Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Stories of women who performed non-traditional jobs during World War II will be featured in a special presentation at the newly-renovated St. Marys Town Hall Theatre on Nov. 17.
Presented by the St. Marys Museum's seminar committee, the highlight of the evening will be the performance of 'Ladies of the CNR', a vignette featuring the memories of the women who worked in locomotive repair shops in Stratford during the war.
Created by professional actors Kelly McIntosh, Baptiste Neis and Stacy Smith, it explores the challenges of life on the Home Front.
“Our aim is to share and celebrate these women who rose to the occasion at a moment in history where necessity bent gender lines,” said McIntosh. “Many of their descendants tell me, ‘Oh, mum never talked about that.' This dramatic presentation recaptures the spirit of the time.”
During the war, Maxwell’s on James Street South in St. Marys bid on and won a number of contracts for the Department of Munitions and Supplies. To keep up with the pressure of meeting deadlines, many women were hired to augment the workforce, particularly for the production of hand grenades.
Some of the women who worked for Maxwell’s at that time are still members of the St. Marys community. With their permission, and help from the St. Marys Community Players, some of their memories will be shared at the seminar.
“This is by far the most ambitious project that the St. Marys Museum’s seminar committee has attempted,” said Amy Cubberley, curator and archivist. “We encourage residents and visitors to join us for this exciting evening to learn more about a part of our history that is rapidly fading from memory.”
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17. Tickets are available at the museum and are $15 for general admission and $10 for museum members and students.
For more information about the event, call 519-284-3556 or email museum@town.stmarys.on.ca.
From www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
Photo: Kelly McIntosh, foreground, and Stacy Smith are shown in Ladies of the CNR.
2016-11-01
St. Marys: St. Marys remembers "Ladies of the CNR" on November 17