I am so impressed by the work the Port Moody Station Museum has done to help us all try to comprehend what it must have been like for soldiers in the trenches during WW1.  Through Monique Renaud, Public Relations Manager of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and Markus Fahrner of the Port Moody Station Museum, it was arranged that I would read from my play Running: The Alex Decoteau Story at a Candlelight Vigil at the Museum on November 10^th.

First the audience was in the Museum to hear a very informative talk on Passchendaele by John Goheen. Then they were given covered candles to carry into the trenches for the vigil. I stood on a second floor deck of the Museum, very moved to look down at the candles in the trenches, as I read excerpts from my play. People told me afterwards that they felt they knew Alex Decoteau because of hearing details such as his height, small pox vaccination mark, and tattoo on his left arm. I was also able to read excerpts from the last letter Alex Decoteau wrote home to his sister, Emily. A few days before he was shot by a sniper while running a message at the Battle of Passchendaele he wrote, “Give my love to Grannie when you see her. Love to the children. Remember me to what few friends I have left. For yourself love and affection from your brother, Alex.

I would like to thank all the people at the Port Moody Station Museum for putting on this wonderful event which will lift up our hearts and help the spirit of Alex Decoteau live on.

Photo by Tom Cameron of Charlotte with the The Gabriola Sounder for event promotion.

Candlelight Vigil at Port Moody Museum November 10

I feel privileged to have been invited to read from my historical play, Running: The Alex Decoteau Story, at the Port Moody Station Museum.

Opening of New Alex Decoteau Park in Edmonton

Credit: Rick Beauchamp

The official opening of Alex Decoteau Park in Edmonton on September 16, 2017 was a stirring event. The 16 foot sculpture, Esprit by Pierre Poussin, captures the spirit of Alex Decoteau who has been remembered since he was shot by a sniper while running a message at the Battle of Passchendaele, on October 30, 1917.

The lore is, if this popular Olympic runner and Canada’s first Indigenous policeman saw a car going more than 15 miles an hour he would run after it and give the driver a speeding ticket. A few years later when he was a soldier at the front, Alex wrote to his sister, Emily, saying soldiers would shake his hand and ask if he remembered ticketing them.

Alex has always been remembered by his extended family, friends and admirers. His great-niece, Izola Mottershead, who saved his letters to Emily, spoke at the opening. One can’t help but wonder what Alex would think about a park in his name. In one letter to Emily he wrote, “Give my love to Grannie when you see her. Love to the children. Remember me to what few friends I’ve left. For yourself, Good wishes, love and affection, from your brother Alex.”

The park opening was a joyous occasion, attended by friends and relations who have kept the story running and Alex Decoteau’s memory will continue to lift up our hearts, just like the sculpture soaring above the crowd.

Credit: Rick Beauchamp

Malcolm Lowry's Nephew on Gabriola!

Sue Colvin, Charlotte Cameron, Nick Colvin

It was pure serendipity that I discovered that Malcolm Lowry's nephew, Nick Colvin, and his wife Sue, both Londoners, were spending a few days visiting Gabriola Island this summer. They were following the Malcolm Lowry connection to the island. Thanks to Tovalis at Surf Lodge, who spotted them, and Alison Douglas, who introduced herself and got Sue's email address for me, I was able to contact them and invite them over to our home. They were as delighted to learn about my play, October Ferries to Gabriola, as we were to meet them.

What is the difference between a radio play and a staged play?

The performance on October 2, 2016 at Surf  Lodge:
Tina Jones, Chris Jans, Drew Staniland,
Kathy McIntyre, David Botten 

I got to find out for myself when I stepped in to one of the roles at a rehearsal for my radio play, October Ferries to Gabriola. (By candlelight because of a power outage.) All I had to do was read the lines in the script, while the actors did everything else.

It is so cramped and busy up there at a mic, and the actors play several parts, often with different accents. There are no separate scenes written into the script, it’s a matter of swiping back and forth, sometimes with a narrator setting the scene.

A radio play moves faster than a staged play. There’s no pausing, no chance to catch your breath. And surprisingly, the actors don’t just stand there. They move around, over to the typewriter, over to the shoes that make the walking sounds, whistles for bird calls, and neatly arranged pieces of glass which sound just like a glass breaking when hit together.

Kathy McIntyre played Margerie, an actressy actress, who shook her bracelets for emphasis. Finding the perfect bracelets was a bit of a challenge, but they were effective, dangling from a string tied to a microphone.

The actors had to practice to keep from laughing. They didn’t slip up once, but they knew that, if they did, the audience would get a kick out of it.