VIMY by Vern Thiessen

Dates and Venue 2 November - 19 November 2011, 8pm | Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova Street.

Reviewer Cassie Silva

Although I’ve attended numerous history classes and annual Remembrance Day ceremonies over the years, I never really got an authentic feel for what it must have been like for Canadian soldiers fighting in the “Great War” until I saw Firehall Arts Centre’s most recent production. Written by playwright Vern Thiessen and based on several books including The War Diary of Clare Gass, the tales of five young men and one young woman came together in a military hospital room in France, 1917. Sasa Brown gave a very strong performance as Clare, a compassionate “bluebird”, which is what Canadian nurses were affectionately dubbed due to their blue uniforms. Sean Harris Oliver, Sebastian Kroon, Daryl King, Mack Gordon and Ryan Cunningham gave powerful portrayals as soldiers struggling with life-altering decisions and posttraumatic stress disorder, often playing multiple roles in flashbacks to show how they and their loved ones were impacted that fateful day. The most important take-away from this production for me was a realization of the prejudice that soldiers from minority backgrounds, such as Aboriginal Canadians, faced from officials and other soldiers when trying to fight for their country.

The production team conducted extensive research to make the show as accurate as possible. Artistic Director Donna Spencer visited Vimy Ridge this summer, and Set Designer Craig Alfredson based his inventive set on actual topography obtained from maps of the site given to soldiers. Sabrina Evertt’s costumes were historically accurate, James Proudfoot’s lighting design was quite effective and Marc Stewart’s sound design really brought the sounds of the battlefield to life – from a buzzing mosquito or a chirping bird, to the roar of a thundershower, audience members really felt transported to Vimy Ridge.

The lobby of the Firehall Arts Centre also offered an exhibit of archival images and propaganda posters that led to much interaction and dialogue between audience members before the show and during intermission. The most touching part of the show for me was when the soldiers began singing a song written in 1915 by F. Wheeler called “Here We Are, Here We Are Again.” “Vimy” is a moving tribute to the role Canadians played in World War I and the sacrifices that they made. Attending a performance would make an excellent and timely Remembrance Day activity for youth and adults alike this November.

© 2011 Cassie Silva