“Spirit Horse” comes to GREC

Apr 22, 2015

Students in grades four through eight at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake were taken on a wild ride thanks to a special presentation in the school gym on April 20. The dramatic production titled “Spirit Horse” is a professional traveling show put on by Roseneath Theatre in partnership with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. Currently in its fourth week of touring, it will be presented to a total of 100 schools in Ontario.

The production is a highly energetic tale about an Aboriginal family who have lost their mother and are faced with a number of real life challenges as they try to exist in an urban setting.

The tale involves a horse called Wild Wind, who appears thanks to a vision of the children’s grandfather as the family struggles with issues of racism, poverty, illiteracy and the death of a loved one in an urban setting, all of which deal them a number of challenging blows. The production aims to teach students through dramatic story telling about a number of difficult social issues while giving students a chance to explore a different aspect of life that they might be unfamiliar with.

The plot centers around two First Nations youth struggling in a single parent home and trying to find a balance between their traditional ways and the urban world. The play is a Native American adaptation by Drew Hayden Taylor of the Irish play Tir Na N' Og by Greg Banks and is based on a re-telling of the Stoney Nakoda Nation legend about Spirit Horses.

The four-member cast had their work cut out for them as they aptly brought to life 65 different characters in the play, which lasted just under one hour and was performed at break neck speed. With the help of a small but inventive set that included an old car seat and a dramatic piece of scaffolding that the actors climbed in, over and on top of, the actors used a combination of inventive dramatic styles and music to bring this energetic and cathartic tale to life. Musician Alex Lamoureux played a number of instruments including drums, jaw harp, accordion, fiddle, flutes and his own boot-clad feet to add a musical dimension to the piece, which kept the action rolling along.

Tim Hill, who played the main roles of the children’s father and grandfather as well as the very proud, spirited and sure-footed horse, Wild Wind, was both comedic and emotionally engaging and covered a broad swath of dramatic ground in the play.

Equally engaging were Brianne Tucker and Dakota Hebert who played the other two main roles, daughters Jessie and Angie respectively. Both showed depth in their portrayals of the young daughters who were faced with the challenges of trying to live life with a grieving single father while grieving themselves and facing the struggles and engaging adventures that come their way.

The story ends on a positive note as the family comes together to accept their mother’s death while demonstrating how perseverance and team work can enable them to overcome the obstacles that they are presented with.

The GREC students appeared mesmerized by the tale and their questions following the performance showed how story telling through the dramatic arts can engage youngsters in a number of difficult real life issues.

The cast, who are representatives of Canada's Métis, Inuit, and First Nations communities, should be commended on their performances. Prior to the show at GREC they, along with behind the scenes stage manager Dana Paul, were interviewed on CBC's Ontario Morning with Wei Chen. Following their performance the cast and crew packed the set into their pick up truck and headed off to Lombardy, where they performed the play again that afternoon.

For teachers wanting to bring attention to a number of important social issues that face youngsters today, Spirit Horse offers a creative outlook on the challenges that face us all as we struggle to maintain balance in what can often be a difficult, challenging and sometimes dangerous world. For more information visit Spirithorse.ca