Theatrically yours!

Until January 3rd, the Canadian Postal Museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization presents a surprising exhibit entitled Her Majesty’s Stamps – surprising because of the rarity of the stamps, the history they tell, and how.

If stamps could talk…

In case you’re not ‘stuck’ on stamps, consider that before their utilitarian role, stamps were privileged witnesses to our past. To illustrate that point, the Canadian Postal Museum called upon ‘Dramamuse’ – the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s theatre company – to make your visit to the British Royal Family’s stamp collection a veritable brush with history.

Beaverrific, a short play presented daily at the Her Majesty’s Stamps exhibit, brings to life the first Canadian stamp: castor canadensis. This likable character will transport you through time from the creation of the first postage stamp – the ‘black-penny’ in honour of Queen Victoria – up to today. Chock full of anecdotes that are sometimes humorous, sometimes dramatic, Beaverrific will make you see stamps in a whole new light.

Actors in my museum?

Don’t be surprised that actors have invaded the place — their interpretive work is at the heart of the museum experience. Formed in 1989, Dramamuse is one of the premier in-house museum theatre companies and one of the few in Canada. Rest assured these are more than period-costumed guides or coloured mascots who regale children!

Dramamuse is a laboratory of interpretation and creativity. Under the artistic direction of Jennifer Boyes-Manseau, these professional actors are as dedicated to history as they are to theatre. Anchored in the present, they can bridge eras through their portrayal of characters from the past. You can find them at work in the short plays that get written for special exhibitions like Beaverrific, as well as in improvisational mode like when they interact with visitors in Canada Hall as different characters, all while respecting historical authenticity. These imagination-sparking ‘historical moments’ encourage visitors to participate in their museum experience and journey through history to join, question, and live it.

So don’t be surprised if you’re meandering down a dark alley of the past when a whaler stops you to talk about his day. Or if a beaver waddles out of a postage stamp to tell you about the royal stamp collectors.