Backyard Theatre: Ridge

Often called “the battle that made Canada”, Vimy Ridge resulted in over 10,000 Canadian casualties.

In RIDGE, Brendan McLeod examines misconceptions and varying perspectives around the battle of Vimy Ridge, while drawing parallels to other formative events in our nation’s past. Featuring innovative musical interpretations of First World War soldier songs (often referred to as ‘Trench Songs’), RIDGE probes difficult yet necessary questions about how and why we grieve. Trench songs were written by frontline soldiers during the First World War. Essentially protest songs, they were often parodies of well-known tunes. To accompany the storytelling and thought-provoking narrative, McLeod performs a selection of these songs on multiple instruments .The result is a poignant and stripped-back collection of work that emphasizes the emotional content of the lyrics and continues the long tradition of folk music reshaping songs over time — the same way soldiers reshaped these songs in the trenches

A vivid, kinetic ride through history, as well as an intimate, personal examination of our connection to the past, RIDGE is a visceral work that passionately argues against the exploitation of young lives.

PLEASE NOTE:  Ridge is performed outside in the backyard of McCrae House. Please dress according to weather conditions.  We recommend casual clothing and comfortable shoes. The show will go on through most weather conditions.  In the case of severe inclement weather, a performance may be delayed or cancelled.  If a performance is cancelled, your tickets will be automatically refunded, and we will assist you in securing tickets for another performance, if possible.