≈ 80 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: May 2, 2023
Playwright's Note
When I wrote Heaven for its original production more than 20 years ago, the community of Amber Valley was unfamiliar to most Canadians, at least when compared to how well known it has become. For me though, Amber Valley was legendary throughout my life. It was one of a handful of enclaves that were created by the Black migration of 1910 – approximately 1500 African-American women, men and children who came to western Canada in an attempt to escape extreme oppression in the southern US. The Canadian government was aggressively seeking American farmers to come to western Canada, but they were not expecting Black people to arrive at the border and were not happy to see us. Despite this response, the Black communities of Campsie, Keystone (now Breton), Junkins (now Wildwood) and Amber Valley in Alberta, as well as the Shiloh settlement near Maidstone, Saskatchewan (where both sets of my maternal great-grandparents homesteaded) were willed into being. Although each jurisdiction had unique characteristics, the people considered themselves to be one body. Amber Valley was the largest of the settlements and most of the elders in my Calgary Black community were either born there or resided there at one time.
Because I never lived there, I didn’t take my decision to set a play in Amber Valley lightly 20 years ago and I don’t take it lightly now. There are thousands of descendants of the original inhabitants, and Amber Valley belongs especially to them. I respect and thank the many Bowens’, Mapps, Carothers’, Browns, Sneeds, Edwards’ and others who are preserving the memory of this special place.
Some of the incidents that arise in Heaven are based on information I gathered from Vernie “Peggy” Brown, Helen Lyons, Willa “Gotchie” Sneed, Napoleon Sneed, Agnes Brown and others, but Ezra and Charlotte are products of my imagination and the story I have crafted for the two characters is fiction. Although there really was a beloved Amber Valley baseball team, I use many names of people from the Black migration of 1910 only to pay homage to those families. The “off-stage” characters you hear about are not meant to represent specific people. Finally, although there were difficulties attracting teachers to Amber Valley in the early years, it’s important to note a Black teacher couple from Ontario named Cromwell were eventually welcomed and stayed for nearly two decades.
Heaven was my first solo work as a playwright. I am overjoyed that this piece motivated by my love for my ancestors is bringing me to the NAC for the first time. I’m also deeply gratified to be reunited with artists of the calibre of Patricia Darbasie, Helen Belay and Christopher Clare. Thank you to the Citadel and Lunchbox for past productions, Black Theatre Workshop for co-curating and the NAC English Theatre for the revival.
I hope you all enjoy Heaven!
Director's Note
I first encountered Heaven more than 20 years ago when I was invited to workshop one of the first drafts of this play at Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary. I was the right age to play Charlotte and I fell in love with this story. After many years I was so lucky to be able to direct this story I love for Edmonton audiences at the Citadel Theatre. What I love most about Heaven is the complexity of these people that we meet. We often think of rural folks as much more simple than sophisticated city people. But these characters are layered and have deep secrets and a moral compass that both guides and inhibits their choices. And though we never meet all the folks in the community, we have a very vivid picture of the way that they work and live together.
I am not a descendant of the African Americans who came up from the United States in the early 1900s but I grew up with them, hearing some of the stories first hand in Mrs. Walker’s Hair salon on Saturday afternoons. The history of Amber Valley and the huge contribution made by early black settlers to the fabric of Canada is largely unknown. Did you know that nearly 300 families settled in an area just east of Athabasca about a century ago? Did you know that most of those folks are gone now from the region but that they have spread to every corner of this country and to the world in every walk of life? It’s my hope that this Canadian history becomes widely known; that black history is taught in our schools one day so that we all have a better idea of the breath, depth and complexities of the make-up of Canada. Thank you Helen Belay and the Citadel for rediscovering Heaven and to the National Arts Centre for bringing Cheryl Foggo’s joyful story of love to our Nation’s Capital!
Production
An NAC English Theatre revival of the Citadel Theatre production curated by Black Theatre Workshop.
As Black pioneers fled the southern United States, Canadian settlements weren't just the last stop; they were considered “heaven”. In one of those settlements – Amber Valley, Alberta – sharp-witted schoolteacher Charlotte arrives from Ontario to make a better life for her and her new students. But the memories she's outrunning may threaten what she's found, and her budding friendship with widowed farmer Ezra, forever.
Originally commissioned and premiered by Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary, Alberta. Special Thanks FengYi Jiang
Artists
Cheryl Foggo is an award-winning playwright, author and filmmaker. Previous theatre credits include: The Sender (Obsidian Theatre); John Ware Reimagined (Ellipsis Tree Collective/Workshop West); The Devil We Know (Blyth Theatre, co-written with Clem Martini); and Turnaround (Lunchbox Theatre/Quest Theatre, co-written with Clem Martini). Her NFB feature documentary John Ware Reclaimed can be seen at nfb.ca.
Pat is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting and MFA Directing programs. Pat’s directing credits include: Ribbon, a one -woman show about Amber Valley that she wrote and performed at Studio Theatre. The Syringa Tree, which was part of her Voice Pedagogy diploma at York University. Mesa for Atlas Theatre and Pat was the assistant director on The Color Purple at the Citadel. In the summer of 2021 Heaven reopened the Citadel’s Shoctor theatre. That fall Pat returned to Studio Theatre with God of Carnage and she ended the season at Shadow Theatre with Mountain Top. Last summer Pat made her debut at the Mayfield Dinner theatre with Sexy Laundry. And now Pat is thrilled to be bringing you Heaven and making her NAC debut - enjoy the show!
Credits
Written by
Cheryl Foggo
Director
Patricia Darbasie
Charlotte
Helen Belay
Ezra
Christopher Clare
Set Designer
Whittyn Jason
Costume Designer
Leona Brausen
Lighting Designer
Jeff Osterlin
Sound Designer
Kiidra Duhault
Sound Coordinator
Wayne Hawthorne
Stage Manager
Renate Hanson
NAC Production Team
Azrieli Studio Team
Head Technician
Stephane Boyer
Head technician
Leigh Utley Assistant
Head Scenic Carpenter
David Strober
Assistant Scenic Carpenter
Chad Desjardins
Scenic Painter
Daniel McManus
Head Property Master
Michael Caluori
Head Wardrobe Workshop
Andrée-Ève Archambault
Wig Master
Normand Couvrette
Projectionists, Wardrobe Mistresses, Masters and Attendants are members of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 471.
The National Arts Centre is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.
NAC English Theatre Team
Managing Director
David Abel
Artistic Director
Nina Lee Aquino
Community Outreach Lead
Rose-Ingrid Benjamin
Learning Coordinator
Aimee Bouchard
ASL Interpreter Consultant
Carmelle Cachero
Marketing Strategist
Bar Clement
Communications Strategist
Sean Fitzpatrick
Senior Producer
Alexandra Lunney
Senior Marketing Manager
Bridget Mooney
Associate Producer, Artistic Projects
Judi Pearl
Company Manager
Samira Rose
Administrative Coordinator
Monika Seiler
Technical Director
Cynthia Shaw
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees