Cottagers and Indians For the Love of Manomin
Cottagers & Indians By Drew Hayden Taylor. Directed by Patti Shaughnessy. Featuring Herbie Barnes and Tracey Hoyt
A cottage on a lake, the lonely call of a loon, a sizzling barbeque, and there she sits, Maureen Poole (Tracey Hoyt), glass of wine in hand, enthroned in her Adirondack chair, soaking up the afternoon sun. A quintessential Canadian setting, for those who can afford it, or for whom a cottage was the principle family residence since the late 19th century.
But, hold the chardonnay and grab the binoculars! What’s that out on the water? Gliding across its placid surface, paddling into this lazy aura of entitlement comes Arthur Copper (Herbie Barnes) bearing his dreaded weed, aka wild rice. And what’s he up to? Oh, no, he’s planting the stuff! And so, it begins. The clash of cultures, of land, of water rights, as Copper determinedly sows his dreaded seed – we’re talking rice here – beneath the surface of increasingly troubled waters.
The beauty of Drew Hayden Taylor’s insightful script is his trademark humour. No sooner has one character stated their case, then the other skewers it with astute repartee. The actors clearly relish dialogue that has them sparring with vehement ease. But, this discourse is not dialectic, as the climax of the play involves a dramatic speed boat race to forestall disaster when Copper’s cherished manomin (Ojibway for wild rice) is threatened. As revelation follows revelation, the vulnerabilities of the characters cast a long shadow over an idyllic setting. Poole’s husband is ailing, not long for this lakeside paradise, and finally in a rush of emotion, Copper reveals his compelling reason for sowing the wild rice. Director Patti Shaughnessy shapes this electric and idea-packed narrative with the finesse of a conductor orchestrating a summer storm.
The play situates Copper and Poole in their separate worlds. Copper, sitting in his canoe, and Poole on her deck, dominions from which they both make their case, with sharp and unexpected interactions escalating the conflict between them. As Copper lays historical claim to the lake, Poole expresses her frustration at being called a ‘settler’, and passionately defends her cottage as the place where her children were raised; the real family home where her husband may be spinning out his last days. Barnes’ persistent passion meets Hoyt’s inspired comic timing in a two-person show boasting excellent, well-matched performances. Animosities do not entirely give way to sympathy – Drew Hayden Taylor is not a writer of pat resolutions – rather the humanity of both characters is tested and found…hopeful.
Taylor’s script offers a rare opportunity to view the divide between indigenous and settler with humour, to understand what has been taken, as well as pause to consider the foibles and flaws of what has replaced it. Considering the dubious cultural practices that pollute lakes and destroy wildlife habitats, what exactly is the high moral ground of cottage country? As noted in a 2015 article Taylor wrote for Now Magazine, the cultivation of wild rice helps cleanse the water. It wouldn’t be difficult to find more than one lake in cottage country badly in need of a little natural cleansing, or a lake community questioning the wisdom of noisy personal watercraft shredding the peace. Who, and what, is the real ‘invasive species’?
Cottagers and Indians deftly exposes the hypocrisy of settler mentality – a label that enrages Hoyt’s Poole. But, by ordering up the dredgers to cut a swath through a patch of wild rice, she is actually destroying a crop that might contribute to the health of the lake she professes to love so much. At the same time, there is some understanding here of Poole’s defense of her home turf, a place she considers integral to the history and well-being of her family. It is this complexity in the script, acknowledging that there may be two viable realities here, that pulls the play out of the realm of who to blame, and launches it into the future focused debate of what do we do next?
Robin Fisher’s set creates a simple but provocative divide between land and water. The transitory territories of deck and canoe become the cultural spaces from which the characters communicate with each other, and us. One curious aspect is how lighting designer Nick Andison has represented the passage of time. While the relationship between the characters clearly moves forward, the play seems to take place during one long afternoon. Those who live by lakes know that a consciousness of the progress of the day, from sunrise to sunset, is ever present. But, while both characters experience the impact of their interaction and personal revelations, Hoyt’s Poole, in particular, enduring the passing of her husband, the quality of light never changes. There are moments when the surface of a lake seems dark and impenetrable, and others when light shimmers against the shoreline as if eager to reveal all its secrets. A play set in such a constantly shifting environment, with a narrative that exposes secrets and tries to illuminate injustices, might benefit from a little more exploration of light and shadow.
During the talk-back after the show at Tarragon, March 22, Drew Hayden Taylor was asked if Cottagers & Indians would tour to Peterborough, the site of the conflagration that sparked the idea for the play. “Not sure,” was his response.
So, let’s be sure about one thing. This play should tour the country – with stops along the way in cottage country and summer theatres from coast to coast. Its humour and its humanity make it one important cultural contribution to this age of reconciliation.
But, a word to the wise, keep the theatre concession well stocked with manomin.
Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor
Directed by Patti Shaughnessy
With Herbie Barnes as Arthur Copper and Tracey Hoyt as Maureen Poole.
Lighting Designer: Nick Andison
Sound Designer: Beau Dixon
Set Designer: Robin Fisher
Costume Designer: Sage Paul
Stage Manager: Jennifer Stobart, with Alternate Stage Manager Debbie Read, March 15 – 25.
Playing at the Tarragon Theatre, Extra Space, Toronto.
February 23 to March 25, 2018.