At the studio in Halifax I realized quickly how inventive I would need to be. I made set and costume sketches and as Pond Inlet, like most northern communities, had but a small general store - I bought fabric for the costumes and set dressing, and swaths of material which I would use to simulate wind, water and blizzards in the 'Play' section of the film.

Sketches by Cheryl Cashman

The White Archer Set for the Shaman's Igloo	The White Archer Crossing by Mountains and Dark Water
The White Archer Big Man tells his story	The White Archer Musician - Marsha Coffey

I began the work in Pond Inlet by doing a one week workshop with the actors which included:

• Physical/Vocal warm-ups and Improvisations
• Inuit throat-singing and juggling songs
• Inuit drumming and dancing
• First Nations songs (Ben Penashue)
• Choral/ensemble vocalizations

The company then worked with the material I had brought up to simulate water, wind and blizzards. We did (under the direction of Ben Penashue) make-up for the First Nations raid scene on the Inuit camp. We spent time on clarification and pronounciation of the text, as English was a second language for all of the Inuit cast and indeed the two elders in the cast spoke only Inuktitut. Lastly, when our brilliant composer and live musician Marsha Coffey arrived, we performed all the songs and even the sounds of various animals for her so that she could start composing her soundscapes.

Working and living with the people of Pond Inlet was an honour, and the experience of a lifetime for me.

Company Photo





Rehearsal Photos

Marsha Coffey

The Shaman's Igloo




The Blizzard




Big Man tells his Story


Sheena Akoomalik - David Quamaniq - Apak Maktar - Lamech Kadloo - Ben Penashue - Abbie Ootoova


The Snow Goose


Jacob Peterloosie - Lamech Kadloo - Ipellie Ootova


White Archer Photography by Cheryl Cashman

"Circus Gothic" - 1991
Written by Jan Kudelka
Theatre Passe Muraille - Toronto - 1978
The Theatre Resource Centre - Toronto - 1991

I first directed "Circus Gothic" when Jan Kudelka performed it as a one-woman show at Theatre Passe-Muraille in 1978. In a later version produced at The Theatre Resource Centre in 1991, I adapted it for 9 actors. The actors first play the newly-trained young clowns, and later the performers and roustabouts in the sleazy circus they join and tour with. The story is a powerful one, and the text of the play contains some of the most beautiful language I have ever been privileged to work with.

Circus Gothic The Young Clowns	Circus Gothic The Elephant
Circus Gothic Marge-That circus brings death!	Circus Gothic The generator shorts out

Circus Gothic The bar in Oromoncto	Circus Gothic Watching Elephants by Moonlight
Circus Gothic Miss Virginia and Big Bob	Circus Gothic Lump, The Circus Cat
Circus Gothic Eddie Rawls walks the Tightrope	Circus Gothic In the Aftermath of the Tornado

Circus Gothic Photography by Lee Wildgen

"Landscapes"
A collective creation made from the paintings of the Group of Seven.
Penguin Productions - Ottawa - 1979

Spring Breakup	In the Womb of Winter
Spring	Summer
By Moonlight	Autumn
Autumn	First Snowfall
	Winter
Between Worlds	Final Image

	"Where is the Voice Coming From?" Factory Theatre - Toronto - 1978 About the clashes between white settlers and aboriginal tribes (adapted from the short stories of Rudy Wiebe) with Marc Connors Ian Wallace Kim Renders Maureen White Lee Wildgen