The Calithumpians
Published Saturday June 27th, 2009
Interpreting history through theatre | Local theatre troupe has been entertaining the city for years and has a summer jam-packed with a variety of performances
Since 1982, the Calithumpians have been taking theatre to the streets - and the parks and the squares.
The goal of this troupe of talented entertainers is to provide fun and entertainment to tourists and locals alike. Social issues, history, even unsung heroes, all find their way into their performances.
This year promises some wonderful surprises, with plans already underway for a summer filled with Theatre-in-the-Park, Haunted Hikes, Act Now Drama Camps, Heritage Walking Tours, A Day in a Soldier's Life and more.
Peter Pacey is the troupe's founder and one of the original Calithumpians.
"Calithumpians has been going for 30 years, though this isn't our 30th year in the park," he says. "What we were in the beginning was an educational touring theatre company and we went out to schools all over the province."
The group toured for a couple of years before Pacey's partners went off to graduate school. After that, the focus changed and it became centred in the downtown area.
He wanted to "animate Fredericton and interpret the history of New Brunswick through theatre," he explains.
In 1982, Pacey began as a one-man show. Over the years, he hired more and more young people to perform and began building on what they offered. By 1985, the Calithumpians were performing seven days a week, doing shows between Canada Day and Labour Day. They're still doing that today.
"We've always had good support from the city and the province and the various summer employment programs," says Pacey, noting, "Over the 28 years, we've had somewhere between 350 and 400 young people working with the Calithumpians."
It's a great summer job according to those who have had it, he says, as it allows them to grow and develop personally and professionally.
"All of the work that we do is promoting positive messages about New Brunswick and Canada to our audiences," says Pacey. "We like to think of our audiences as family audiences. We do a lot for kids, but we believe in entertaining the whole family."
The mission of the Calithumpians is education, he says, "and theatre as a tool for education is a great thing."
This summer, the Calithumpians will have 22 young people working in downtown Fredericton, split between three crews. There will be three counsellors in the drama camps, eight heritage interpreters in the Garrison District providing tours and animation, and 11 actors in the Theatre-in-the-Park troupe.
Sarah Bell is one of the counsellors running the Act Now Summer Drama Camps for kids between the ages of five and 15.
"The kids write their own show and by the end of the week they're performing it, with the rest of the Calithumpians coming in pairs to work with them on various aspects from dance to voice to improvisation," says Pacey.
The children who participate in the summer camps are called Junior Calithumpians, says Bell, and the work they do during their week at camp is a "snippet" of the work done by the Calithumpians.
"Our plays have to have a good purpose, a good meaning behind it, a nice message," she says. The subjects change depending on the age groups, but it's always something the kids can relate to.
"The kids get to do everything, we just kind of guide them through it," says Bell.
Dave MacDonald is in charge of the Historic Garrison District Interpretation Program.
It covers a number of different areas and features a mythical militia unit called the Fredericton Fencibles.
"What we do is bring the history of Fredericton to life," he says. "We're centrally stationed in the guard house downtown, and as tourists come by, we'll give information about what it was like for the Loyalists when they first colonized here."
They do three free walking tours from City Hall from Canada Day to Labour Day. At 10 a.m., The River Route relates the role of the river through our history. At 2:30 p.m., The Capital City Circuit accentuates the cultural capital significance of Fredericton. At 5 p.m., The Garrison Gait shows people around the confines of the military compound.
"As well, we do A Day in a Soldier's Life, a French one at 11:15 a.m. and an English one at 1:15 p.m. (daily except Wednesdays and Sundays). You'll be able to put the kids in little red coat uniforms and do drills and show then what it was like to be a soldier without any of the bad stuff," says MacDonald.
It teaches kids history in a fun, informative manner, he says.
The group also does a show every day called Reveille, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, people are invited to play croquet in Barracks Square, free of charge.
Emily Bossé and Will Pacey are supervising Theatre-in-the-Park at Officers' Square, The Haunted Hike and workshops with the drama camps.
Every summer, the Calithumpians do four shows. Two of these are big shows and two are smaller shows.
One of their big shows is called Hope Restored - Hop Aboard.
It celebrates New Brunswick's 225th anniversary. The other is Back to the Garden, and is about the 100-mile diet and the wellness benefits of growing food at home.
"The two big shows are different themes than we've done in recent years.
"For the 225 years celebrating New Brunswick, we came up with the idea of a time travelling pirate ship, taking people back to the past, to different events," says Bossé.
The other large show isn't just about gardening and healthy eating, she says, it also looks at why healthy food is so expensive.
"Also the show will touch on the health benefits, not just the eating healthy but getting out in the garden and pulling weeds, the mental health benefits," says Will Pacey.
The two smaller shows are both for anniversaries. Parlez Games marks the 40th anniversary of official bilingualism in the province and It's in the BAG! focuses on the 50th anniversary of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Theatre-in-the-Park is held at Officers' Square from July 1 to Sept. 7, with shows at 12:15 on week days and at 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
The Haunted Hike goes at 9:15 p.m., Monday to Saturday, from July 2 to Sept. 5. Participants meet at The Coach House at the corner of Church and Queen streets (behind Gallery 78) and tour through haunted neighbourhoods in the downtown area.
"From year to year, it's never the same," says Bossé. "The characters are always different. It's always varied and it's always fun."
Both locals and tourists enjoy coming out to the wide array of programs offered by the Calithumpians.
When locals do come out to things like the tours, says MacDonald, "they always leave realizing there is a lot about the city that they're just not aware of."
As fun as everything is for participants, it's equally fun for the Calithumpians, says Bossé.
"It's an amazing experience ... It's an excellent opportunity to meet people and there is an opportunity for silliness as well," she says.
"You get to learn a lot about the history of your city," says MacDonald, adding it's also a great chance to be artistically creative, as they research and write all of the shows.
"Our enjoyment of the summer depends on how much we put into it."
To learn more about the Calithumpians and the programs it will be offering this summer, visit www.calithumpians.com.
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