Not all applicants are accepted into the Banff Playwrights Colony to develop new works. It is, after all, a $2,800 scholarship that pays for two weeks residency as well as access to some of Canada’s most creative intellects.
So when St. Albert playwright Josh Languedoc received an acceptance email, his immediate reaction was emotional.
“I was subbing a Grade 5-6 class. I had a moment and checked my email. My initial reaction was to hold my breath and I could feel the tears coming. I never thought I’d get something like this. I’m very happy, very thankful and I feel quite privileged,” said Languedoc.
Only 18 playwrights from across Canada were invited to develop their scripts.
Beginning his career with St. Albert Children’s Theatre as an actor, he continued to hone his playwriting skills with Citadel Theatre’s Young Companies program.
The Banff Playwrights Colony, taking place April 10 to 24, will allow Languedoc to rewrite an unfinished script that hits close to home.
Based on real events, Starlight Tours is about the brutal, unsanctioned treatment two Saskatoon police officers carried out against the native population.
They targeted aboriginals drunk on alcohol or drugs and drove them to an out-of-the-way, drop-off point to sober up and fend for themselves. During Saskatoon’s bone-chilling winter temperatures, two bodies were discovered frozen solid.
When 17-year-old aboriginal Neil Stonechild was among the casualties, his mother demanded an investigation. Police ruled it a suicide.
“But the family didn’t feel it was true to Neil’s character,” Languedoc said.
Almost a decade later the same thing happened to Darrell Night. He was picked off the street, handcuffed and dumped on the outskirts of town. But he survived a winter storm by taking refuge in an abandoned power plant.
Upon his return to Saskatoon, Night presented shocking charges of the widespread, unauthorized scenic tours that eventually led to a major RCMP investigation.
“They were basically murdered without being murdered,” Languedoc stated.
He first heard of the Starlight Tours while studying sociology at Grant MacEwan College. His professor, Dr. Fiona Angus, conducted a class in race and ethnicity in Canadian society.
“I can’t explain why it was so important to me. Maybe because I’m aboriginal, but it definitely stuck in the back of my brain.”
And it’s the type of story that elicits a visceral response.
“A lot of people don’t know the story and when they hear it, they are appalled and disgusted. It’s such a defamation of humanity. They (police) were basically saying, ‘You are not worthy of life.’ It’s an important story that needs to be told and it will resonate with people.”
In preparation Languedoc plowed through massive amounts of Internet information and viewed Tasha Hubbard’s National Film Board documentary Two Worlds Colliding.
“I want to get it right. I know the events, but I want to explore the inner drama – how it would affect you if it was done to your child or a friend. I want the audience to feel what they felt.”
