Magical, illuminating pageant shines light on story of Delhi

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
A nature-inspired community love letter to a beloved green space, thoughtful words accompanying gentle song, colourful art installations and theatrical performance, all carefully and intelligently choreographed as the story of Picton’s green gem, Delhi Park, was told Saturday evening to the large gathered audience.

The mastermind of the Department of Illumination’s latest creative public endeavour, artistic director Krista Dalby, came up with the idea for the Delhi Park pageant, not only writing the script, but also directing the production. And along with a cast of 38, including eight children, plus with crew members, turned the idea into a one-hour outdoor production of magical proportions.

The idea for the pageant came as a way to showcase and highlight the huge park through artistic expression and storytelling, speak to the park’s vast history and its complex landscape. To cast some light on its beauty, describing what the park is and what it has been, and what it stands for, what it means for so many, and why it is such a special place for some. And what it can be going forward.

In a very small part of this vast green space (31 acres in all), just steps from Picton’s bustling downtown core, enveloped in a protected enclave of sorts, huge majestic cottonwood trees towering high above, an epic magical theatrical adventure was about to unfold.

It all begins with the solitary beat of a big drum, its loudness penetrating the now-still gathered crowd, mesmerized by the repetitive single beat of the drum, almost haunting in its delivery. Chatter silenced as drummer and drum walk slowly and rhythmically in procession, guiding its curious followers to the place the storytelling was to unveil, beneath the canopy of those magnificent trees.

Erica Gray, Mohawk Wolf Clan from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory was consulted by Dalby to bring indigenous context and Kanyen’kehá:ka perspective to the script, where Gray shared a few words in her language before proceedings began, something she said the Haudenosaunee do every time they gather as a community.

“This is to put our minds all together as one and send our gratitude to all of the elements of creation that exist on the earth, and in the sky and beyond, that support our existence as human beings,” said Gray.

Among the artists, musicians and performers, there was puppetry, mask, costume, installations and more. The outdoor performance included a delightful frog choir (The Department of Illumination’s ABC Choir led by Sam Hirst), but there was no croaking, just gentle angelic voice and sweet melodic song, with accordions (two) to accompany, a banjo also and some other instrumentation providing meaningful interpretation to help bring the story to life.

The production featured original music by Annelise Noronha and Lisa Bozikovic.

There were the keepers, a number of them present, guiding, patrolling, known as nature spirits and guardians, each with a prop, whether a bee, a snail, a fish, a turtle or a bird. Narration throughout set the stage for the story, each individual part segmented into vignettes, honouring and celebrating the land, appropriately interspersed with music and song and words in what can best be described as a unique poetic experience, dream-like in its presentation.

“The place where we stand 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 arm. 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 narration continues.

“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. Let us move as one to the place where our story will unfold. “

The seats soon filled, some brought their own chairs, many more got to stand or sit awhile upon a blanket atop the lush green grass. Raccoons formed part of the story with lively funky song, the former garbage dump too, where the song told of how one man’s trash is a racoon’s treasure.

There were hilarious escapades of two dogs and their adventures in the dog park, and there were fish representing the lives contained within Marsh Creek which runs through the park.

“The stories we tell in the pageant reflect what we’ve observed in the park and what we’ve learned from the community,” noted Dalby. “I’ve loved the process of developing the work in the park itself.”

She explained how a pageant is the story of a community told by the community, an ancient cultural tradition the organization built the story upon.

Nestled between two ridges, bordered by cemeteries and split by a creek leading to Picton Harbour, Delhi Park is a place with a history as complex as its landscape, she said. Once a former garbage dump and current home to a wastewater facility, the park is now a pastoral retreat with vast fields and mature woodlands, yet this green gem is an underused area.

There were squirrels, of course, four giant squirrels, one of each colour, each with a giant acorn prop, and each with a giant attitude with plenty to say.

And even the dead were not forgotten in what was a hilarious skit from two members visiting from the nearby Glenwood Cemetery, just for the occasion.

Interwoven and inspired by ancient themes, the performance also explained how and when the indigenous peoples arrived in this part of Ontario and how they lived from the land, but also when the settlers arrived, and how they used the land.

“I was here when the first people arrived in this part of Turtle Island, when the land was lush and teeming with life, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, the Anishinaabe, they all passed through here for centuries, travelling with the seasons, fishing and hunting, taking only that they needed,” continued the narration.

Wonderment, that sense of wonder that often comes from within, was on full display Saturday from young and old alike, enriching, empowering, bringing laugher and smiles, amazement and a genuine sense of wonder in this motivating immersive celebration.

The pageant, a gift to the whole community, one that cost nothing to attend, one welcoming of every body, and they came out in their hundreds to witness and capture this moment in time. It came to be, not only from the ingenuity and creativity of the Department of Illumination, but with funds from the John M. and Bernice Parrott Foundation and the Elderberry Fund, along with a number of sponsors from the local business community and community organizations.

There were flowers and headdresses, and garlands too, and most enchanting of all the cluster of dragonflies, consisting of the only child performers in the entire ceremony who flew in, dancing to the soft chorus of accordion accompaniment, and possibly xylophone too. Skillfully choreographed by Allison Nichol, they flitted about as dragonflies do, the dance graceful, before flying off to pastures new.

Dalby explained how Saturday’s performance was the culmination of a 12-weeek residency the registered not-for-profit organization had in Delhi Park over the summer, the grand finale bringing the large-scale community spectacle, the Delhi Park pageant.

“We spent three days a week here starting in May, and almost the entire show was built in the park, so we really drew so much inspiration from Mother Nature and everything around us,” shared Dalby. “This has been such an incredible experience.”

Touching, heartwarming and emotionally stirring, the performance ended with a procession of all the actor and dancer participants to raucous applause, people off their feet, cheering loudly, the appreciative and captivated audience clearly enrapt at the dazzling performance apparently having enjoyed every minute of the theatrical adventure.

Gray concluded the ceremony with some final words, again in her own language.

“As we go towards the end of our evening, just as we opened and brought our minds together as one to give thanks, now we need to close and separate our minds so that we can all go about our lives.”