On Jan. 24, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery will host a three-night showing of Ten Tom Thomsons, an original play by Ryan Griffith that explores the life and legacy of Tom Thomson.
Thomson was one of Canada’s most iconic landscape artists from the 20th century. The gallery is currently holding his exhibition North Star, which will be available until March 23.
In association with Non-stop Theatrics and Theatre New Brunswick, Griffith was tasked with bringing Thomson’s mysterious life to the theatre, while reflecting on the lasting impact of his work on Canadian art and culture.
“I like writing about things that I’m not familiar with. I like learning, so I said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it,’” said Griffith.
Griffith explained that he often conducts extensive research on a person and their history when preparing to write a play. However, he was unable to find any audio recordings or interviews with Thomson that could provide insights into the character he was portraying.
“[Tom Thomson] died right as he was reaching the height of his popularity … Most of the information we have about him is second hand,” said Griffith.
He said he eventually found an audio recording of a park ranger who became friends with the Canadian artist. According to Griffith, this was the decisive moment when he knew he had a starting point to understand Thomson and establish a foundation for his story.
“I think it’s important to see how we as Canadians have taken his art and stories and built up this whole mythology around him,” said Griffith. “To study Tom Thomson is to study how people interact with art.”
While doing his research, Griffith realized he wasn’t the only writer to ever create a play around Thomson’s life. He discovered a musical made 15 years ago in Algonquin Park.
Even though there are many rumours and stories about the artist, the playwright said the play aims to highlight the interaction between people and art and how mythology can shape our perception of historical figures.
“As much as Tom Thomson painted Canada, Canada really painted Tom Thomson,” he said.
Ten Tom Thomson is divided into ten sections, each representing a different aspect of the artist’s life. The title also reflects the idea that Thomson could be perceived as multiple people due to the folklore surrounding him.
“I always go around thinking I have a pretty good handle on Canadian history and then I get assigned this subject, ” he said. “This whole time you realize you had this whole blind spot in your conceptualization of Canadian history and all of a sudden that starts filling in.”
Griffith said he was excited for the first night as he was certain this play would bring the community together.
“We’re expecting kind of a cross-section. We’re hoping that people who are just fans of art will come out and expose themselves to theatre and people who wouldn’t normally come to the theatre, we think are going to be attending the show because it’s downtown, in the gallery.”
The playwright hopes the play will spark thought and discussion among the audience.
“I just want the cast and crew to have a lot of fun. I want the audience to have a lot of fun,” he said.
