It started with an uncommon name on a hundred-year-old monument.
Jason Murphy of the band Shipyard Kitchen Party had already been working on a musical theatre show about the First World War when he came across the name of Mae Belle Sampson on a cenotaph near his home in Collingwood, Ontario.
“Women’s names on WWI monuments are rare, so I got curious,” says Murphy. “When I researched the story of Mae Belle and other women who served in the war, it changed the whole approach to the show.”
That show, “100 Years From Now” comes to the Cornwall’s Aultsville Theatre on November 11, 2023.
Told through the eyes of an Ontario family and Sampson – one of the first women to enlist as a nursing sister in the
Canadian Army Medical Corp. – “100 Years from Now” uses an original Celtic music score, drama, and stunning archival imagery to tell the story of Canada’s participation in the Great War.
“Mae Belle’s story was critical to the show coming together,” says Murphy. “The Canadian Nursing Sisters served on the front lines of WWI. But their stories have been under appreciated. Of course, the show also gives the points of view of men who served. But Mae Belle’s view brings something fresh to the table.”
As part of his research for the show, Murphy made contact with Sampson’s descendants and had the chance to review her personal artifacts, medals and photos. It was a moving experience.
“She was a true Canadian hero,” says Murphy. “She served in casualty clearing stations, which were directly behind the front lines. So, she saw the war at its worst. She was hospitalized with diptheria in 1917 and sent home to recuperate. But as soon as she was well again, she returned to Europe. And she did it all with no flash or pomp. She just got back to work.”
Tickets for “100 Years from Now” can be purchased at the Aultsville Theatre box office, by calling 613-932-1661 or online at www.aultsvilletheatre.com
