Under a clear prairie sky with the sun gradually sinking in the west and a chorus of crickets, frogs and restless Canada geese bedding down before their seasonal journey, lovers of lore and language gathered on the edge of Meacham.
The idyllic backdrop set the stage for Fireside Stories III – Tell the Bees which will play for its second weekend from Thursday, September 11 through Sunday, September 14.
The storytelling performance revolves around the lore of bees – their history on the prairies, their importance to the settlers in a new land, their waning fortune with the onset of evolving agriculture practice, and their precarious resurgence that accompanies a growing understanding of their importance.
Far from a conventional theatre performance, the storytelling brings about a rich connection between the tellers and the audience who feel a part of a deep tradition nurtured by campfires and early autumn nights. It’s a feeling that defies description in some ways as each teller focusses on their own narrative and draws you into a different and immersive world.
The opening passage is a powerful and poetic narrative that wraps itself around listeners with a language that rivals any prairie literary passage. The senses come alive with the deepening sunset, the musical interludes, and uncanny sound produced acoustically by the story tellers, all intermingled with the natural orchestra in the background.
The audience learns about the natural tendencies of bees, their relentless pursuit of survival, the ingenious mechanisms for production and navigation, and the age-old practice of talking to bees, hinted at in the title.
No good campfire story would be complete without a bit of the macabre and a creepy tale masterfully delivered as the sun made its dramatic drop beneath the horizon.
Tell the Bees is a truly moving and thoroughly entertaining experience that’s a perfect way to settle into fall.
Tickets for the remaining shows are available at the Dancing Sky Theatre website.