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Hope Matters Podcast - Virtual Gold: LISTEN! Presentation

Part of Western Gold’s National Indigenous History Month 2021 programming
and presented in partnership with Full Circle: First Nations Performance, featuring Lee Maracle, Columpa Bobb, and Tania Carter.

Join multiple award-winner Lee Maracle and her daughters Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter as they read from their book Hope Matters, which takes us on the journey of Indigenous people from colonial beginnings to reconciliation
. Maracle states that the book “is also about the journey of myself and my two daughters.” During their youth, Bobb and Carter wrote poetry with their mother, and eventually they all decided that one day they would write a book together. This book is the result of that dream.
Written collaboratively by all three women, the poems in Hope Matters blend their voices together into a shared song of hope and reconciliation.

Traditional welcome and song shared by Xwechtaal Dennis Joseph.

Coast Salish Anthem

George Family Tsleil-waututh Nation

Thank you to the George Family of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation for use of Coast Salish Anthem.

Video and Editing by Xwechtaal Dennis Joseph and Stephen Bulat
of Mix Media Productions.

Western Gold Theatre gratefully acknowledges that we are on the traditional and un-ceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. We deeply thank them for so generously allowing us to live, work and play on their beautiful lands.

Artists’ Bios

LEE MARACLE - Lee Maracle is an Elder and Siem and a member of the Stó:lō Nation, in British Columbia. Lee is one of Canada’s most prolific and celebrated authors having fostered a tremendous career as an internationally renowned author, writer, spoken word performer, and poet. Among other recognitions, Lee is an Order of Canada award recipient, and is currently a Professor within the Indigenous Studies Department at the University of Toronto, in addition to being a Traditional Teacher and Elder at First Nations House, and member of the Elders’ Circle. Lee is the granddaughter of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George.

COLUMPA C. BOBB - Columpa is a playwright, actor, educator, and activist of Tsleil Waututh and Nlaka’pamux heritage. She has been a theatre practitioner for over 33 years. She has worked across Canada and the globe. Jumping Mouse (co-written with Marion deVries), a play for young audiences, was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award and a James Buller Award. She’s also an award-winning actor, known for both stage and television work.

TANIA CARTER - Tania has a Master’s degree in theatre, which was written in poetry and dance. She was guided by the late Leonard George. She has a BA in World Literature and is a part author of Hope Matters. Her poetry has been published in several reviews and anthologies, and she attended Enowkin International School of Writing and Spirit Song theatre School.

XWECHTAAL DENNIS JOSEPH - Xwechtaal Dennis Joseph is a traditionally trained speaker in the Coast Salish Longhouse. He is deeply involved in many Traditional Cultural and Spiritual activities including Tribal Journeys and supporting families in times of loss. Among others he attributes his teachings primarily to Coast Salish Elders. He worked for Squamish Nation for 40 years 28 of them as an elected representative.

Dennis is an accomplished musician He is co-founding member of Rock & Blues group Bitterly Divine. A few years ago he joined Rocking group Whyte Feather formed in 1968 and currently have a documentary on them in the works. More recently he formed a group with his Haida Gwaii brother Jamie Thomson whose music is based on their respective Cultures.

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Western Gold brings you THE SELFISH GIANT, a pastoral short story by Oscar Wilde. Not only is it a classic treasure, but also a true Easter treat—made even more so when read and interpreted by Bernard Cuffling.

For the Trivia Buff:
Before being imprisoned for homosexuality and sent to hard labour in 1895 after one of the most notorious trials in English history, Wilde was married to Constance Lloyd. Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson, he wrote The Selfish Giant and other fairy stories immediately after the birth of his two boys, Cyril and Vyvyan.

Read by Bernard Cuffling. Directed by Seamus Fera. Sound and Editing by Stephen Bulat and Mix Media Productions.

Bernard Cuffling

Bernard has been a professional Actor/ Director in Vancouver for 45 years. He was born in London, UK but is now [since 1974] a Canadian citizen.
Bernard has appeared or directed in major theatres in Western Canada. As an actor he has worked on productions at National Theatre in Ottawa and has been seen in more productions at the Vancouver Arts Club than any other actor. Bernard works in TV and movies as well.
In the year 2000, he was the recipient of the Sam Payne award, presented by UBCP@ACTRA. He received a Jessie award for a lifelong commitment in theatre and is also proud that he is a member of the BC Walk of Fame.

Seamus Fera

Seamus Fera (He/Him/His) is an emerging director, playwright and actor who holds a BFA in Acting from UBC. He is currently the Literary Manager of Western Gold Theatre and Assistant Directed Escaped Alone. He has worked for companies including The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, Carousel Theatre for Young People, The Only Animal, Promethean Theatre, Eternal Theatre Collective and United Players. During the pandemic, he has written three commissions- Curiouser, Persy’s Phone and Shakespeare in Translation. He is currently working on his original play The Wives. Seamus also works as an arts educator. He is on faculty at Arts Umbrella, The Anvil Centre and is the director of The Coquitlam Youth Theatre. He is excited to continue to create meaningful and important performances through this unprecedented period of our history.

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Listen to our first installment of Ellie O’Day On-Line! Interviews and candid conversations with the who’s who of theatre!

In honour of International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8, Ellie chats with actors and playwrights Jenn Griffin and Marilyn Norry, the forces behind My Mother’s Story, a grassroots initiative that has taken off and is documenting women’s history day by day—in the voices of their daughters.

International Women’s Day is a global event celebrating the achievements of women since 1911.

if you are looking for wardrobe inspiration for this particular day, purple, green, and white are the colours! Purple signifies justice and dignity; Green symbolizes hope; White represents purity (albeit a controversial concept)!

Sound and editing by Stephen Bulat and Mixed Media Productions

A bit about this episode's artist:

Ellie O’Day has worked in music, performing arts and cultural industries for nearly 40 years. She was one of North America’s first female DJs in the 70s, a columnist for the Georgia Straight in the 80s, and Executive Director of Pacific Music Industry Assn in the 90s. For 17 years, her O’Day Productions provided media relations to The Cultch, festivals (PuSh Festival, Children’s Festival, VIFF, VIBC, Sonic Boom, KickstArt, Sound of Dragon), theatre companies, special events, CD launches and more. She has served on numerous boards, including twice as a Director of PAL Vancouver.

Marilyn Norry is a professional actor who has lived in the Vancouver area for 30 years. Favourite stage roles include Heidi Holland in The Heidi Chronicles (Vancouver Playhouse), Hagar Shipley in The Stone Angel (Firehall Theatre), Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter (United Players). On screen she has worked with directors Steven Spielberg (The BFG), Gillian Armstrong (Little Women), Brian De Palma (Mission to Mars), and with actors Johnny Depp, Sam Shepherd, Leonardo di Caprio and the many, many great actors who live and work right here. She is also the creator and producer of My Mother’s Story, a multimedia campaign encouraging people to write the story of their mothers’ lives so women’s history is valued, saved, and shared. www.mymothersstory.org

Jenn Griffin is grateful to live, work, and play on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples. As a playwright, Jenn was awarded the Sydney Risk award for best emerging playwright with her first play Drinking with Persephone. While an Associate at Playwrights Theatre Centre, Jenn created a multi-disciplinary play, The Long Call. In 2017, Jenn received an Arts Club Silver Commission for a new comedy entitled House and Home which premiered at The Firehall Arts Centre in 2020. Amongst her many roles as an actor, Jenn played “Vi” in Western Gold’s acclaimed production of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone in 2019.

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Western Gold brings you WORDS OF LOVE, PEARLS OF NOTE. This podcast riffs, jams and lays down a classic track to lead us on a journey of love thru the ages. Created, compiled and performed by Tom Pickett and Wild Blue Herons. A special thanks to Dee Daniels for all her collaboration and creative input.

A bit of info on this episode's artists:

Tom Pickett, a Jessie Award-winning actor, has toured the US and debuted in London’s West End with the Hal Prince production of Show Boat. He has lent his voice to many Arts Club productions, most recently The Matchmaker. Tom portrayed Gerald in Elephant and Piggie: We are in a Play and puppeted Winnie the Pooh in House at Pooh Corner (Carousel Theatre for Young People), and has appeared in several Vancouver Moving Theatre productions, including East End Blues/All That Jazz, Bah Humbug (co-production Simon Fraser University) and We Are the People. Tom's most recent TV projects were Hallmark’s The Angel Tree and Five Star Christmas, as well as an episode of the Turner and Hooch remake. Tom is a powerful vocal artist who can soothe the heart and arouse an audience with an eclectic repertoire of jazz, blues, R&B, funk, soul and gospel and is transitioning into spoken word artistry. He dipped his “Big Hairy” toe into an audio teaser for Carousel Theatre for Young People with an adapted reading of The Thing at the End of the Bed.

Wild Blue Herons (WBH) are Bill Sample, Darlene Cooper and a group of stellar Vancouver based musicians who play mostly groove-oriented jazz. It’s a little bit hip, a bit cool, a bit smoky, a bit bluesy. But very much ACCESSIBLE. They perform original songs and select standards, ranging from funk to blues to R & B but with a jazz twist and a definite gospel influence. Their songs are filled with themes of love and social consciousness.

Wild Blue Herons have played in numerous festivals (the Filberg Festival, Ft. Langley Jazz and Arts Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival) as well as various Jazz Clubs (Frankies Jazz Club; Pat’s Pub – Jazz at the Pat series, Vernon Jazz club, to name a few). They have been featured with such artists as Eric Bibb, Marcus Mosely and the Marcus Mosely Chorale (MMC), Shari Ulrich and debuted their show “The Great Ladies of Jazz” at the historic Columbia Theatre in 2019. Bill and Darlene began working together in 2011 as music directors for the Vancouver based MMC. In writing songs and arrangements for the choir, they discovered they had a unique affinity for song writing, and so began their musical partnership which gave birth to the ensemble known as WBH. In 2018, they released their first album, “On the Outside”, which they feel describes themselves - “in music and life, the ‘outside’ is where you are when you are different. Good things can happen there”. They have started preproduction for their 2nd album, which will be released to the world in 2021.

Here’s what David Foster had to say when he came to hear WBH at Frankies: “I had the great pleasure of getting to hear my dear friend and colleague, Bill Sample, and the band WBH a couple of months back. It was a treat from beginning to end - great vocals from Darlene - incredible musicianship from everyone on stage and unique but very musical and thoughtful arrangements on every song!! The album doesn’t disappoint at all and a perfect reflection of who they are live. If you get a chance - please give them a listen - you will thank me” - David Foster (Grammy award winning producer)

www.wildblueherons.com

www.wildblueherons@gmail.com

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Western Gold brings you a hat trick of yuletide tales that have been delighting readers and listeners for well over a hundred years! Three classic, well-loved Christmas treasures, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,by Francis P Church, The Gift of the Magi by O’ Henry, and Christmas Day in the Morning, by Pearl S. Buck, are sure to instill the Christmas spirit in listeners of all ages.

Read by Russell Roberts. Music by Gower Roberts. Sound and Editing by Gower Roberts and Stephen Bulat 

A bit of info on this episode's artist:

Russell Roberts was born and raised in Wales and emigrated to Canada in 1973 with his parents. He graduated from the Old Vic Theatre School, Bristol, England in 1978. Russell has been a working actor since that time throughout Canada as well as in New York and Los Angeles. He settled in Vancouver in 1986 and married fellow actor Colleen Winton 1990. Their two sons, Sayer and Gower, are also in the business. He has performed in over 300 plays, musicals, films, TV and radio shows to date, and will continue to do so until the stage hook comes out. 

Local theatre audiences may have seen him with Western Gold, Vancouver Playhouse, Rumble Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, and TUTS. 

Wishing all 'Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda'. Russell

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Join us for an extraordinary journey of a Pacific yew tree's transformation. From destruction comes renewal, from adversity comes new beginnings. In this delightful, heartwarming story by Susan Adams, an old yew tree named Emily faces the axe. After initial concern and bewilderment, she embarks on a journey during which she experiences a new world, meets new friends and, in the end, discovers there is beautiful life after life. Suitable for all ages.

A Lute for Christmas was inspired by the story of endangered yew trees, hundreds of years old, which were cut down in the forests of BC and Washington for taxamine, a precious pharmaceutical enzyme. Like African elephants poached for their ivory, the bark was stripped, but the rest of the tree was discarded. The wood was stock piled in a lumberyard, destined to serve as fence posts.

Produced by Early Music Studio. Recorded and edited by Stu Goldberg (Stu Goldberg Studios). Originally released 2010-10-01.

Read by Anna Hagan, accompanied by Clive Titmuss on harpsichord and lute.

A bit about this episode's artist:

Anna Hagan's long and accomplished career was honoured with the 2013 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Career Achievement. In 2014 she was honoured to be Woman of the Year by UBCP/ACTRA.

She was an associate director of the Arena Theatre Company, a professional repertory company, where she directed and acted - among other plays: Waiting for Godot, The Merry Wives of Windsor, She Stoops to Conquer, and Hay Fever.

She served as assistant director of the Stratford Festival’s Young Company and was mentored by the internationally renowned director Robin Phillips, Anna then went on to be one of three Canadians invited to participate in the International Directors Seminar in London, England.

Her extensive acting credits include The Music Man, Our Town, A Man for All Seasons, - the acclaimed World Theatre 2000 production of The Mill on the Floss (Soulpepper Theatre, Toronto). Vancouver audiences will have seen her in A Delicate Balance, Old Goriot, Half Life, Home Child, Three Tall Women, The Dining Room, Homeward Bound, Red Birds & Escaped Alone.

Anna was the Artistic Director of Western Gold Theatre, for a total of 12 years. She now serves on the Board of Directors.

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Hear Dylan Thomas’ classic short story, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Set in the early to mid-1920s, the narrator remembers his childhood Christmases in a busy Welsh port town. Packed with details, it vividly illustrates what life was like for a child growing up in Wales between the world wars. The seaside town was a small world of its own—beyond which, from the child’s point of view, lay a bigger world of mystery and excitement. Suitable for all ages.

Read by Russell Roberts. Music by Gower Roberts. Sound and Editing by Gower Roberts and Stephen Bulat

A bit about this episode's artist:

Russell Roberts was born and raised in Wales and emigrated to Canada in 1973 with his parents. He graduated from the Old Vic Theatre School, Bristol, England in 1978. Russell has been a working actor since that time throughout Canada as well as in New York and Los Angeles. He settled in Vancouver in 1986 and married fellow actor Colleen Winton 1990. Their two sons, Sayer and Gower, are also in the business. He has performed in over 300 plays, musicals, films, TV and radio shows to date, and will continue to do so until the stage hook comes out.

Local theatre audiences may have seen him with Western Gold, Vancouver Playhouse, Rumble Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, and TUTS.

He has performed A Child's Christmas in Wales many times with The Vancouver Chamber Choir, and they produced a CD A Dylan Thomas Christmas in 2014. Russell, Colleen and pianist/composer Brian Tate have presented CCIW in The Red Dragon, Cambrian Hall, for the Vancouver Welsh Society for over a dozen Christmases, which are “round the sea town corner now and out of all sound except the . . . “ Wishing all 'Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda'. Russell