Live and in person at the Blyth Festival, Memorial Hall, Blyth, Ont. Playing until Sept. 7, 2024.
Written by Alison Lawrence
Inspired by the book by Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English
Directed by Severn Thompson
Set and costumes by Kelly Wolf
Lighting by Steve Lucas
Sound and original music by Heidi Chan
Cast: Shelayna Christante
Autumn Davis
Charlotte Dennis
Lucy Hill
Sachi Nisbet
Alicia Salvador
A wonderful production of the pluck and fortitude of young Ontario women to help farm when the men are away during WWII. And a heartening story of friendship and loyalty.
NOTE: This production of Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes is a co-production between 4th Line Theatre Company in Millbrook, Ont. and the Blyth Festival in Blyth, Ont.
I will re-print part of the story from my review of the 4th Line Theatre Production, but will also comment specifically about the Blyth Festival Production.
Because of impending bad weather, the Blyth Festival production was performed for this performance at the Memorial Hall.
The Story. Alison Lawrence has written a lively, loving, poignant play weaving the stories and experiences of the young women who signed up to be Farmerettes, working the farms while the men were away at the war. The young women were mainly high school students who often came from other places to work on the farms. There were about 40,000 of them who signed up.
Alison Lawrence has created a play in two parts over two summers. Act One, Peach Fuzz, is set in 1942 in Grimsby, Ontario; Act Two, Onion Skins, is set in Thedford, in 1945. The play is described as a work of fiction based on actual events. We get a wonderful sense of the enthusiasm of these young women for this new adventure. The Farmerettes, as they were soon called, soon got over their enthusiasm for the adventure after a day of working in the fields. Every bone and muscle ached. There are hilarious stories of picking peaches and later in Act II, harvesting onions.
For many of the Farmerettes it was the first time they were away from home and homesickness was an issue in at least one case. In another case it was the first time a young woman had a bed to herself because she came from a large family and had to share her bed with two sisters. One young woman named Jay wrote chatty letters to her father who was fighting overseas. This perhaps was the most moving story. Jay (Charlotte Dennis) and her father argued before he left and she felt sad and guilty about it. The emotion was heighted because he was fighting in Dieppe.
The camaraderie of these young women is beautifully illuminated by playwright Alison Lawrence but she doesn’t shy away from some of the uglier attitudes of some of these women. One of the Farmerettes was a woman named Amalia (Lucy Hill). She was matter-of-act and generally kept to herself. She was viewed with a bit of suspicion by the other girls perhaps because she kept to herself; or perhaps because she had an accent they could not place. In fact, Amalia was Czech and had experienced war, while the others had not. She came to Canada for a better life. Over time the wariness she had for the others and the others had for her, dissolved with conversation and understanding.
In Act II, set in Thedford, Ont. in 1945, Alison Lawrence had the stories of two sisters, Sue (Alicia Salvador) and Lucy Tanaka (Sachi Nisbet), woven into the play. They were young women living in the area with their parents. Sue and Lucy were born in Canada of Japanese descent. Because of the war and racism, their parents saw their land taken away from them and they were put into an internment camp and considered “enemy aliens.” It didn’t matter that their father fought on the side of Canada in the war. It didn’t matter that the two girls were born in Canada. Because they were of Japanese descent they were automatically consider ‘enemies’. Sue tried to see the best in people. Lucy was bitter because of the treatment of her family. Again, the young women farmers came to realize the horrible situation for the Tanaka family. One of the girls stood up to her mother who had negative thoughts about the Tanaka family, and told her the Tanakas were good people. It was vital that that ugly part of Canadian history be in this play and Alison Lawrence rose to the occasion.
The Production. Severn Thompson has directed a wonderfully intimate production that accentuates the camaraderie of the various characters. Each character is given focused scenes to tell their story and reveal their character. Because of that we are able to observe each character at close range. Their emotions are shimmering on the surface. Every crease of a brow is resounding. The acting of the cast, to a person, is heartfelt, true and committed.
As Jay, Charlotte Dennis bristles with emotions as the woman who writes to her father in Dieppe. There is regret because they had a fight before he left and Jay laments they parted on bad terms. Charlotte Dennis fills her work with detail and heart.
Shelayna Christante plays Joan in Act I and Nettie in Act II and does both with notable commitment. In Act 1, Alicia Salvador plays Ted, a hay-sucking farmer with little use for girl farmers, until he meets the love of his life and changes his tune. In Act II Alicia Salvador plays Sue Tanaka, who tries to find good in everyone. (NOTE: Alicia Salvador also played in the production at 4th Line Theatre the only actress of this cast to play both productions only she played Lucy there—talented young woman). Autumn Davis plays Dot, Joan’s sister. She’s always cheerful, enthusiastic and positive. Sachi Nisbet plays Liz in Act I, a fastidious organizer of the Farmerettes, always a stickler for the rules; and in Act II she plays Lucy, the angry Tanaka sister who resents how her parents were treated. Lucy Hill plays many parts here with endless detail and creativity. She plays Amalia in Act I, a dour woman, watchful and knowing of how terrible war is; in Act II she plays Mrs. Franklin, a misery who resents cooking for the girls and feels that slop dropped on their plates is nourishment enough. Lucy Hill also also plays a fast moving, mischievous boy who taunts the girls. Hilarious.
Kelly Wolf has designed a simple set (meant for the Harvest Stage, but moved indoors because of weather to the Memorial Hall). Her costumes are work clothes and efficient for each character.
I loved the intimacy of this production, the true friendships and decency of these young women to step up and help the war effort, as well as each other.
The Blyth Festival Presents:
Plays until Sept. 7, 2024.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, approx. (1 intermission)
www.blythfestival.com