White Rock history comes alive
Sea of Stories dispels the notion there’s nothing interesting about the town
A new play condenses the history of White Rock into two periods.
There’s a reason for this — as playwright Shawn Macdonald half-jokingly told director Wendy Bollard, telling the whole story of the city by the sea would require a miniseries.
Instead, Sea of Stories focuses on the second decade of the last century, when a school, a train station and a pier were built. The other period is circa 1957, when the town broke away from the larger municipality of Surrey and declared its independence.
“That was a heyday in White Rock,” said Bollard, who is artistic director of White Rock/South Surrey theatre company Peninsula Productions. “Everyone came together and did great stuff in the town.” Residents raised the necessary funds, $150k, to start the Peace Arch Hospital.
“At the time, the town had 3,000 people. It was a small place. People raised money by doing raffles and holding dances. A lady named Amy Weatherby donated five acres. So we have a big song about the Peace Arch hospital.”
In the play, Anita and her 14-yearold son Jeffrey have moved to White Rock to help Anita’s mother transition into a retirement home. Jeffrey is not a fan of his new town, which he thinks “is full of old people and there’s nothing to do.” Given an assignment to write a school paper on a piece of White Rock history, he begins researching the city. His discoveries take the audience back in time to meet White Rock pioneers and Semiahmoo First Nation legends.
Bollard says that it was important for her to include voices from the First Nation, which was occupying the area when the first Europeans arrived.
To ensure accuracy, she approached Semiahmoo First Nations council member Roxanne Charles. Originally asked to do set design, Charles became a script consultant, as did newly elected chief Harley Chappell. Band councillor Joanne Charles came to rehearsals to ensure that the company used “the correct dialect, and that their part of the story is being told in a way they want it to be told.”
Dominik Heins, a well-known German boogie-woogie pianist who now lives in South Surrey, has written the original music and is the show’s musical director.
“His musical style is turn of the century,” Bollard said. “It was a no-brainer to ask him to write the music for this show. He’s done an amazing job of writing music that fits into that era as well as more contemporary stuff as well.”
Sea of Stories draws its cast from all over the Lower Mainland, and includes local community actors and summer students. Professional actors include Cathy Wilmot (Theatre Under the Stars’ Legally Blonde, Fighting Chance Productions regular), who plays Anita, the mom who has just moved to White Rock with her son.
“When I found out she (Wilmot) was available, I asked Shawn to write a song specifically for her,” Bollard said. “She has an amazing voice.”
First Nations actor Sam Bob plays Xya’as, the Semiahmoo Sea God who befriends 14-year-old Jeffery (Anthony Goncharov).
“The Sea God came and threw the rock, and wherever it landed is where he would make his family,” Bollard said. “He and Jeffery are similar; they’ve come somewhere new and make it their home.”
Bollard hopes that people leave Sea of Stories more knowledgeable about White Rock and realizing that, contrary to Jeffery’s belief, the seaside community is a happening place.
“There’s definitely theatre to see,” she said.
“I think the town is getting way more into the arts. We have great little studio venue called Blue Frog that has artists from all over Canada and the world play there. And of course there’s the beach. There’s lots of stuff to do.”