RSA emerging artists perform Salt Water Moon

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By Laureen F. Guenther Times Contributor

Salt Water Moon, a classic Canadian play set in Newfoundland, will be performed by Rosebud School of the Arts graduating students Rebbekah Ogden and Joel Braun, March 13 to 15, in Calgary. This is Ogden’s final project, and she’s also producing the play.
On a bright, full moon night in 1926, Mary Snow is gazing out at the moon and stars, when she sees an unexpected visitor coming down the road.
“It’s the story of Jacob Mercer coming home (to Newfoundland) after he bolted,” Ogden said. “He comes back to woo back the woman he left. He comes back because he finds out she’s engaged. Mary Snow is a bit on edge because she hasn’t heard from him for a whole year.”
Ogden and Braun, a husband-wife team, are the only cast members. Ogden said Mary’s character “fits me like a glove.
“She is super stubborn,” said Ogden. “She loves a good story. She has great humour and she really gives Jacob Mercer a run for his money.”
Set 10 years after the Capture of Beaumont-Hamel in the First World War, the play also has important historical elements, which Ogden said was another reason she chose it for her project.
“I think it’s important to continue telling these stories,” she noted. “In Beaumont-Hamel, the Newfoundland regiment was wiped out in an hour. It wiped out most of their men. Wiped out their economy.”
The long-term impact of that battle, she said, was also a factor in Newfoundland joining Canada in 1949.
As Ogden gets to know the characters of Mary and Jacob, she said she’s learning from them. “I’m learning about their resilience and their ability to move forward even though it’s really tough and it can seem overwhelming. Their humour is part of that. When we think of Newfoundlanders, we think they’re hilarious and they’re fun. But the thing about Newfoundlanders is that they’re also really strong people and strong-willed. Mary and Jacob, they’re both fighters.
“I tend to be too self-caring,” she added. “There’s a place for self-care. There’s a place for stoicism too. We will make it. We will get through this.”
Ogden chose primarily emerging artists for her team members and to perform the play in Calgary’s Arts Commons, “the hub of the professional arts world in Calgary,” to give these emerging artists an opportunity to display their work for professional artists.
All four performances of Salt Water Moon will be at Arts Commons’ Motel Theatre space, March 13 to 15. Reserve $20 tickets at creatinggenesis.ca and pay for them at the door.
“I hope (the audience will) laugh and … let go of their busy lives, … whatever pressures they are carrying, for just an hour and a half, and fully enjoy a story. I also hope that they take away from the story that sometimes it’s worth following your heart,” said Ogden. “Come out and see the show. See what emerging artists can do with a Canadian classic.”