Sharon Bakker was in her 20s when she first acted in the Canadian classic Paper Wheat.
“Even though I was a Saskatchewan farm girl I didn’t know a lot about the history and the politics,” she said. “It was an incredible education.”
The Saskatoon actor, an original cast member in 1977, hopes another generation will get that education this summer. She is part of a group that will stage a new production of the play to celebrate Saskatchewan’s centennial.
Paper Wheat chronicles prairie settlement, the co-operative movement and the formation of the wheat pools through a series of scenes and songs.
Read Also
Communication key to bridging generation gap
Each generation is shaped by the predominant forces at play during their formative years. Acknowledging these influences can improve communication among the generations.
Since 25th Street Theatre first took the play to small communities around the province, and then Canada, the play has been performed numerous times, especially at colleges and universities. In the mid-1990s, it enjoyed a three-year run in Rosthern, Sask.
Bakker said she thinks people relate to the farmers’ story.
“We empathize with the pioneers and what it was like here on the land. We should be proud of it. Historically, it’s a Canadian classic.”
She said being in the play helped formulate some of her ideas about living in Saskatchewan.
“The centennial year is about heart,” she said, referring to the 100 Years of Heart official slogan. “The play is a good look at the heart of our people and our place in the country.”
Janet Amos will produce the play, July 27-Aug. 13 in Regina during the Jeux du Canada Games.
She is from Ontario and in the middle of a three-year teaching job in the University of Regina theatre department. But she has worked in the province before, and has been part of other productions examining rural life and historical events.
“I always had this great love for this show,” she said. “The theatre is total theatre. The music links all the scenes. The simplicity of the set, the props and costumes is so Saskatchewan.
“The play captures the spirit of the province.”
The characters are believable, Amos said, and the scenes perfectly portray the message. For example, in one scene an actor takes bites out of a dinner roll as he juggles it to illustrate the shrinking portion of the wheat price that the farmer gets.
Amos said the play will be staged in a large tent in Regina’s Wascana Park. The people working on the show intend to form a non-profit co-operative so donations to Bessie Productions Inc. to assist the production will receive charitable tax receipts.
She estimates she needs to raise about $30,000 to top up a centennial grant in order to stage the play. She is already taking orders for ticket vouchers for the summer performances.
Amos added she would like to use as many Saskatchewan actors as possible in her production, to “give them a leg up.”
