Waterloo Greens’ Richard Walsh is mounting a local production of a play about whistle blowing in a Water-Safety Crisis.
2015 Green Party Candidate in Waterloo
Although this is not a Green Party event, even if our esteemed colleague Richard was not involved in this production, the issues of whistleblowing, water, public accountability and the environmental certainly fall within the bounds of green interest.
Many of us remember incidents of severe water contamination in Grassy Narrows, Walkerton, Elmira, Ontario, and Flint, Michigan.
Do you also remember how some municipal and provincial or state authorities and local businesspersons tried to cover up the dangers to residents’ health?
That’s what the next theatre production by Christ Church Waterloo is all about: environmental and moral responsibility.
On November 10th-12th at 8 pm Christ Players presents in the sanctuary Richard Walsh’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s original 1882 drama, An Enemy of the People.
Richard has set the play in Canada 2016, abbreviated it, modernized the language, and incorporated audience participation. As well, after each performance audience members can participate in group discussion about the issues the play raises.
In the play the main character, “Dr. Thomas Stockmann,” who is his town’s Medical Officer of Health, discovers that the source of water for the town and its new healing baths is dangerous to use. He sets out to overcome cowardice and deception by the powers-that-be in the face of this crisis in public health. Despite his political naiveté, Thomas bravely challenges the town’s status quo for what he believes is the greater good. However, like all the characters in the play, he has personal flaws that make his attempts to resolve the dangers to his community difficult to achieve.
An Enemy of The People
November 10 – 12, 2016
8:00 pm
Christ Lutheran Church
445 Anndale Road, Waterloo
Tickets ($15 for adults, $10 for students) may be ordered in advance from the church office @ 519-885-4050.
Seating, which is general admission, is limited to 100 per performance.
(As this production contains some coarse language, it’s suitable for students from Grade 7 onwards.)All proceeds will be directed to the church’s community-outreach programmes.
