Lessons of the past, inspiring the future

The classic prairie visual, an old barn piercing the horizon, standing defiantly against  the overwhelming sky, is how director Scott Swan describes the play Ten Lost Years.

Based on the book of the same name by author Barry Broadfoot, Swan’s theatrical production brings depression era oral histories to life.  Recognizing that personal histories may vanish with the death of his generation, Broadfoot quit his job at the Vancouver Sun and headed cross country into the homes and watering holes of Canadians, recording tales of hardship.   

Since 1978, when Swan first read the book and contacted Broadfoot about creating a theatrical production, Ten Lost Years, the play, has gone through many changes.  Each show is unique.  

Twenty to 25 stories are relived on stage each night, accompanied by three- and four-part harmonies performed a cappella.  The period’s music, such as Gene Autry’s Gold Mine in the Sky, provides a wonderful connection to the narrative, said Swan.  

“We select a story if it touches us as a group.” 

Covering a variety of harrowing personal tales, such as the greedy maritime landlord who was tarred and gravelled for attempting to raise a widow’s rent, or the man who stole a wreath for his own wife’s funeral, Ten Lost Years, “is a back-to-the-roots, pure storytelling” affair.  

Recalling an encounter with a crusty old woman in Banff, who was commiserating the fact that her son just bought a $70,000 SUV and had no appreciation for difficulties his father faced in the 1930s, Swan thinks this story may be even more relevant today, than any other time since the depression, given the economic troubles we face.  It’s a case of “nature imitating art,” he said.

Featuring a collective of Vancouver-based actors, Ten Lost Years will be performed at the Jasper Activity Centre as part of the season’s Arts Jasper lineup on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m.