A year-long journey (October 2014-2015) of cross-cultural community-building and truth and reconciliation led to our creating and performing 1784: (Un)Settling Antigonish. Our community theatre production—rather, pilgrimage—performed by a cast of 30 spanning all ages, ethnicities, and levels of experience, taught us our shared history. The documentary film was produced to share with educators, community development workers, and all those committed to bridge-building through speaking truth to history.
A digital version of the documentary film is available to rent or buy here.
Background
History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart
and we repeat history until we are able to make another’s pain in the heart our own. – Julius Lester
1784: (Un)Settling Antigonish was the outcome of a collaboration between Arts Health Antigonish (AHA!) and the Heritage Association of Antigonish. We framed this walk through history and popular theatre piece as a pilgrimage. More than a performance, the pilgrimage blurred the divisions between on-stage and off-stage participants. Our purpose was to walk the vision of truth and reconciliation. In order to speak truth to history, we drew many of our performers from the same racial and geographical communities as the characters they portray. Beginning with the first rehearsal, the diverse cast and creative team pored over the script, and together negotiated and fine tuned the often uncomfortable dialogue between Settlers and First Nations, between Black Loyalists and White British Loyalists, and between Acadian and other European settlers. It was a conscious and collaborative decision to use the language of the historical moment, even when it was offensive and racist to present-day ears. Yes, “Indians” and “slaves.”
The collaborative script challenged the Eurocentric written record and the images of settlers only in the historical reenactment at Antigonish Harbour at the two-century mark in May 1984. What happened to the nameless 18 “servants” who were assigned to high-ranking officers in the Hierlihy Corps? Do they number among the lost records of Black Loyalists? Did these settlers of Irish heritage honour the burial grounds at Town Point where Jesuit priests from the nearby village of Pomquet blessed the interment of their Mi’kmaw and Acadian parishioners? Were there marriages of settlers and Mi’kmaq other than Captain Timothy Hierlihy to “Lucy” his Consort, with whom he is buried at Town Point?
Synopsis
A year-long journey (October 2014-2015) of cross-cultural community-building and truth and reconciliation led to our creating and performing 1784: (Un)Settling Antigonish. Our community theatre production—rather, pilgrimage—performed by a cast of 30 spanning all ages, ethnicities, and levels of experience, has taught us our shared history. The documentary film has been produced to share with educators, community development workers, and all those excited about bridge-building through speaking truth to history.
With sponsorship from the Department of Seniors and many other local sponsors, we performed our theatrical pilgrimage to the first permanent European settlement of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, five times during the summer of 2015. Several hundred viewers witnessed this challenge to the Eurocentric historical record, as we opened spaces for re-storying public narratives, and gave new voice to long silent peoples who have suffered cultural genocide and other wounds of history.
The Documentary Film
This documentary film broadens our re-storying for global participation in the cause of truth and reconciliation.
Promo / Preview (7 Min)
People’s Theatre: A Co-Creation
In the tradition of popular theatre, our performers come from the same racial and geographical communities as the characters they portray—specifically, our Mi’kmaq, Acadian, Irish, Scottish, African, and American Nations. Many performers were on stage for the first time, and from the first rehearsal our diverse cast and creative team negotiated and fine-tuned Dorothy’s original script to achieve a ring of truth in the often uncomfortable dialogue between Settlers and First Nations, between Black and White Loyalists, and between Acadian and other European Settlers. The resulting script is a Nation-to-Nation co-creation.
The film highlights the tensions and triumphs of our truth and reconciliation process, and the everyday realities embedded in the words: “We are all treaty people.” It integrates video footage and still images from rehearsals and performances with interviews with the cast, creative team, and our “fellow pilgrims” from the audience.
Impact
We see our film as an imperative follow-up to our play. It would be all too easy to let the truth and reconciliation process lapse, congratulating ourselves on making a start on healing the wounds of history in our community. But the re-storying and healing has only just begun. Our film seeks to challenge viewers worldwide to engage actively through our Guide’s participatory activities. Because the truth and reconciliation that took place—both on and off the stage—will resonate with the colonization experience of inter-generational historical trauma throughout the world.
We believe the truth and reconciliation that took place, both on and off the stage, will resonate throughout the world with the colonial experience of inter-generational historical trauma.
In our particular Canadian context, our creative team, actors, and audiences — pilgrims all —were challenged to acknowledge that it was during the 18th and 19th centuries that the seeds were sown that gave rise to our Canadian residential schools, and the segregation of Europeans from African and First Nations communities, of Catholics from Protestants, and Anglophones from Francophones, in our churches, schools, and throughout our communities.
This film is our first response to the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Report’s 94 Calls to Action, addressing #62 of Education for Reconciliation: *Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.
The Video
TITLE: 1784: (Un)Settling Antigonish
Sub Title: Speaking Truth to History
More information
ISBN: 978-1-9901370-7-5
Format Online Video (Rent or Buy)
CATEGORY: Video
TAGS: history, Antigonish, community theatre
