetown

Limited seating, only 80 tickets available.

Euphoria - A Rainbow in the Sky is a one-night only performance choreographed and led by Reequal Smith. Featuring dancers Dawn Ward, Élan Mackey, Brigitte Carol, and Charlotte Byrne, and live musical selections from special guest performers Chavez Edgecombe, Tom Gammon, Charles Ruth and a surprise vocalist who will fill the stage with powerful musical arrangements and drumming.

Click here for Facebook event link & more details

Euphoria is a co-production of The River Clyde Pageant, The Black Cultural Society of PEI, and Grace Kimpinski.

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Final performances of Shoreline Palimpsest this weekend!

Shoreline Palimpsest is an outdoor art studio and photography performance by Doug Dumais, in which the artist documents changes along one section of PEI's coastline through photography and poetry. “Shoreline Palimpsest" is a temporary intervention that offers a reflective narrative of two days in the life of a coast. Visitors to the outdoor studio can take home a print by Dumais, created on site during the weekend.

WHEN:
Saturday September 18th & Sunday September 19
8:00am-8:00pm

WHERE:
The shoreline off Murchison Lane, near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. Visitors can park in the hospital parking lot. Signage will be set up along the boardwalk to guide you to the performance.

FREE!

This project is part of our Riverworks series - three art projects inspired by newly installed living shorelines in Charlottetown and Stratford, in partnership with Creative PEI and the PEI Watershed Alliance. To learn more about Riverworks, click here.

Riverworks Artists Announced!

The River Clyde Pageant is pleased to announce the artists selected for Riverworks!

Riverworks is a new initiative by The River Clyde Pageant and Creative PEI in which three artists will create artworks that explore ecological transformation through their own creative interpretations, to be installed alongside three living shorelines this summer and fall. Riverworks and the associated Living Shorelines projects are about to get started along Hillsborough River, so we are thrilled to finally announce the Riverworks artists!

Riverworks artist Kirstie McCallum
Artwork: Pollinator Clock
Location: Tea Hill Park

Artwork Description

Pollinator Clock is designed to give back to the earth, by delivering pollinator seed and soil enhancements to the meadow where it is installed, in Tea Hill. The work consists of 12 baskets (woven from red osier dogwood, raspberry cane, and other native plants) installed in the pattern of a circular clock-face. A  sapling planted in the circle will represent the centre of a sundial. Each basket will be filled with local flower seed and bulbs mixed with soil, seaweed, and compost. Over time the baskets will break open, and the plants will disperse across the site. This will encourage the growth of wildflowers along the shoreline, inviting insects and birds to re-inhabit the area. The Pollinator Clock also functions as a space of contemplation for human visitors, who can walk or sit in the shelter of this organic sculpture.

The metaphor behind Pollinator Clock is a move from clock time to cyclical time. It begins with the rigidity of the human daily grind but as it decays it adapts to the slower cycle of the growing season. Pollinator Clock speaks to the urgency around climate adaptation: is time for change running out? Or can we use our arts and sciences to orient ourselves more closely to living systems, finding a balance between human and natural time?

image description: two circular graphics side by side against a white background. Left circle is a peach colour with a white birch tree in the centre. The perimeter of the circle is lined with 12 evenly spaced woven baskets. The right circle is purple and covered in a pattern of multi-coloured flowers with orange stems. In the centre of the circle is a birch tree with green leaves

Image description: Aerial photograph of Tea Hill Park, red sand fills the bottom left of the photograph with green and brown landscape filling the rest of the photograph. Green, turquoise, red and yellow lines and small white text are drawn over the photograph, mapping construction plans

Artist Bio: 

Kirstie McCallum investigates human relationships with the more-than-human, through carefully researched sculptural installations. She blurs the boundaries between functional objects, organisms, and cultural artifacts, presenting them equally for the viewer’s gaze. By integrating organic and inorganic matter, her work asserts that human craftsmanship and natural growth-and-decay should be understood together, as aspects of wider planetary cycles. Kirstie has an MFA from OCAD University. She has exhibited her work at the New Gallery in Calgary, The Banff Centre Project Space, The Red Head Gallery in Toronto, and in a group durational performance at The Darling Foundry in Montreal. Kirstie works for NSCAD University and runs artistic projects in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

website: https://a3164412bdde.myportfolio.com/portfolio-2020 

instagram: @kiss_off_katie

Image description: Photograph of Kirstie McCallum’s pale yellow art studio wall covered in 7 hanging bundles of plants with long brown stems and leafy bottoms. Centred on the wooden floor in the foreground sits a half woven basket, to it’s right lays long blades of green grass on the floor with more plant stems in a white bucket

Riverworks artist Doug Dumais
Artwork: Shoreline Palimpsest
Location: QEH Shoreline

Image description: At the top in large black font text reads “Project Support Sketches” smaller black text below reads “Doug Dumais - Riverworks Project Proposal”, below is a black and white photograph of a sand dune with patches of seaweed and grass . A white cube drawing sits on the sand in front of the dune

Artwork Description

Shoreline Palimpsest is a photographic performance inspired by shoreline monitoring. For this project, a makeshift artist studio will be located on the shore, which will serve as the site of a five-day performance. This mobile studio will consist of a 6x6x6-feet wooden frame which will contain the essentials of a photographer's studio: a table, camera, tripod, laptop, small backdrop, battery-powered printer, and lights. Photography and poetry will document the daily, hourly, or even minute-by-minute changes along one section of the coast. 

During these five days, the studio will move up and down the shore according to the tides, photographing the beach and the plants, sands, animals, flotsam, and other materials along the way. After editing these images and then printing them in the mobile studio, observations will be noted through original poems written directly on the prints which will be given to visitors. The project's open-ended nature will allow for direct collaboration with the coastline.

Shoreline Palimpsest is about the value of careful and attentive observation of natural processes, as well as the difficulty of synthesizing and communicating these observations to the public. The result of this experiment will be a reflective narrative of five days in the life of the coast, which will serve as a record of the natural and artificial changes that took place. This micro-scale coastal inventory will evoke the vast, macro-scale erosion and transformation on shorelines over centuries or millennia: time frames that are incomprehensible on a human scale but are essential to consider in personal and political decisions.

Artist Bio

Doug Dumais is fascinated with human and animal interventions on the urban and natural landscape and uses the camera as a tool to facilitate radical acts of noticing and attentiveness. Dumais’ manipulated photographs of the ambient spaces humans occupy, traverse, or overlook are footholds in the process of becoming deeply aware of the overlapping histories and subjectivities present within the built and natural environment. Doug Dumais is an emerging photographer, art educator, and poet living in Prince Edward Island. A self-taught artist, Dumais holds a Masters degree in Art History from Concordia University (2019). He has exhibited at ARTCH Montréal, Galerie La Castiglione, and has a forthcoming solo exhibition with this town is small. His work is held in private collections in Ontario and Quebec. His scholarly writing, photography, and poetry have been featured in art publications across Canada and in the United States.

Instagram: @dougdumais

Website: www.dougdumais.com

Image description: Aerial photograph of QEH shoreline with light green, dark green and blue markers indicating environmental considerations as outlined by a legend in the bottom left of the image. Top half of the photograph shows grey city development and green areas, bottom half of photograph is dark green with small white text in bottom right corner. A title above the photograph in black font reads “Environmental Considerations”

Image description: two side by side photographs. Left photograph depicts an open brown cardboard box filled with white plumbing elbows, the box sits on a wooden floor. Right photograph is a test image, black and white ink on white photo paper depicts rocks on grass with black and white cursive writing overtop of the photograph

Riverworks artist Alexis Bulman
Artwork title: Lillian’s Place
Location of artwork: Stratford Waterfront Park

Image description: computer rendering of a light brown cedar shake clad house with no windows or doors, centred in the image and sitting on green grass with blue sky behind

Artwork Description:

Lillian’s Place is a sculpture, an art installation and a performance all at once. Constructed it will take the form of a small wooden house, situated on an embankment where it will live in tandem with a living shoreline along the Hillsborough River.

Lillian’s Place will experience the fullness of each season. Planted wildflowers will bloom, leaves will change colour and fall, and blankets of snow will cover the structure. As years pass the structure will age and it’s once young, bright wood will turn a weathered grey colour. Like dilapidated barns in the country, this artwork may someday slump and fall into the earth, returning to the place from which it’s building materials once came. If the living shoreline is supported and maintained, the established ecosystem should live on, nourished, not harmed, by Lillian’s Place.

Lilian's Place will be an artwork in flux, a place where flowers grow, and a place where flowers are laid in remembrance. It will teater on the edge of a shore, and co-exist with a living shoreline that stabilizes the shore, striving to balance hope and loss, life and death, and past and future, all while posing the question “How can we ensure the land we call home outlives the structures we call houses?”

Image description: Ariel schematic photograph of the Stratford Waterfront shoreline. Upper left of shows red sand and water, bottom right shows greenish brown fields. Running diagonally from bottom left to upper right of photograph is the shoreline with a series of red, yellow, green and blue markings and yellow arrows drawn overtop

Artist Bio:

Alexis Bulman is an interdisciplinary artist based in Epekwitk’/ Prince Edward Island. Through performance, sculpture, and installations she explores themes of trust, care, and the negotiations of access in public and private spaces. Bulman’s work relies on movement, gestures, and the instincts of her body to inform her conversations with places. She holds a BFA from NSCAD University. Most notably, Bulman has presented work at Artspace (ON), The Confederation Centre Art Gallery (PEI), and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (ON). She was the inaugural artist in residence for the Interrogating Access Residency supported by OBORO and Spectrum Productions (QC) and currently works as a ClimateSense Intern with The School of Climate Change and Adaptation, a position where she creates community-engaged artwork about Climate Change and Adaptation in PEI, such as her Riverworks project, Lillian’s Place.

Instagram: @alexisbulman

Artists website: http://www.alexisbulman.com/

Image description: Photograph of the artists workshop. In the foreground on a table is a sketchbook with house drawings, above it sits a computer with a house rendering on the screen. In the background is a wooden framed house structure and a garage door partially opened with sunlight coming through

Artworks by Dumais and McCallum were selected by the Riverworks jury as part of a competitive public call for submissions. Bulman's artwork is supported in part by the UPEI ClimateSense program.

All three public artworks engage with processes of ecological transformation and will accompany living shorelines along the Hillsborough River.

The living shorelines initiative is led by the PEI Watershed Alliance, the City of Charlottetown, and the Town of Stratford. This initiative, along with Riverworks, is funded by the Federal Government’s Climate Action Fund.

Pollinator Clock, Shoreline Palimpsest and Lillian’s Place are all currently underway, with installations and performances scheduled to begin in mid July. To keep up to date on performance dates and artwork announcements, and to see these exciting artworks come to life, follow The River Clyde Pageant and Creative PEI and the Riverworks artists on social media!

@riverclydepageant
@creativepei

Climate Sense Stories: Lilian’s Place

This is the fourth instalment in a series of blog posts by Climate Sense Intern Alexis Bulman, who is sharing monthly insights into her research, creative process and artistic explorations as she works with us to develop community-engaged artworks and programming around climate change adaptation.

In my second blog post I outlined the early concept of Lilian’s House, which would be a sculpture, an art installation and a performance all at once. Constructed, it would take the form of a small aging house, situated on a river embankment where it will live in tandem with a living shoreline. Lilian’s House would be an artwork about finding balance between hope and loss, life and death, the past and the future amidst a changing climate.

As I enter into the fifth month of my ClimateSense position I can say with excitement that Lilian’s Place (renamed from Lilian’s House) will begin construction later this month! In this month's blog post, I’ll share literature that inspired the project and a few sketchbook pages documenting my creative process.

Image description: Two white sketchbook pages divided by a coiled spine. Left page depicts several black ink sketches of house shapes with small handwriting, at the top of the page is a green graphic showing four house shapes, centred is a colour graphic of a cedar house. Right page depicts a drawn light brown cedar house, centred on a white page

Lilian’s Place won’t have any windows or doors; instead, its minimalist design will invite viewers to project their own nostalgia or meaning of home onto the sculpture. With no defining characteristics, the house also serves as a backdrop for the seasonal plant life and generational growth of the landscape.

Image description: Three sketchbook pages. Left page is white with dried wild flowers at the bottom. Right page is white with a colourful collage of wild flowers and plants. Overlapping both pages in the centre is a half flipped white sketchbook page with colourful drawn and labeled wild flowers and plants

In the hopes that Lilan’s Place might coexist with a living shoreline, I researched species of trees, shrubs and grasses native to PEI, many of which would be incorporated into the living shoreline design as their roots are crucial for stabilizing shorelines and preventing erosion. I filled pages of my sketchbook with pressed wildflowers, drawings and collages of illustrated plant encyclopedia imagery. I wondered how the plants in the pages of my sketchbook would experience Lilan’s Place.

Image description: 9 small zines by Kristian Brevik displayed on a wooden surface and photographed from above. Along the top of the photograph are three potted plants, along the right side are three planted seedlings

Kristian Brevik is a collaborator of The River Clyde Pageant, and recently his collection of zines caught my attention. Art for Fish stood out as a favourite — where he writes, “How do we make art for fish? -What are some ways we already make art for fish? Is ecological restoration art? Are artificial reefs ‘architecture food fish’? Are fishing lures art for fish? Fishing lures might aim to ‘captivate’ the audience of fish by looking like a beautiful snack. Some types of fishing lure aim to mimic real prey- the way photographic paintings and sculptures might.” Kristian expands on these ideas by posing another question: “Why make art for fish? -Human-centeredness makes us remote and isolated from the knowledge and worlds of other species”. The zine also quotes Val Plumwood, “By walling ourselves off from nature in order to exploit it, we also lose certain abilities to situate ourselves as part of it”.

Kristian’s provocations align with the sort of questions I’ve been exploring in my sketchbook, questions like: How might water, air, plants, insects and animals engage with Lilian’s Place? How might we collaborate?

Image description: Two white sketchbook pages divided by a coiled spine. Left page depicts a collage layout of flower images, building graphics and black font. Right page depicts a drawn grey cedar house, centered on a white page

Lilian’s Place will experience the fullness of each season. Planted perennial bulbs will flower, bushes will blossom, leaves will change color and fall, and blankets of snow will cover the house structure. As years pass the structure will age and its once young, bright wood will turn a weathered grey color. The plants will mature and over time partially or completely engulf the structure with their foliage. Lilian’s Place will offer substance to pollinators, encourage wildlife return and welcome human visitors to its doorstep.

Cedar shingles turn grey as they age, this “weathered” look happens naturally as the wood is exposed to sunlight and moisture. If exposed to salt water, weathering happens rapidly. If plants or other structures block sunlight and moisture from reaching the cedar shingles then those areas won’t age as rapidly. With this in mind, Lilian’s Place will be a reflection of, and a collaboration with the riverside landscape.

While working through Lilan’s Place in my sketchbook I decided to change the title from Lilian’s House to Lilian’s Place because I couldn’t help but wonder if a house is a ‘home’, or if a place is where ‘homes’ are housed, and if the latter is true, is ‘home’ a building or a place?

Image description: photograph with a hand with blue nail polish holding up a novel with a blue nature scene on the cover and titled “Mourning Nature” with trees in the the background

Mourning Nature, edited by Ashlee Cunsolo and Karen Landman, is a collection of writings centred upon the recognition and expression of emotions related to environmental degradation. The novel explores the nuanced ways grief is experienced and draws on classical, philosophical, artistic, and poetic elements to explain environmental melancholia.

“Within geography and anthropology much work has been done on phenomenology and perception to rethink place as dwelling and being-in-the-world. Place arises through presence- both of the body and of the multi-sensory landscape that surrounds it. -Place is not only landscape seen, smelled, heard, touched and tasted, but also landscape remembered through these very senses. -The fleeting nature of place and its complex relation with memory means that in this sense, place is a slippery becoming that can never be completed, and therefore ‘places are passings’ that haunt us.”  -In the Absence of Sparrows, written by Helen Whale and Franklin Ginn.

Like dilapidated barns in the country, Lilian’s Place may someday slump and fall into the earth, returning to the place from which it’s building materials once came. If the living shoreline is supported and maintained, the established ecosystem should live on, nourished, not harmed, by Lilian’s Place.

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Next month I hope to have photos to share of Lilan’s Place under construction!

Join our summer production team!

The River Clyde Pageant is hiring two positions for our production team! Join our team this summer and assist in the management and technical direction of our outdoor summer show. Previous theatre experience is an asset but not a requirement - we are seeking team players who are comfortable in leadership positions and enjoy creative problem solving and collaboration. If this sounds like you, check out our two job postings below. 

To apply, email your resume and cover letter with the job title in the subject line to Artistic Director Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 21 at 5pm.

We welcome applications from individuals who identify as Indigenous, Black, POC, LGBTQ2S+ or who identify as a member of other underrepresented groups. 

Assistant Stage Manager
Part time contract, July 2 - August 4 2021; $1500 fee

The Assistant Stage Manager for the River Clyde Pageant works closely with the Stage Manager and the Artistic Director to oversee production schedules and assist in the delivery and execution of our outdoor summer theatre production and associated programming. They will be supervised by our Co-Producer, Stage Manager and other members of the creative team, as the team works together to present six performances of a community-engaged outdoor theatre production. Ideal candidate is highly organized, with strong communication & leadership skills, and is excellent at solving problems quickly and creatively. Must be comfortable working outdoors and as part of a team.

Responsibilities include: 

• Attending rehearsals & production meetings and assisting with production needs as they arise

• Assisting the Stage Manager with scheduling & communications

• Assisting with technical demands of the production - tracking & maintaining props & costumes, calling cues, coordinating performers & volunteers

• Collaborating with Pageant creative team during the production week

• Assistant stage managing the six performances of The River Clyde Pageant (under the guidance of the Stage Manager)

• Assisting the creative team with striking the show in the week following the show’s close.

Skills Required:

• Highly organized and self-motivated

• Able to work collaboratively as part of a team

• Interest in the arts/theatre

• Strong written and oral communication skills, proficient with email correspondence, google docs and google drive
  

Candidate must have access to a car or transportation

Production Week Rehearsals & Show Dates

July 17th, 12pm - 5pm
July 18th, 5pm - 8pm
July 20th, 6pm - 9pm
July 21st, 6pm - 9pm
July 22nd, 6pm - 9pm
Dress Rehearsal: July 23rd, 5:30 - 9:30pm
Performances: July 24-25 & July 30-August 1, 5:30-9:30pm

To apply, email your resume and cover letter with the job title in the subject line to Artistic Director Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 21 at 5pm.

We thank everyone who applies, but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Assistant technical director
Part time contract, July 2 - August 4 2021; $1500 fee

Working closely with the Pageant’s Technical Director, the assistant technical director will oversee the Pageant production week to support the six performances of The River Clyde Pageant. The technical director and Pageant co-producer will train the ATD on audience and performer safety, weather planning, cueing components of the show, and overseeing all technical aspects of this outdoor production. Ideal candidate is highly organized, with excellent problem-solving and communication skills, and can handle working in a fast-paced, fun, unconventional theatre environment with people of all ages and backgrounds. Previous theatre experience is an asset but not a requirement.

Responsibilities include:

• Attend weekly Pageant production meetings in June and July

• Assist the TD in updating production documents: lightning plan, production checklist & show protocol.

• Assist TD during rehearsals, focusing on performer & volunteer safety, tracking and minimizing any potential hazards, tracking weather patterns, overseeing major production elements

• Attend all production week rehearsals; train with TD to learn and assist with show protocol, cueing, and safe execution of all technical aspects of the show.

• Oversee and run the performances under the supervision of TD, in collaboration with the production team.

• Assist the production team with striking and closing the show

Skills Required:

• Highly organized and self-motivated

• Able to work collaboratively as part of a team

• Interest in the arts/theatre

• Strong written and oral communication skills, proficient with email correspondence, google docs and google drive

Candidate must have access to a car or transportation

Production Week Rehearsals & Show Dates

July 17th, 12pm - 5pm
July 18th, 5pm - 8pm
July 20th, 6pm - 9pm
July 21st, 6pm - 9pm
July 22nd, 6pm - 9pm
Dress Rehearsal: July 23rd, 5:30 - 9:30pm
Performances: July 24-25 & July 30-August 1, 5:30-9:30pm

To apply, email your resume and cover letter with the job title in the subject line to Artistic Director Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 21 at 5pm.

We thank everyone who applies, but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 

ClimateSense, Riverworks and Artistic Inspiration!

This is the third instalment in a series of blog posts by Climate Sense Intern Alexis Bulman, who is sharing monthly insights into her research, creative process and new Pageant initiatives inspired by climate change adaptation.

In these month-end blog posts I typically share a window into the creative process I’ve been pursuing through my ClimateSense position with The River Clyde Pageant, Creative PEI and The School of Climate Change and Adaptation. While my own art projects have continued to develop over the month of April, I also spent this month developing a call for public art submissions, Riverworks, which will provide a public-facing platform for artists to make works informed by climate change and adaptation. 

This month’s post will look a little different as I step away from my sketchbooks to share information on Riverworks, and artworks by Canadian artists whose work touches on environmental transformation, a theme at the forefront of Riverworks. I hope these works offer some inspiration for artists preparing their submissions for the May 7th deadline. If you have any questions regarding this project, send me an email at albulman@upei.ca

Riverworks Call for Submissions

As a component of the Community-Based Climate Action on Prince Edward Island Project, Creative PEI and The River Clyde Pageant have announced Riverworks, a call for public art proposals to accompany the construction of multiple living shorelines along the Hillsborough River, an initiative led by the PEI Watershed Alliance, the City of Charlottetown, and the Town of Stratford.

[Image description: an aerial photograph of a river in blues and greens with a transparent overlay. At the top in large blue letters “riverworks”, below it, smaller white text “call for submissions”. Centred brown text “Deadline: May 7th”, below it white text “art along the banks of the Hillsborough River”. A blue banner at the bottom with white text inside “www.riverclydepageant.com/Riverworks”]

Motivating the Riverworks call for submissions are PEI’s 1100 km+ of highly erodible sandstone coastline. The island’s shorelines face significant threat and degradation due to their sensitivity to sea level rise, storms and increased development.

Living shorelines are a nature-based solution to coastline protection. Mimicking natural processes, living shorelines slow erosion and are made with natural, biodegradable materials, such as woody debris, planted native species of trees, shrubs and grasses, all of which stabilize the shoreline. Living shorelines protect people, create habitat and demonstrate a new working relationship with the more-than-human world. 

Riverworks is looking for art that favours a soft approach; art that embodies the qualities of living shorelines. Proposed works can be sculptural, installation-based, performative or other. Typically, permanent public art must withstand time and weather, but Riverworks isn’t looking for a hard approach to public art. Instead, we’re interested in projects that engage with processes of ecological transformation such as growing, weathering, decaying, bio-degrading, and environmental shifts resulting from climate change.

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-130-mainstreet-pei/clip/15838430-alexis-bulman-riverworks-public-art-project

Funding is available to support two artists from PEI or the Atlantic Bubble. Successful artists will install their artwork this summer or fall at one of two predetermined sites along the banks of the Hillsborough River in PEI. Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 7th at 5pm, and you can find the complete call for submissions here.

Artists who Inspire

Here are five artists whose work I found inspiring and in alignment with the conceptual framework for Riverworks. Each of these artists explore nature in flux, site transformation as a form of performance, and art installations or sculptures where humans and landscape act as collaborators. I’ve highlighted one artwork by each artist, but I encourage you to click the links to see the full artworks, and explore the entirety of their portfolios.

Andrew Maize

Tidal Ladder (Minas Basin)
2011
Documentation by Clare Waque and Matthew Carswell

“A 32ft spruce ladder to be climbed with the incoming tide on the shore of Upper Economy in the Minas Basin. In loving memory of Thomas Young and Zoë Nudell. A big thanks White Rabbit Arts and everyone who helped install.” - Andrew Maize 

[Image Description: a black and white photograph of a group of people using rope and working together during low tide to erect a wooden ladder next to a large boulder. In the background cliffs are topped with trees and three houses. A sky filled with dramatic clouds fills the top ¾ of the photograph]

[Image description: photograph of a man sitting on a tall ladder erected by ropes in the Minas Basin, blue high tide water surrounds the man and his ladder. The background consists of blue sky and a darker blue horizon line]

Sara A. Tremblay

88 Days
2013
(Documentation credit: Sara A. Tremblay)

“A collection of 88 concrete spheres, made on the island of Gotland, Sweden, during a 3-month residency, in the summer of 2013. They are currently in the courtyard of Susanna Carlsten, who has only one rule: not to move them.” - Sarah A. Tremblay

[Image description: centred in the photograph is a small heaping sculpture of concrete balls sitting in shaded grass surrounded by dark leafy trees, the foreground is sprinkled in fallen leaves]

[Image description: a small heaping sculpture of piled concrete balls overgrown by grass and leaves is surrounded by dull grass]

Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton

Pick Pluck Perch
2020
(Documentation credit: Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton)

“This temporary public art work is centred around a gold gilded pear tree that is underplanted with companion plants and edible herbs. As the tree grows, the gold will crack and fall away, the art will break down, and the community will be left with a mature pear tree, berries, oregano, and thyme. Complementing the edible vegetation are granite boulders as seating and a reclaimed brick pathway that leads residents between the tree and a repurposed planter box. Commission by the City of Calgary Public Art Department.” - Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton

[Image description: a photograph with a gold gilded pear tree with green leaves in the foreground, a chain link fence and silver car in the background left, an out-of-focus street scape, brick path and boulders in the background right]

[image description: a photograph of a gold gilded pear tree that is underplanted with companion plants and edible herbs surrounded by silver protective caging. The ground is covered in grass, concrete, dark mulch, and three granite boulders. A brown brick pathway connects the gold tree and a black planter box in the right-hand side of the photograph. In the background there are cars in a parking lot and a woman walking who wears a red shirt, black pants and a yellow and cheetah print purse]

Lindsay Dobbin

Listener Ship
2016
(Documentation credit: Lindsay Dobbin)

“Listener Ship was an exploration of place-responsive architecture by considering the land as notation. How can a structure resonate with and fully embody the land? How can a structure be an instrument the land is speaking through? How can the artist be an instrument the land is speaking through? Using the practice of embodied listening, deadfall was collected through a snow covered landscape, and a listening space was constructed by the Bow River, allowing the small parts to inform the larger vision. The sculpture is a temporary space for people to gather, and will have it's own life as it slowly returns to the land.” - Lindsay Dobbin

[Image description: a large structure made of horizontally placed brown and grey branches overlooks a vast winter landscape of snow-covered evergreen trees and a distant mountain]

[Image description: centred in this photograph is a small, partially obstructed structure made of tree branches. Surrounding the structure is a dark forest landscape covered in a blanket of white snow, a footpath trails out from the structure]

Gerald Beaulieu

Watermark
2016
(Documentation credit: Gerald Beaulieu)

“11 wooden pilings, all at different measured heights, up to a maximum of three meters. They depict the height of the St. John River during various stages of flooding. The work is also designed to mark and withstand the seasonal spring flooding of the river. Commissioned by the City Of Fredericton, South Riverfront Trail.” - Gerald Beaulieu 

[Image description: eight rough-textured poles are erected beside a road, on a patch of gravel. The first four poles are turquoise and are lined up from shortest to tallest, the fifth pole is brown and is the tallest of eight pools, to it’s right three more turquoise poles are lined up in decreasing height. The poles are backed by mowed grass, green bushes, a blue stretch of water, a horizon line of dark trees and distant buildings and a blue sky with white clouds]

[Image description: blue-green water fills ⅓ of this photograph, topped by a deep blue horizon line of distant trees and buildings, above that is a light blue, cloudy sky. In the water 6 turquoise poles emerge from the water, each one casting a reflection of itself in the water]

Climate Sense Stories: Changing the Narrative

This is the second instalment in a series of blog posts by Climate Sense Intern Alexis Bulman, who is sharing monthly insights into her research, creative process and artistic explorations as she works with us to develop community-engaged artworks and programming around climate change adaptation.

When I began this ClimateSense Internship, I started my research process by watching the PEI Climate Stories, in particular the video with Eric Gilbert struck a chord with me. 

In the video, Eric Gilbert discusses the environmental challenges and adaptation approaches to climate change in the small, rural municipality of Victoria by the Sea, and in doing so mentions Lilian’s House.

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page is a thought-map of words in bubble shapes connected by dark lines. The right sketchbook page has a black ink drawing of Lilian’s actual house, coming from the house is a speech bubble with large black letters that spell “Mrs. Lillian’s Place.”]

Gilbert describes Lilian as an elderly World War II veteran who lived in the community in a house next to the sea, with only a broken sea-wall to protect her home from the water. Twice, during storm surges, the fire department assisted Lilian out of her house which was knee-deep with water. Despite the flooding, she insisted on living there for many years.

Lilian’s story struck a chord; she reminded me of my own grandmothers who both, until recently, lived in homes in beautiful rural PEI settings. I could see how this attachment to place connected to another theme I’ve been contemplating, that of ecological grieving and mourning nature. 

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page is a black ink drawing depicting an old out-building, coming from the out-building is a speech bubble with large black letters that spell “Lilian’s House.” The right sketchbook page has a thought-map of words in bubble shapes connected by dark lines.]

When I think of how Lilian must have felt when she left her home on those nights when the water trickled in, it makes me grieve for all the homes that have been lost to or displaced by the sea, and for the eroding shorelines and creatures whose habitats wash away with it. When we identify ourselves with a place, what are the impacts when that place erodes or washes away?

Working with this theme of ecological grieving, I began to imagine an art installation of a small house built with recycled barn materials like weather shingles, cedar shakes, barn boards and battened windows, positioned in a public space but facing out towards the water. It wouldn’t be a re-creation of Lilian’s actual house, but an embodiment of the feelings of hope and loss her home represented in the community of Victoria by the Sea.

Beyond thinking of this art installation as a memorial to the effects of climate change, rising sea levels and increasing erosion I couldn’t decide what the action-item or take-away of this art installation would be, (art doesn’t need action items or lesson plans, but this concept felt incomplete without one); so I tucked the idea away.

Changing The Narrative

In March, I attended a webinar called Changing the Narrative, hosted by Dr. Robin Cox at Royal Roads University. The webinar explored how shifting the climate change story may offer a key to motivating citizens, businesses, and governments alike, to take the collective and transformative action necessary to shift the catastrophic trajectory we’re on. Panelists included Johanna Wagstaffe (CBC News meteorologist and science host), Denise Withers (Narrative Strategist), and SG̲aan Kwahagang (James McGuire - Musician/Storyteller/Historian/Artist). 

You can view the session here:

This webinar broke the logjam of the Lilian’s House art installation.

There were two quotes that stood out for me:

“You can’t change what people think, say or do until you change the stories they tell themselves. - Rather than treating story-telling as a communication activity that we tack-on at the end of developing new strategies, we need to start with the stories. What are the stories that we’re telling ourselves that are holding us back, and what are better stories we can tell that will inspire people to take action? We’re not talking about what life could be like, we’re only talking about the pain-points and nobody wants to buy into a story about how their life is going to suck. So, we need to figure out how we’re going to tap into the positive stories and the hopeful stories”. - Denise Withers

Later in the webinar, SG̲aan Kwahagang described the six guiding principles of the Haida Law, with great emphasis on one in particular:

“Giid tlljuus - Balance. The world is as sharp as the edge of a knife. Balance is needed in our interactions with the natural world. Care must be taken to avoid reaching a point of no return and to restore balance where it has been lost.” SG̲aan Kwahagang elaborated by stating “Our existence is right here, on this edge, but if we understand climate change and take action, then we can prevent the future from tipping over the edge.”

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page shows an ink and color pencil drawing of a grey house surrounded with plants with a speech bubble that reads “A new building built with old materials”. The right sketchbook page shows a mirror image of the same house but colored yellow and surrounded by different plants, it has a speech bubble that reads “A new building built with new materials”.]

These ideas immediately changed my approach to the Lilian’s House art installation. Instead of building a new house with old materials and plopping it down onto a landscape, I realized I should approach it with balance in mind.

I began sketching a version of a small house built with all new materials. The house would age, weather, decay and eventually crumble into the earth as the years pass. Maybe it would be an installation where wildflowers and weeds grow up around it, instead of a place where people lay flowers in remembrance. It could be an installation that teaters on the edge of a shore, but co-exists with a living shoreline instead of being “protected” by a seawall.

Still in its initial idea phase, Lilian’s House is evolving into an artwork about finding balance between hope and loss, life and death, and future, past and present.

Save the Date for the 2021 River Clyde Pageant!

It's been a quiet but busy winter in Pageant-land - we have been making plans, listening to guidance from our Chief Public Health Office, and designing a creation process and performance experience that can safely gather participants and audiences for the fifth edition of The River Clyde Pageant.

The 2021 River Clyde Pageant will take place July 23-25 and July 30-August 1 in New Glasgow, PEI.

Tickets will go on sale in July. Workshops will be announced at the end of April, with offerings in puppetry, music, dance, youth drama and more. All workshops and events will have covid-19 safety precautions in place. It won't look too different -- our practice of working outdoors in wide open spaces is an asset in these times!

We are extremely grateful for the sustained efforts and leadership of our provincial government, public health office, and Islanders in general in keeping covid numbers low on PEI

A glimpse of what's to come

While Covid-19 interrupted regular summer programming in 2020, it also sparked new collaborations, priorities and themes for our work in 2021 and beyond. We are thrilled to move forward with our 2021 season, making some adaptations to ensure the continued safety of our audiences, performers and participants. In 2021, we are presenting:

• Six performances of the 2021 River Clyde Pageant for two 50-person audience groups, travelling separately around a circuit of scenes performed on land and water. Performances will conclude with an outdoor meal prepared by Chef Emily Wells in the fields overlooking the River Clyde.
  
  

• An outdoor performance of Troubling Joy, a bicycle puppet show by Nova Scotia’s North Barn Theatre Collective, in June 2021. The latest production from the team that brought Late Night Radio to the shores of the River Clyde in 2020.
  
  

• New arts & ecology programming. The climate crisis demands our attention and response, and a new series of workshops & events will engage with our local ecology and the long-term work of protecting it.
  
  

• New theatre & food workshops for newcomers. We are reimagining our popular “Cooking with Local Ingredients” workshops to involve parents, caregivers and children in sessions that bring together cooking and theatre creation.
  
  

• Mentorship opportunities, new collaborations, and new artistic forms. We are excited to share more details on all this very soon!

Support our work!

Donors and sponsors are integral in helping each year's River Clyde Pageant take flight. If you feel inspired, make a donation and join us in fostering community, promoting environmental stewardship, and celebrating creative expression.

As a registered charity, we are able to offer tax-deductible donation receipts for contributions of all sizes.
Use the link below to make your gift. Thank you!

Climate Sense & Wooly Sheep

In a new blog series for The River Clyde Pageant, Alexis Bulman, our ClimateSense Intern, offers a peek into her research and artistic explorations as she begins her year of working with us to develop community-engaged programming around climate change adaptation.

In January, I started a year-long ClimateSense internship position with UPEI and two community partners: Creative PEI and The River Clyde Pageant. 

The goal of this position is to develop and deliver community-engaged arts projects and outreach activities that inspire awareness and action on climate change adaptation.

I come to this position not as a climate expert but as an artist. I’ve made artwork in the past that looks at climate change from an ephemeral and observational perspective but I’ve never made artwork that is truly reflective of scientific evidence and research. Like many people I know that climate change is real, but it can feel like a skyscraper towering over me. Until recently, that overwhelming feeling prevented me from learning how climate change and adaptation practices are re-shaping Prince Edward Island. 

[Image description: a panoramic photograph of Fleet, an art installation by Bulman. Six illuminated camping tents of various colors float in a harbour at night. The water and sky are deep blue, at the far right of the image a boardwalk, rocks and trees are silhouetted in black with spots of light from street lamps]

The first month of this position felt like running aimlessly through an open field with my arms wailing about, tripping over logs, sneezing from hay fever but discovering some pretty flowers and cool frogs along the way.

All that to say, I read articles, which lead to videos, which led to conversations with experts, which always led back to my sketchbook. Since the artwork I make is often site-dependent, it means that much of my art practice is spent planning projects in my sketchbooks in creative and exploratory ways. So that’s what I’ll be sharing in these monthly blog posts: pages from my sketchbooks, as well as articles and resources that have stood out to me.

First up: Wooly Sheep and Rotational Grazing

PEI Climate Stories is a series of short videos exploring the impacts of climate change on Prince Edward Island, and the adaptation strategies being implemented here. The video series was produced by the University of Prince Edward Island's Climate Lab, in partnership with ClimateSense, so it seemed like a great place to start my research.

The video that stood out to me featured Adam MacLean, a shepherd located in South Melville, PEI. In the video, Adam speaks about the challenges and opportunities from climate change that faces his sheep farm.

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page depicts 13 white sheep with black heads laying down in a solid green field. Centered in the right sketchbook page is a dark green rectangle representing a field as seen from above. This rectangle is colored in with dark green, with small white shapes scattered throughout the rectangle, like sheep in a field as seen from above.]

In the video, Adam defines rotational grazing as “a given amount of sheep on a given amount of land, which encourages eating.” This practice increases herd health by providing the animals access to more space and fresh air. It’s also an environmentally-friendly farming practice, as it strengthens the pastures, making them richer and more abundant as the sheep eat the weeds which would otherwise reduce the nutritional value of the soil. This also makes the soil less susceptible to erosion.

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page has a photo of 13 white sheep with black heads laying in a green field. Below the photo is a drawn replica of the photo in green, white and black color pencil. The right sketchbook page shows five clustered sheep formations as seen from above, all drawn in black ink.]

The video sparked an idea for a drawing project that would evolve over the summer and fall:

Each time Adam rotates his herd of sheep to a new pasture, I could take an aerial photograph of the herd in the field using a drone. I would turn that photograph into a 4’x5’ drawing where the entire sheet of paper is colored in with a green color pencil, leaving negative space to represent the composition of the sheep in the pasture. Each time the herd is moved a new drawing would be made. The color pencil selection would reflect the condition of the grass as bright and lush or pale and brown from drought. In addition to the changing herd compositions and colour of the pastures, the drawings would show the sheep growing up, getting bigger and most importantly, becoming WOOLIER! 

[Image description: two pages of a sketchbook separated by a coiled spine in the center. The left sketchbook page is an aerial photograph of 30 or more sheep grazing in a grassy green field. Centered in the right sketchbook page is a dark green rectangle representing a field as seen from above. This rectangle is colored in with pale green, with small white shapes and black shapes scattered throughout the rectangle, like sheep in a field as seen from above.]

This evolving drawing project (temporarily titled Becoming Woolier) could be a fun way to engage with and celebrate an environmentally-friendly farming practice in PEI. 

Becoming Woolier is just one of many preliminary concepts I’ve dreamt up during my first month as a ClimateSense Intern. I’ll share more ideas, artistic progress, links and sketchbook pages next month!

In the meantime check out Adam Maclean’s instagram account to cry over his litter of pyrenees puppies and his flock of wooly sheep.

Calypso Secrets Lights up The Bog

The River Clyde Pageant is proud to partner with the Black Cultural Society of PEI and Grace Kimpinski to present Calypso Secrets by Reequal Smith of Oshun Dance. This one-night-only performance in the Bog at Rochford Square Park in Charlottetown will be a vibrant celebration of the music and dance traditions of the Caribbean, with choreography by Smith and live music from drummer Chavez Edgecombe, vocalist Kierrah Titus, and DJ Jane Blaze. Calypso Secrets features the dance artistry of Smith alongside fellow performers Asia MacMillan, Dawn Ward and Jessica Burrett.

Saturday, September 5, 7-8pm

In the Bog at Rochford Square in Charlottetown (bordered by Kent, Rochford, and Pownal Streets)

Only 50 tickets available!
Admission by donation, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
No one turned away for lack of funds.

This is an outdoor event, with a limited audience of 50 people. Attendees will be seated in physically distanced groupings by party. We ask that audiences respect physical distancing guidelines and stay home if they are feeling sick. Masks are encouraged, and hand sanitizer will be available on site.

Supported by the City of Charlottetown Community Sustainability Micro-Grant Program, Women's Network PEI, and Transform Events

In the event of rain, this show will be rescheduled to Sunday, September 6, 7:00pm

Late Night Radio - a drive-in theatre experience

The River Clyde Pageant is proud to present Late Night Radio by the North Barn Theatre Collective, for a limited run from August 14 to 16 in New Glasgow, PEI.

In the dusk light of a field, a row of cars are parked facing an empty frame, their radios tuned to an FM broadcast. As the radio announcer interviews a radical poet about the end of the world, a spectacle emerges from the nearby trees. A sunflower opens its eye, a raccoon strikes up the orchestra, and the world outside of our vehicles creeps into our consciousness through sound, image, poetry and song. Dancing in the interplay between dusk and night, hope and grief, The North Barn Theatre Collective contemplates the consequences of a pandemic, our interrelatedness to the non-human world and our collective stumbling into the unknown, both together and apart. Late Night Radio is a new puppet theatre spectacle, experienced as a drive-in performance, allowing audiences to witness live theatre in a socially distant format.

Admission by donation.
In-Vehicle admission: Suggested donation of $50
Out-of-vehicle admission: Suggested donation of $40
No one turned away for lack of funds.

Performance Schedule:
August 14th @ 8pm
August 15th @ 8pm
August 16th @ 8pm

All performances take place on
The River Clyde Pageant site in New Glasgow, PEI.
2765 New Glasgow Rd., RR #3

About the North Barn Theatre Collective: 

The North Barn Theatre Collective is a group of Nova Scotian puppeteers and theatre makers who have been working internationally for the past few years across the United States, Canada and Europe with such companies as Bread and Puppet Theater, the Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry, The River Clyde Pageant and more. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, these artists have returned home and are planting roots in the communities that raised them. Bringing their expertise and artistic influences from many distant places, The North Barn Theatre Collective aims to connect locally while dreaming globally.

Lead Artists:
Laura Stinson - Writer, Co-creator, puppeteer, co-producer
Ian McFarlane - Writer, co-creator, puppeteer, co-producer
Megan Stewart - Dramaturg, puppeteer, co-producer

Experienced much like a drive-in cinema, Late Night Radio is a socially-distant, live theatre performance where audiences tune in their car radios to an FM broadcast as a spectacle emerges in the landscape before them. This is a gathering of up to 65 people (including audience members, volunteers and performers), where the majority of spectators are kept within their enclosed vehicles, with a few small groups of audience members observing out-of-vehicle, within demarcated, distanced spaces.

To learn more about our Covid-19 operations plan and the measures in place for public safety, click here.

Sponsored by Granville Ridge Consulting

An update from the River Clyde Pageant in response to Covid-19

Dear friends,

As we move through the Covid19 pandemic, many of you have been asking about the status of this summer’s River Clyde Pageant. After careful consideration of the directives from PEI’s chief public health officer and the federal government, as well as consultation with our funders and community partners, we have an update for you.

We have decided to cancel all workshops and pre-Pageant events planned for this summer, along with the five performances of the 2020 Pageant. We are heartbroken to have to make this decision but we are certain it’s the right thing to do. We desperately want to gather and create with our community, but planning a full-scale production, even in an outdoor setting, poses too much risk to our participants and audiences. Our community is the beating heart of the Pageant, and we have realized that we must do our part to protect the people and places that have enabled this project to thrive for the past five years in New Glasgow.

While the creative team and I are mourning this loss, we remain hopeful. I want to assure you that as soon as the moment arises when it is safe to reconvene, the River Clyde Pageant will be there. We will be ready - with bold visions, giant puppets, celebratory songs and spectacle on land and water. We will extend an invitation to you all to gather with us as performers and collaborators, as audience members, and as community supporters. We are dreaming of that moment, and letting our imaginations play freely until then.

The River Clyde Pageant community extends love and gratitude to everyone working on the frontlines of the pandemic: doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, essential service workers, and government leaders. We applaud the daily efforts of Islanders who are caring for children, the elderly, and are showing up to help friends and community members in need. 

Islanders are demonstrating incredible resilience and compassion through this time, and because of those efforts, we will come through this. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. On behalf of the entire Pageant creative team, I send our love and fortitude. I look forward to the day when we return to the river.

Megan Stewart

Artistic Director & Producer
The River Clyde Pageant

First round of 2020 Pageant workshops are here!

We're thrilled to announce the first round of workshops for our 2020 season!

We are entering YEAR FIVE of The River Clyde Pageant and beginning our third cycle of performance. That means that this summer's Pageant will feature an entirely new show structure, narrative and spectacle elements, to be explored through our 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Whether you are an audience member, performer, or volunteer, you'll become acquainted with different areas and vantage points around our magical performance space at the Little Victory Microfarms, overlooking the RiverClyde.

Of course, to make this performance, we need people power! Creative energy! Community spirit! That's where YOU come in. 

We've just launched the first round of new workshops for 2020 - read on to learn more and sign up. Another round will be announced later this month. 

We are also hosting TWO Pageant information sessions this month - if you've always wondered what it's like to be part of the Pageant, or you are curious to meet some of the people behind the project, join us to learn about workshop offerings, volunteer opportunities, and the Pageant experience! 

Charlottetown Information Session: Wednesday, March 25 from 7-8:30pm at The Haviland Club (all ages welcome)

New Glasgow Information Session: Sunday, March 29 from 3-5pm at New Glasgow Christian Church. 

We are so excited to welcome new community performers, musicians, builders and volunteers into the creation process for the latest iteration of this ambitious outdoor theatre production in New Glasgow, PEI. Be sure to sign up early because spaces are limited and require advance registration. You don’t want to miss a chance to participate - read on and register below.

Biped and Quadruped Stiltwalking Workshop with Laura Astwood

Do you want to learn an awesome new skill? Join our stilt-walking workshops! You'll learn how to move and perform on stilts, and you’ll practice partner work and group choreography. If you’ve already completed a previous stilt-walking workshop with us, you can even learn four-limbed stilt-walking with arm stilts! This workshop is limited to four participants for regular stilt-walking. For four-limbed stiltwalking, you need to have completed a previous Pageant stilt workshop.

Moving into Imagination: a dance with body, mind and environment

In this workshop you will learn how to combine storytelling with movement, engaging with imagination, mind, body and our Pageant environment. During twice weekly sessions, participants will explore different movement and performance practices, including yoga, partner work, movement improvisation, and actors’ dramaturgy. Within this workshop, participants will create individual and group material to be performed during the Pageant!

The Animate Forest

A workshop in puppet building and performance with Ian McFarlane

Nature and creativity combine in this exciting new puppetry workshop from Pageant artist Ian McFarlane. Explore our local ecology and discover the materials and tools it offers for puppet creation and performance.  You’ll even create your own puppet theatre piece to perform in the Pageant!

Please note that all ages are welcome but we may be using sharp tools, so participants under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult. 

Crafting Illuminated Birds, Bees, and Beetles

A workshop of making lanterns and hanging out with insects, led by Kristian Brevik

In this new workshop led by our collaborator Kristian Brevik, learn to make unique sculptural lanterns inspired by local insects. Lanterns will be designed using paint and paper, and brought to life through  moldmaking and cloth-mâché art techniques. Spend time with the bees, insects, birds, and other creatures who surround the Pageant landscape and work on making them larger than life. This workshop is limited to ten participants.

Puppet Ensemble: Object, Body, Landscape, Collaboration

Technical Training and Ensemble Building for Puppeteers with Evan Medd and Ian McFarlane

This performance-based workshop teaches technical puppetry skills, building techniques, and will develop a small ensemble of puppeteers to perform in the 2020 Pageant. Learn all about the history of pageant and parade puppetry and acquire new skills through hands-on exercises! Participants will practice group movement, puppeteering with large and small puppets, and navigating the challenges and opportunities within outdoor performance. 

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More workshops (music, kids drama, creative writing, and others) will be announced later this month. Sign up for sessions here.

Did you know?: High school students (anyone entering grade 10, 11, 12) can get community service credit for participating in the Pageant. Any hours you participate in workshops or rehearsals can be logged to go towards a $750 bursary for post-secondary education. Interested? Email us for more details!

We hope you’ll join us for a magical experience this Summer!

Work with us in 2020!

The River Clyde Pageant and Young at Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors are jointly hiring an arts administration assistant who is motivated to contribute to the growth and development of two successful, independent theatre organizations on PEI. Community engagement is at the heart of both organizations; thus the ideal candidate shares our passion for working with various populations to deliver inspired and inclusive arts programming. 

The administrative assistant works closely with the Young at Heart & River Clyde Pageant’s Artistic Directors to oversee administration, communications, outreach and production efforts for their 2020 seasons.

Qualifications:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Experience in marketing, communications and development

• Strong organizational and time management skills - able to be self-motivated and self-directed when completing tasks

• Proficient in Microsoft Office/Google Drive/social media

• An interest in working in the arts and non-profit sectors

 This position is funded through the Skills PEI Work Experience Program. Applicants should check their eligibility through the Skills PEI website prior to submitting their application. www.skillspei.com

Click here for job posting on WorkPEI.

Closing out a heavy and heartbreaking year

Dear friends,

We close out 2019 with heavy but hopeful hearts as we look towards the new year. The 2019 River Clyde Pageant was a tremendous collective achievement, but it was not without its share of heartbreak. Before we begin our fundraising efforts for Giving Tuesday 2019, it is important to us that we share some of our experience of making last summer’s production.
 

Many of you know that our beloved co-founder and co-director, Ker Wells, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late fall of last year. Ker underwent treatment with immense positivity, generosity and bravery, moving through chemotherapy and radiation in winter and spring. Working on the River Clyde Pageant during this time was often a welcome distraction for him.

Despite all he was going through, Ker brought astonishing energy and vision to the Pageant planning efforts for 2019, 2020 and beyond. He and I wrote a successful multi-year Canada Council grant together in April, outlining our plans for how the Pageant and its programming would grow over the next two years. In June, Ker returned to PEI where he co-led an incredible playwriting workshop with Mike Geither, and co-directed stilt rehearsals with me. However, Ker’s condition worsened while on PEI and he had to return to New York to resume treatment with his medical team.

photo by Roman Kralovic

Holding the knowledge of Ker’s declining health while continuing rehearsals for the 2019 Pageant was a tremendous feat, one that would have been impossible without the strength of our creative team, who stepped into bigger roles, taking on greater responsibility and workloads. We were deeply supported by the local community, our extended Pageant family, who cooked meals for us, coordinated rehearsal transportation, and generally said ‘yes’ to anything we asked of them. It was a daily balancing act of grief and joy as we banded together to make the Pageant; a tribute and offering to Ker, whom we held in our hearts at every single moment.
 

On August 30th, Ker passed away, leaving loved ones, friends, collaborators, students and admiring audiences behind. Our hearts are broken, but we also recognize the gifts Ker left us. The River Clyde Pageant and its community are a legacy to Ker’s vision and creative spirit. The Pageant was one of his most glorious achievements in a remarkable career - uniting his values of artistic rigour, civic practice, and caring for the earth.

We are privileged to continue the work of the Pageant; growing the organization and its programming in honour of our dear friend.

2020 will be a year of change and transformation for the Pageant. We begin our third cycle of work, exploring a new performance structure and narrative. We have plans for a winter 2020 event, and we are working to bring the Pageant magic into new contexts across PEI and beyond. Ker was a co-conspirator of these plans, and we are forging ahead to make them a reality.

December 3 is Giving Tuesday, a day when we ask for your support for the next year of The River Clyde Pageant. We will be releasing our latest video documentary by Millefiore Clarkes, and sharing more details of our vision for RCP 2020. On that day, we invite you to journey with us into the next phase of The River Clyde Pageant with a donation or pledge of support. 

We hope you will continue to support this ever-evolving community project. We are so grateful to work with this community each summer to create the Pageant, and we know that each summer will be a new celebration of Ker’s commitment to local creativity and environmental stewardship.

You’ve made it this far, so perhaps it’s time for some comic relief...

Have you ever heard Ker Wells tell a joke? Nobody tells ‘em like he does. That said, we did compile a bunch of them into this video, featuring some of the Pageant kids performing their takes on classic Ker jokes. Enjoy...

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and most of all, thank you for being part of the greater Pageant family. 

We look forward to sharing more details on our plans and our 2019 video with you next week.

With gratitude,

Megan Stewart
on behalf of the whole River Clyde Pageant team

In Memoriam: Ker Wells

photo: Roman Kralovic

We are heartbroken in the wake of Ker’s death. It is hard to express the profound loss we feel - Ker was the co-founder and co-director of the River Clyde Pageant, a dear friend and mentor to many, and beloved core member of our large Pageant family. We are thankful to be able to share this moving tribute to Ker’s life, written by his sister Jane.

Obituary for Ker Stewart Wells
May 31st, 1964 – August 30th, 2019 New York
Loving Husband, Son and Friend

On Friday August 30th, our beloved Ker died from pancreatic cancer. Ker was so central to so many of us, to how we saw and made art, hosted dinner parties, told stories, remembered jokes. His way through the world was fundamental to how we use our time here: for labour, for pleasure, for the joyful work of creation; but most importantly, in the company of people we love.

He leaves behind his adored wife Marianne Rendon; sisters Emily and Jane Wells, brother-in-law Rob Howard and nephew Hugh; parents-in-law Bob and Val Rendon. He will be profoundly missed by his uncle Chris Wells and aunt Lynne Douglas; by dear cousins and many, many friends far and wide.

Ker was born in Munich, Germany and lived with his family in Europe until 1974 when they returned to the family farm in Alberton, PEI. This was the beginning of a lifelong connection to the natural world, a fascination with wild things, and an opportunity to teach himself about everything, from pig-rearing to carpentry, from snaring rabbits to planting trees. Although he never lived at the farm as an adult he devoted hours of "holiday" time repairing things, re-siding the barn, and planting trees. His final sustained project was killing that goddamned patch of knot weed invading the bushes beyond the back porch, a porch he had rebuilt a number of times, most recently in May (only May!).

Carpenter; wood chopper; caretaker of house plants and small animals; bread baker; collector of wild creature skulls and scavenger of scrap lumber; expert manipulator of copper tubing; relentless reader of the New Yorker - and rememberer of everything he read. And if he didn't remember it, he invented an equally convincing, if not better, account. And nobody in my life will ever be a better story-teller. (With apologies to all of you who are excellent storytellers, yourselves.)

Ker attended Westisle High School in Elmsdale, PEI and then Mt. Allison University, graduating in 1985. It was at Mt. A that he really discovered performance. His world revolved around Windsor Theatre, his shared student house at 88 King Street, and the marvellous group of friends he met there.

Ker went onto the acting program at the National Theatre School, and again forged deep lifelong friendships with his classmates. After graduating from NTS in 1988 he became a founding member of Primus Theatre in Winnipeg, with whom he performed, taught, and travelled extensively. The impact of Primus Theatre's performances and workshops has been felt far and wide; for those fortunate enough to see their work, it was an unforgettable experience.

After Ker left Primus he formed Number Eleven Theatre in Toronto, an opportunity to direct and create work in collaboration with a new group of actors; to find his artistic voice and follow that silver thread of curiosity and creativity that was uniquely his. In the years following Number Eleven, he continued to direct and collaborate with many fine companies and artists, too many to name here. However he returned most frequently to what he long felt was his artistic home with NaCl in Highland Lake, NY.

Ker continued to work as an actor periodically, after he left Primus, most notably in The Confessions of Punch and Judy with Tannis Kowalchuk and in his solo performances Living Tall and Swimmer 68.

In 2013 Ker graduated from the MFA program at York University, and shortly thereafter was hired as Associate Professor of Theatre Performance at Simon Fraser University's School for Contemporary Arts in Vancouver. And there, once again, he found and forged a community of like-minded souls - but it was only when he met Marianne that he began to feel it was home.

Ker's artistic influence has been powerfully felt as a teacher: transformative experiences, encounters with students and performers, amateur and professional, and community members, all charged by his dedicated attention, his tremendous physical and creative energy, and the singular pleasure he took in play. He taught and directed for a number of years at the National Theatre School of Canada, Humber College, and finally at SFU where he was recently granted tenure.

If we draw a line through the places Ker lived, worked, and taught, stringing yarn and placing pins, you would see the land mapped from coast to coast to coast; and at each pin, there would be a deep orange glow: at each pin he steadfastly made friends, expanded circles, fell in love, and invariably formed a rich community of dear companions, none more nor less dear than those of the previous home.

Ker's last great creative adventure was the River Clyde Pageant, which allowed him to spend a few glorious (and exhausting!) summers in Prince Edward Island, developing this joyous collaboration with the many wonderful people of New Glasgow and surrounding communities.

Being directed by Ker, or taught by him, simply being present with him, was not without effort. He was an effortless host, could simultaneously make the guacamole and the dinner, get you a beer and tell you a remarkable and funny story.

He was entertaining and gracious and made you feel like you were at the best dinner party going that night. But his demands on himself were huge, on every plain. He was rigorous and exacting, as a thinker and as an artist. He dedicated himself physically, emotionally, psychically, to every undertaking, be it making a fine wooden box for his mother, directing a show, reading The BFG to his nephew or baking bread.

With such fullness in our midst, how could we not want to do the same?

In lieu of flowers, cook a great meal with friends; have a beer at the end of your day; learn to tell a really good joke. Plant a tree.

Or – donations can be made to the River Clyde Pageant.

There will be a memorial Service for Ker on October 5th from 3-5 pm at NaCl (North American Cultural Laboratory), 110 Highland Lake Rd., Highland Lake, NY 12743. For any inquiries to please contact: Brad, brad@nacl.org

There will also be memorial ceremonies to be scheduled in Toronto and Prince Edward Island.

photo: Roman Kralovic

photo: Roman Kralovic

The River Clyde Pageant Needs Your Help!

Did you miss getting tickets to this year’s River Clyde Pageant? It’s not too late! We are seeking volunteers to assist in various roles for each performance of In the Wake of the Tale, and are offering two tickets to any night of the Pageant to all volunteers who sign up for a shift. 

Volunteer roles are as follows:

Parking Attendant (shift runs 6:30-7:50pm)

• Parking attendants greet guests arriving in their vehicles at one of four parking locations in New Glasgow. They assist guests with finding a place to park, and provide directions to the Pageant Box Office. 

• Parking attendant volunteers can watch the full performance immediately after their shift ends.

Box Office Attendants (shift runs from 6:30-8:00pm)

• Box Office attendants assist the Box Office Manager with taking and checking tickets, and serving lemonade at our box office lemonade stand.

• Box office volunteers can watch the full performance immediately after their shift ends.

Post-Show Supper Servers (shift runs from 8:30-10:30pm)

• Post-show supper volunteers assist with set-up, serving food, and cleanup at the outdoor meal that concludes each performance of the Pageant.

• Servers will not get the opportunity to see the show on the night they volunteer, but will be given tickets to attend another night’s performance

Whale Paddlers/Puppeteers (shift runs from 6:30-9:30pm)

• Whale paddlers/puppeteers are part of the performance, paddling a six-person whale puppet on a dual-canoe watercraft on the river, and assisting with puppeteering the whale on land. 

• Handling of the whale puppet involves some heavy lifting, as you are part of a six-person puppet team. Prior experience with paddling is an asset.

• As whale paddlers and puppeteers are part of the performance, volunteers will be given tickets to see the performance on an alternate evening.

Mi’kmaq Drum Boat Paddlers (Shift runs from 6:30 to 9:30pm)

• Drum Boat paddlers are part of the performance, paddling a group of Mi’kmaq drummers on a dual-canoe watercraft on the river. Prior experience with paddling is an asset.

• As drum boat paddlers are part of the performance, volunteers will be given tickets to see a performance on an alternate evening.

Ghostly Fish Puppeteers (Shift runs from 7:00 to 9:30pm)

• No prior experience with puppetry necessary! This role involves operating a single-person fish puppet, with a group of ghostly fish puppeteers. You will be fully trained just prior to the show by our skilled puppet team.

• This role allows you to watch the majority of the performance until the Pageant’s finale, at which point you become part of the show as a puppeteer. You are welcome to bring a guest with you to watch or puppeteer with you.

Performances of In the Wake of the Tale run on July 26th (this is a dress rehearsal, no meal after), 27th and 28th, and August 2nd, 3rd, 4th. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Virginia our volunteer coordinator, at riverclydevolunteers@gmail.com. Please let us know which dates are you are available to volunteer, and which role you would like to take on.

A Night of New Plays

Two plays will be performed in Charlottetown this Friday, as part of a one-night event presented by The River Clyde Pageant. Michael Geither and Amy Schwabauer, award-winning playwrights and solo performers from Cleveland, Ohio, are on PEI to lead workshops for the 2019 River Clyde Pageant. Both artists will share new solo works with audiences as part of “A Night of New Plays” at 7:00pm on Friday June 14, at The Vessel in Charlottetown. 

“A Night of New Plays” will give audiences the chance to experience two new works before they premiere and tour. Michael will be performing Heirloom, an autobiographical solo show that takes a personal look at how incest and violence shaped four generations of a Cleveland family.  Beginning with the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and moving into the present day, the play traces a history of sexual abuse and violence between brothers, fathers and sisters and between Indigenous people and the national governments of the US and Canada. 

 Audiences are advised that Heirloom deals with mature subject matter, referencing violence, rape and sexual abuse. While the play is set in the United States, Michael is aware of the timeliness of this work in light of the recently released Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. “I'm eager to share the story of my mother's family with a Canadian audience because it deals with two topics that cut across borders - incest and the First Nations genocide,” he says. “With this play, I’m seeking to understand how the lives we live today are shaped by the trauma of past generations.”

Amy’s play, This Job is Killing Me, takes a darkly comedic look at a warrior trapped in the underworld after defying the gods. As punishment, she now must suffer through the worst job in eternity.  Amy and Michael performed their toy theatre show The Events of the Warren County Fair as Observed by a Young Astronaut last June in Charlottetown, and are delighted to be returning to PEI with these latest works in progress. 

 Admission for “A Night of New Plays” is by donation (cash only). The Vessel is located at 171 Great George Street. Doors open at 6:30pm, show begins at 7:00pm.

Hey! We're Hiring!

Just a small percentage of the awesome people who make the Pageant happen each year…

We're looking for creative, organized and energetic people for three behind-the-scenes positions!  

The following part-time roles are available: Assistant Stage Manager, Volunteer Coordinator, and Assistant Technical Director (work/mentorship position). Deadline to apply is Tuesday, May 21. Send a resumé and cover letter to riverclydepageant@gmail.com, indicating which position(s) you are interested in applying for. Individuals must be available for all 2019 Pageant performance dates, July 27-28 and August 2, 3, 4. Details below on each position…

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Assistant Stage Manager

The Assistant Stage Manager for the River Clyde Pageant works closely with the Stage Manager to oversee production schedules and track the needs of the production as they emerge. They attend rehearsals and production meetings as needed, and are present through all rehearsals during production week (July 20-26) and throughout all performances (July 27-28 and August 2, 3, 4).  They are organized, with strong communication skills, great people skills, and are able to solve problems quickly and creatively. Previous experience in theatre is an asset but not a requirement. Must have access to a car. Approx 60 hrs total. Flat fee of $1000.
 
Responsibilities include:

• Attend weekly Pageant production meetings starting mid-June

• Assist the Stage Manager with scheduling and communication with performers and creative team

• As rehearsals ramp up in mid-July, attend rehearsals whenever possible with the Stage Manager

• Production week, July 20-26: attend all rehearsals; track costumes, props and other production needs; assist during rehearsals as needed

• Performances, July 26-28 and August 2-4: assist the Stage Manager with tracking performers, creating sign-in sheets, costume and prop-maintenance pre- and post-show. 

• Strike, August 5-8: assist the creative team with striking the show 

 
Deadline to apply: Tuesday, May 21
Please send resumé and cover letter to Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com

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Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for recruitment, communication and scheduling for all volunteers involved in the River Clyde Pageant. The ideal candidate is highly organized, proficient in Google Docs/Google Sheets or Microsoft Word/Excel, with excellent written and oral communication skills, and a creative problem solver. Schedule is flexible and some work can be completed remotely. Must be available in-person during production week (July 20-26) and throughout all performances (July 27-28 and August 2, 3, 4). Approx 60 hrs. Flat fee of $1000.
 
Responsibilities include:

• Communication and outreach in person and online to various community groups to promote volunteer opportunities with the Pageant.

• Create and circulate volunteer schedules; communicate with new and returning volunteers; track volunteer availability and make changes as needed. 

• Attend Production Meetings in July as needed

• Production week, July 20-26, and Performances, July 26-28 and August 2-4: Ensure that all volunteer roles are covered for production week and performances. Oversee volunteer orientation and communication with all volunteer groups. Attend to last minute schedule changes as needed.

Deadline to apply: Tuesday, May 21
Please send resumé and cover letter to Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com

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Assistant Technical Director

This position is a combined work and mentorship opportunity. Working with Pageant technical director & designer Kyla Gardiner (Vancouver), the Assistant TD will oversee the Pageant production week and the first weekend of shows, with the aim of taking over as lead Technical Director for weekend two. Kyla will train and mentor the ATD on audience and performer safety, weather planning, cueing components of the show, and overseeing all technical aspects of this outdoor production. Must have access to a car. Approx. 60 hours total. Flat fee of $1000.

Responsibilities include:

• Attend weekly Pageant production meetings starting mid-July

• Assist the TD in updating production documents: lightning plan, production checklist & show protocol. 

• Production week, July 20-26: attend all rehearsals; train with TD to learn and assist with show protocol, cueing, and safe execution of all technical aspects of the show. 

• First show weekend, July 27-28: Oversee and run the performances under the supervision of TD.

• Second show weekend, August 2, 3, 4: Oversee and run the performances as lead TD, in collaboration with production team (stage manager, assistant stage manager, directors, etc.)

• Strike, August 5-8: assist the production team with striking the show 

Production week runs July 20-26 (rehearsals July 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, mainly in the evenings). The first weekend of shows run July 27-28 in the evening, and the second weekend runs August 2, 3, 4 in the evening.

Deadline to apply: Tuesday, May 21
Please send resumé and cover letter to Megan Stewart at riverclydepageant@gmail.com

Announcing the First Round of 2019 Pageant Workshops!

Are you dreaming of long summer days spent making puppets, creating songs, dances and spectacle on the River Clyde? We sure are! The River Clyde Pageant will be returning to the Little Victory Microfarms in just a few short months. We have some big, ambitous plans for this summer’s production and we would love your help transforming them into reality!

The 2019 Pageant will be returning to the single-site format we began exploring in 2018 with Catch a River by the Tale. We were so excited by what emerged with last year’s production - it provoked many questions and many more ideas for using the land and the water as both sites and collaborators for theatre making. We’ll be sharing some of these new ideas in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, we are thrilled to announce the first round of free, artist-led workshops, now open for registration!

NEW THIS YEAR: High school students (anyone entering grade 10, 11, 12) can get community service credit for participating in the Pageant. Any hours you participate in workshops or rehearsals can be logged to go towards a $750 bursary for post-secondary education. Interested? Ask us for more details.

Scenographer and puppeteer Ian McFarlane is offering two new workshops, one workshop in scenic design for the outdoor stage for adults and teens, and a woodcarving and marionette workshop for all ages. These workshops begin at the end of June and will delve into large design projects and small puppet builds, respectively, using driftwood, found materials and various woodcarving techniques.

New Orleans-based artists Kathy Randels and Sean LaRocca are back June 11-23 to lead an expanded music workshop to develop music created in 2018 and lead singers and musicians through songwriting and improvisation processes inspired by the land and water. This workshop is open to musicians and vocalists of all ages and levels, and takes place indoors and outdoors in New Glasgow.

Joanna Caplan will be leading a twice-weekly, all-ages movement workshop, June 30-July 18, to create outdoor group choreography on land and water. Laura Astwood will be back in early June to teach stilt-walking basics, partner work and choreography to new stilt-walkers and alumni.

Workshop registration is now open. Check out the details & sign up here. We will be announcing more workshops in Kids Drama and Creative Writing later this month, as well as an exciting new collaboration with the Waterways Paddling Festival.

We hope you’ll join us for a magical experience this summer!