“These aren’t hats I usually wear,” Christopher Hunt says about his upcoming production Ribstone, produced by Lunchbox Theatre and One Yellow Rabbit as part of the High Performance Rodeo. Hunt produced and wrote the show, skills that are relatively new to him.
Ribstone started in COVID, with Hunt writing a piece and playing music as a small project. It grew and was shaped by different artists along the way and Hunt received some grant funding to continue working on it. The production has been in development for 4 years.
“Like it wasn’t a big high-pressure thing and it wasn’t a typical playwriting thing where I’m creating a story and characters and rising action and all that kind of stuff,” Hunt explains. “It was just: here’s a bunch of stories, here’s a bunch of music, here’s a bunch of questions.”
It’s all been woven together to explore some poignant ideas and some old stories. Ribstone explores tales of Hunt’s family in southern Alberta, it explores the history of the land, coupled with some banjo music and theatrical design. The play explores the questions: What do we inherit and what do we forget? What stories are ours to tell?
Hunt is excited to share this exploration with an audience.
“I’m excited to see what lands with the audience. Are they just going to be listening to my story? Or are they going to start thinking about their stories and their ancestors? Where they come from and how they ended up here”
Hunt is also thrilled to share his newfound love of old-time music and square dancing.
The production also includes some Indigenous stories that Hunt researched in consultation with Blackfoot Elders and Telly James helped integrate into the play as an Indigenous consultant.
Hunt pushes himself in this production. He’s alone with his banjo and his words on stage and it’s all new for him. It’s not a tradition story telling and he’s hoping that people can engage with the stories and the music.
This production also holds a little bit of grief and celebration for Hunt. Tim Williams, a dear friend and artist who recently passed away wrote a The Ribstone Waltz for the production, in his capacity as music consultant.
“He gave me a real kick […] to step it up and finish the project,” Hunt says. “That tune is very special and I’m looking forward to putting it out there in the world as well as the show itself.”
One Yellow Rabbit and Lunchbox Theatre’s production of Ribstone, written and performed by Christopher Hunt is part of the High Performance Rodeo and open tomorrow. It is completely sold out, but hopefully there is a future for this show. More information is available online.
Photo Credit: Hannah Kerbes.