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Mary's Wedding
by Stephen MassicotePerformed November 2012
(November 6-10 & 13-17)
at the Ron Maslin Playhouse
(10 performances: part of the regular season)
Directed by Wendy Wagner
CAST
| MARY |
Emily Walsh |
| FLOWERDEW |
Emily Walsh |
| CHARLIE |
Nicholas Maillet |
PRODUCTION STAFF
HISTORICAL NOTE
The German Spring Offensive began on 21 March 1918 with a thunderous artillery barrage. Despite valiant resistance, the British forward positions held by 3rd Army were overrun. The only reserve was the Cavalry Corps with a strength of three divisions. Suddenly the Cavalry became vital to the survival of the British.
By the morning of the 30th March, the Germans had established themselves on Moreuil Ridge and occupied Moreuil Wood. Moreuil Wood and the nearby Rifle Wood had considerable tactical significance as they commanded the approaches to Amiens, 12 kms away.
At 0830 hrs on 30th March, General Seeley, commander of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, met with General Pitman, Commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division. The Germans had captured Mezieres and were advancing on Amiens. General Seely was to, as quickly as possible “engage and endeavour to delay the enemy”.
The Brigade order of march that morning was the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) leading, then the Lord Strathconas Horse (Strathconas), the Machine Gun Squadron then the Fort Garry Horse (FGH).
As they neared the wood, the rifle and machinegun fire increased. Seeley had information from the French that the Germans were in the wood in strength and the Brigade was outnumbered at least two to one. In spite of his orders to delay, Seeley attacked, ordering the RCD to ride to and enter the West and North faces of the wood. “A” and “B” Squadrons of the Strathconas entered the North face reinforcing the RCD “A” Squadron. “C” Squadron of the Strathconas were given a crucial task…. To ride around the North face then South, down the East side of the wood to cut off German reinforcements.
Lt Flowerdew, in charge of “C” squadron, detached a Troop under Lt Harvey VC into the North East corner of the wood to provide a foot on the ground for his turn south.
When the three remaining troops of “C” Squadron rounded the wood they found scores of Germans dismounted and facing them. Flowerdew didn’t miss a beat and immediately ordered a charge with the words….”It’s a charge boys". He drew his sabre and charged into the combined fire of twenty machine guns and at least a hundred rifles…. His soldiers followed him into a storm of small arms fire.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Mary’s Wedding is full of sound and light, heart and soul, tender passion and gut-wrenching sorrow. I have been dreaming of directing this play since I first read it five years ago. The script literally exploded inside my head and heart and it has been aching to get out every since.
It is the sort of play that comes along infrequently and challenges everyone on the team: director, actors, and designers. Mary’s Wedding is a beautiful gem and each member of the team must polish a different facet to make the finished product shine. I have been fortunate to work with, and depend upon, many talented individuals throughout the course of this production. The show you watch tonight would not have been possible without their dedication and months of hard work.
In Mary’s dream we travel back and forth through time and in and out of memory as it mixes with both the real and the imagined. The fluidity of the script demands a certain freedom of the actors. They are first in one place and time and then in another - often in the blink of an eye. It also demands much of the audience. Do you see the battlefields of World War I?
Stephen Massicotte wrote the play in 2000 and it was first performed at the Alberta Theatre Project in 2002 where it won the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding New Play. It has since won numerous awards, been produced all over the world and, was most recently adapted for Pacific Opera Victoria.
For the ATP premiere presentation of Mary’s Wedding he wrote, "… [Mary’s Wedding] was going to be a war play. However, I was in love when I wrote it and I thought it was more of a love to end all loves. This is not that love story but the more I loved her, the more Mary and Charlie loved each other. The more I longed to return to her, the more they longed to return to each other. So the war play became a love story. I wrote it to forget her and to get her back and to remember her and to let her go."
I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to love this play, to work on it with so many gifted people, and to now let it go so that you may experience it and, perhaps, fall in love too. Enjoy the dream!
Please join us for a brief "Talkback" after the show if you wish to speak to the actors and designers.
