When Mandy Tulloch started to write a show about what it's like to be Canadian — a production timed with the country's 150th anniversary — she looked to the stars.
And she found inspiration — and her story line — with a hero who was the first Canadian to walk in outer space.
Tulloch called on retired astronaut Chris Hadfield to lend his name to her musical play for young actors. "He loved it," Tulloch said, "because he's all about education."
In Canada 150: The Show, which opens next Tuesday at Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre, Tulloch follows on last year's Coquitlam Rises! — her tribute to the city's 125th year — with a fictional piece about Hadfield who, during a routine space mission, mistakenly propels a group of students from 1867 to present day.
During their return back in time, the students learn how Canada has progressed over 150 years with events and organizations such as the Canadian Space Exploration; the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist; the Quebec ice storm (which Tulloch lived through); the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver; Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope; the Blue Jays playoff in the World Series; and the Invictus Games in Toronto, for example.
The "history lesson" is told by 36 youth, aged 12 and up, through acting, singing, dancing and martial arts as well as a narrator called Major Tom — a nod to Hadfield who sung David Bowie's 1969 tune while in space.
• For tickets at $15, call the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca. Canada 150: The Show runs Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.
