With both emerging performers and those with ancestral connections bringing history to life on stage, Trent Valley Archives Theatre’s upcoming production of Crossing Over is a multi-generational celebration of Peterborough’s past, present, and future.
To be staged from May 29 to 31 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, Crossing Over commemorates the 200th anniversary of the emigration of more than 2,000 Irish settlers to Peterborough and the Kawarthas region under a plan devised by Upper Canada politician Peter Robinson.
Written by Ed Schroeter and Gerry McBride, the play picks up following the end of Tide of Hope — the company’s sold-out inaugural production staged last May — that focused on David Nagle, an Irish land agent who was forced to flee to Upper Canada when Irish rebels branded him a traitor. Some of the actors in Tide of Hope are also performing in Crossing Over, including Lucas Pronk, who will reprise the role of Peter Robinson.
“Peter Robinson is a well-known figure of our area that hasn’t been written the way that Ed and Gerry have, and the way Lucas Pronk continues to play him,” says director Drew Mills. “After 200 years, it’s a great opportunity to learn about our history again.”
Crossing Over is set on the John Barry, the emigrant transport ship that Nagle boarded when he fled Ireland. The John Barry was the last of the nine Peter Robinson ships to leave Ireland at the end of May 1825 — exactly 200 years before the play is being staged.
While Mills took on the role of Nagle in the first play, he has since put on the director’s hat, with Nagle now being played by the “talented” Eddy Sweeney, who starred in the Peterborough Theare Guild’s production of Stephen Massicotte’s World War I play Mary’s Wedding last October.
“Transitioning from actor as David Nagle to watching Eddie Sweeney play David has been quite a treat,” says Mills. “It isn’t very often that a character persists between shows.”
Of the nine Robinson ships, the John Barry had the longest and most tumultuous journey, with its 253 passengers living in cramped quarters and unhygienic conditions — many facing malnutrition — while the ship frequently encountered bad weather and stormy seas.
Though Crossing Over is a fictionalized story of the ship’s six-week journey, its portrayal of near shipwrecks, the misadventures of troubled teens, passenger rebellions, and mistrust and fear was drawn from a detailed journal kept by ship surgeon William Burnie as well as an article by Don Willcock, a staff member of the Peterborough Museum & Archives and president of the Peterborough Historical Society, who is the script’s history consultant.
Willcock’s article was about John Barry passenger and seanchaí John Kelleher, who Schroeter and McBride decided to make the narrator of Crossing Over. And who better to play a seanchaí than a real-life seanchaí? Perhaps that’s what Mills was thinking when he cast Hugh Foley in the role of the traditional Irish storyteller and oral historian.
Uniquely qualified for the role, Foley is the seanchaí for Foley’s Irish Pub, a show combining storytelling and live music that has run every year around St. Patrick’s Day for the past decade at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. Always harbouring an interest in Irish history, Foley has also travelled to Ireland several times and has shared stories as the author of Short Tales of Ireland and Tales From a Seanchaí.
“The script is very interesting and I’m enjoying the character Kelleher,” Foley says, noting he hasn’t previously had a role in a play though his interest in the 200th anniversary of the emigration inspired him to get involved.
“Anybody of Irish background, this is right up their alley. This is where they came from and this is how they got here, so it will certainly interest anyone of Irish background, but any history buff would be interested.”
As well as being a seanchaí, Foley is a descendant of several Irish settlers who were on three of the Peter Robinson ships, making him “the wind that fills the sail of authenticity onboard,” according to Mills.
“The Foleys are a big family,” says Foley, noting he conducted his ancestry research with help from Trent Valley Archives and other local sources. “There’s not a lot mentioned about them except that they did end up in Ennismore. They were farmers there for a while, and then the family seemed to just disappear.”
“It was like karma that I was destined to play this character,” he adds.
Foley is not the only one bringing Irish settler authenticity to the play. Elaine Day, who plays Mrs. Owens and is the chorus vocal director and the production’s costume designer, and Cathy Brand, who plays Mrs. Hagerty, are also descendants of Peter Robinson immigrants.
“There were also quite a few people who came up to us after (Tide of Hope) and mentioned how they were direct descendants of the various people we played,” says Mills. “I’m expecting the same (after Crossing Over), for people to say their heritage started on the John Barry.”
While Crossing Over is undoubtedly about commemorating the past, Trent Valley Archives Theatre is just as passionate about fostering the region’s artistic future by inviting young and first-time performers to the stage.
“I’ve always believed that community theatre should prioritize the experience that theatre brings rather than the output of your event,” says Mills. “Youth is the best part. They are the ones that matter most.”
One young performer bringing lots of enthusiasm to Crossing Over is Kalla Tahon, a 16-year-old eleventh grader from St. Peter Catholic Secondary School.
After Mills said he planned to cast her in the role of John Ryan — a young passenger on the John Barry who, along with his brother Tim (played by Kaza Hesselink), was a troublemaker on the ship — Schroeter decided to “break history” and modify his script to transform John Ryan into Elinor Ryan.
“I was just in shock because I had never done a lead role,” says Tahon. “It was really exciting and the fact they were willing to change it for me was extraordinary. I was speechless and so excited.”
With several musical roles under her belt, including seven in the past three years for St. James Players and the Theatre Arts Training Academy, Tahon was drawn to how “different” the historical play is as well as to her character.
“She’s really kind of spunky,” Tahon says. “She’s really sassy and she’s not also afraid to speak out, which I think is really fun.”
Although Crossing Over is a fictionalized account of the John Barry’s journey, Tahon says she has been able to learn more about the history of the region, expanding on knowledge she gained from field trips as a Girl Guide.
“I’ve been aware of it, but I never realized the whole complexity in the entire history before this play,” she says. “It’s been really exciting to actually learn about the history of Peterborough through another lens.”
It’s also taught her something else: how to do the Irish accent, which she notes is “challenging but it’s been really fun” as she’s been watching the Ireland-based television show Derry Girls. Though she doesn’t intend to pursue a career in performance arts, Tahon sees herself as always being involved in community theatre for years to come.
“I love like the freedom that you get from being on stage and getting to play different characters,” she explains. “I just think is really fun, and like the way you get to express yourself. I love dancing and I love singing, so it’s just a really great way for me to kind of grow myself creatively. I also love the family that you find within theater. Everyone’s super nice and genuine and I really love that.”
Other members of the main cast are Abby Koshka (Mary Nagle), Nathan Govier (Patrick Ryan), Robyn Hawthorne (Elizabeth Ryan), Sianna Gaulton (Johanna), and Ashley Parker (Surgeon William Burnie). Produced by Mary and Greg Conchelos, Crossing Over is stage managed by Barb Taylor-Mills, who also happens to be the director’s mother.
Musical director and musician Michael Ketemer will offer lively traditional Irish music backed by the chorus consisting of Elaine Day (Ms. Owens), Lucas Pronk (Peter Robinson/Mr. Hagerty), Justin O’Brien (Captain Peter Roche), Zoe Shufelt (Frances Young), Adrianna Malloy (Eliza Young), Lily Faulkner (Honora Young), and Cathy Brand (Catherine Hagerty).
“The actors have put a lot of effort into their performances and characters,” says Mills. “Having an audience to react to them will bring a great deal of life to their performance. If they’re lucky, the audience might get a little involved.”
Suitable for ages 14 and up, Crossing Over will be performed at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, May 29 to Saturday, May 31, with an additional 2 p.m. matinee performance on May 31.
Tickets are $40 for assigned cabaret table seating or $30 for regular assigned seating and can be purchased by phoning the Market Hall at 705-749-1146, emailing boxoffice@markethall.com, or visiting markethall.org.
Proceeds from ticket sales will support the Trent Valley Archives, a non-profit charitable organization that houses an extensive and growing collection of local historical resources and makes them available to the public. The organization also encourages local and family history research, operates a facility, and raises awareness of local history through historical tours, events, publications, and presentations.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a platinum media sponsor for Crossing Over.
