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Ukrainians, Pelicans, & the Secret of Patterson Lake

Ukrainians, Pelicans, & the Secret of Patterson Lake

Veteran Montreal playwright/actor Norman Nawrocki will give a free livestream performance of his newest dramatic solo play, ‘Ukrainians, Pelicans, & the Secret of Patterson Lake,’ online in a Facebook Live broadcast, Saturday, November 21st, 2020, @ 7pm EST on his Facebook page.

The play weaves Manitoba & Ukrainian history, emigration, mythology, birding lore, an epidemic, Anglo-Saxon prejudice, & family memory into a gripping, 30 minute long, one-act production.

In this story of courage & resilience in a harsh new reality, a Ukrainian peasant / farmer reminisces about a sequence of shameful events 50 years earlier in ‘the promised land’ that ended in tragedy. It marked him & a group of 200 other newly arrived Ukrainian immigrants & family for life, & is still remembered & commemorated today.

Written, performed & scored by Nawrocki, the play is based on a true story from Western rural Manitoba in 1899 during the first wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. Nawrocki’s maternal Ukrainian family was part of that first wave & homesteaded in the same area.

A long-time Ukrainian-Polish-Canadian playwright, actor, musician, author & producer, born in Vancouver, Nawrocki has written & staged numerous theatre creations, written 14 books of poetry, short fiction & a novel, & released over 30 albums of music & spoken word. Most recently he’s been recording and posting music videos with his sister as the Canadian-Ukrainian duo, The Nawrockis.

His last solo play, ‘EVICTION? DOG’S BLOOD!! Nick Zynchuk, 1933 Montreal’s Red Plateau,’ (2020) was called “Thoroughly engaging!” by The Visitorium. He acknowledges the support from the Canada Council for the Arts for this show. @CanadaCouncil, #BringingTheArtsToLife.

Norman Nawrocki’s work can also be found on Youtube