GUYSBOROUGH — Food security is taking centre stage in Guysborough County this fall.
Stephen Cross, a long-time theatre artist now based in Guysborough, is leading a new project that uses performance to spark community dialogue about hunger and access to food in Nova Scotia.
The short play is being developed with four local participants and will debut in Guysborough at the end of October. Cross said the idea came after reading about the Guysborough & Area Food Bank in The Journal.
“I had no idea how severe the problem of food insecurity was in Nova Scotia,” he said in an interview last week. “And it is extremely urgent. With further research, I decided that this is as worthy a topic for a group of people to focus their energies as any other topic out there right now.”
The play will run about 30 to 40 minutes and combine personal stories, research and practical suggestions for action. Cross said the format is designed to balance emotional response with important information about the issue.
“The stories, personal stories, I think will stimulate human response to the problem,” he explained. “And then there’ll be information to give people data… and how everyday Nova Scotians can become part of the solution.”
That solution, he added, might involve contacting local MLAs, pressing government to do more, or calling on food retailers to improve community support.
The production is part of Cross’s Community Arts Project, which brings residents together around social issues and uses artistic methods to respond. Cross said he draws inspiration from his earlier work with the Irondale Ensemble Project, a Halifax-based theatre group that toured the province creating plays on community concerns ranging from fisheries to violence against women.
This time, Cross is focusing on food security, an issue he says resonates across Nova Scotia but is felt particularly sharply in rural areas. Statistics have shown the province has some of the highest rates of food insecurity in Canada, and community food banks report increasing demand.
Rehearsals for the Guysborough play began in mid-September, with six sessions scheduled before the end of October. There are four local volunteers involved in the making of the play.
“We’re only going to have six rehearsals at about two hours each,” Cross said. “So, I kind of have to go in pretty prepared with what the material is. The material will be based on stories from Nova Scotians that represent the diversity of the province, interwoven with information and action statements.”
The goal, Cross said, is not to stage a large-scale theatre event but to create a short, portable piece that can be shared in small venues across the region.
“I would like to present the play maybe two or four times. Once here in Guysborough, and then a few more times around the area,” he said.
The first performance is expected to take place shortly after the group’s final rehearsal on Oct. 28, likely between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7.
Cross hopes the play will help audiences connect with an issue that can sometimes feel abstract.
