STUDY GUIDE FOR CANADIAN SCHOOLS

brought to you by THE SALON ACTING COMPANY

Theatre the way its going to be

If I had influence over the minds of the people of Canada, any power over their intellect, I would leave them this legacy: Whatever you do, adhere to the Union. We are a great country, and shall become one of the greatest in the universe if we preserve it. Sir John A. Macdonald

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Creators..4 History of the Show.5 About SALON Acting Company.6 After the Show...7 The Trial of Louis Riel7 The Canadian Pacific Railway8 National Schools Tour...9

Appendix: Macdonald and Social Sciences Curriculum Connections...10

APPENDIXMACDONALD AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Maritimes.10 Grade 7 (all provinces)..10 Nova Scotia (Canadian History 11) PEI (Canadian History 621A)..11 Prince Edward Island...13 Canadian Studies CAS401A.13 New Brunswick.14 Canadian History 122..14 Political Science 12015 Quebec16 Social Sciences: Cycle 3.16 The History of Quebec and CanadaHistory 414: Secondary IV17 Ontario Grade 7.17 Grade 8.18 CHI4U Canada: History, Identity, Culture Communities: Local, National, Global.19 Manitoba...21 Grade 5.21 Grade 6.22 Saskatchewan...24 Social Studies 5..24 History 3025 Alberta43 Grade 5 Social Studies43 Grade 7 Social Studies45 20-1 Perspectives on Nationalism and 20-2 Understandings of Nationalism46 British Columbia and the Yukon..47 Grade 5 Social Studies.49 Social Studies 10.49 Northwest Territories.52 Strand 9 Social Studies...52 Grades 10-12..52 Nunavut52

ABOUT THE CREATOR

Jim Garrard was born in Northern Ontario in 1939. He was founding Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille and President of Rochdale College. He has taught theatre at Simon Fraser University and the University of Toronto and has written extensively for film and television. His play, Cold Comfort was released as a feature film by Northstar Entertainment. He is currently the Executive Producer of SALON Theatre Productions. Garrard shared his thoughts on the evolution of Sir John, Eh? The Musical and working with the SALON Acting Company:

Why did you chose to write Sir John, Eh? The Musical? Were a theatre company working in Kingston. In Kingston, there is a lot of historic architecture which makes you think of the constituency John A. represented for almost all of his adult life. If hes not a local hero, I dont know who is. You Can never really say why an artist choses to write a play or book with any accuracy. Its an amalgamation of a lot of feelings and thoughts that lead you there; rational thought and a lot of intuition. You end up saying: Of all the things I could write about, this is what I want to write about today. If you want to write about it the next day and the day after then it is worth writing. Sir John, Eh? passed the test. What is it like to work with an ensemble cast of young musician/actors? It is a privilege to work with young people. In 2010, our Artistic Director Layne Coleman and several of us had the idea that it would make sense to have young people play for young people. So we created a company that was young, professionally trained and talented. We implemented the principle of two-way mentorship. My generation of theatre has a lot of technique and experience to pass along but we dont have youth. We learn a lot about how the world is beginning to operate in a different way. The young cast are clearly learning from us so it is a happy relationship. How did you get started as a playwright/director? I like writing plays and creating a changeable, malleable piece of entertainment that has a life of its own. When I was in grade 4, we had Friday afternoon variety shows. I was the one who always directed them or put on a funny hat. Also, I loved to reading classic literature. When you read the great works, have to give yourself up to it otherwise its just boring old-fashioned words. In my case, I could see the actors speaking and worked fairly hard to try to understand what the language was

What is most compelling about the work you do? Theatre at the very base is one spectator and one performer. It is very simple and immediate as opposed to making a movie. With film, you write a script, direct and film it, and then show the movie it is a process that spreads over a long time period. It is theoretically possible to create a theatre piece today and share it with an audience today; there is real immediacy and a lot of life there. If you make a film, film is the same everyday, the work is the same everyday. If you make a play, it is different everydaythe actors are different, the audience is different. We call it plays and it is plays childs play. Most people who are in the theatre havent been able to give up their childhoodand why should they?

HISTORY OF THE SHOW

Sir John, Eh? The Musical was written by Jim
Garrard and Grant Heckman in the mid-1990s. It played for 3 years at the Grand Theatre in Kingston, Ontario and then moved to Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon in 1999. The play was intended for general audiences and was very well-received. Garrard was often approached by educators after the show who declared that every student in Canada should see this show because they thought it was educational in an entertaining way. In 2007-2008, Garrard and Heckman began to conceive of using Sir John, Eh? as a means of engaging young people in thinking about how they are governed as a response to a diminishing faith in the political system.

Garrard says: In our small way we, hope to use entertainment as an antidote to the decline of our collective faith in politics. We thought lets rejig Sir John, Eh? and add music that speaks to young people. So we added a layer of indie music, married it to 19th century music; brought Sir John A. and his family back from the dead and married them with imagined but representative 20th century young people.

In 2010, Sir John, Eh? The Musical was performed outdoors in Boucher Park, Kingston, Ontario. In 2011, it was performed in Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church (John A.s former parish). The Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission presented the musical in January 2013 as the marquee event of our yearly celebrations of Macdonalds birthday on January 11th, leading up to the bicentennial in 2015. Last years performance at the Grand Theatre marked the return of Sir John, Eh? The Musical to where it started in 1996.

ABOUT THE SALON ACTING COMPANY

Company members (from left): Paul Dyck, Matthew Donovan, Joanna Kellam, Patrick Downes, Anna Sudac, Jesse MacMillan The SALON Acting Company is a not-for-profit charitable organization with a mandate to create, promote and disseminate public events and performances that are rooted in Canadian arts, heritage and history. SALON provides performance and professional development opportunities for young, talented, trained artists, performers and managers. SALON seeks to make and present art in convivial circumstances. SALONs primary current project is the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission.

AFTER THE SHOW

The Trial of Louis Riel
The jury in Riels trial was entirely Anglo-Saxon and Protestant; Riel was Mtis, French-Catholic.

Discussion: How did different ethnic, cultural, religious groups interact in the 19th century? How are such differences expressed in Canada today?

Riels lawyer wanted to plead that Riel was insane and therefore not responsible for his actions. Riel opposed this strategy; his lawyers had the judge rule that he did not have permission to speak. Riel never had an opportunity to speak to his grievances with the Government of Canada.

Activity: Compile a list of Riels grievances and conduct a mock trial, bringing forward the information that was ignored at the time of his conviction.

Riel and his people turned to force in the Rebellion because they had limited resources and influence.

RESOURCES:
Moon River Metis Council, Louis Riel http://www.moonrivermetis.com/metis-history/louis-riel/ Historica Dominion Institute, Heritage MinuteLoius Riel https://www.historica-dominion.ca/content/heritage-minutes/ louis-riel

Discussion: What are alternative forms of political protest? Discuss the effectiveness of each type of protest in the current context.

Ontario History and Social Sciences Teachers Association, Louis Riel Trial Simulation Information Package, http://ohassta.org/resources/canhis.htm

Activity: Think about an issue that you would like to draw attention to at your school. Organize a peaceful campaign for or against it. Make peaceful protest signs, provide information to students, write and deliver a speech stating your cause and seeking support. See how many signatures you can get on a petition for your cause.

AFTER THE SHOW

The Canadian Pacific Railway
Prior to the introduction of the railway, communities were isolated and, as a result, often viewed outsiders or people from different backgrounds with suspicion. Discussion: How was the life of a prairie farm family different from an east coast fishing family in the 19th century? How were they similar? Activity: Pick two cultures in Canada (ie: Chinese and Haitian) or two distinct professions (ie: automotive worker and lawyer) and plan a party for the two groups. Include elements that are familiar to each group and find ways to help them learn about each other in an entertaining environment. Make decorations, food and refreshments, that capture the essence of what is distinct and similar about the groups.

Before the railway, people had to rely on what was locally available for food and resources. Today, we have access to goods from all over the country regardless of where we live. Discussion: Environmentalists are leading a Buy Local movement to reduce the amount of energy spent on transporting goods. How does this affect a) individuals, b) the environment, c) the economy? Activity: Make a list of foods grown within 100 kms of your community. Think of how they can be prepared and make a menu for a class lunch.

The Pacific Scandal

John A. Macdonald received campaign funding from proponents of the development of a national railway. He won the 1872 election but his involvement with railway developer Hugh Allen was revealed by Liberal opponents a year later. The Pacific Scandal forced Macdonald to resign.

Discussion: People of Canada at the time felt betrayed by Macdonald. Transparency in government continues to be one of the publics greatest concerns. Some historians argue that Macdonalds behaviour can be justified in that it led to the unification of the country with the railway. Do you agree or disagree with the idea that the end justified the means?

RESOURCES:
CPR, The Story of the Canadian Pacific Railway http://www.cpr.ca/en/about-cp/our-past-present-and-future/Documents/cpchildrens-history.pdf Historica Dominion Institute, The Canadian Encyclopedia http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/pacific-scandal

TOUR OF CANADIAN SCHOOLS

The Sir John A. Macdonald Commission is planning national celebrations leading toward our first prime ministers 200th birthday in 2015. A key component will be a cross-Canada tour to schools and communities of several Macdonald-themed theatre productions, including Sir John, Eh? The Musical, a show for all ages we have been helping develop with a superb company of young professional actors and musicians. Our intention is to engage Canadians, especially young Canadians, in thinking about our history, heritage and system of government. We rely on the magic of theatre.