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The Play Guide for Blow Wind High Water was created by:

Jenna Turk

Artistic Associate

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Send an email to jturk@theatrecalgary.com

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Blow Wind High Water runs from September 5th to 30th, 2017

For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447

Front cover art direction and graphic design by Punch & Judy Inc.

Photo of Stephen Hair by David Cooper.

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

The Company 1

Who’s Who? 3

The Story 3

EXPLORATIONS

Meet the Playwright: Sharon Pollock 4

An Interview with Set Designer Narda McCarroll 7

Terms to Know 10

The Blackfoot Language 11

CONVERSATIONS

Conversation Starters 13

Calgary: Come Hell or High Water 14

Magic Realism: That’s the past blowin’ by 17

Movie Night 20

Recommended Reads from Calgary Public Library 21

Sources 22

THE BASICS - 1 -

The Company

September 5 to 30, 2017 World Premiere

BLOW WIND HIGH WATER

By Sharon Pollock

Director Simon Mallett

Set Design Narda McCarroll

Costume Design Deitra Kalyn

Lighting Design Michael Walton

Original Music and Sound Design Andrew Blizzard

Production Dramaturg Shari Wattling

Voice Coach Jane MacFarlane

Linguistic Consultant Dr. Heather Bliss

Siksika Blackfoot Translator Natóóhkitopi Fred Breaker

Siksika Blackfoot Translator Ikiómo’tstaan Noreen Breaker

Blow Wind High Water was commissioned by Theatre Calgary through FUSE: The Enbridge New Play Development Program.

THE BASICS - 2 -

THE CAST

(in alphabetical order)

Teddy Tyrell Crews

Gampy Stephen Hair

Maggie Alana Hawley

Doug Doug McKeag

Gwynt Julie Orton

Eva Valerie Planche

Frankie Nadine Roden

Kevin Marshall Vielle Naatoa’yotako

Stage Manager Patti Neice

Assistant Stage Manager Tuled Giovanazzi

Head of Lighting Catharine Crumb

Head of Sound Chris Jacko

Head Stage Carpenter Scott Morris

Wardrobe & Wig Master Ron Siegmund

Assistant Head Dresser Rachel Michelle Sheridan

Stage Hand Andrew Kerr

Cameras and audio/visual recording devices are not permitted in the theatre.

Video and audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

Blow Wind High Water has one 20-minute intermission.

THE BASICS - 3 -

Who’s Who?

Gampy: The aging patriarch of the Ferguson family; he may in fact be 113

years old.

Gwynt: Someone who can only be seen or heard by Gampy.

Doug: Gampy’s grandson, about 55 years of age. He is CEO of TDF Ltd.,

an oil service supplies and construction company founded by Gampy in

the 1920’s/30’s. His leg is in a cast.

Eva: A lawyer and Doug’s wife; in her mid-50’s.

Maggie: Doug and Eva’s 31 year old daughter; she is also a lawyer.

Teddy: Doug and Eva’s 33 year old son. He is a waiter.

Kevin: 35 years old, a successful lawyer, and a member of the Siksika

Nation.

Frankie: Doug’s business associate; she is African-Canadian.

The Story

A raging flood threatens three generations of Calgarians as they struggle

to come together to keep from going under. With a surging river and an

aged patriarch trapped in time, the family attempts to create a legacy

worth inheriting by future generations. A profound, playful, and magical

new Canadian play.

EXPLORATIONS - 4 -

Meet the Playwright: Sharon Pollock

Sharon Pollock

Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Sharon Pollock has called

Calgary home since the mid-sixties. An icon of Canadian Theatre,

she has done it all: acting, writing, and even leading Theatre

Calgary as its Artistic Director in 1984. A two-time Governor

General’s Award winner, Sharon Pollock’s legacy continues not

only with her new work, but as a mentor to artists across the

country. Select Sharon Pollock plays previously produced by

Theatre Calgary include: Walsh, Blood Relations, Doc, and

Whiskey Six Cadenza. Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Associate, Jenna

Turk, sat down with her prior to rehearsals:

How did Blow Wind High Water come to be?

The play was commissioned by Theatre Calgary’s former Artistic

Directors Dennis Garnhum and Shari Wattling in 2015. They wanted

something set in Calgary that touched on the 2013 flood. For me that

location, date, and event held not literal but metaphoric meaning and

significance. A flood overwhelms. Some things swept away, new or

altered things take their place. It brings destruction and rebirth. An

individual must go with the flow or attempt to stand against it. A flood

signifies endings and beginnings. Floods are both natural events and the

stuff of myths. These thoughts planted the seeds of the play.

EXPLORATIONS - 5 -

What is it like working with Theatre Calgary again?

A lot of things are the same. It’s a pleasure to work with supportive,

dedicated, and talented people, and that’s always been a hallmark of the

Theatre Calgary company. The Max Bell Theatre has technical, financial,

and human resources beyond that of the old Theatre Calgary in the 70’s

and 80’s that operated out of a 450 seat renovated tractor warehouse on 9th

Ave SW. The present venue’s size and company scope opens up artistic

and production choices. It’s been a particular joy to get a sense of Theatre

Calgary’s future under the new artistic leadership and vision of Stafford

Arima.

Where did Gwynt (the character only seen and heard by Gampy)

come from?

I guess the only thing I can say is “out of my head” with thanks to the

Muse who put her there. Gwynt is Welsh meaning “wind”, which was an

additional gift.

As much as Blow Wind High Water connects to so many universal

themes: family, ageing, legacy, etc.; it strikes me as a particularly

Calgarian play. It has a certain spirit! What defines the Calgarian

spirit to you?

I don’t think of that “spirit” as particularly Calgarian but as Albertan, and

it’s an Alberta undergoing change. In the early 60’s I chose Alberta as

home because of its spirit of independence, a maverick within a staid

Canada. I saw the peoples of this place as frank, honest, and forthright

even in expressing unpopular opinions whatever the consequences, no

bullshit. They didn’t give up whatever the odds, they liked a good

argument, and if voices were raised they didn’t wilt. Community was

strong but they highly valued and supported the rights of the individual.

They were suspicious of federal governance (in my opinion rightly so) and

wary of any governance or control from above or below. Individual

responsibility ranked high. They weren’t crybabies. They were a

EXPLORATIONS - 6 -

courageous entrepreneurial people. They lived life large and dreamed big.

Time passes and things change. The Alberta spirit that appealed to me

now manifests itself in different ways, not least of which is our awareness

of the Indigenous Peoples of this place and what is owed them. I believe,

however, the essence of that spirit still hovers over the land. I wanted Blow

Wind High Water to somehow touch on all this.

What do you hope the audience will take away from this

production?

I hope they’ll be engaged and entertained. I hope some of the audience

will find that the characters and their story resonate in some way with

their own lives. I hope they’ll feel they’ve experienced in some small way

some small parts of history that have made the place they live in the place

it is. I hope they’ll leave with a sense of celebration and optimism.

You are, as the bio above states, “an icon of Canadian Theatre.”

Are you tired yet? Why do you keep writing?

I suppose I must get tired on occasion. Who doesn’t?

Why do I keep writing? What would I do if I didn’t?

Why are new Canadian plays important? Are they?

I hate labels so I reject “new” and “Canadian.” When I was younger I

could tell you why plays were important. Now when I think of societal

things that are important I’m not sure where I’d rank plays in the order of

importance. Theatre is important to me, and perhaps it’s theatre’s failing

that it is not important to more people who don’t happen to work in

theatre.

What advice would you to give to an emerging playwright today?

Keep writing unless you can stop.

EXPLORATIONS - 7 -

An Interview with Set Designer

Narda McCarroll

Narda McCarroll

Born in San Francisco and raised in Lethbridge by visual artist

parents, Narda McCarroll dreamed of performing in Broadway

Musicals. After earning a BFA and working as an actor (she was

in Theatre Calgary’s production of Evita!), 20 years ago she made

the switch to design to gain more control over her artistic life.

Narda is an inventive and exciting designer, and Theatre Calgary

is so pleased to have her back here –but in a different role!

Artistic Associate Jenna Turk spoke with her about her work on

Blow Wind High Water just before rehearsals began:

With Blow Wind High Water being a brand new play, how much

room was there for collaboration on the set design versus one

that has previously been produced?

I love collaborating on new plays. It’s exciting to be part of the first team

to bring a work to life on stage. A new play has no road map for how to

solve staging challenges. There are no images of past productions to help

suggest what the world of the play requires. The director, playwright, and

designers create that world together not knowing for sure what will work

and what might not. The possibility of failure makes success that much

sweeter.

EXPLORATIONS - 8 -

How have you incorporated the natural elements (like wind and

water!) into the show?

We are still a week away from beginning rehearsals for this premiere

production, so we don’t yet know how we will be incorporating wind. We

plan to experiment with fans to see if we can create some real wind

onstage without being annoyed by the sound of the wind makers. We will

try manipulating the painted muslin sky (the furthest upstage element of

the design) to show the movement of wind. We may also test blowing fog

and haze to see if it will create a sense of seeing the wind.

I have included a number of rain curtains to represent rain in the

production. It will not be real water but will hopefully create an

impression of water in a magical, theatrical way.

How does the set come alive?

The set has a lot of moving elements coming from above and below. As

the storm builds clouds and eventually rain press down on the characters

becoming more and more oppressive. Many practical elements in the

story – primarily furniture – will appear and disappear from the trap

room on hydraulic platforms. Simon (the Director Simon Mallett), Sharon

(the Playwright Sharon Pollock), and I all felt strongly that many of the

scenes required realistic furniture pieces to ground the action but also

needed to come and go as magically as possible.

Lighting will be another key element in bringing the set to life. I can’t wait

to see what Michael (Lighting Designer, Michael Walton) creates.

Is it a challenge or a blessing designing for a space as big as the

Max Bell Theatre? Why?

Blow Wind High Water is a Calgary play, a prairie play. Wide open space is

a part of it. The expansiveness of the Max Bell stage is an advantage as it

gives us so much height and depth to play with and manipulate.

EXPLORATIONS - 9 -

Early design drawings by Narda McCarroll

How much was the design influenced by the magical elements of

the play? Did you design the set with magic realism in mind?

I am always drawn more strongly to plays that have a theatrical or

magical quality to them. I love the magical elements of this play. I

immediately knew that the piece would work best with a design that

could quickly shift from one location to another and from the real to the

unreal in an instant. I was never tempted to create a realistic house for

Gampy’s family to inhabit. Much of the play lives within pockets of his

mind. It feels right to only reveal impressions and snippets of his real

world combined with more magical interpretations of his inner world and

the storm that breaks around him.

“We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.”

–Martin Luther King Jr.

EXPLORATIONS - 10 -

Terms to Know

Willie McKnight: An Edmonton-born Calgary-raised, World War II Royal

Air Force hero. McKnight Boulevard is named for him.

Moh-kins-tsis: The Blackfoot word for “elbow” and another name for

Calgary.

Synapses: Junctions between nerve cells that allow neurons to pass

electrical or chemical signals. It is generally believed that synapses play a role

in the creation of memory.

Sangam Bay: A fictionalized place traumatized by tsunamis, created by

playwright Sharon Pollock.

Dingman #1: Named for Walter Dingman who struck oil in 1914 in the

foothills south of Calgary that ushered in Alberta’s first oil boom.

Amber Valley and Keystone: Two of the original Alberta settlements led

by early black immigrants via Texas and Oklahoma. Keystone is now known

as Breton, Alberta.

Sommelier: Someone trained with an extensive knowledge in wine and its

food pairings. Often a waiter or maître d’ at a fine dining restaurant or hotel.

Rig’s Bull Wheel: Part of the oil retrieval process that moves tools in and

out of the ground.

Well Casing: A large segment of pipe that is placed in a new hole drilled

for oil excavation. Typically held in place with cement.

Revolving pipe tongs: A mechanized tool for removing pipe and casing

when breaking up a drill site.

Brass Tacks: An idiom originating in the 19th century meaning “the

essentials” or “basic facts.” Its exact origin is unknown.

Shantytowns: A settlement of improvised housing often formed due to

poverty, regularly lacking proper sanitation or a clean water supply.

Emperor Pic: A nickname for an infamous Italian immigrant, Emilio

Picariello, who bootlegged alcohol into Alberta during Prohibition.

Berm: A raised mound of earth formed to act as a barrier between two

areas.

Retaining wall: A wall created to support soil, to hold it in or up and away

from a particular area.

EXPLORATIONS - 11 -

Cross Currents: When flows of water run over one another or when

memories conflict with one another.

Rhodes Scholar: Someone who has been financially supported to attend

the University of Oxford in England. A high intellectual honour and a

lifelong fellowship.

Greenhorn Talk: Something an inexperienced or naïve person would say.

La Chumière: An elegant French restaurant located on 17th Ave in Calgary.

Maritime Schooners: Sailing vessels built with two masts popular in

Atlantic Canada

Napi: A cultural hero of the Blackfoot tribe, known for being a trickster and

demi-god. Also identified as Old Man.

The Blackfoot Language

Blow Wind High Water features a character, Kevin, who is a member of the

Siksika Nation. As Kevin was meant to be fluent in the Blackfoot

language, playwright Sharon Pollock was adamant about writing his text

as authentically as possible. For assistance with this and the translation,

she enlisted the help of Siksika Blackfoot translators Ikinómo’tstaan

(Noreen Breaker), and Natóóhkitopi (Fred Breaker), and Dr. Heather Bliss,

an expert in linguistics with a specialization in the Blackfoot language.

Here is a primer on the Blackfoot language courtesy of Dr. Heather Bliss:

A Plains Algonquin language spoken in Southern Alberta and

Northwestern Montana, Blackfoot has four dialects corresponding to the

four reserves where Blackfoot is spoken:

Siksika (spoken on the Siksika reserve near Gleichen and the dialect used

in the play)

Kainai (also called Blood, spoken on the Kainai/Blood reserve near

Lethbridge),

Aapátohsipikani (also called Piikani or Northern Peigan, spoken on the

Piikani or Peigan reserve to the west of Fort MacLeod)

EXPLORATIONS - 12 -

Aamsskáápipikani (also called Blackfeet or Southern Peigan, spoken on

the Blackfeet reservation in Montana)

The four dialects differ in various ways. Some words and phrases are

pronounced differently across the dialects, and in some cases the dialects

use different words to express similar concepts. For example, the word for

‘ice cream’ is isstonniki (literally ‘cold milk’) in the Kainai dialect, but

aisstoyi (literally ‘that which is cold’) in the Siksika dialect.

Blackfoot is a polysynthetic language, meaning almost every word

consists of multiple parts, and words can consist of so many parts that

often a single word is the equivalent of a full sentence. For example:

Iksi’táámomahkatoyiiksistsikomit!

ik-i’taam-omahk-atoyi-iksistsiko-omi-t

very-happy-big-holy-day-have-do

Means:

“Merry Christmas!”

In recognizing Blackfoot, one may notice that the language does not have

a word meaning ‘the,’ but instead uses demonstratives (words like ‘this,’

‘that,’ ‘these,’ ‘those’). While English only has four demonstratives,

Blackfoot has 900 which can be used to express a range of different

properties, such as time, location, etc. They are often emphasized in a

sentence, either by appearing as the first word or by being drawn out with

a long vowel, and some Blackfoot speakers tend to use ‘this’ and ‘that’

instead of ‘the’ when speaking English.

Another identifier of Blackfoot is its use of ‘soundless’ sounds. “Aa” and

“ee” sounds at the ends of words are articulated but not pronounced with

any sound. To speak Blackfoot properly, you cannot omit these soundless

sounds, but you also cannot pronounce them with any sound. Careful

listeners might see speakers moving their mouths in the gesture of making

EXPLORATIONS - 13 -

these sounds without any accompanying sounds (but it is often very

subtle).

If you are interested in hearing more Blackfoot spoken, check out Dr.

Bliss’ online digital archive of contemporary Blackfoot stories told in

various dialects here!

Conversation Starters

Are you from Calgary? If so, have you experienced a flood in your

time here?

Did your family come together during that time? Did your community

support you?

Do you believe nature’s elements can reflect the human crises?

How would you describe the Calgarian or Albertan spirit?

What lessons can we learn from Gampy?

Which character did you identify with the most? Were you able to

connect to each of them?

Have you ever attended a world premiere production or seen a play by

Sharon Pollock before?

Where else in the world could you imagine this play resonating? Why?

“What is life?

It is the flash of a firefly in the night.

It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.

It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses

itself in the sunset.”

–Chief Crowfoot

CONVERSATIONS - 14 -

Calgary: Come Hell or High Water

Theatre Calgary’s Shakespeare by the Bow trailer and dressing rooms

under water during the 2013 flood (Photo by Chris Loach)

Situated at the confluence of two rivers, Calgary has a long and storied

history with rising waters. The first people of the land, members of the

Blackfoot Confederacy, were nomadic bison hunters and trout fisherman.

They lived their lives based on the way the rivers were flowing and

learned the best trails for avoiding high water. Their origin story, as

shared by Kevin in Blow Wind High Water, believes that their creator made

the earth from mud pulled by a muskrat from the bottom of deep water

that he then rolled out on his palm and into which he moulded hills,

valleys and mountains, and dug grooves for rivers and lakes. From water

the earth was born, and so it seems to want to return.

Since the founding of Calgary in 1875, there have been eleven key floods

that have shaped this city and its community. Gampy runs through them

off the top of his head, but do you remember them?

1863 -Icy waters take out the only pedestrian bridge and the Calgarian

entrepreneurial spirit is born when a ship owner begins offering his

transportation services – for a small tariff, of course.

CONVERSATIONS - 15 -

1884 -The Elbow River flood breaks all of Calgary’s bridges, and worst

of all their logs then act as battering rams and take out 10 or 12 of CP

Rail’s bridges as well.

1897 -Both rivers and surrounding creeks flood, causing over a quarter

of a million dollars in damages to homes, businesses, and the city’s

infrastructure despite the efforts of the City Fire Brigade and the

Northwest Mounted Police. Generosity prevails though, when Mayor Orr

gives lots of land from his own holdings in Inglewood to the 10 worst

affected people, and a flood relief fund is started by Town Council.

1902 -Two separate floods overtake the city stranding many as the

varying water levels lead them to believe they are safe to stay put in their

homes. The power house in Eau Claire floods too, leaving the city without

electricity, but City Council makes plans to construct a wall along the

southern bank of the Bow from Prince’s Island to the Bridge now known

as Reconciliation Bridge.

1915 -Record amounts of rainfall mean river waters rising rapidly with

high winds and even a tornado at Redcliff. Three lives lost and three

bridges carried away, but the Calgary Industrial Exhibition still opens on

schedule!

1923 -After several years of drought, a flood arrives severely affecting

those in Elbow Park. Mayor G.H. Webster orders all city trucks to bring

boats to the area to assist with the rescue effort. Dirt roads, still the norm,

wash away.

1929 -The worst flood hits since 1902! Bowness Park and St. George’s

Island are completely submerged and the Calgary Exhibition and

Stampede horse barns flood. The decision is made to build the Glenmore

Waterworks System to deliver water to Calgary homes.

1932 -High water overtakes the Elbow, but the new Glenmore Reservoir

and Dam contain the worst of the flooding. Because of advance warning,

all of the animals at the zoo are kept safe. There are no more major floods

between now and 2005…giving many Calgarians peace of mind that the

Glenmore Dam will protect them.

CONVERSATIONS - 16 -

1950 -An ice jam near St. George’s Island causes a flood overtaking 435

homes, 4 apartment blocks including the Cecil Hotel, and the Dog Pound

— the dogs are saved by the Fire Department. Cold water and low

temperatures make rescue operations difficult, but local residents pitch in

supplying hot coffee and meals.

2005 -June brings the largest amount of rainfall in Calgary’s history, a

state of emergency is called, and this flood becomes one of the costliest

natural disasters in the province’s history. 40,000 homes are damaged and

over 1,500 people are evacuated — including the moose at the zoo. The

need for a new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Centre is identified.

2013 -The most destructive flood in Calgary’s history hits, displacing

110,000 people, closing all schools, shutting off all routes into downtown,

and necessitates calling in the Canadian Army. The city unites under the

rallying cry, “Come Hell or High Water,” and within a week of the state of

emergency being lifted the LRT is back online, most damaged roads are

repaired, and the Stampede goes ahead as planned despite severe

destruction to the rodeo grounds and grandstand. Social media keeps

people informed with everyone from the City of Calgary to Mayor Nenshi

to the Calgary Police tweeting out updates as well as words of support.

Costing approximately $1.7 billion, this flood is the costliest disaster in

Canadian history up until the Fort McMurray Wildfires of 2016.

Dog pound rescue, 1950

(Photo courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives NA-2869-181)

CONVERSATIONS - 17 -

Magic Realism: That’s the past blowin’ by

It may be easy to simply describe Blow Wind High Water as a

“contemporary family drama” or a “real Calgarian story”, but if one were

to do so a crucial element of its makeup would be missing: magic. This

new play by the remarkable Sharon Pollock is a fascinating blend of

comedy, tragedy, and magic realism.

The cast of Theatre Calgary’s Beyond Eden*

(photo by David Cooper)

The term coined in 1925 by German art critic Franz Roh in his essay, Magic

Realism: Post-Expressionism, was originally used to discuss visual art, but

soon evolved to include literature, and then theatre. He “wished to

indicate that the mystery does not descend to the represented world, but

rather hides and palpitates behind it.” While he may have been

referencing the dimensions of a painting, the same principal is key for

plays categorized as magic realism. For it is not that a fantastical world

has been created, it is that the world is in fact very real – but so too is the

magic. Its elements grow organically out of the reality portrayed. Sharon

Pollock expounds on Blow Wind High Water, “In the play you have a real

or natural world, a seemingly ordinary world, in which magical things

happen and a supernatural character exists, without other ‘real’ characters

acknowledging the magical aspect of either, although they are affected by

it.” For example, there is no questioning from Gampy that Gwynt (his

CONVERSATIONS - 18 -

friend only he can see and hear) exists, and in this, Theatre Calgary’s

premiere production, set pieces appear and disappear as plain as day.

Peter Anderson and Christopher Hunt in Theatre Calgary’s 7 Stories*

(Photo by Trudie Lee)

While magic realism is often associated with Latin American writers (like

Gabriel Garcia Márquez and Isabel Allende), they do not have a monopoly

on the genre – although they are deservedly known for their mastery. It is

a style that creates space for diverse stories, unites history with the

imaginary, and allows for political and cultural disruption. It is perhaps

unsurprising then that magic realism is particularly popular in

postcolonial contexts, and has been embraced by Canadian artists of all

kinds from poet Robert Kroetsch to novelist Yann Martel to playwright

Sharon Pollock. Blow Wind High Water confronts a collective history

(Gampy’s long-lasting patriarchy), bears witness to our current age (no

electronics on the weekend!) and reconnects a community with past

traditions (family before funds says Kevin). In Pollock’s Calgary, magic is

normalized and true transformation is made possible. There is a freedom

to the form that mirrors our Canadian wilderness and seems to celebrate

living on the margins. From that vantage point, Mexican author and critic

Louis Leal believes “the writer confronts reality and tries to untangle it, to

discover what is mysterious in things, in life, in human acts.” Sharon

Pollock agrees, “My plays are my attempts to make sense of myself and

the world I live in.”

CONVERSATIONS - 19 -

It is worth noting that in the theatre magic is readily available (in Blow

Wind High Water alone nature’s fiercest elements rage indoors and long

lost loved ones are transported back to life), and so magic realism is

perhaps most accessible on stage. Brian Quirt, Director of the Banff

Playwrights Lab, says, “When I think of magic realism, I think it describes

almost all theatre…theatre, of course, exists in the present and so invites

all times to be present on stage simultaneously.” Therefore there is an

essential liveness to the form which allows for the possibility of the

impossible. While not all theatrical genres take advantage of this “magic,”

it is always present. Blow Wind High Water travels through time and space

with Gampy, from his first day through to his last with ghosts of all kinds

controlling the forecast. Fortunately, he and we, the audience, are good

hands with Sharon Pollock – and Gwynt leading the way. So, sit back,

relax, and breathe in Blow Wind High Water. How many dimensions do

you see?

The cast of Theatre Calgary’s The Little Prince*

(Photo by Trudie Lee)

*Photos featured in this article are examples of past Theatre Calgary

productions that explored magic realism.

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is let it rain.”

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

CONVERSATIONS - 20 -

Movie Night

Blow Wind High Water is a homegrown story of a Calgary family as they

struggle with the legacies they’ve left and those that they prepare to leave

behind. Using elements of magic realism, it offers a profound and playful

look at a family story. Explore its themes with these notable films:

Noah’s Ark (1928) An epic American melodrama, this film was made just as silent films were

disappearing and talkies were on the way in, and incorporates both

formats. It tells the biblical story of the flood that lasted forty days and forty

nights, and parallels it with World War I.

waydowntown (2000)

Directed by University of Calgary alumni Gary Burns, this dark comedy

with a surrealist bent focuses on a group of coworkers and their bet to see

who can last the longest without going outside. Set in Calgary, the film

features extensive footage of the Plus 15.

Killer Flood (2003)

This low-budget American made-for-TV movie is one part action movie

and one part redemption story. When an overflowing damn threatens a

town’s survival, its disgraced architect must save the day – and his family.

Amélie (2001)

A whimsical French romantic-comedy centred on the real and imagined

world of its title-character, Amélie. Directed by visionary Jean-Pierre

Jeunet; he uses vibrant colour enhancing techniques and digital effects to

bring Amélie’s imagination to life.

In the Wake of the Flood (2010)

A Canadian documentary that follows the book launch for Margaret

Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Year of the Flood. Instead of a traditional

reading, Atwood enlisted community groups to theatricalize her book and

focused her energy not on selling, but instead on building environmental

awareness.

Click on the movie posters to read more

about each film on imdb.com!

CONVERSATIONS - 21 -

Recommended Reads from Calgary Public Library By Jessica Corra

Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival by Bev Sellars

Nonfiction. 2016. An exploration of First Nations culture and history that

should be required reading for anyone who makes decisions that affect

Indigenous peoples and their land – like Doug’s decision to raise a berm.

You Might Be From Alberta If… by Dave Elston

Nonfiction. 2016. Gampy repeatedly says that the family is Alberta

strong, but what does that mean? Dave Elston’s quirky cartoons give us

some insight.

At the End of Life: True Stories About How We Die with Lee

Gutkind

Nonfiction. 2012. Doug and Eva wrestle with the decision of how to best

care for Gampy as he gets older. These poignant essays explore the

current palliative care system—its strengths and its flaws—and the ways

in which loved ones battle to hang on—and to let go.

What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg

Nonfiction. 2012. Maggie, Teddy, and Kevin throw out some curveballs

about sexuality and reproduction. If you’re only familiar with the

traditional nuclear family like Doug and Eva, consider this adorable

children’s book a primer on accepting arrangements that you might

never have considered.

The Flood of 2013: A Summer of Angry Rivers in Southern

Alberta from The Calgary Herald

Nonfiction. 2013. The events of Blow Wind High Water happen during a

storm and rising floodwaters. Calgary has had many floods, but the

2013 flood was the most devastating one in the city’s history.

Click on the book covers to check availability

at Calgary Public Library!

CONVERSATIONS - 22 -

Sources

“7 names for Calgary before it became Calgary.” CBC News Calgary.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-names-elbow-1.3345967

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