It’s been nearly five decades since the production “Paper Wheat” first saw the stage lights. At the time, the Saskatchewan born musical became a cultural phenomenon, first in its home province, and later right across the country.
The story had been lost in the shadows of time until the creative minds at Dancing Sky Theatre brought it back to life this season with a revival of sorts. Dancing Sky’s artistic director Angus Ferguson recalled the play taking hold in the province when he first arrived from the UK in 1979. It was simply time for a new generation to experience the production, and Dancing Sky Theatre did the original writing collective proud with its presentation of the time honoured gem.
Five talented stage performers cycled through myriad characters, anchored by their immigrant settler stage personas, with the flying fingers of musician Jordan Wellbourne providing the thematic segways.
“Paper Wheat” honours Saskatchewan in a variety of ways. The opening of the play catches the optimism of Europeans embarking on a new journey to find their fortunes in an untilled land. The opening “Roll Out” musical number harkens to the establishment of the east west railway connections and the associated communities on which the province's foundations were laid.
The play chronicles the harsh reality of the existence on the prairies through the harsh climate, the 30’s dust bowl and the perils of grassfires and pests adding to the challenges. Through it all, the characters emerge from their initial isolation to understand that cooperation and mutual support is the only way to tame their vast new environment. From the agonies of considering abandoning their new homeland to discovering love, a new family, and an even broader collective connection, the pioneers grow in trust and in understanding of what it takes to pioneer a new province.
When the settler folk come up against the spirit of greed and capitalism, their efforts toward cooperation become more organized. Through the backdrop of war and international strife, the prairie farmers imagined and enacted an “army of the common good.”
The cast, Carson Walliser, Eusebias Scribante, Kevin Moxley, Lauren Griffin and Savana Gallant, spun and sang their way through their settler alter-egos and a host of characters reflecting the profit hungry marketing establishments, and the key figures that worked for the betterment of farmers. Moxley’s turn as Edward Alexander Partridge, key catalyst for organizations that led to co-op marketing and ultimately provincial policies including universal health care, was inspired.
The production is enhanced by a spare set design of quickly movable panels, all exquisitely designed and painted by well-known artist Grant McConnell.
At times, the importance of the province in shaping the early political and social landscape of the country has been lost. At a critical juncture now in North American history, the play serves as a reminder of the roots of democratic socialism and echoes an important part of Saskatchewan’s history that went on to inspire a nationwide movement, which has shaped the country's identity in some ways.
Far from a political manifesto, “Paper Wheat” is a joyous and thought-provoking romp, nurtured by a cast that successfully channels the spirit of the original stage production nearly fifty years later.
The show has one more weekend in its run, wrapping up on May 11. For details and tickets, head to dancingskytheatre.com.