The two plays in this collection, This I Shall Defend and The Taking, are based on events of the War of 1812.
This I Shall Defend
On July 15, 1812 an unprecedented alliance of British military, Metis and First Nations gathered at the remote outpost of Fort St. Joseph in preparation for an attack on the American Garrison of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. This was the first offensive military maneuver of the War of 1812 and amazingly this allied effort resulted in the capture taking place without a drop of blood being shed. This I Shall Defend brings together three members of the 1812 Alliance in an imagined meeting: British Captain Charles Roberts, commander of Fort St. Joseph, local fur trader Charles O. Ermatinger, and Ojibway representative Shingwaukonse. Each man must overcome the barriers of culture, language and sensibility to join together against the threat of American invasion.
First Produced: Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site , St. Joseph Island, Ont. and Ermatinger.Clergue National Historic Site, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 2012
Running Time: 20 minutes
Acts: 1
Male Cast: 3
Other Cast: 1
The Taking
During the summer of 1814 a flotilla of American troops controlled the Upper Great Lakes cutting off supplies and trade routes and terrorizing the area. In a daring naval feat, 22 year old Royal Navy Lt. Miller Worsley led the capture of the armed American schooners, the Tigress and the Scorpion, taking them from open boats. The Taking! employs stylized choreography, and a storyteller uncovered from the pages of history. Very flexible cast size.
First Produced: Theatre in Motion for Algoma 1812 at Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site, St. Joseph Island, Ont., 2014
Running Time: 30 minutes
Male Cast: 9
Female Cast: 1
Other Cast: 15