In 2015, the story of the Eldertree Project was made into a film called The Road Home. It is a vivid documentary film about elders and their stories by Antigonish filmmaker Corinne Dunphy. It reveals how the stories and songs of elders were conveyed to the community through the talents of a younger generation by way of drama.
In the summer of 2014, two writers – Anne Simpson and Stacy Doiron – spent months gathering the stories and songs of elders at Highland-Crest Home and the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home in an initiative funded by the Department of Seniors and by the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.
Brought to life in a series of December 2014 performances by Mary Beth Carty, Stacy Doiron, Donald MacLennan, Noella Murphy and Rebecca Wild, the stories were enthusiastically embraced by the community. Combining story and song, this dramatic production gave a glimpse of the life of a forester in New Brunswick, one who heard ghostly tales of the Dungarvon Whooper. It delved into the life of a child who grew up riding the rails in northern Ontario. It gave a picture of life in rural Nova Scotia, revealing what it was like to grow up, raise families, work, and relax with music and square dancing. And this is only a small part of the wealth of stories in The Road Home.
AHA! is committed to continuing the work begun with The Eldertree Project, and plans to offer artist-directed projects under the Eldertree Ensemble (a group of local artists) in care facilities, such as Highland-Crest Home and the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home.
Anne Simpson
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