Dockside Drama at Canada’s Dockside Theatre: ‘Cottagers and Indians’
Ah, cottage country: a serene refuge for upper middle class urbanites to flee the troubles of the concrete jungle to a second home where their time can be wasted in relaxation, barbecuing, and boating. But Otter Lake is not quite so serene; there is a full-fledged war being waged between Arthur Copper (Jeremy Proulx), an “Aboriginal horticulturalist gone mad,” and Maureen Pool (Jane Wheeler), “the demon in khakis.” The casus belli? Manoomin (otherwise known as wild rice). Arthur has been planting it along the edge of the lakes in the area attempting to strengthen the population of this Indigenous food. Maureen wants rid of it because it makes swimming more challenging, detracts from the pleasantness of the shoreline, and is bringing down property values.
Thousand Islands Playhouse (TIP) kicks off their Firehall Theatre’s season with Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor and directed by Kevin John Atawakon Saylor. The play is based on the real life tensions between cottage owners on Buckhorn and Pigeon Lakes and James Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nation. Taylor happens to originally be from the Curve Lake First Nation and so saw the dramatic and comedic opportunities of his old friend’s conflict. He adapted the story to a play in 2018, later directing a documentary of the same name in 2020. The program for the TIP production features a page long write-up by their education and engagement manager, Allison Hess, providing further insight into a variety of other water rights disputes happening between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous people across the country. The inclusion of this write-up is a fantastic means of citing the sources that prove this story is relevant to more than just one isolated incident; it’s happening all over the country and needs to be properly addressed.
Relevance cannot be the only merit in a script, and I can happily say that in the case of Cottagers and Indians it is not. Peter Vatsis’ set design creates two clear areas of the stage: Maureen remains on her porch and Arthur by his canoe with very little movement into one another’s areas. The separation and the direct-address style the script is written in feels as though you are watching two solo performances in the same space. It works beautifully: the two performers tell their side of the story to the audience, inserting quips into one another’s speeches to regain the advantage. The fight for the attention of the audience seems to embody the actual competition for media attention such an issue demands, each party seeking more and more support so that regulations inevitably rule in their favour. The structure is unique, and the execution is flawless.
One of the challenges of this unique structure is that while one character monologues the other is left in silence for long periods of time, and while the divide is symbolically excellent, it limits the opportunity for movement. This is, however, remedied by the talent of the show’s two performers. Wheeler brings a cold obstinate energy to the cottager which gently sways the audience from taking her character’s side, but reels us back in with scattered tender moments and a relentless dry wit. Her character is definitely set up to be the show’s antagonist and while Wheeler does a great job of filling that requirement, she also offers glimpses of someone sympathetic beneath the jaded exterior.
Proulx, meanwhile, brings a warm energy with his stubbornness. The tone with which he speaks to the audience is that of an old friend, and once introductions are aside he is naturally conversational with a hint of performativity. Many of his jokes are delivered in Ojibwe which creates fantastic moments—he gives a knowing look to Indigenous audience members who roar with laughter before he supplies a translation for those left in the dark. This split in the audience creates a delightful conflict where the group in on the joke gets a private chuckle while the rest of us wait in anticipation of what the joke could be.
All of the show’s dichotomies create an interesting conflict that highlights the divide in cultures and backgrounds but also unites them through comedy. It is a difficult line to tread, but all aspects of this production are competent enough that it never becomes troublesome. Pair this with the fact that this dockside-set show is being presented at “Canada’s Dockside Theatre,” and you get the play in its perfect venue. Cottagers and Indians at Thousand Islands Playhouse is hilarious, insightful, and absolutely not to be missed.
‘Cottagers and Indians’ is presented by Thousand Islands Playhouse, and will be playing at the Firehall Theatre until August 30, 2025. Tickets and more information can be found here.
