Scientific Research of Carleton Professor Contributes to the Theatre

By Nick Ward

No one’s an island, Cameron. You, your parents, London, Qikiqtaruk, the whales, the guillemots, the living, the dead. We’re all connected. If one moves we all move. Well – that’s what I think anyway.

Imagine being a young teenager and finding out you have to spend an entire week of your summer holidays alone with your mother on an Arctic island.  The weather is unbearable, the loneliness is intolerable and the battery icon on your Ipod is hollowing at a rapid pace.  In this remote and seemingly barren setting where the sun does not set, your options to pass the time are limited.

You can either stay back at camp to help your mother with her scientific research on permafrost, or you can venture off into the vastness that is Yukon’s Herschel Island on a quest of self discovery.

In Nicky Singer’s play Island, this is the scenario that character Cameron is presented with.  The circumstances force him to ask the questions “Who am I? and How do I know what I know?”

At its core, the story is undeniably about humanity and spirituality. But as is in life, the characters perspectives and beliefs are heavily influenced by context.  In a tale which centers on landscape, environmental elements and scientific research, it was absolutely fundamental for Singer, an award winning and highly acclaimed writer, to insure that her details were both accurate and authentic.

To accomplish this, she contacted Carleton’s NSERC Northern Research Chair, Professor Chris Burn.

Burn has been studying frozen ground for nearly 30 years and thus, has an immense amount of experience in conducting research in Canada’s North.  For most of the past three decades, Burn has been dividing his time between central Yukon and the western Arctic. He studies the response of permafrost to climate change and the evolution of landforms as permafrost thaws at Mayo, Yukon, in the Mackenzie Delta area, NWT, and at Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk), Yukon’s Arctic island.

The collaboration between Singer and Burn came about as a coincidence. They happened to share a mutual friend in the former Director of the British Council in Canada, then also the Cultural Attaché with the British High Commission.  Singer was longing for a new plot while she was visiting the Director in Morocco.  In a casual discussion, the Director spoke of his recent trip to Herschel Island and his experiences with Carleton’s Chris Burn.  Singer was instantly fascinated.  From this, a friendship between Burn and Singer was forged, and the play Island was born.

Singer describes Burn’s consultation as an “inspiration” and explains that his real life experience was vital to Island in many different ways, but primarily in authenticating her story:

“Research for a writer is crucial; it’s about having logged enough of the ‘truth’ to convince the audience you know what you’re talking about without having to hit them at any stage with the actual facts and explanations…Professor Burn with his immense generosity made a difference to Island in a number of ways. He helped me understand the actual science behind being a permafrost researcher and the scientific gear involved.  He also helped with language, history, setting, environmental issues and character.”

As one of the leading researchers in his field, it should come as no surprise that Burn had little difficulty in teaching Singer the science, language and gadgetry that go along with his trade.  What may come as a surprise is the hand he played in character development for the play.

In Island, Cameron’s mother Pascale is a permafrost researcher whose vocation has brought her and her son to Herschel Island.  To give an accurate portrayal of Pascale, Singer needed to understand what types of people are most likely to become permafrost researchers in these extreme climates and locations. Burn described to her what he felt might be typical characteristics of a permafrost researcher.

“Knowing that Nicky had decided that her story was to occur in a remote location, I think she was really fishing for the kinds of people who go to these locations.  Even though I gave her a fairly basic description, I don’t think it’s a description that other people in my field would find misleading.  This person would be someone who thrives in remote locations, is self reliant, has the ability to plan quite well, and is someone who doesn’t mind physical discomfort or an absence from electronic gadgets.”

It was through this description that Singer was able to create Pascale.

“All these fact/attributes fed into my character Pascale. Unfortunately, for plot reasons, Pascale is not as generous as Chris. Pascale plays the ‘solitary’ card rather to the exclusion of her son.”

Though he never anticipated that his permafrost research would be used in a play, this was not the first time Burn has contributed to the theatre. Burn recounts being on stage at his high school in the UK, where theatre was an obligatory part of English Literature studies.

“All of our English courses took place in a room that had a stage; theatre was part of our understanding of English literature.  Theatre in Canada is a special thing, it is not a part of what people do on a regular basis, which I think is rather unfortunate.”

As Island enters its final phases of production, Burn is anxious to both read and see his friend’s play for the first time.  Ideally, Burn would like to see the play performed in the North, which Singer says is a possibility.  Not only would this be tremendous for both the cast and the people there who know of Herschel Island, but it would also be a step in the right direction in introducing theatre to Canadian scientific culture.  Coincidentally, the arts and science are already firmly linked through William Herschel, the brilliant astronomer and professional musician, one of the people after whom Herschel Island was named.

With Singer’s impressive writing track record, Island is sure to put the spotlight on Canada’s North.  Singer’s past writings include the Blue Peter Award winning novel Feather Boy which was dramatized by the BBC and subsequently went on to win a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children’s Drama.

Island is scheduled to debut February 15th 2012, at the National Theatre in England.