Trains can be a source of frustration at times for southeast Saskatchewan residents, thanks to the long waits they can cause, particularly at inopportune times.
But nobody can deny the impact of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) on Estevan, or on Western Canada as a whole.
In fact, the name Estevan is a combination of the first two presidents of the railway company: George Stephen and William C. van Horne.
Local school students learned more about the history of the company on Wednesday, thanks to a performance of the musical-comedy The Birth of the CPR. Allen Desnoyers, Henry Beasley and Ross Douglas portray about 19 different characters, including numerous historical figures, as they told the story, through narration and song, of the triumphs, challenges and pitfalls associated with constructing the railway through Western Canada.
鈥淭he Estevan Arts Council thought it would be a good show to do here, and they decided to bring in a lot of different schools to see the show, and we鈥檙e happy to be here. It鈥檚 a really great little town,鈥� said Desnoyers, who is the artistic director of the Canadiana Musical Theatre Company and the man who wrote the show.
The three men changed characters throughout the performance. They wore the same paints and white shirt on throughout the show, but they would change a hat, wig, beard or vest. They will also change accents and voices accordingly.
Bluegrass and boogie-woogie music are a big part of the performance, and they played string instruments such as the banjo, mandolin and cello.
The Birth of the CPR started a Saskatchewan tour on Sept. 25 in Moose Jaw and made its way across the province, with two performances happening each day until Oct. 5. Many of the shows were in communities with a strong connection to the railroad.
The last two performances are on Sept. 12.
鈥淚 love the sense that the kids have where they鈥檙e very excited to see a musical theatre presentation,鈥� said Desnoyers.
In some of the smaller communities they visit, Desnoyers said there likely wouldn鈥檛 be much of a theatre presence. So to see a production that tells the story of how Canada was created is a good experience for them.聽
There are elements of physical comedy in the show, such a moment when an audience member gets 鈥渂lown up鈥� by the cast. But Desnoyers said there are also interesting props that come out of nowhere, and large beards that draws laughs from the kids.
鈥淪o even though some of the material and the context might be over the heads of the really young ones, it connects great with the older kids, and they get to love all the other more intelligent and witty kinds of things,鈥� said Desnoyers.
Desnoyers鈥� parents grew up in Saskatchewan. His father was from Moose Jaw and his mother was from Coderre.
He also had an uncle who was a CP Rail engineer in Moose Jaw. That uncle has retired, but still lives in the city.
Desnoyers came up with the idea for the CP Rail tribute after he wrote an original show about the B.C. gold rush, called The Birth of B.C. It was a musical about founders of B.C. as a colony. He needed another show, so he penned the period piece on the CPR.
鈥淚 love boogie-woogie music,鈥� said Desnoyers. 鈥淚 love playing the bluegrass stuff on the banjo. There are tonnes of rhythms that lend themselves to trains, so I thought The Birth of the CPR would be a great show, and that it wouldn鈥檛 be limited to B.C., but I could take it across Western Canada.鈥�
He has performed the show more than 1,000 times, including a show before top executives of CP Rail.
Among the historical figures depicted in the show is van Horne. Desnoyers admitted he didn鈥檛 know that Estevan was partially named after van Horne, but he thought it was a cool fact.
鈥淚 knew he was an American,鈥� said Desnoyers. 鈥淚 knew he came up with the grain elevator concept and the idea of Banff Springs. He was a pretty genius kind of a guy. And if he hadn鈥檛 done what he did, we probably wouldn鈥檛 have Saskatchewan. Or Manitoba or Alberta. They would have become American.鈥澛�
Desnoyers said children love the topic of trains and the chance to learn. He hopes the kids find the topic exciting, and they鈥檒l want to know the details.
鈥淚 know they get information overload sometimes, where there鈥檚 so much detail that they don鈥檛 know context yet,鈥� said Desnoyers. 鈥淚 love that they can go back into the classrooms from this show and really read up on the CPR.鈥�
If they do, they鈥檒l find out more about someone like Van Horne. It creates more engagement with the topic.
Desnoyers also wants people to know about the role the railroad played in building the country, but he hopes they鈥檒l learn more the background: the Americans had already built a railroad, the railroad was needed for population, and the railroad brought immigrants to Canada to the west.
There is also a lesson on how the railroad affected Indigenous people.
鈥淎 lot of the treaties were created so that the railroads could go through,鈥� said Desnoyers.
But there鈥檚 only so much that can be included in a 45-minute show.
He also hopes that the kids will see that musical theatre could be a possible career choice.
鈥淚f they love music and they want to learn how to play an instrument, there鈥檚 a way at a very young age to say 鈥榃ow, I can do this some day, if I want to.鈥欌��
If they come away with a love of the music and the topic, then Desnoyers, Douglas and Beasley will be happy.聽
