Photo: T’əl The Wild Man of the Woods, RWB Company. Photo by Daniel Crump
By Sam Laskaris
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Cameron Fraser-Monroe has several reasons why he’s excited about a ballet production that will begin touring in British Columbia this month.
Fraser-Monroe, a member of Tla’amin Nation in B.C., is the choreographer for T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods.
This work had its world premiere at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) in 2024.
And now T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods will be part of a double bill that will be staged during RWB’s B.C. tour, starting with a performance on Jan. 27 at the Evergreen Theatre in Powell River.
The tour will wrap up with shows on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 at The Centre Vancouver.
The double bill will also feature the modern classic Carmina Burana, a cantata based on 24 poems composed in 1935 and ’36, by Germany’s Carl Orff.
T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods is the retelling of a traditional oral tale featuring a young woman who heads off into the unknown to save her sister from the sinister T’əl, who steals children at night.
“I grew up hearing this story,” Fraser-Monroe said. “I don’t remember the first time I heard it, but it’s really an excellent story. Not only is it used for entertainment, like so many of the stories we know now, but it was also used as a tool.
“So, it was a way of making sure that kids didn’t stay out after dark, didn’t venture too far from home, otherwise T’əl would kidnap them and whisk them up into the woods. For that reason, it’s a special story for not only myself but for many people across generations.”
Fraser-Monroe, who grew up in the B.C. city of Vernon, recalls his parents telling him the tale when he was young.
“And there’s actually a book about T’əl,” he said. “But in that version T’əl is a woman.”
Fraser-Monroe said he believed the tale while growing up.
“I had a very active imagination when I was a kid and I definitely worried about T’əl,” he said. “I think it’s especially fun intergenerationally because as you grow up, you then get to see your younger cousins believe it as well. It’s a bit like Santa Claus. You get to be on the other side of it and it’s pretty fun to see.”
Besides Vancouver and Powell River, which is located next to Fraser-Monroe’s First Nation, the RWB’s B.C. tour will include performances in Vernon, Chilliwack, Salt Spring Island, Courtenay and Nanaimo.
Fraser-Monroe is currently the Indigenous artist-in-residence at the National Theatre School of Canada based in Montreal. His two-year term runs until May.
But he’ll be venturing out west for the RWB’s B.C. tour.
“Normally the choreographer doesn’t tour with the work,” he said. “But because we’re going back to both the place that I grew up in Vernon and my home territory in Tla’amin, I’m joining along and introducing the work. And I’m really looking forward to meeting people and seeing their reactions to a pretty new work.”
T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods is narrated by Tla’amin Nation member Elsie Paul, who is in her 90s.
“She’s our oldest Elder in the community and she will get to see it live, which is really exciting,” Fraser-Monroe said. “It feels great to be bringing it home.”
He’s also excited about other team members.
“It’s really a groundbreaking ballet in that the whole creative team is led by Indigenous people,” he said.
Other key members of the production include composer Cris Derksen, who is a member of a First Nation in Alberta called Tallcree 173A, and Navajo Nation designer Asa Benally, who is based in New York.
“This is my team,” Fraser-Monroe said. “I brought them together when I decided this was the story I wanted to tell.”
Fraser-Monroe said he was keen to have the production have the ability to tour without many challenges.
“It’s got a couple of poles and it’s got beautiful costumes,” he said. “But we’re not bringing a massive painted backdrop or anything like that, that wouldn’t fit in a truck. And that was really intentional.”
This marks the first time in 10 years that the RWB has staged a tour in British Columbia. RWB does, however, stage annual performances of The Nutcracker in Vancouver.
“It’s a really large-scale tour, not only for the work but for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, because they often don’t get out this far when they’re out,” Fraser-Monroe said.
Ticket information and details on the RWB’s B.C. tour are available www.rwb.org
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