Article content If you are in the Okanagan this summer, a fabulous addition to your plein air plans is the latest from . Located in the North Okanagan town of Armstrong where it has been entertaining people since 1978, Caravan is mounting The Bear and The Proposal: An Okanagan Wedding Party in Two Acts Greatly inspired by the book , 1870s to 1960s edited by Jeannette Armstrong, Lally Grauer and Janet MacArthur, the play is a kind of mash-up of ‘s one-act plays The Bear and The Proposal. “We call it historical fiction-romance,” said the production’s director and writer Creating something entertaining and meaningful is always at the heart of a Caravan plan.
This production is no different, as Shook explains the local history and the relationships between settlers and Indigenous peoples are what inspired her to combine the stories from Okanagan Women’s Voices with the wit and humour of Chekhov’s works. While it is a period piece, the production has taken a note from the Bridgerton handbook and peppered pop tunes throughout. For her adaptation, Shook also worked closely with scholar, linguist and UBC Okanagan assistant professor of Education and Okanagan Indian Band member, Bill Cohen, to help “contextualize these pieces historically, by looking at Syilx and settler relationships.
” The Syilx Okanagan Nation is comprised of seven member communities in the southern Interior. “I wanted to do these pieces for a while, they are hilarious little plays,” said Shook, .