Visual Arts
“Our Chosen Kingdom, shows us St Margaret's Home. It was both a healing and a social place. In the piece, residents gather around a pink bloom, which fills the space with joy and fragrance. The title of this work is a fragment of a phrase from Julia Drummond's first official address to the Local Council of Women of Montreal (1894), in which she states, "Home will ever be our chosen kingdom." As a "home", St Margaret's was a place of care for women in the last stages of their lives. This piece speaks to me in a very profound way. I feel a sense of belonging when I experience Cynthia's art, in that both my my grandparents were first generation Anglophones in Montreal. Ever since I have lived in Montreal, from the time I attended Concordia University for Theatre Performance, I have felt a distinct sense of full-circle connection to the ground I walk on -- the same ground my grandmother, grandad and great-grandparents walked on.”
Fan favourite
Stefanie Buxton
What We Choose to Remember features a cast of more than 30 characters, whose families arrived in successive waves of immigration. The oldest families arrived during the period of ‘two solitudes’ when Montreal’s population was more than 50% English. They share firsthand accounts decades of political upheaval. The most recent immigrants arrived believing linguistic conflicts were ancient history.
Visit the website to watch the trailer and find tickets to our public screenings ︎ Visit the website to watch the trailer and find tickets to our public screenings ︎
Visit the website to watch the trailer and find tickets to our public screenings ︎ Visit the website to watch the trailer and find tickets to our public screenings ︎
Acknowledgements
Our story takes place on the Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Tiotià:ke (known as Montréal) has existed as a meeting place of many First Nation peoples, including but not limited to the Abenaki , Anishinaabeg (Algonquin), and the Huron-Wendat. We extend our deepest respect to the elders of these nations and to all Indigenous peoples who carry the history of this island’s land and waters. We also call upon all levels of government to adopt and implement the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation commission.
We acknowledge the support of our sponsors
Our story takes place on the Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Tiotià:ke (known as Montréal) has existed as a meeting place of many First Nation peoples, including but not limited to the Abenaki , Anishinaabeg (Algonquin), and the Huron-Wendat. We extend our deepest respect to the elders of these nations and to all Indigenous peoples who carry the history of this island’s land and waters. We also call upon all levels of government to adopt and implement the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation commission.
We acknowledge the support of our sponsors
