Olds community member Gavin Hamilton has passed away, and friends and family gathered after his funeral last week at St. John's Anglican Church to piece together a strange set of clues related to his estate, which the local timber man left behind.
Don't worry if you don't know who Gavin Hamilton is ñ he died about a century ago. And the funeral reception last week was actually the plot line in an interactive play put on by Live History, a travelling act that integrates local history into their performances.
"This is not a passive experience," said the company's founder Jasmine Bowen. "Once you step into a Live History show, you are part of the world and you are expected to work together with the performers to solve a mystery."
The company stages their shows at museums, libraries and local historical venues ñ churches, houses, castles ñ and brings local characters, along with local actors, into the script.
"I think what (people) don't realize is that we have put their local history into it. The things that they are learning, they walk across the street from every day," she said. "By the time we're done it really is your people, your town, your history."
Last week, Live History rolled into Olds ñ a joint Canada 150 project between the library and the Mountain View Museum and Archives ñ and brought to life the story of Gavin Hamilton. It's a name that even the most enthusiastic local historian might not recognize, and that's on purpose.
"Hamilton was not a prominent Olds figure," said Bowen. "We wanted someone whose story is not known five kilometres from here."
"Those stories don't get told," she said. "It's these stories, that are doomed into obscurity, that we want to bring back to life."
Hamilton was actually a resident of Olds, who came to the area from Minnesota around 1890. He was a lumber buyer by trade ñ and could estimate the worth of tracts of forest ñ then homesteaded in the Olds area.
"He was a bit of an eccentric character. He was a background actor, but somebody who was extremely generous in Olds; a great volunteer," said Chantal Marchildon, the museum's program director. "He was a bit of a recluse and a bit of an eccentric, so we thought he'd be a fun character to bring back to life."
In addition to local history, venues and characters, the company also brings in local actors to be part of the show. Mary Hays plays the role of Clara Custer-Miller, who came to Olds in 1910 from Philadelphia.
"It's been a fast and furious preparation," said Hays, who found out about the role a couple of weeks ago.
Between Hays and Bowen, the two play off each other to tell the story of Hamilton and to bring the audience ñ who sit in a circle instead of more traditional rows ñ into the storyline as they piece together the clues, essentially each becoming another character in the show.
"I think the interesting vehicle here is the mystery," said Hays. "And I found it really interesting to jump into this and see how the mystery unfolds."
"I think it makes it approachable for people," said Joshua Kitz, who helped develop the scripts, and introduced the evening. "People will be like, well I don't know that history, so how do I engage with this? The mystery gives them a vehicle to engage with it."
At the end of the day, Bowen said she hopes people walk away knowing a bit more about former residents, about their town and how it was built.
"And, also as they go into the future, to remember that there are more than just the prime ministers, the politicians, the mayor, the rich people," said Bowen, "that there are all these people, below, for lack of a better term, that are just as important."
"The past is just like the person," said Bowen. "It takes all sorts of people to make a world, to make mistakes and to have success, and the only people who get remembered -- I mean history is told by the winners. It's not told by all the building blocks that help those winners get there."
"We want people to really embrace their history and their culture," added Marchildon, "and it's so important not to lose that background. And the stories are disappearing."
MORE: Live History has toured across the world, visiting 60 venues in six countries this year. You can find out more about their performances at www.livehistoryshows.com.
"Remember that there are more than just the prime ministers, the politicians, the mayor, the rich people," said Bowen, "that there are all these people, below, for lack of a better term, that are just as important."JASMINE BOWENFOUNDERLIVE HISTORY
