Four Original Plays to Celebrate Oil History in Lambton County For immediate release Feb. 11, 2008 A gusher of creativity is soon to explode in Lambton County. Four original plays are being staged in Petrolia and Oil Springs this year that tap into the incredible vein of oil history of the Oil Heritage District. A fifth play is in the works. And this is just part of a long list of celebrations planned to trumpet the 150th anniversary of the first commercial oil well in North America. (see www.2008celebrate.com) It’s a little known fact that today’s modern oil industry began in the tiny village of Oil Springs, south of Petrolia, in 1858. It even predates the American oil discovery of 1859. The story is a rich one for any playwright. It was North America’s first oil rush with hundreds of workers arriving weekly, each gripped with Black Gold fever. And there was plenty of drama and trauma. These were heady times with fortunes won or lost overnight. These hardy oil pioneers were ingeniously inventing on the run, and overcoming horrendous obstacles. An amazing cast of characters converged on Oil Springs, mad to strike “rock oil”. As they shovelled, they were seeking this new inexpensive fuel for lamps. And the setting for this tale was what became known as The Great Enniskillen Swamp – a forest in a mass of gooey clay and home to 14 million mosquitoes. The wild boom in Oil Springs was exhilarating but short. By late 1865, the action had all moved 15 km. north to Petrolia where the oil boom stretched out over four glorious decades and matured into a thriving multi-faceted industry. Petrolia still calls itself Canada’s Victorian Oil Town and Petrolia supplied 90 per cent of Canada’s oil needs into the early 1900s. The four plays celebrating the oil history take vastly different approaches. Here’s the line-up: March 20, 21, 22 Perils at Petrolia, Foiled by Oil, Dastardly Doings At the Derrick Written
by Rita Baker This is one fun play with a triple name and this is the third time it is being performed since it was penned in 1976. It has the feel of a silent movie but blends in comedy, drama, song and dance. Among the colourful characters are: the villain, Sir Sidney Slick; the hardworking Henry Fairburn hoping to strike oil; his no-nonsense wife Florence; their sweet and available daughter Emmaline; the eligible hero Charles Angelhart; and the Gypsy who has a gift for telling fortunes. For more information, go to www.petroliatheatre.com
April 7 to 11 /12 &13 Alice in Oil Town Written
and directed by Nancy Keys Pumping with creativity, Nancy Keys has produced this wildly original work that fuses real oil history, Alice in Wonderland, and the joy of Stomp. Alice falls asleep and awakens in an oil town where she encounters one bizarre situation after another. At this Mad Hatter party, they drink oil, not tea. Ms. Keys’ theatre company of talented teens will perform 10 times for busloads of Lambton and Kent County students during the week. On the weekend, it opens to the public with performances at 2 p.m. each day and a Saturday night performance at 7 p.m. For more information, go to www.victoriaplayhousepetrolia.com April 19, July 12, August 9 Oil Days Written
and Directed by Carol Graham This lively play ambitiously takes 150 years of oil history and stuffs it into 30 minutes of entertainment. The ride is fast and fun. It was first presented at the annual meeting of the Ontario Petroleum Institute and it is back by popular demand after another successful show for Petrolia Discovery’s Black Gold Raffle. This is a show that is on the move. It’s at Petrolia’s Victoria Hall in April, in Victoria Park in July for Hard Oil Days, and at the Oil Museum of Canada in Oil Springs in August for the Anniversary Celebration. For more information, go to www.petroliatheatre.com August 12 - 30 Oil Rush Written
and Directed by Robert More Banjos, fiddles, dance and a large cast combine to capture the excitement of the quest for oil in Enniskillen Township. Act One opens in the sticky gum beds of Oil Springs where Canada’s first gusher makes Hugh Nixon Shaw an overnight sensation. The plot then swings to Petrolia for Act Two where the infant oil industry rapidly flourishes and becomes the home of Imperial Oil. The danger, the fires, sorrows and the jubilation are all here. The significance of the events come alive and Oil Rush brings us right to the present. For more information, go to www.victoriaplayhousepetrolia.com. Coming in 2009: Oilfactory Senses Shadowland
Theatre sponsored by Lawrence House Oilfactory Senses promises to be visually stunning with actors on stilts and huge paper maché heads. This is a processional play, one that moves throughout outdoor locations and the audience follows. The Globe and Mail describes it best: “Shadowland takes its theatre out of doors, embracing the skies, streets and wide open spaces with animated sculptures which are individually impressive and collectively overwhelming. Giant puppets, beautiful lanterns, festive costumes, stilt-dancers, banners, flags, rousing drumming and seductive processional music: all are tools of Shadowland's contemporary carnival techniques.” Stay tuned on this one by going to www.lawrencehouse.ca For a full list of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first commercial oil well in Oil Springs, go to www.2008celebrate.com For further information on this release Contact Pat McGee (519) 834-2677 |