About the Play:
The Great Wave of Civilization is a full-length drama by
Herschel Hardin. A presentation of the destruction of the
people of the Blackfoot Confederacy by the liquor trade in 19th
century Alberta and Montana. This Canadian classic is a complex and
important play.
The Great Wave of Civilization is about the destruction of
the people of the Blackfoot Confederacy by the liquor trade in
Montana and Alberta in the 19th century. Little Dog of the Northern
Blackfoot tribe vs. Snookum Jim, free trader, I.G. Baker,
merchant-prince of Fort Benton and the rest of the "great wave
of civilization." The ironic title The Great Wave Of
Civilization refers to the emergence of the white man as a fact
of life in the West, as a harbinger of such "civilizing"
forces as drunkenness, disease, degradation only.
The Great Wave of Civilization premiered in 1976 at the
Centennial Theatre on the Bishop's University campus during the
Lennoxville Festival in Quebec. While this large-cast play is rarely
performed professionally, it remains popular with academics and has been performed in
college theatre productions as a showcase of student talent.
Cast: 5 female, 13 male
What people say:
"A fable of genocide with
conscience-raising fervour." — Books in Canada
"A tale of villainy well
told… a model of production that one can take to theatre schools
everywhere." — La Presse
"An impressive piece of
writing." — Montreal Star
"A terrific show…terribly
funny and tragic." — Sherbrooke Record
"Arresting...suspense of a
good western film." — Globe and Mail
"Rich and passionate…poetry
with a plot." — Montreal Gazette
"Remarkable for its
theatricality." — Canadian Forum
"Good theatrical
ingredients…The trouble was that the mixture is more like a clam
chowder than a cream soup. Such a mixture inevitably has its lumps."
— Canadian Press
"A great, unwieldy
Brontosaurus of a play that asserts itself with a wild,
uncompromising courage and succeeds – against considerable odds –
in insinuating itself into the consciousness of an audience."
— Southam News Service
About the Playwright:
Herschel Hardin is a Canadian author, playwright,
public-policy consultant, volunteer activist, and commentator. He
grew up in a prairie town, Vegreville, Alberta, just east of
Edmonton, and began his career as a playwright. One of his plays,
Esker Mike and his Wife, Agiluk is a Canadian classic. He has
also, over the years, been a radio broadcaster, newspaper columnist,
community organizer, book and theatre critic, arts correspondent,
public-broadcasting advocate, regulatory analyst, corporate director
and, on one memorable occasion, stage actor.