Story | A Portrait of Home Through Song and Story
Story is presented at The Guild in Charlottetown through August.
Review by Mo
Duffy Cobb
Welcome to the
magic of Story. Creators Colin
Buchanan and David Weale offer a soulful feast of story and song, and the
audience ingests the Prince Edward Island stories as ravenously as any juicy
bit of gossip. In Story, we're
invited to look a little closer at the things that make up our stories of home:
farming, wakes, politics, and what it means to be an islander.
I loved the
concept for this show. Storytelling shows have long been a mainstay of Island
stages, yet this one is different. Mike Walker plays the wonderful character of
Story, a simple yet richly philosophical character that some have likened to
the Willy Wonka of the production, with dark stormy curls, ponderous
declarative statements and provocative questions. “We are human,” he says, “We
reach out for milk, we reach out for love, and we reach out for story.”
Story, in his
red vest and tailcoat, is tasked with taking the audience on a journey, the
inside story of stories themselves. He becomes our vessel to fill, and uses
local storytellers and musicians to illustrate the power of the tales we tell.
I took David
Weale out for a coffee to get a bird's eye view of this production. “That's the
treat that people get, they get to see inside story itself,” Weale
said. Even in the scene of the wake, he says, “story turns the heavy metal of
grief into the soft remembrance of memory.”
He also
mentioned that he loved working with Buchanan, an award-winning musician and
producer. “His youthful freshness and enthusiasm was a perfect match for the
benefit of my experience.” Director Buchanan blends footage of Island people
with storytellers Alan Buchanan and Hank Stinson, who honour them for a
sparkling moment by giving them the stage.
The storytellers
are delightful. Renowned Island storyteller Alan Buchanan brings laughter and reflection
to his main role in the Arts Guild production of Story; while long-time Island actor Hank Stinson carries on with
ease and grace. The two exchange local humor and famous island stories from the
Redhead Road in Morell, poke fun at the powers that be in Prince Edward Island,
and describe the time waiting for the ferry as “quality time with islanders”.
These are all part of our fabric as Islanders, the rich patches and patterns of
our stories as they fly through time and space.
“Music is the
vehicle, storytelling behind the wheel,” Story proclaims. The audience is riveted by Ashley Condon,
representing the feminine mystique, who fills the room with song but who also
acts as one of the main storytellers: a chariot for love, daughterhood, and
living with a mom who was an Island fisherwoman. The youthful talent of Dylan
Menzie also brings much to the production, including a musical intensity and focus
in his song about the end of the family farm.
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| Photo by Mo Duffy Cobb |
Weale currently
spends most of his days editing and curating his own publication, Red: The Island Story Book. You could
say he's a professional storyteller. I asked Weale why storytelling is more
important than ever. He explained that this show, and storytelling in general,
is a pushback against mass media, that we’ve become cultural voyeurs in a world
of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. “There are no particularities of place,”
Weale said, “It's somebody else imagining your life. It's time for us to tell
our stories, the stories of who we are. It's real.”
I ask David if
our stories are the same, or if they're changing. His answer surprises me. “They
need to change, Maureen,” he says. “The stories we've told have produced
tremendous unhappiness. It's time to change the narrative, and we have the
power to do that. Story is just a costume.” This hits a chord with me as I
reflect upon my own life, and the stories that I've told.
In Story, Prince Edward Island stories are
showcased and projected to the world. Weale adds that although the centre of
his philosophy is “the particular to the universal”, without the story, nothing
would exist.
Story is a show not just for Islanders, but for tourists alike.
It's enjoyable for all generations, as we are all crafting our own beginnings
and endings.
Story reminds us
that “In story, we learn about ourselves, we document our lives, and we define
our communities.”
Walker adds slyly,
with a wink and a nod that, “I am Story, and there's no place in this world
that I am not welcome.”
Story | A Portrait of Home Through Song and Story
Presented by David Cyrus MacDonald and Confederation
Entertainment
The Guild,
Charlottetown
Remaining shows: August 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26
Mo Duffy Cobb lives in
Charlottetown PEI. She is a ferocious writer, an English teacher and a student
of Creative Nonfiction at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. http://furthermo.com/
