Play Guide

Theatre Calgary’s Play Guides and InterACTive Learning Program

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The Play Guide for Dear Johnny Deere was created by:

Zachary Moull

Assistant Dramaturg

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Send an email to zmoull@theatrecalgary.com

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Dear Johnny Deere runs from April 28 to May 31, 2015

(No performances in the week of May 18)

For tickets, visit theatrecalgary.com or call (403) 294-7447

Front cover image by David Cooper

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

Cast and Creative Team ..................................................... 01

Who’s Who? ...................................................................... 02

Time and Place ................................................................. 02

The Story .......................................................................... 02

Song List .......................................................................... 03

EXPLORATIONS

Playwright’s Note by Ken Cameron ..................................... 04

Fred Eaglesmith ................................................................ 07

Challenges of the Small Family Farm ................................... 08

John Deere Tractors .......................................................... 09

Mighty Big Cars ................................................................. 10

CONVERSATIONS

Conversation Starters ........................................................ 11

Dear Johnny Deere’s Dutch Connection ............................... 11

Reading List: Life on the Farm ............................................ 12

Movie Night: Jukebox Musicals ........................................... 13

Sources ............................................................................ 14

THE BASICS - 1 -

Cast and Creative Team

DEAR JOHNNY DEERE THE FRED EAGLESMITH MUSICAL

Book by Ken Cameron

Based on the music and lyrics of Fred Eaglesmith

Additional music and arrangements by David Archibald

THE CAST David Archibald Boomer Rebecca Auerbach Caroline Jeff Culbert McAllister Allison Lynch Pianist, Fiddler J.D. Nicholsen Johnny Capucine Onn Fiddler Jody Richardson Mike, Hendrik, Collector

THE CREATIVE TEAM Eric Coates Director David Archibald Musical Director Patricia Flood Set Design Deitra Kalyn Costume Design Jason Hand Lighting Design Chris Jacko Sound Design Jane MacFarlane Voice Coach Patti Neice Stage Manager Heather Rycraft Assistant Stage Manager Carissa Sams Apprentice Stage Manager

THE BASICS - 2 -

Who’s Who?

Johnny:A farmer and mechanic

Caroline: A farmer, married to Johnny

McAllister: A farmer, the publisher of the town’s newspaper, and Johnny

and Caroline’s next-door neighbour

Mike: A land speculator who’s come back to town from the big city

Hendrik: Johnny’s father, a Dutch immigrant, who appears in flashbacks

Boomer: The bartender at the Legion Hall

The Collector: A stranger who wants to buy Johnny’s tractor

Time and Place

Dear Johnny Deere is set in a small Canadian farming town just after

planting season. The story takes place in the present day, with occasional

flashbacks to Johnny and Caroline’s past. Many scenes are set on Johnny

and Caroline’s farm, with other locations including the local liquor store, a

nearby farm auction, and the town’s Royal Canadian Legion Hall.

The Story

Johnny and Caroline’s farm is in trouble, with bad weather spoiling their

crops and creditors threatening their property. And after thirteen years,

their marriage is in no better shape. When a land speculator from the big

city comes with word that the new highway will pass straight through

their land, their lives reach a turning point. Do Johnny and Caroline need

to sell the farm to solve their problems?

THE BASICS - 3 -

Song List

Dear Johnny Deere is based on the songs and lyrics of Canadian singer-

songwriter Fred Eaglesmith. Playwright Ken Cameron worked with

Eaglesmith’s songbook extensively, drawing stories and characters from

the evocative lyrics and incorporating more than a dozen songs into his

script. The show’s musical director David Archibald then arranged each

song for the cast of seven talented performers, all of whom sing and play

multiple instruments.

Musicals that use previously released songs as their score are sometimes

called jukebox musicals. Well-known jukebox musicals include Mamma

Mia! (ABBA), Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), and Rock of

Ages (`80s glam metal).

These are the Fred Eaglesmith songs that are woven into the storyline of

Dear Johnny Deere:

Act One

Yellow Barley Straw

White Trash

White Rose

Spookin' The Horses

John Deere B

I Wanna Buy Your Truck

Bench Seat Baby

Wilder Than Her

Time To Get A Gun

Act Two

Yellow Barley Straw (Reprise)

Ordinary Guy

White Rose (Reprise)

Small Motors

Old John Deere

Freight Train

Worked Up Field

York Road

Wilder Than Her (Reprise)

“He’s got a heart made of yellow barley straw

All wrapped up in calico patches

And plum chuck full of love...” – Fred Eaglesmith, “Yellow Barley Straw”

EXPLORATIONS - 4 -

Playwright’s Note By Ken Cameron

This is a Calgary story.

Dear Johnny Deere was

conceived only a few blocks

from Theatre Calgary in the

Palomino Smokehouse, one of

Calgary’s premier music

venues. It was here that I

approached Fred Eaglesmith

and asked him for permission

to turn his music into a stage

production.

I’d been introduced to Fred via email by Calgary actor Esther Purves-

Smith. Esther had played his love interest in the made-for-TV Christmas

special The Gift. They’d become such pals that Fred had written and

recorded the song “Me and Esther” and Esther had written “My Friend

Fred.”

Fred’s response was classic: “I hate theatre. I don’t want to be involved in

any way. I don’t want to see a script and I’ll never come to a rehearsal. But

you go nuts.” Fred, if you’re reading this, I’ve never properly thanked you

for the blank cheque.

This is also a Banff play.

The Banff Centre for the Arts provided an ultrasound in the form of a Play

Finding workshop with Canadian theatre icon Daniel MacIvor. I had

arrived with what I laughingly called a “shortlist” of forty-odd songs and

a plot that involved two brothers, two wives, both parents, and a slew of

Ken Cameron

EXPLORATIONS - 5 -

neighbors. That week Daniel whittled it all away and we found the play

that you will see tonight.

This is also an Alberta story.

Thanks to the vision of Kelly Robinson, the Banff Centre for the Arts

subsequently offered an intensive developmental workshop with musical

dramaturg Neil Bartram. Neil became our midwife and offered us a crash

course in musical theatre structure. I was already familiar with the basic

rule that the characters should exit each song in a very different state than

they enter it. Many of Fred’s songs read like O. Henry short stories – with

a distinctive voice, a clear narrative arc, and a twist ending – and these

songs translate to the stage because they create just that kind of arc.

This is also a Blyth play.

Eric Coates, who has returned to direct this production, was then the

Artistic Director of the venerable Blyth Festival in southwestern Ontario.

Eric not only commissioned the play and directed its premiere production,

Members of the Dear Johnny Deere cast in music rehearsal at Theatre Calgary

(Meghan McMaster)

EXPLORATIONS - 6 -

he was also its doula. It was Eric who uncovered the central metaphor of

Johnny’s musical life: his silence. It’s odd to conceive of the lead character

in a musical as silent, but Eric determined early on that, as far as Johnny

was concerned, talking about feelings was for city folk. The result was the

powerful, explosive relationship that actors J.D. Nicholsen and Rebecca

Auerbach brought to life and that had Jeff Culbert desperately ducking for

cover.

Eric’s lifelong friend David

Archibald was – well, David’ll

kill me if I stretch the metaphor

too far and call him our wet

nurse. But it was David who,

standing in for Fred, undertook

the awesome responsibility of

finding the sensitive and clever

arrangements for these songs

that showcase the great range in

Fred’s songwriting. Let’s call

David and Capucine Onn the

brother and sister who took us by the hand and sang softly during the

surprisingly easy labour that birthed this play.

Finally, this is a Theatre Calgary homecoming.

Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum made the mistake of revealing that his

family reunion was “in the vicinity” of the Blyth Festival. So, like any

expectant parent, I proudly updated Dennis on all the intimate details

until he finally relented and came to see it.

I’m flattered that he did. As a long-time Calgarian, it is such an honour to

be here at Theatre Calgary to share our little Dear Johnny Deere with you.

Rebecca Auerbach, J.D. Nicholsen, and Jeff

Culbert in music rehearsal

(Meghan McMaster)

EXPLORATIONS - 7 -

Fred Eaglesmith

As one of his songs says, Fred Eaglesmith “was born in the springtime of

the '57 Chevy,” one of nine

children in a rural Ontario

farming family. At the age of

15, he left home to hitchhike,

hop freight trains, and hone his

craft as a songwriter. “I played

everywhere,” he said in a press

interview. “I played in every

lumber camp, fire camp, and

youth hostel I could find.”

In the four decades since, Eaglesmith has fashioned one of the most

distinctive singer-songwriter careers in Canadian music. His twenty

albums are filled with songs about the twists and turns of rural life in a

musical range that defies description: folk, rock, roots, country, alt-

country, bluegrass, or all of the above, depending on whom you ask. “We

just play rock’n’roll,” Eaglesmith said about a recent tour. “The root of it

all is my little bit of creativity, that little ball of fire inside me. I just do

what feels like the truth to me.”

Eaglesmith is on the road almost constantly, playing upwards of 200

shows a year and traveling in a former school bus fueled by used

vegetable oil from local restaurants. He calls it a “never-ending tour.” His

devoted fans – known as Fredheads – are more likely to find Eaglesmith

playing a small-town bar or community hall than an arena or concert

venue, as he tries to live up to his simple motto: “I’m gonna play good,

sing good, write good, and act good.”

Official website: http://fredeaglesmith.com/

CBC Music page: http://music.cbc.ca/#!/artists/Fred-Eaglesmith

Performance on Letterman: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs9lUZbwVRw

Fred Eaglesmith

(press photo from fredeaglesmith.com)

EXPLORATIONS - 8 -

Challenges of the Small Family Farm

Much of Canada was settled by farming families, but although more than

90% of Canadian farms are still family-run businesses, the agriculture

industry is facing both economic and demographic challenges.

Small farms are particularly vulnerable. Johnny and Caroline are hardly

alone in struggling to make ends meet – Statistics Canada reports that less

than half of farms with revenue under $100,000 bring in enough money to

cover all their expenses. In recent years, many of these smaller farms have

been bought up by larger corporate operations that benefit from

economies of scale on the global market, have the capital to invest in new

equipment, and are able to weather the extreme ups and downs of an

unpredictable industry. This trend caused size of the average Canadian

farm to increase from 80 hectares in 1991 to 315 hectares in 2011.

At the same time, the average Canadian farmer is getting older. Farms

have traditionally been passed down from one generation to the next, and

government tax benefits are designed to encourage this practice. But with

today’s challenges, some question whether the new generation will want

to stay on the farm. In 2011, less than 10% of farms were operated by a

farmer who was under 40 years old, down from 25% in 1991.

More than four out of five Canadians now live in urban areas, so cities

have also begun encroaching on historical farmland. Urban sprawl speeds

the sell-off of farms by boosting land values near growing suburbs and

new highways, while creating inconveniences for farms that remain.

“Farming is part of Canada’s cultural heritage, and is closely

identified with the economy and the social fabric of rural life.” -Marc LeBlanc, Canadian Library of Parliament report

EXPLORATIONS - 9 -

John Deere Tractors

The word ‘tractor’ comes from Latin word tractus, meaning ‘pulled.’

Tractor designs aim to maximize pulling force (by sacrificing speed), so

that the tractor can drag heavy equipment such as a plow through a field.

Gasoline-powered tractors began replacing horses for farm work during

the early 20th century.

John Deere was an Illinois blacksmith who developed the steel plow in the

mid-19th century. In the early 20th century, his company (now run by his

granddaughter’s husband) entered the tractor business by purchasing the

company that made the popular

Waterloo Boy tractor. From

1923 on, John Deere tractors

have been fixtures on North

American farms.

In the play, Johnny fixes up a

vintage John Deere B tractor.

Released in 1934, the Model B

was restyled by industrial

designer Henry Dreyfuss in

1938 to create the iconic John

Deere look. Dreyfuss, who

started out as a theatrical set

designer, had a hand in many

other iconic utilitarian products, including the Bell rotary telephone and

the Hoover vacuum. The John Deere B remained one of the most popular

tractors on the market until it was retired in 1952.

How to start a John Deere B: www.youtube.com/watch?v=frnqyhMQHeY

Model of a John Deere B tractor in the

Dear Johnny Deere rehearsal hall

EXPLORATIONS - 10 -

Mighty Big Cars

Johnny’s beloved old car “Lucille” is fixed-up 1952 Cadillac convertible.

These were among the largest cars in production: 19 feet long, nearly 8

feet wide, and weighing up to two and a half tons. They could get around

12 miles per gallon on a good day.

In 1952, Cadillac celebrated its 50th anniversary. The luxury car brand

marked the occasion by releasing the most powerful cars in America,

adding more than 30 horsepower to the previous year’s models. These

iconic cars of the 1950s were known for their large frames, bold styling,

and powerful engines.

“The last of the sweet old time gas guzzlers. Hard to

drive, harder to park. Elvis had one and so did Hank. It

doesn’t look like money, it looks like the bank.” -Johnny in Dear Johnny Deere, from Fred Eaglesmith’s “Mighty Big Car”

A 1952 Cadillac Series 62 convertible (wikimedia)

CONVERSATIONS - 11 -

Conversation Starters

Which musical instrument would you most like to play?

What music do you like to play in the car? Has your taste changed at all

over the years?

How does playwright Ken Cameron use Fred Eaglesmith’s songs to tell

the story of Dear Johnny Deere?

If you’re familiar with Fred Eaglesmith’s music, did their use in the story

or their new musical arrangements make you hear them differently?

What’s the role of the small family farm today?

What, if anything, should the government do to protect rural businesses?

New highways: good or bad?

Does owning a gun make you safer or put you at risk?

Should a single infidelity mean the end of a marriage?

How important is it to talk about feelings?

Dear Johnny Deere’s Dutch Connection

Fred Eaglesmith was born Fred Elgersma, the son of a Dutch family that

immigrated to Canada from Friesland in 1939. Dutch filmmaker Huib

Stam made a documentary There Ain’t No Easy Road that follows

Eaglesmith’s first journey back to his ancestral homeland, where he plays

a gig for a hall full of distant relatives.

There Ain’t No Easy Road: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3BhtPG80is

In the play Dear Johnny Deere, Johnny’s father is a strict Dutch immigrant,

making this is the second play in Theatre Calgary’s season (after David

van Belle’s Liberation Days) with a connection to the Dutch immigrant

experience. How are the two shows’ perspectives similar or different?

CONVERSATIONS - 12 -

Reading List: Life on the Farm

Who Has Seen the Wind, by W.O. Mitchell

Novel, 1947. Frequently on lists of the best Canadian novels, W.O.

Mitchell’s mid-century classic shows life on the Saskatchewan prairie

through the eyes of a young boy.

The Other Side of the Bridge, by Mary Lawson

Novel, 2006. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, Mary Lawson’s second novel

– one of three she’s written set in the fictional small town of Struan –

focuses on two very different sons from a Northern Ontario farming

family. Critics have called it suspenseful and shattering.

Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life, by Brian Brett

Memoir, 2009. Canadian poet Brian Brett describes his life on a small Salt

Spring Island farm in a raucous memoir that’s filled with meditations on

choosing a rural life in the modern era – what he calls his “rebel decision.”

The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love, by Kristin Kimball

Memoir, 2010. The bestselling non-fiction story of a New York journalist

adjusting to rural life after she falls in love with a farmer. Says the author:

“This book is the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the

trajectory of my life: one with farming – that dirty, concupiscent art – and

the other with a complicated and exasperating farmer."

Who By Fire, by Fred Stenson

Novel, 2014. Set in both the 1960s and the present day, this novel by

Albertan author Fred Stenson follows the influence of the oil industry on

two generations of a southern Alberta farming family.

“The small farm hasn’t got an ice cube’s chance in hell. But we’ve made

our rebel decision. That’s what makes the fight so beautiful. Farming is a

profession of hope. You will not meet a farmer without hope.”

-Brian Brett, Trauma Farm

CONVERSATIONS - 13 -

Movie Night: Jukebox Musicals

Like Broadway, Hollywood has a strong tradition of jukebox musicals, in

which a story is told using pre-existing songs from a particular artist, era,

or musical style. Here are some of the most popular ones:

Beatles films

There’s a wide range of Beatles films, ranging in style from adventure-

comedy to rock opera to romance. A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Help! (1965),

and Yellow Submarine (1968) feature performances by the Beatles, while

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and Across the Universe (2007)

use covers of Beatles songs.

The Blues Brothers

Dir. John Landis, 1980. In this film based on their popular Saturday Night

Live sketch, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as blues musicians on the

run. The soundtrack is rhythm-and-blues, with guest performances by

Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and James Brown.

Walk the Line

Dir. James Mangold, 2005. This bio-pic about country legend Johnny Cash

uses Cash’s own songs to tell the story of his rise to fame.

Mamma Mia!

Dir. Phyllida Lloyd, 2008. Adapted from the stage musical based on the

songs of ABBA, the film of Mamma Mia! stars Meryl Streep as a mother

faced with three former lovers at her daughter’s wedding in Greece.

Rock of Ages

Dir. Adam Shankman, 2012. A story about struggling artists working at a

bar in Los Angeles, set to the tunes of `80s glam metal hits by Journey, Def

Leppard, Bon Jovi, and more.

Jersey Boys

Dir. Clint Eastwood, 2014. A bio-pic about crooner Frankie Valli and his

band The Four Seasons, using their own songs.

CONVERSATIONS - 14 -

Sources

Canadian Press. “Number of farmers is shrinking, while average age is

climbing.”Global News. Feb 18, 2014.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1156570/number-of-farmers-is-

shrinking-while-avg-age-is-climbing/

Craft, Dan. “Travelin’ Man.” Pantagraph. Sep 13, 2012.

“Fred Eaglesmith.” The Canadian Encyclopedia.

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fred-eaglesmith-emc/

“Fred Eaglesmith.” All Music Guide to Country. Ed. Vladimir Bogdanov,

Chris Woodstra, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine. San Francisco:

Backbeat, 2003.

Hellenberg, Mark. “Fredheads Unite.” WOUB Public Media. Jun 14, 2012.

http://woub.org/2012/06/14/fredheads-unite-acclaimed-troubadour-

returns-nelsonville

“Henry Dreyfuss.” Encyclopedia Britannica.

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171541/Henry-Dreyfuss

“John Deere.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deere

LeBlanc, Marc. “Federal Taxation of Farmers.”Library of Parliament

Information and Research Service. July 4, 2006.

www.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb05102-e.htm

Statistics Canada. “The financial picture of farms in Canada.”

www.statcan.gc.ca/ca-ra2006/articles/finpicture-portrait-eng.htm

Taylor, Alistair. “On the phone with: Fred Eaglesmith.” Campbell River

Mirror. Feb 12, 2015.

www.campbellrivermirror.com/entertainment/291756471.html

“1952 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe.” Bold Ride.

www.boldride.com/ride/1952/cadillac-series-62-convertible-coupe