Huge community cast brings magic to Delhi Park Pageant

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
The spirit of Delhi Park was brought to life through story and song as a large-scale community spectacle wove together art, music and performances to create a stunning, immersive celebration of the Picton park’s past, present and future.

Whether it’s singing frogs, barking dogs (a few real dogs joined in too), swooping dragonflies, garbage-seeking racoons, foraging squirrels or the fish that swim in nearby Marsh Creek, the outdoor performance is inspired by the park itself. By the huge towering cottonwood trees, the gentle flow of the little creek, by the creatures who call the place home, where it is really Mother Nature who creates and constantly inspires in the gentle green gem of a place in the heart of Picton.

Krista Dalby

The free admission Delhi Park Pageant was written, directed and designed by The Department of Illumination’s artistic director Krista Dalby who notes “I see this less like theatre and more like a seasonal ritual, the one-time performance ephemeral in its nature.”

About an hour in length, the epic production brought music and magic, in a heartwarming, funny and delightful capsule through time honouring the landscape and its creatures.

And while similar in its design and deliverance (don’t fix it if it ain’t broke, noted Dalby), there were a few subtle enhancements this year to add to its brilliance.

“This is the second time we have run the Delhi Park Pageant, which is really a community production telling the story of the Delhi Park and what a special place it is,” shared Dalby. “We have a huge cast of community people participating, we have original music from local composers, we have some dancers who are young little dragonflies; it’s really a beautiful magical thing.”

The storytelling unfolds, narrated by the Warden of the Wilds, who has watched over this land since the beginning of time, and included a cast of close to 50, the charming performance, not only entertaining but also informative through its clever story telling in what Dalby calls “our theatrical community love letter to Picton’s green gem, Delhi Park”.

“A hardy welcome to one and all,” it began, “We have gathered in here today to join us in honouring and celebrating this land. This place was formed over millennia by mighty glaciers creating these magnificent limestone escarpments; we are held here tenderly in this green basin as though cupped in a caring calm. There is a creek that runs through here like a backbone to the body of this park, or perhaps it is the spine of a book which tells the story of this place. The land holds many stories and points of view. Together, let us read through the pages of the past, to discover where we really stand.”

It is a moving tale that explores Picton’s roots, the stewardship of the land, and the evolution of Delhi Park, shared Dalby. “The pageant’s message is simple: take care of each other, take care of the land. This outdoor production is a magical love letter to Picton’s green gem to delight audiences of all ages.”

“I was here when the first peoples arrived to this part of Turtle Island, when the land was lush and teeming with life,” continued the Warden of the Wilds. “The Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, and the Anishinaabe passed through here for centuries, travelling with the seasons, hunting and fishing, taking only what they needed. They also planted crops”.

“In 2025, it was the culmination of the company’s summer-long residency,” explained Dalby. “Based out of their vibrant solar-powered mobile studio, the artists papier-mâchéd masks, painted banners and sewed costumes in the great outdoors, all the while listening to bird song, chatting with the public, and pausing to help turtles cross the road.”

It was the park itself, and being able to appreciate how wonderful it is, that initially inspired Dalby.

“I am a big nature lover and last summer we spent three days a week during a residency, so we were here and we actually built all the puppets, all the costumes, right here where we are standing in the park. So, it was really spending time in the place where we were creating the show, and it’s a beautiful spot that we treasure.”

Indigenous contribution in the form of Kanyen’kehá:ka perspective was provided by Erica Gray from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, who spoke at the beginning and again at the end of the performance, in her native Mohawk language.

“It is my responsibility this evening to put through the words that come before all other business. This is something Mohawk people do anytime we gather, and the intent is to get everybody’s minds onto the same page and to encourage everyone to let go of anything that might draw your attention away from the matters at hand,” shared Gray.

“We do this by offering our gratitude to all of the elements of creation.”

She explained what she was saying in her language and how she would “offering gratitude to the people, our Mother the Earth for all that she does to sustain life, the waters, the fish life, to the roots, the plants, the flowers, the fruits, all of the foods, the animals, the trees, the birds, the winds, the thunder beings, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the great natural powers of creation”.

The massive community effort received much applause, and a resounding and generous standing ovation.

The cast:
Krista Dalby – Writer, director, designer
Carla McCormick – Stage manager
Hri Neil – Project co-ordinator
Erica Gray – Kanyen’kehá:ka perspective
Allison Nichol – Choreographer
Jocelyn Wattam – Choreographer’s assistant
Lisa Bozikovic, Sam Hirst, Annelise Noronha – composers and musicians
Sam Hirst – Choir director
Heather Kirby – Drums
Matthew Doc Dunn – Pre-show music
Kim Poithier, Michelle Beaudette – Photo/video
Nella Casson, Krista Dalby, Tomas Del Balso, Bear Epp, Susanne Larner, Andrea Piller, Tim Snyder, Jan Swaren – Props and costumes
Stephanie Rose – Warden of the Wilds
Angela Lavender, Catalin Ivan, Evan Bowman, Emmylou Warner, Frank Hannan, Bay Woodyard, Sarah Selecky, Cloris Huang – Keepers
Andrea Dawes, Lois Russell, Galen Newman, Janet Jephcott, Jess Posgate, Lindsay Forsey, John Lai, Keri Nelson, Melissa Warren, Sally McCubbin, Stacey Michener, Hannah Anderson – Choir
Kat Burns, Angie Driscoll – Raccoons
Lenny Epstein, Gavin North – Dogs
Beth Easton, Barbara Leitermanar, Rowan Grills, Aaron Armstrong – Squirrels
Thom Harrison, Nancy Kish – The Dead
Elora Faircloth, Hazel Faircloth, Joni Greig, Alice Hanmer, Rumi Hobbs, Adeline Westlake, Hattie Westlake – Dragonflies.