There is an idea among many New Brunswick youth that local stories are unromantic, that nothing interesting has ever happened in our own backyards, and that New Brunswickers live simple lives devoid of adventure.
But if the province’s theatre scene is any indication, this is far from the truth.
Students and young actors bring local and often-forgotten lore to vibrant life on stage, where the stories can reach out to audiences to demonstrate just how adventurous New Brunswick can really be.
The Next Folding Theatre Company, based out of Fredericton, often draws inspiration from local lore for their productions. According to their website, the company is “dedicated to producing theatrical works created by new and emerging Canadian artists.”
One of these artists is Emily Bossé, a first-year master in creative writing student at University of New Brunswick.
She was also one of the six young actors involved in the Next Folding’s most recent project, Cold Woman: New Brunswick’s Murderess, a tale about the killer from Woodstock, Sophia Hamilton.
She has worked with the company on past productions, such as Pistols and Petticoats: Shadows of Sarah Emma Edmonds, which was a story about a New Brunswick woman who fought in the Civil War.
The process of these productions was driven almost entirely by the students and young actors; the writing, directing, and acting were all done by them.
Emily Bossé said the interest in local lore can be found in younger artists because it’s a part of self-discovery.
“A lot of people our age are looking for connections to their community,” she said.
It’s through these searches for community ties that these local legends are rediscovered and retold on the stage. Bossé said that digging up these stories made her more connected to her province as an artist.
“It made me hugely interested in mining our own history for inspiration.”
But young actors bringing local lore to the stage is about more than self-discovery; it’s about perpetuating New Brunswick culture and giving back to the community.
In Miramichi, Ryan VanBuskirk and Chris Matheson co-direct the Dare the Dark with the Headless Nun tour. The tour takes place in French Fort Cove, and this is the stage for the young actors to continue the Headless Nun tradition.
VanBuskirk is a second-year St. Thomas University student who comes from Miramichi. He said that it’s important that young talent carry on this tradition, because it shows that the old wives’ tales that are so integral to the Miramichi identity will be carried on in this generation, and generations to come.
The Headless Nun story has been in circulation, in the form of an oral tradition, for at least 200 years.
“It must be an important story if people keep telling it,” he said.
Matheson, history teacher and drama director at Miramichi Valley High School, said young actors offer something different to local lore.
“People that age give their own unique energy.”
This energy is valuable for keeping local history afloat. It’s also beneficial to the young actors themselves.
“I say to my students all the time, ‘You can’t always take, you have to give back.’ They’re contributing to the community,” said Matheson.
Ultimately, the preservation of local folklore, through the medium of theatre and by young storytellers, is all about identity. These young actors develop connections to their communities by taking the romance, the mystery, and the adventure found in their own backyards and showcasing it for the world to see.
It’s about truly having a place, and showing a genuine interest in that place.
“Local stories, whether they’re real or not, are part of who we are. It falls on us to keep it alive,” said Matheson.
