The Lost Boys

A performance/ installation by Michèle Karch-Ackerman

with The Winnipeg Boys Choir (directed by Carolyn Boyes) as The Lost Boys and Zona May as Wendy

Programme

Part I - The Playing
In which The Lost Boys spontaneously begin playing in the Ruins

Part II - The March
In which The Lost Boys form a line and march while reciting a wartime children’s rhyme
Boom Boom Beat the drum
Boom Boom Here we come
Boom Boom Do not Lag
Boom Boom Wave the Flag

Part III - The Gathering of Dolls
In which The Lost Boys gather in a circle around No Man’s Land, each cradling a ‘Lost’ Soldier Doll.
Miserere mei, Deus arr. Andrew Balfour
(Have Mercy, O God)
Da Pacem Domine Melchoir Frank
(Grant us Pease, O Lord, in this our day)

Part IV - The Laying of the Dolls
In which The Lost Boys lay their dolls to rest in the circle of willow cribs ( set on the Trappist Monks former gravesite).
And God Shall Wipe Away All Tears
Eleanor Daley

Part V - The Final Sleep
In which Wendy comforts the Boys with a bedtime reading (excerpted from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie) under the oak canopy.

Michele Karch-Ackerman is a nationally known contemporary environmental artist recognized for her provocative and touching installations. With influences drawn from history, literature and experience, her works have inspired viewers with their challenging subject matter and aesthetics. Her latest exhibition entitled Lost Boys, draws its inspiration from the journals of a soldier who flew in the First World War. Her exhibition Lost Margaret (inspired by an L.M. Montgomery story), created during an artist residency in Newfoundland, opened at Grimsby Public Gallery in 2002 and travels to Eastern Edge Gallery, Newfoundland in the fall. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Michele has taught at various institutions and organizations including the Royal Ontario Museum, Inner City Angels, Ontario Arts Council, Loyalist College and Trent University, among others. Her teaching is widely recognized for it's innovative and motivational style. Michele is represented by the DeLeon White Gallery in Toronto and the James Baird Gallery in Newfoundland.

The Winnipeg Boys Choir is currently enjoying its 77th season of making choral music in Manitoba. The Choir provides a unique opportunity for boys of unchanged voice to develop their individual music and performing skills as part of a group focused on choral excellence and quality teamwork. In recent years, the Choir has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (Britten’s SPRING SYMPHONY and Orff’s CARMINA BURANA), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (Orff’s CARMINA BURANA), and represented Manitoba at UNISONG 2000 in Ottawa. Last season, the WBC performed R. Murray Schafer’s SPIRIT GARDEN at The Saint Norbert Arts Centre and are thrilled to be back at SNAC performing at the opening of LOST BOYS.

Conductor, Carolyn Boyes, a music specialist with the Winnipeg School Division, has been director of the WBC since 1998. She is active as a choral/Orff clinician and adjudicator in the province and sings with the Manitboa Opera Chorus and The Little Opera Company.