The Plays of Gwen Pharis Ringwood:

The Plays of
Gwen Pharis Ringwood:
Very l i t t l e has been w r i t t e n about
regionalism i n playwriting. A b r i e f
g l a n c e a t books d e a l i n g w i t h the d e v e l opment, h i s t o r y and c r i t i c i s m of drama
w i l l r e v e a l how r a r e l y the word appears
i n the T a b l e o f Contents or Index.
In
f a c t , i t seems t o be, i n the minds o f
some drama c r i t i c s , a p e j o r a t i v e term.
For them i t seems t o denote narrowness,
a f a i l u r e to d e a l w i t h the l a r g e r
world around us, an i n a b i l i t y t o r e a c h
the u n i v e r s a l e x p e r i e n c e i n drama. Y e t
r e g i o n a l i s m i s a v e r y important term
i n d e a l i n g w i t h t h e a t r e . Perhaps our
f o r e b e a r s took i t f o r granted as p a r t
and p a r c e l of t h e a t r e . Today's Canadian c r i t i c s seem t o separate p l a y s
i n t o two c a t e g o r i e s — m a j o r drama and
r e g i o n a l drama.
L e t me quote from a Canadian c r i t i c
who reviewed my book, Stage V o i c e s , i n
which twelve Canadian d r a m a t i s t s
a n a l y s e t h e i r own work. The c r i t i c ,
Bruce B a i l e y , comments i n Q u i l l and
Q u i r e on my c h o i c e of d r a m a t i s t s f o r
Stage V o i c e s . He says:
C e r t a i n l y there i s a r t i s t i c just i f i c a t i o n f o r i n c l u d i n g essays
by such w r i t e r s as M i c h e l Tremb l a y and James Reaney i n t h i s
book, but l e s s f o r people l i k e
Herman Voaden, Gwen P h a r i s R i n g wood, Tom G r a i n g e r , and M i c h a e l
Cook who a r e o f i n t e r e s t p r i m a r i l y
as r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f r e g i o n a l i s m
i n the t h r e a t r e . ( 1 )
The c r i t i c has s e p a r a t e d what he cons i d e r s the major d r a m a t i s t s from the
r e g i o n a l p l a y w r i g h t s . Yet Tremblay
An Appraisal
by Geraldine Anthony
and Reaney's p l a y s are e x p l o r a t i o n s
i n t o the r e g i o n a l i s m o f Quebec and o f
s o u t h w e s t e r n O n t a r i o . How t h e n do
they d i f f e r i n the mind o f t h i s c r i t i c ?
Were not the major p l a y s o f t h e I r i s h
L i t e r a r y R e v i v a l r e g i o n a l drama? And
what about t h e p l a y s o f Tennessee
W i l l i a m s which r e v e a l the r e g i o n a l
decadent south, and contemporary New
York and London comedies which p r o j e c t
a picture o fbig c i t y dwellers. I s
t h i s not a l s o r e g i o n a l i s m i n drama?
Is i t possible that regional playw r i g h t s who a c h i e v e s u c c e s s i n the
p r o f e s s i o n a l t h e a t r e are no l o n g e r
a s s e s s e d by the p e j o r a t i v e term
"representative of regionalism?"
That,
i n f a c t , what the c r i t i c s are r e a l l y
s e p a r a t i n g a r e major and minor c a t e gories of playwrights?
I suggest t h a t
r e g i o n a l i s m i n t h e a t r e must be g i v e n
t h e d i g n i t y i t d e s e r v e s as a m a j o r ,
v i a b l e r e - p r e s e n t a t i o n o f l i f e on the
stage.
Gwen P h a r i s Ringwood i s a r e g i o n a l
d r a m a t i s t p e o p l i n g her p l a y s w i t h Canadian p r a i r i e farmers; U k r a i n i a n ,
I t a l i a n and Greek immigrants i n A l b e r t a ; and n a t i v e Canadian I n d i a n s
i n A l b e r t a and B r i t i s h Columbia. She
i s a r e g i o n a l d r a m a t i s t but n o t , by
t h a t f a c t , a l e s s e r p l a y w r i g h t . As a
r e g i o n a l d r a m a t i s t she can be major,
minor o r s i m p l y m e d i o c r e . But t h a t
assessment i s dependent on her c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n , d i a l o g u e , p l o t , theme
and g e n e r a l a p p e a l t o her a u d i e n c e s .
My assessment o f her p l a y s i n t h i s
paper must n e c e s s a r i l y be b r i e f .
In
the f i n a l a n a l y s i s i t w i l l be the
r e a d e r and t h e a t r e g o e r who w i l l judge
the q u a l i t y o f Gwen P h a r i s Ringwood's
work.
Gwen P h a r i s was born i n Washington
S t a t e i n 1910 b u t moved w i t h h e r f a m i l y
t o Magrath, s o u t h e r n A l b e r t a , when she
was t h r e e y e a r s o l d . Her f a t h e r was a
farmer so she grew up on a farm i n t h e
p r a i r i e s of A l b e r t a with b r i e f periods
spent a t the U n i v e r s i t y o f Montana and
a t work on the B l a c k f o o t I n d i a n Reserv a t i o n . A f t e r r e c e i v i n g a B.A. from
the U n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a , a M a s t e r ' s
degree i n Drama from the U n i v e r s i t y o f
N o r t h C a r o l i n a , she m a r r i e d Dr. John
B r i a n Ringwood. They l i v e d f o r a few
y e a r s i n G o l d f i e l d s , n o r t h e r n Saskatchewan, a f r o n t i e r m i n i n g town; i n
the U k r a i n i a n d i s t r i c t o f Lamont,
A l b e r t a ; i n Edmonton and W i l l i a m s Lake
i n n o r t h e r n B r i t i s h Columbia where she
worked w i t h t h e C h i l c o t i n I n d i a n s i n
the C a r i b o o .
B e f o r e her m a r r i a g e she had w r i t t e n
r a d i o and stage p l a y s f o r w h i c h i n
1937 she was awarded a R o c k e f e l l e r
Foundation s c h o l a r s h i p to study f o r
two y e a r s a t the famous F r e d Koch's
r e g i o n a l C a r o l i n a Playmakers S c h o o l a t
the U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a . Duri n g those y e a r s Gwen P h a r i s was t a u g h t
by g r e a t r e g i o n a l d r a m a t i s t s , among
whom was P a u l Green, P u l i t z e r p r i z e w i n n i n g p l a y w r i g h t o f I n Abraham's
Bosom. Thus she l e a r n e d how t o w r i t e
a r e g i o n a l p l a y . She was urged t o
w r i t e about the Canadian p r a i r i e , the
I n d i a n , the immigrants, the r a n c h i n g
c o u n t r y of A l b e r t a . F e l i x Sper t e l l s
us about r e g i o n a l drama i n h i s book,
From N a t i v e Roots, w h i c h embodies much
o f the p h i l o s o p h y F r e d Koch p a s s e d on
t o h i s drama c l a s s e s . F e l i x Sper says:
The seeds o f a n a t i v e o r r e g i o n a l
drama have been dormant i n t h e
American s o i l f o r more than a
century, . . .
By slow degrees
the s p e c i f i c American l o c a l e began
t o breed n a t i v e c h a r a c t e r t y p e s
....
As the s c i e n c e s o f p s y c h o l o g y , f o l k l o r e and a n t h r o p o l o g y
contributed their findings . . .
the p l a y w r i g h t began t o p e r c e i v e
. . . how the human s p e c i e s on
h i s own ground r e a c t s n a t u r a l l y ,
humanly, r h y t h m i c a l l y . And he
became aware o f a t r u t h as he
examined l o c a l v a r i a t i o n s . From
common p h y s i o g r a p h i c f e a t u r e s and
common ways of l i v i n g and t h i n k i n g
i s d e r i v e d the p a t t e r n o f c u l t u r e
p e c u l i a r to a region.(2)
He then d e s c r i b e s t h r e e t y p e s o f
r e g i o n a l c h a r a c t e r s d e v e l o p i n g from
t h i s context:
The r e g i o n as such has e r u p t e d an
odd assortment o f c h a r a c t e r s as
heroes. (1) W i t h each r e g i o n some
f o l k f i g u r e has become i d e n t i f i e d
(e.g., P a u l Bunyan, the mighty
l o g g e r from the N o r t h woods).
He
o r she i n c a r n a t e s the dreams and
w i s h e s o f the common man and
t r a n s c e n d s the human by performi n g f e a t s o f the i m p o s s i b l e . . . .
(2) E a s i e r t o envisage have been
those l e s s e r p e r s o n a l i t i e s who
m a g n i f i e d by time and events . . .
earned widespread fame i n the
growing y e a r s o f the r e p u b l i c
e.g., Abraham L i n c o l n , John Brown
D a n i e l Boon, Davy C r o c k e t t ,
Johnny Appleseed . . . and a
s c o r e o f o t h e r s . . . .) (3) F i n a l l y the common f o l k came i n t o
l i t e r a t u r e by way o f f i c t i o n ass i s t e d by a n t h r o p o l o g y (e.g.,
U n c l e Remus, an aged Negro s l a v e
who t o l d . . . f a b l e s of h i s r a c e
in l i v e l y , authentic d i a l e c t . His
c r e a t o r , J o e l Chandler H a r r i s ,
i n s p i r e d o t h e r w r i t e r s from o t h e r
r e g i o n s t o draw s i m i l a r charact e r s o f the p l a n t e r , the c a v a l i e r ,
the mountaineer, backwoodsman and
v i l l a g e r . . . .) The d i s c o v e r y
o f the f o l k , t h e i r b i t t e r exp e r i e n c e s on the farm and p r a i r i e
r e s u l t e d i n the c r e a t i o n o f more
n a t u r a l human t y p e s . . . . Then
came the d i s c o v e r y t h a t the l o c a l
o d d i t i e s o f the Kentucky mount a i n e e r o r the Oklahoma b a n d i t or
the Vermont farm hand were but
the o u t e r d r e s s i n g o f the common
man, the u n i v e r s a l man.
And
r e g i o n a l i s m began t o b u r s t bounda r i e s . (3)
What these American r e g i o n a l w r i t e r s
d i d f o r t h e i r n a t i v e l a n d , Gwen P h a r i s
Ringwood i s d o i n g f o r western Canada.
She responded t o her t r a i n i n g i n N o r t h
C a r o l i n a w i t h a s e r i e s of Canadian
r e g i o n a l p l a y s f e a t u r i n g those t h r e e
t y p e s o f c h a r a c t e r s : f i r s t , the l a r g e r t h a n - l i f e f o l k heroes; second, the
famous r e a l p e r s o n a l i t i e s m a g n i f i e d by
t i m e ; and t h i r d , t h e f i c t i o n a l common
f o l k o f farm and p r a i r i e .
She d e s c r i b e s her own comedies as:
" t r e m b l i n g on the edge o f f a r c e . " ( 4 )
She p r e f e r s comedy because she f e e l s
more remote and removed from her material.
She can then d i s g u i s e an a t t i t u d e and express i t i n comic terms.
I n Widger's Way she p a r o d i e s and makes
use o f m e l o d r a m a t i c t e c h n i q u e s m a s t e r f u l l y t o c r e a t e her b e s t comedy i n the
t r a d i t i o n of such p l a y s as P l a u t u s '
Pot of Gold and M o l i e r e ' s M i s e r .
Widger, the m i s e r l y A l b e r t a n f a r m e r ,
i s a t r u e n a t i v e f o l k type c o n d i t i o n e d
by h i s e n v i r o n m e n t — a p r o d u c t o f A l b e r t a , t h a t province r i c h i n farmland,
o i l and g e o l o g i c a l d i s c o v e r i e s o f f o s s i l s on t h e Pre-Cambrian S h i e l d . H i s
f e l l o w c h a r a c t e r s r e f l e c t the p e o p l e
o f t h a t e r a from P l a n t e r , the g o l d m i n e r , and h i s murderous p a r t n e r ,
Jake; t o S o k o l a n d e r , the cheap p o l i t i c i a n ; A n a s t a s i a the c u r i o u s widow;
P r o f e s s o r Bond, the g e o l o g i s t and h i s
farmhand s t u d e n t , P e t e r ; Garrow, the
young American o i l t e c h n i c i a n ; Dowser
Ringgo, the p e d d l e r o f s t r a n g e p o t i o n s ;
and Docket the C o n s t a b l e .
Together
t h e i r p e r s o n a l i t i e s r e f l e c t the l a n d
and t h e i r c o n v e r s a t i o n i s e x p r e s s i v e
o f the f o l k i m a g i n a t i o n and f o l k i d i o m .
Widger's m i r r o r r e v e a l s h i s and t h e i r
g r e e d , c r u e l t y , f e a r s and a m b i t i o n s .
R i c h i n humorous d i a l o g u e , i t exp r e s s e s a way o f l i f e which Widger ex-
pounds i n t h e s e words: " I ' v e l i v e d t o
m y s e l f , don't l e n d t h i n g s , d i s c o u r a g e
c h i l d r e n t r a m p i n g down p a s t u r e s , don't
borrow a n y t h i n g or b o t h e r anybody."
(5) T h i s s m a l l l e a n man i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of some n a t i v e c h a r a c t e r types
b r e d by the A l b e r t a s o i l .
A conversat i o n between P l a n t e r and Widger r e v e a l s the c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e i r l i v e s a t
that period i n Alberta:
P l a n t e r : I t h i n k I'11 s t a y here and be
your h i r e d man, Widger. I ' l l
s l o p the hogs, make hay, f i s h ,
shoot p a r t r i d g e up and down
t h e r i v e r and g e t drunk on
S a t u r d a y on Widger's wages. A
t i d y l i f e and r e s t f u l .
Widger:
H i r e d man t o Widger? But o f
course you're j o k i n g .
I'm
not r i c h , you know. A poor
f a r m e r w r e s t l i n g w i t h poor
l a n d t o g e t t h e meanest l i v ing.'
Cutworms and t a x e s ,
d r o u g h t and e a r l y f r o s t ,
p o t a t o b l i g h t . . . . Why S i r ,
you've no i d e a how n a t u r e
c o n t r i v e s t o keep a man's
nose hugged t o the g r i n d s t o n e .
I work from dawn t o dusk and
a t n i g h t I dream o f d y i n g i n
the poor house. And when I
g e t up what do I f i n d ? A
hawk has k i l l e d my c h i c k e n s ,
the o l d sow's devoured a l l
h e r l i t t e r , bugs r a v i s h e d the
p o t a t o e s and the b u l l ' s been
s t r u c k by l i g h t n i n g .
That's
how i t goes w i t h Widger. I
c o u l d n ' t a f f o r d you, S i r . ( 6 )
But P l a n t e r l e a v e s Widger h i s sack o f
g o l d f o r s a f e k e e p i n g a g a i n s t the
murderous i n t e n t s o f h i s p a r t n e r and
t h e r e ensues a f o l k comedy f u l l o f
m i s a d v e n t u r e s , a maddening m i x t u r e o f
c o i n c i d e n c e and f a s t - p a c e d a c t i o n r e s u l t i n g i n a f a r c i c a l array of charact e r s . R e g i o n a l drama i t i s and
s t r o n g l y A l b e r t a n i n f l a v o r . Widger,
g i v i n g w i t h one hand, p u l l i n g back
w i t h the o t h e r , has a Canadian f l a v o r
t h a t does not d a t e . Widger i s r i c h i n
d i n o s a u r s , t r i c e r a t o p s bones, the exp l o i t a t i o n o f the l a n d and t r i a l by
f i r e i n melodramatic t e r m s — a p l a y
p e o p l e w i l l always u n d e r s t a n d .
A second type o f f o l k c h a r a c t e r i n the
Ringwood p l a y s i s t h e r e a l p e o p l e
whose l i v e s have been m a g n i f i e d by
time i n w e s t e r n Canadian h i s t o r y : Hatf i e l d , the famous r a i n m a k e r o f M e d i c i n e
Hat who brought r a i n t o t h e farmlands
d u r i n g the d e p r e s s i o n y e a r s o f the
drought; B i l l y Barker, the d i s c o v e r e r
o f g o l d i n n o r t h e r n B r i t i s h Columbia
a t the t u r n o f the c e n t u r y ; N i g g e r
John, the r e v e r e d A l b e r t a n cowboy i n
the l a s t y e a r s o f the g r e a t r a n c h i n g
era; and Bob Edwards, t h a t i n d o m i t a b l e
E d i t o r o f the weekly newspaper, The
Sheep Creek Eye Opener.
I n H a t f i e l d , The Rainmaker, Gwen R i n g wood i m m o r t a l i z e d the c h a r a c t e r o f the
con man, H a t f i e l d , b e f o r e the c r e a t i o n
o f the American p l a y , The Rainmaker.
H a t f i e l d , h i r e d by the town o f M e d i c i n e
Hat, A l b e r t a , i n 1921, p r o m i s e s t o work
m i r a c l e s t o b r i n g r a i n t o the d r o u g h t -
r i d d e n Canadian farmland. R a i n does
come and d e s p e r a t e Canadian c o u p l e s
d e c i d e t o remain on t h e l a n d t h e y were
about t o f o r s a k e . Ringwood's impress i o n i s t i c p l a y d e a l s w i t h the hope,
c y n i c i s m and d e s p a i r o f t h e farmers o f
M e d i c i n e Hat.
Stampede evokes the b e l o v e d c h a r a c t e r
of John Ware, a g r e a t A l b e r t a n and a
r e a l p e r s o n , c a l l e d "Nigger John" by
h i s f e l l o w A l b e r t a n s . Stampede r e c a l l s
the l a s t years of t h a t great ranching
era i n a p l a y based on some o f A l b e r t a 's cowboy legends. I n t e g r a l t o
the p l a y i s t h e r i c h r e g i o n a l background o f the C a l g a r y stampedes. A c t I
t a k e s p l a c e a t a camp s i t e on a
c a t t l e t r a i l leading north to Calgary
i n midsummer, 1912.
Act I I occurs a
week l a t e r a t Ma Raybourne's B o a r d i n g
House i n C a l g a r y , and A c t I I I i n t h e
e n c l o s u r e b e h i n d t h e Chutes on the
l a s t day of the f i r s t C a l g a r y Stampede.
The p l o t i n v o l v e s S h o r t h o r n , t h e F o r e man o f Bar XY, wanted f o r murder, who
d r i v e s c a t t l e t o the C a l g a r y Stampede.
Shark, a cowboy, j e a l o u s o f S h o r t h o r n ' s
a b i l i t i e s , t h r e a t e n s t o r e p o r t him t o
the a u t h o r i t i e s . S h o r t h o r n ' s p a r t n e r
i s N i g g e r John. Together t h e y p l a n t o
buy a r a n c h but S h o r t h o r n i s f o r c e d t o
escape t h e law a f t e r s a v i n g young Bud's
l i f e i n the Saddle Broncs R i d i n g Cont e s t . N i g g e r John i s no s t e r e o t y p e
b l a c k man but a r a n c h hand no d i f f e r e n t
from the w h i t e cowboys. H i s c h a r a c t e r
i s drawn w i t h s e n s i t i v i t y and he app e a r s as an i n t e l l i g e n t , k i n d , exp e r i e n c e d w e s t e r n e r whose nickname i s
a s i g n o f d i g n i t y , n o t opprobrium, i n
the A l b e r t a o f 1912.
R e g i o n a l drama
proved him t o be a p r o d u c t o f t h e
l a n d . The same l o c a l i d i o m used by
the w h i t e man and the b l a c k f o r c e s us
t o see him s i m p l y as a man.
Nigger
John's i n f l u e n c e over t h e o t h e r c h a r a c t e r s i s q u i e t b u t s t r o n g . Such
d i a l o g u e as t h e f o l l o w i n g shows h i s
leadership q u a l i t i e s :
About Stampedes:
I don't l i k e stampedes. I hate
them. I j u s t c a n ' t see i t , t h a t ' s
a l l , r a k i n g a h o r s e from head t o
f l a n k , making an o u t l a w out o f
him, w a s t i n g him, so's p e o p l e can
yell.(7)
About h i s h o r s e M i d n i g h t :
He's been h u r t bad, J i m . Deeper
than h i s s k i n , deeper than any
spur can r a k e him.
Midnight
knows now, what he always f e a r e d .
He knows t h a t man's g o t a mean
s t r e a k i n him, a queer t w i s t e d
mean s t r e a k t h a t l i k e s t o h u r t
and h u r t deep. And most o f us
don't do much about c r u s h i n g i t
down. We ought t o , you k n o w — i f
we don't b l o t i t o u t , i t ' l l
f i n i s h u s , sometime.(8)
On b r e a k i n g h o r s e s :
S i t deep i n t h e s a d d l e , t a k e a
f a r d i s t a n t l o o k and hope t o God
you l a n d s o f t . ( 9 )
Stampede i s a r o m a n t i c e v o c a t i o n o f
r a n c h i n g days i n C a l g a r y and Ringwood
has managed t o r e - c r e a t e v i v i d l y t h a t
era i n our i m a g i n a t i o n s .
Another o f her p l a y s d e a l i n g w i t h a
r e a l p e r s o n as f o l k hero i s the m u s i c a l ,
The Road Runs North.
Here the legendary
B i l l y Barker becomes her b e s t developed
h i s t o r i c a l c h a r a c t e r , an a r c h e t y p a l
f i g u r e o f the whole e r a o f e x p l o r a t i o n
and s e t t l e m e n t o f the Canadian N o r t h west. The Gold Rush i n the C a r i b o o i s
d e p i c t e d between the y e a r s 1861 and
1864.
The m u s i c a l i s peopled w i t h
stock regional f i g u r e s — t h e daring gold
miners, the heathen Chinese, the f a i t h f u l I n d i a n s , the F r e n c h s e t t l e r s , the
men from Upper Canada, the Hurdy Gurdy
G i r l s o f B a r k e r v i l l e , the t a v e r n keeper , the Judge, the women campf o l l o w e r s and f i n a l l y t h e r e i s the
romantic f i g u r e o f B i l l y Barker hims e l f , the B r i t i s h merchant s a i l o r , who
gave up the sea t o p r o s p e c t f o r g o l d .
H i s s u c c e s s e s and f a i l u r e s i n t h i s
gold rush s e t t i n g , f u l l of prospectors
and desperadoes, i s r e g i o n a l i s m a t i t s
most romantic. Yet the background o f
f a c t and c h a r a c t e r i s t r u e t o h i s t o r y
and once a g a i n we see cause and e f f e c t
i n the l a n d and i t s c h a r a c t e r s .
Another r e a l p e r s o n m a g n i f i e d by time
was Bob Edwards, the E d i t o r o f t h e
Sheep Creek Eye Opener (Calgary Eye
Opener) i n A l b e r t a .
Ringwood's p l a y
The Jack and the J o k e r , s e t i n 1904,
i s a f a r c e t h a t r e v o l v e s around the
c h a r a c t e r of the E d i t o r who i s honest,
p u l l s no punches b u t p r i n t s the t r u t h
i n h i s muckraking Eye Opener. He opposes Dudley Carp's d i s h o n e s t p o l i t i c a l
manoeuvres f o r a p o l i t i c a l o f f i c e . Mrs.
Carp f o r c e s the owner o f the p r i n t i n g
p r e s s t o s e l l out t o her but i n the
n i c k o f time Bob Edwards o b t a i n s e v i dence t h a t Carp has s o l d u s e l e s s l a n d
t o the owner. Both money and p r i n t i n g
p r e s s are r e t u r n e d . A s l i g h t p l a y , i t
i s n e v e r t h e l e s s a t r i b u t e t o the sense
o f honesty and j u s t i c e i n h e r e n t i n the
c h a r a c t e r o f Bob Edwards and i t was
the f i r s t work o f l i t e r a t u r e based on
t h i s famous E d i t o r .
Gwen Ringwood has a l s o i m m o r t a l i z e d a
town i n her r e g i o n a l drama. The p e o p l e
o f Edson, A l b e r t a , c e l e b r a t i n g i t s
f i f t i e t h A n n i v e r s a r y , commissioned her
t o w r i t e an h i s t o r i c a l m u s i c a l .
She
wrote Look Behind You, Neighbor i n
which the c h a r a c t e r o f Edson w i t h i t s
ordinary people, i t s b i r t h s , love
a f f a i r s , marriages and deaths s e t s i n
r e l i e f the r e g i o n and i t s p e o p l e .
O b v i o u s l y i n f l u e n c e d by Thornton
W i l d e r ' s Our Town, i t n o n e t h e l e s s acc e n t u a t e s the Edson p e o p l e , t h e i r c o a l
mining a c t i v i t i e s , t h e i r gardens,
r a i l r o a d s , lumbering i n d u s t r y , farml a n d , streams and rainbow t r o u t , the
moose and deer, t h e i r o i l and o t h e r
r e s o u r c e s , t h e i r c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f Edson as c e n t r e and gateway t o the West.
The e a r l y s e t t l e r s who came t o the
l o c a l e when i t was n o t h i n g but f o r e s t
and w i l d a n i m a l s , timber and snow, who
had the courage t o s t a y , are c e l e b r a t e d i n t h i s m u s i c a l . The b u i l d i n g
o f the Grand Trunk P a c i f i c Railway
from Edmonton t o Edson, the opening o f
the f i r s t s c h o o l , newspaper and j a i l ,
Edson's c o n t r i b u t i o n o f servicemen t o
two World Wars makes Edson proud o f
its
s t a t u s as a town o f A l b e r t a .
Gwen P h a r i s Ringwood has a l s o i m m o r t a l i z e d f i c t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r s o f the
p r a i r i e s i n her r e g i o n a l drama. Hest e r , the p r a i r i e woman obsessed w i t h
l o v e of house and l a n d i n Ringwood's
f i n e s t p l a y , S t i l l Stands the House;
and G a r t h , the p r a i r i e farmer whose
angry need t o dominate h i s p r a i r i e
f a r m l a n d i n the two p l a y s , Pasque
F l o w e r and Dark H a r v e s t , g i v e us a
deeper sense o f the i n f l u e n c e o f the
Canadian p r a i r i e s on i t s p e o p l e .
How
s i m p l e and how s t a r k l i f e i s on the
p r a i r i e s w h i c h i n t u r n b r e e d such
s t o i c p e o p l e ! The b i t t e r y e a r s of
drought are p a i n t e d v i v i d l y i n the
t r a g e d y , S t i l l Stands t h e House.
The
p l a y r e v o l v e s around the s t r u g g l e t o
cope w i t h u n p r e d i c t a b l e weather cond i t i o n s which has broken the s p i r i t of
many f a r m e r s and t h e i r w i v e s on the
p r a i r i e s . The waving wheat f i e l d s o f
s p r i n g c o n t r a s t e d w i t h the t e r r i b l e
b l i z z a r d s of w i n t e r , t e s t the s p i r i t
of men and women i n t h e r e l e n t l e s s
y e a r - b y - y e a r s t r u g g l e w i t h the l a n d .
Remote and c h e e r l e s s i s the house f o r
w h i c h H e s t e r s a c r i f i c e s t h e l i v e s of
her b r o t h e r and s i s t e r - i n - l a w . The
proud a u s t e r i t y o f the house i s r e f l e c t e d i n the l i v e s o f i t s i n h a b i t a n t s . Bruce says:
I t ' s strange that i n a s o i l that
won't grow t r e e s a man can put
r o o t s down, b u t he can. . . ,
When I saw the wind l a s t s p r i n g
b l o w i n g the d i r t away, the d i r t
I'd ploughed and harrowed and
sowed t o g r a i n , I f e l t as though
a p a r t o f m y s e l f was b l o w i n g
away i n the d u s t . ( 1 0 )
And H e s t e r says:
The snow l i e s deep on the summer
f a l l o w — t h e snow i s a moving
s h r o u d — a w i n d i n g s h e e t t h a t the
wind l i f t s and r a i s e s and l e t s
f a l l again.
'And the winds blew
and b e a t upon t h e house; and i t
f e l l not:
f o r i t was founded upon a r o c k . ' ( 1 1 )
I n Dark H a r v e s t Gwen Ringwood a g a i n
succeeds i n m e l d i n g t h e p r a i r i e s and
i t s p e o p l e . I n the same s i m p l e ,
p o e t i c s t y l e , she h i g h l i g h t s t h e b a r r e n n e s s and i m p r i s o n i n g q u a l i t y o f the
l i v e s of i t s characters.
Although
t h i s p l a y does not r i s e t o the d r a m a t i c
h e i g h t s of S t i l l Stands the House, i t
does, n e v e r t h e l e s s , e x p l o r e t h e e v i l
consequences o f f a n a t i c a l d e v o t i o n t o
t h e l a n d . Her one h e r o i c and t r a g i c
male f i g u r e i s G a r t h , who t r i e s t o
dominate n a t u r e and a h o s t i l e God. He
says:
T h a t ' s what I'm f i g h t i n g .
Lise
. . . the t h i n g t h a t k i l l s . . .
the t h i n g t h a t l i e s out t h e r e i n
t h e e a r t h and l e t s t h i n g s d i e
. . . and I ' l l w i n , L i s e . . .
y o u ' l l see . . . I ' l l choke him
down and down and I ' l l win i n the
end.(12)
Garth's passion f o r the land i s not
one o f l o v e but of anger and a need t o
conquer. There i s something d a r k and
unnatural i n h i s f i g h t against nature.
The l a n d which n u r t u r e d him has become
h i s opponent and one knows i n s t i n c t i v e l y t h a t he cannot w i n .
Gwen Ringwood's r e g i o n a l p l a y s a l s o
embrace t h e I n d i a n and h i s c l o s e n e s s
to t h e l a n d . She a t t e m p t s t o probe
h i s myths and c u l t u r e . Two young
I n d i a n women a r e symbols o f t h e Canadian Indian t r i b e s . Jana i n the
p l a y , The S t r a n g e r , and Maya i n Lament
f o r Harmonica. I n The S t r a n g e r R i n g wood has c r e a t e d a Greek t r a g e d y s i m i l a r t o t h e Jason-Medea s t o r y . J a n a ,
t h e I n d i a n g i r l , has a baby by J a s o n ,
a w h i t e man, who r e j e c t s her f o r a
w h i t e woman. I n h e r g r i e f J a n a
p o i s o n s t h e woman, • k i l l s her baby and
commits s u i c i d e . The e p i c q u a l i t y o f
the l a n d and i t s f i r s t s e t t l e r s
t r a n s c e n d s the p l o t . The o r c h e s t r a t i o n o f Ringwood's p o e t i c language
l e n d s depth and r i c h n e s s ; her use o f
c l a s s i c a l form p r o v i d e s g r a c e and
p u r i t y . T h i s i s no p a l e emanation o f
t h e s t e r e o t y p e d I n d i a n maiden b u t an
attempt t o p e n e t r a t e t o the h e a r t o f
the I n d i a n and her d e s p a i r , t h e
I n d i a n ' s t r u e f e e l i n g s about the i n v a s i o n o f the homeland by t h e w h i t e
man.
She uses the t r a d i t i o n a l Greek
chorus t o echo her e m o t i o n a l responses
t o the I n d i a n s ' p l i g h t and, t h r o u g h
A l p h o n s e , she s a y s :
I drum f o r each man who i s
wrenched from t h e warm dark o f
nothing,
C r i e s o u t , grows t a l l and w a l k s
upright.
I drum f o r e v e r y man who w a l k s
from dark t o d a r k ,
And knows not what l i e s a t the
next t u r n o f h i s j o u r n e y ,
I drum f o r every man who knows
not where t o p u t down h i s f o o t
To escape the t h i n g i n the
shadow.
I am o l d , h a l f b l i n d , and l i k e
every man
I drum m y s e l f t o my own death.(13)
These choruses not o n l y e x p r e s s f o r e bodings but a l s o have a h e a l i n g qual i t y about them.
In Lament f o r Harmonica, Maya, the
Shushwap I n d i a n g i r l , h a s a c h i l d by t h e
w h i t e man, A l l a n , who i s unaware o f the
event. The baby d i e s and Maya becomes
a d d i c t e d t o a l c o h o l and p r o s t i t u t i o n .
G i l b e r t , an I n d i a n , l o v e s her and a t tempts t o murder A l l a n whereupon Maya
s t a b s and k i l l s G i l b e r t . A g a i n R i n g wood attempts t o probe t h e i n n e r
depths o f t h e I n d i a n ' s c o n s c i e n c e i n a
p l a y t h a t l a c k s the power o f The
S t r a n g e r but i s n e v e r t h e l e s s an honest
e f f o r t t o v i e w the I n d i a n i n her
n a t i v e ground and f o l k w a y s and t o
a r t i c u l a t e her puzzlement and c o n f u s i o n
i n a w h i t e man's w o r l d .
The l a s t c a t e g o r y o f r e g i o n a l p l a y s i n
Ringwood's work concerns the immigrant
t o western Canada. She e x p l o r e s the
l o v e o f Canadian g i r l and Greek boy i n
her p l a y , The Deep Has Many V o i c e s ;
t h e U k r a i n i a n ' s response t o l i f e i n
Canada i n The Drowning o f Wasyl Nemitchuk; t h e S c a n d i n a v i a n ' s l i f e i n the
new l a n d i n C h r i s A x e l s o n , B l a c k s m i t h ;
and the I t a l i a n ' s happy abandonment t o
l i f e i n h e r c h i l d r e n ' s p l a y , The Magic
C a r p e t s o f A n t o n i o A n g e l i n i . These
four plays are s e n s i t i v e i l l u m i n a t i o n s
of t h e f e a r s and c o n f u s i o n s
experienced
by immigrants i n t h e i r e f f o r t s t o b l e n d
w i t h a new l a n d . They a r e , i n f a c t ,
the e x p r e s s i o n o f t h e m e l d i n g o f two
c u l t u r e s , o r the i n e v i t a b l e f o r c i n g of
one c u l t u r e upon another.
I n an o v e r a l l assessment o f Ringwood's
regional drama—its creation of folk
h e r o e s , i t s enlargement o f h i s t o r i c a l
c h a r a c t e r s , i t s development o f common
p r a i r i e p e o p l e , i t s I n d i a n s and immig r a n t s , one f i n d s r u n n i n g t h r o u g h a l l
the p l a y s a p r e o c c u p a t i o n w i t h t h e
e a r t h and i t s m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f l i f e .
She has t r i e d t o p e n e t r a t e t o t h e very
heartbeat o f the earth i t s e l f i n order
t o f i n d o u t how people f e e l about t h e i r
home which i s t h e e a r t h . She took
s p e c i f i c a l l y t h e western mystique
and e x p l o r e d i t i n i t s p e o p l e .
Ringwood has a k i n d o f d i s t i l l i n g t a l e n t
f o r d e s c r i b i n g t h e q u a l i t y and t h e
f e e l of the land i t s e l f .
Deepr o o t e d i n man i s h i s adjustment t o h i s
own l a n d . He f i r s t t r i e s t o c o n t r o l
i t and then t o c h e r i s h i t . I t would
seem t h a t i n h e r e a r l y p l a y s h e r
c h a r a c t e r s seek t o c o n t r o l t h e l a n d
whereas i n h e r l a t e r p l a y s they
c h e r i s h i t . There i s an e p i c q u a l i t y
about t h e open c o u n t r y and t h e e f f e c t
of t h i s b i g n e s s upon t h e human b e i n g .
F o l k l o r e a r i s e s o u t o f t h e common consciousness o f the people. I t i s a
f e e l i n g f o r t h e l a n d and i t s common
p e o p l e . Ringwood's h e r i t a g e i s d e f i n i t e l y t h a t o f t h e l a n d and h e r language
stems from i t . Her body o f r e g i o n a l
drama has a u n i t y i n i t s p r e o c c u p a t i o n
w i t h t h e l a n d and i t s p e o p l e . I t i s
the d e p i c t i o n o f western Canada, i t s
h i s t o r y and s t r u g g l e s , triumphs and
d e f e a t s . The r u r a l c r u c i b l e o f h e r
b i r t h marks a l l h e r w r i t i n g and g i v e s
i t i t s l a r g e r - t h a n - l i f e q u a l i t y and
i t s i n s t i n c t u a l union w i t h the e a r t h .
What F e l i x Sper says o f r e g i o n a l
d r a m a t i s t s i n g e n e r a l can v e r y a p t l y
be a p p l i e d t o Gwen P h a r i s Ringwood's
characters:
Caught up and p l a c e d i n h i s
l i m i t e d n a t u r a l s e t t i n g by t h e
p r a c t i s e d hand o f t h e playmaker,
the earthbound n a t i v e w i t h h i s
k i n , h a s l i v e d f o r a moment i n a
c r o p o f p l a y s whose v a l i d i t y a s
a r t and whose v a l u e a s l i v i n g
documentation must no l o n g e r be
ignored.(14)
NOTES
1.
Bruce
Bailey,
"Review o f Stage V o i c e s , "
2.
Felix
Sper,
1948)
pp. 15-17.
From N a t i v e
Roots
Quill
(Caldwell,
and Q u i r e
(March,
Idaho-. T h e c a x t o n
1 9 7 8 ) , p . 8.
Printers Ltd.,
8.
10.
11.
3.
Ibid.,
4.
Gwen P h a r i s
1977.
p p . 17-19.
Ringwood, p e r s o n a l
5.
Gwen p h a r i s
R i n g w o o d , w i d g e r ' s Way
6.
Loc. c i t .
7.
Gwen P h a r i s R i n g w o o d , Stampede
H i s t o r y P r o j e c t , 1945).
interview
with
(Toronto:
the present
writer,
p l a y w r i g h t s Co-op,
(Edmonton: A l b e r t a
Folklore
May 25,
Ibid.
9.
Gwen P h a r i s
1939)-
ibid.
Ringwood, S t i l l
Stands
t h e House
(New Y o r k :
Samuel F r e n c h I n c .
Ibid.
12.
Gwen P h a r i s R i n g w o o d , D a r k H a r v e s t , C a n a d i a n T h e a t r e R e v i e w , No. 5
1 9 7 5 ) , p . 94.
13.
Gwen P h a r i s
14.
Felix
(Wintei
1976).
and L o c a l
Ringwood, The S t r a n g e r
S p e r , o p . c i t . , p . 22.
(MS. W i l l i a m s
Lake,
1 9 7 1 ) , p . 24.