CAPTAIN R BURTON DEANE AND THEATRE ON THE PRAIRIES,1883-1901

WILLIAM M BAKER

R Burton Deane, a Mounted Police officer, was instrumental in the development of theatre in the Prairie West between 1883 and 1901. His interest in theatre had been an outgrowth of his performance of magic tricks. As an adjutant for the Royal Marines in England he had been placed in charge of a theatre and in that capacity he gained considerable experience in producing, directing and acting. The pioneer communities of Regina and Lethbridge received the benefit of Deane's expertise. His productions supported local charities, improved relations between the Mounties and the local elite, raised crucial issues of social relevance, albeit in a lighthearted manner, and provided theatrical performances of good quality for the newly-established centres.

R Burton Deane, officier de la Mounted Police, exerça une grande influence sur le développement du théâtre dans les Prairies de l'Ouest entre 1883 et 1901. L'intérêt qu'il éprouva pour le théâtre vint de son exécution de séances de prestidigitation. Quand il était capitaine adjutant major des Royal Marines en Angleterre on lui avait confié un théâtre où il gagna de l'expertise à produire et à mettre en scène des pièces et à y jouer. Les communautés pionnières de Regina et de Lethbridge profitèrent de l'expertise de Deane. Ses productions soutenaient des oeuvres de charité de la région, amélioraient les rapports entre les Mounties et l'élite de la région, soulevaient des questions sociales de la première importance, bien qu'avec enjouement, etjournissaient des représentations de bonne qualité pour les nouveaux centres

Historians of theatre in Canada have always credited military units as being amongst the earliest promoters of the dramatic arts in the country. Indeed, the opening sentence of Jesse Edgar Middleton's hoary account of the origins of theatre in Canada runs as follows: 'British army officers have been inveterate devotees of private theatricals.'¹ From that point the author proceeded to demonstrate the importance of the military in establishing drama in Canada. To Middleton, however, these efforts were mere dilettantism, a mechanism to 'beguile the tedium of garrison duty.' ² In the final analysis he dismissed the contribution of the military as inconsequential compared to the appearance of professional stock companies. More recently, Natalie Rewa has maintained that although garrison productions were prevalent in the earliest theatrical performances by whites in Canada and fulfilled a social function, being one of the more amiable means of promoting the domination of British 'civilization,' 'the British garrisons' encouragement of local amateur and touring professional theatre did not contribute significantly to Canadian theatre history.'³ Indeed, she maintains that with only minor exceptions, garrison theatricals became extinct after Confederation. Eugene Benson and Leonard W Conolly agree with Middleton's view that the military became involved partly to relieve tedium. They also accept Rewa's contention that involvement of the military in theatre may have promoted its control of the society since the productions promoted good relations between the garrison and local inhabitants. However, Benson and Conolly claim that by the mid-nineteenth century the military had made 'a substantial contribution to theatre in the Atlantic provinces [and presumably in the other British North American colonies], not only building theatres but equipping and staffing them. They had also encouraged and welcomed participation from local amateurs.' ⁴ As for the quality of both garrison and mixed productions, Benson and Conolly suggest that while there was a wide range, 'the overall picture of amateur theatricals [including those with a connection to the military] in nineteenth-century Canada is not one of drunken incompetence but of enthusiasm, commitment, and no small degree of talent.'⁵ David Gardner also finds that the garrison productions, usually of comedies imported from England, were frequently of good quality and suggests that they often aided local charities and boosted community morale.⁶

This brief review of basic sources concerning the involvement of the military in the origins of 'white' theatre in Canada suggests several issues of information and interpretation which might profitably be examined: 1) Did the tradition of military theatricals die after 1867? 2) What was the motivation of military personnel for becoming involved in drama? 3) Of what quality were these productions? and 4) What was the significance of military involvement in the origins of theatre in Canada? Although no single case-study can answer all these questions in any definitive way, the example of Captain R Burton Deane sheds some light on each one.

Deane was born in India in 1848, the son of a Church of England chaplain for the East India Company. Not long thereafter the family returned to England and settled in Suffolk where Deane's grandfather had at one time been a substantial landholder. Deane's father became the rector of a parish on the outskirts of Ipswich and Deane attended the prestigious local grammar school. Deane's social status may have been better than adequate but his financial backing must have been meagre, for in 1866 he joined the Royal Marines, a 'non-purchase' corps, as a Lieutenant.⁷ His most active service was with the Ashanti Expedition on the Gold Coast of Africa in 1873-74. In 1876 he became Adjutant of the Chatham Division and in 1881 was promoted to Captain. But this was horrendously slow progress. Deane had been caught in whole scale retrenchment in the Marines which resulted in virtually no upward mobility for junior officers for more than a decade. By 1882, realizing that mandatory retirement was but eight years away and that it would be difficult to support himself, his wife and five children on a restricted pension entitlement, Deane took an early retirement payout of £l,600 from the Marines and headed to Canada. He joined the quasi-military North West Mounted Police in 1883 as an Inspector and the following year was promoted to the rank of Superintendent. While in charge of the Regina Division in the mid-eighties Deane also acted as adjutant to the force and did much to establish its basic rules, regulations and routines. In 1888 he became the commanding officer of the Lethbridge Division. From then until his retirement back to England in 1914 he commanded one or more of the several divisions in the southern prairies. In 1916 he published Mounted Police Life in Canada: A Record of Thirty-one Years' Service, 1883-1914. He died in 1930 in Italy.

Only three references in Deane's book comment on his role in promoting theatre. In a single sentence he mentions that he organized a theatrical troupe in Regina, 'and we had considerable fun from our amateur attempts and from little dances that we occasionally gave.' This was, he indicated, one of the ways in which they 'beguiled the time.'⁸ Only half a sentence was devoted to remembering the pleasure given him during his days as commanding officer in Lethbridge by 'our theatrical entertainments, which were always given for a local charity . . .'⁹ Finally, there was a passing comment about his opening a performing hall in Lethbridge with a play.¹⁰ It may seem, therefore, that Deane considered these activities as barely worth mention. It is likely, however, that it was not Deane who gave these activities short shrift in his recollections, but rather his publisher. The original manuscript Deane produced was reduced by about one-third prior to publication, and it would appear that the sixty-five page handwritten document entitled 'Reminiscences of a Mounted Police Officer by Captain R Burton Deane,' presently held by Calgary's Glenbow Alberta Archives, formed a major portion of the excision.¹¹ Be that as it may, the 'Reminiscences' provide a good deal of information on the where, when, how and why of Deane's involvement in theatre. ¹²

For Deane, the story began in 1866 when he was a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marines stationed on the southern coast of England near Portsmouth. The occasion was a visit to the barracks of a 'Professor' Raymond, who wanted to acquire students wishing to take lessons in the 'Cult of Mesmerism. ¹³ Deane signed up and claimed that he became quite a capable hypnotist. But he did not like a number of examples he witnessed of the power hypnotism gave the master over the subject: 'I formed the conclusion that the practice of mesmerism or electro-biology, or whatever it may be called, is not desirable for amateurs in the general interests of mankind, and I therefore gave up the practice of it for good and all.' ¹⁴ Deane's distaste for mesmerism left him with a problem:

As I reasoned it out with myself, I could not play any musical instrument and I could not sing, so how was I going to make my contribution to the amusement of that 'state of life to which it had pleased God to call me'? ¹⁵

The answer Deane found, the activity that eventually led him into theatre, was sleight of hand. And the motive, from the outset, was to provide a bit of inexpensive entertainment for his own socially elite class.

It was the mesmerist Raymond who piqued Deane's interest in the performance of card tricks. During a recess in a lesson in hypnotism, Raymond picked up a deck of cards and proceeded to execute a trick. Deane was hooked and asked the 'Professor' to give him some lessons. Raymond agreed, with the warning that much practice would be required, and that under no circumstances was Deane to attempt any tricks before other people for at least six months. Deane practiced diligently with cards and coins before making his public debut at a banquet in the summer of 1867 following a cricket match, a game in which he was sufficiently skilled to have been selected to the team representing the Portsmouth Division. His first successful coin trick at the dining table led to numerous card tricks in the ante room. Deane's performance went very smoothly: 'I amused the company and acquired the confidence which never left me.' ¹⁶

By the time he joined the H M S Warrior for a tour of duty in 1869 Deane had advanced beyond informal performances in the officers' mess. For example, he gave a show in Portugal for the benefit of the Church of England Sunday School, for which he not only received accolades in the Portuguese press but also a dinner invitation from the British Ambassador to Portugal. Needless to say, Deane performed a few tricks at that august affair as well. During the cruise on the Warrior, Deane further developed his skills with the assistance of shipmate Lieutenant Hill. In June 1871, the two conjurers provided an evening of magic at the Theatre Royal in Gibraltar for the benefit of the Sailors' Home in that place, a charity under the patronage of Vice Admiral Wellesley and the officers of the fleet.

Deane's 'Reminiscences' indicate that he gave numerous public exhibitions of sleight of hand for charitable purposes in addition to being a willing entertainer at dinner parties and on other social occasions. It is also apparent from Deane's writings that much of the skill in sleight of hand depends on the ability of the magician to talk through the trick. Verbal patter was not only part of the mechanism of the trick, for it frequently distracted the audience from what the entertainer was doing with the hands, but it was also a large part of what made the performance entertaining and amazing. Even when the magician was in difficulty, rhetoric could buy time. The conjurer had to become as quick-witted as quick-fingered, and as confident in public speaking as in the technical performance of the tricks. Thus, magic performances were not dissimilar to other types of theatrical entertainment, and as Deane seems to have become proficient at the various requirements of the craft, it was a natural step for him to become involved in the theatre.

In 1876 Deane was appointed Adjutant of the Chatham Division of the Royal Marines. In this post for the ensuing five years he was located at the headquarters close to London on the first bay on the sea south of the outlet of the River Thames. As an adjutant he quickly demonstrated his organizational and administrative capabilities and, given his interest and experience in providing entertainments, it was not too remarkable that he was made manager of the theatre on the grounds of the barracks. The theatre itself was newly built, the old one having posed a fire hazard, and was called The Globe by the outgoing manager. ¹⁷ The first task Deane faced was to provide basic scenery, for what remained from the old theatre was useless. Chatham's proximity to London and, presumably, Deane's ability to make the right connections, resulted in the hiring of a scene painter from no less than Covent Garden to come to the barracks for a week's work: 'Between us we got through quite a lot, as he sketched out for me work that I could continue after he had left.'¹⁸

Deane's 'Reminiscences' do not provide a complete list of the plays he produced and acted in at The Globe. One was Charles Dance's Wonderful Woman which, according to Deane, received favourable notice in The World of 24 November, 1880. Indeed, Deane claimed that complimentary reviews appeared from time to time in other British journals such as Truth and Figaro. Deane's greatest sense of triumph at The Globe was his production of Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. The Rochester Observer, a local community newspaper, found that although the audience took time to warm to the production it was so well performed by Deane and the rest of the cast, with good costumes and scenery along with a fine band, that the audience was won over to enthusiastic appreciation.¹⁹ Deane's productions were amateur, but hardly seem unskilled or unsophisticated. Nor were they merely and exclusively by and for the military. 'My Company was gathered from quite an extensive clientele; officers and ladies from the Garrison at large; residents from Rochester and its surroundings; anybody who could act and would act, (preferably liked acting) was welcome at 'The Globe'.' ²⁰

The use of the theatre to integrate community and barracks was also evident in Deane's inauguration of dances at The Globe. The new floor was good, the building was easily warmed, the divisional band was supplemented with strings, and with Deane selecting music programmes which included numerous waltzes to meet the demand of the times, the weekly dances soon attracted the best dancers of both sexes in the neighbourbood. Deane not only utilized local actors and provided entertainment at the barracks' theatre for the community, but also contributed to theatre off the base. In collaboration with Mr Stephen Aveling, a knowlegeable local actor who was Deane's principal theatrical consultant, he produced two plays at the Theatre Royal in Rochester: Honey Moon by Jonathan Tobin and Wife's Secret by George William Lovell. Deane's own acting performance in the first won plaudits from the critic in the Rochester Observer.

By the time Deane left England for Canada in 1882 his experience with theatre was substantial. He had been a performer of illusions, an actor, a producer, a director, a theatre manager, a scenery maker, and a make-up artist. He had done everything from selecting plays, to acquiring a cast, to painting sets and ensuring that the floors were polished. Moreover, his experience had not been gained at some remote and isolated village but on the very doorstep of London, and his performances and productions over a period of fifteen years had taken place before audiences containing both military and lay members of the social elite who, no doubt, were capable of being discriminating and demanding.²¹ That his cast members had or were to have social prominence is incidentally demonstrated in the story Deane told from his Chatham days of having to replace one of the main actors in J Sterling Coyne's Nothing Venture, Nothing Win. The man, a Lieutenant, had the character down beautifully but simply could not remember his lines and at the dress rehearsal he was a complete disaster. Fortuitously, the next day at Sunday service Deane recognized the man sitting in the pew in front of him-an individual who Deane knew had played the lead in the same play when stationed in Montreal with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Deane convinced him to take the lead in his production, switched himself from the lead to the part supposed to have been played by the poor soul who could not recall the right words, and called an emergency rehearsal. The result of this stroke of extraordinary luck and of Deane's quick and decisive action in seizing the opportunity presented by fortune was a successful production. The replaced actor, who was more relieved than offended, became Lieutenant General H St G Schomberg, C B while the man who stepped into the lead was Captain G W A Fitzgeorge, son of the Duke of Cambridge and at the time Private Secretary to Mr Hugh Childers, Secretary of State for War. As this tale indicates, Deane was accustomed to interactions with the socially prominent in his theatrical activities. Deane combined, therefore, two of the three traditions which have been identified as the foundation of amateur theatre in Canada: productions sponsored and promoted by military garrisons on the one hand, and by high society on the other.²² Deane may have been an amateur but it is quite obvious that he was very well versed in many aspects of theatrical production. He brought that expertise with him to the Canadian Prairies as a Mounted Police officer. ²³

By the autumn of 1883 the Deane family had settled down in their comfortable quarters at the Mounted Police barracks a couple of miles out of Regina, the newly created capital of the North-West Territories.²⁴ Deane found his official duties relatively straightforward for he was charged with the development of Standing Orders and other rules and regulations that would bring a greater sense of order to the 'armed mob' of Mounted Policemen. With his experience in the Marines, especially as the adjutant of a division of over 3500 men, he found it 'child's play ... to draft regulations for a little force of 500 men . . .' ²⁵ Deane's 'Reminiscences' relate that the winter of 1883-84 brought such unfamiliar pleasures as sleighing, snow-shoeing and toboganning. Temperatures of minus 40 degrees and white-out blizzards were dangerous, but were accepted with the fortitude expected of a soldier and a man. In short, the Deanes were able 'to make life more than bearable . . .'^26> Following the Christmas festivities, plans were made for an evening's entertainment. It was to consist of a play produced by Deane and, as he styled it, a 'nigger minstrel show' developed by the enlisted men.²⁷

There was, unsurprisingly, no theatre at the barracks and it was left to Deane to find an acceptable location. The building normally used for warehousing and quartermaster's stores was the only possibility and there Deane constructed the stage, proscenium, drop-curtain and set. While this was proceeding, Deane commenced rehearsals. The play he had selected was 'the well known farce "Ici on parle franqais."²⁸ He cast himself as the Frenchman in Thomas J Williams' play, since he already knew the part, and relied on enlisted men and the wives of officers for the other main characters. As the performance night approached Deane feared a disaster like the one narrowly avoided several years earlier in Chatham, for one of the leads was in deep water and sinking rapidly. But there was no miraculous option this time.

Deane plastered make-up on the man and when he appeared on stage his appearance immediately drew a laugh. To the great relief of Deane and the rest of the cast, 'this set him on his feet and put heart into him, and he played his part uncommonly well.'²⁹ Deane's own performance was lauded in the Regina Leader: 'Captain Deane as Victor Dubois looked the bewildered eager and susceptible Frenchman to the life, indeed so excellent was his acting that only for the playbill his most intimate friends would not have known him.'³⁰ The reviewer, in all likelihood, was the Leader's founder and editor, Nicholas Flood Davin, the Irish-born journalist, poet, politician and lawyer; a man with extensive international experience, a wonderful orator, and one who himself had tried his hand at playwriting a few years earlier.³¹ The Leader maintained that the performance 'left little or nothing to be desired' and hoped that the evening's entertainment was a 'harbinger of many such nights of pleasant art effort and innocent amusement.' ³² But this production, one of the earliest but not the first in the North-West Territories,³³ did not lead to a steady stream of performances.

In April 1884, Deane was promoted to Superintendent and Adjutant of the force, a job which put him in charge of organizing and administering the Commissioner's office. It was a formidable task to bring order to the near chaos that existed there, as well as being the Commanding Officer of the Headquarters Division during the Riel Rebellion. Consequently, Deane had no time for the production of plays for over two years. It was not the case, however, that his thoughts were completely divorced from the theatre. During the Rebellion, Deane was authorized to construct increased prison accommodation to secure suspected rebels. He added some cells to the existing guardroom and erected a spacious addition:

At the south end of this building a room was partitioned off for the use of the Guard who would have to look after the prisoners, while they would be housed in a double row of roofless cells that ran down the centre of the building. The walls of the cells were about 8 feet high and were so constructed that they could be easily removed without causing any damage to the floor. A platform athwart the cell column at its northern end enabled a sentry, with moccassined [sic] feet, to overlook the cells without disturbing their occupants. I had it in view that, when the building should be no longer required for prison purposes, it would forrn a very useful Concert Hall, in which church services as well as concerts &c. could be held and the room at the south end would require nothin more than a partition to convert it into dressing rooms for ladies and gentlemen.³⁴

It was not until November 1896, that Deane was able to put on another play. The fund-raising evening, which attracted Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney and his wife '³⁵ in aid of Saint Paul's Church began with a concert by vocalists from Winnipeg, followed by Deane's selection, the brief comedy Dearest Mama, my Mother-in-Law by 'Walter Gordon,' a pen name of William Aylmer Gowing. The entertainment was put on in the Regina Town Hall and Deane's cast was a mixed crew of townsfolk and residents of the barracks, the same formula that he had developed back in Chatham. During the performance a humorous insertion was made alluding to the infamous liquor prohibition law in the North-West Territories, a comment that convulsed the house.

In February 1887, Deane presented a dual offering at the barracks: a repeat of Ici on parle français and Chimney Corner by 'Henry Thornton Craven,' the pen name of Henry Thornton. As had been his practice from the first, Deane sent Police horses and sleighs into Regina to transport townspeople to the barracks over two miles distant. This procedure guaranteed an audience in anything but the most impossible of winter weather. Once again the cast was a mixture of town and barracks, and their efforts were well received. ³⁶ The same was true of William Schwenk Gilbert's Engaged, which was presented, along with John Maddison Morton's Steeple Chase, for two nights in January 1888. Deane had come across Gilbert's play in Toronto while on a recruiting drive and enjoying some leave a few months earlier and he had immediately bought up a supply of the books. He was delighted with the cast he was able to gather in Regina and considered the play one of the most successful he ever produced.³⁷ As had been the case with some previous productions Deane was aided on this occasion by an experienced theatre man named Tim Dunne,³⁸ who played a small role in the play but was of great help in preparing sets. The final performance of Deane and his 'Company' before a Regina audience was on 22 February 1888, when they played a double bill: Sweethearts also by Gilbert, and Turkish Bath by Francis C Burnand.³⁹

Even assuming that he presented no other plays in Regina, Deane's accomplishments were not inconsiderable. At the very least, during his five years in Regina he had produced, and almost always took a lead in, eight plays, one of which was a repeat. He had constructed a theatre of sorts, stage fittings, and a variety of sets. He had gathered what seems to have been competent cast members, a number of whom were in several of his productions. In no sense did he find the Regina personnel inferior to those he had encountered in Chatham/Rochester. He even mentioned, without any mocking overtones, that one of the actresses had intended to go on the English stage. Productions in Regina seem to have been of equal quality to those he had presented at Chatham. Deane had used a mixed cast of personnel from town and barracks in both Chatham and Regina and he did not rate the productions in the Prairie community as deficient. On the contrary, he considered that the Regina performance of Engaged was one of his greatest triumphs in the theatre. Indeed, these early performances seem to have been of commendable quality. The location may have been frontier, but persons like Deane brought to it the knowledge, experience and skills of the English cultural metropolis. Deane was transferred from Regina to the command of the Lethbridge Division in 1888. For the next fourteen years the Deanes resided in Lethbridge and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.⁴⁰ But he brought more than his family with him. Two leading members of his Regina troupe, Inspector and Mrs White Fraser, were also transferred. Moreover, Tim Dunne joined the gathering in Lethbridge when he received his discharge from the Mounties. In fact, Deane was instrumental in getting Dunne a permanent position with the major employer in Lethbridge, the Alberta Railway and Coal Company.

Deane had barely settled before his theatrical skills were called into demand, evidently by C F Conybeare, K C, who requested that Deane prepare a dramatic entertainment in aid of the fund to buy pews for the new Anglican church.⁴¹ Deane agreed in a minute to present a short play, provided that 'local ladies and gentlemen would contribute some music for the first half of the evening.⁴² This was easily arranged, but according to Deane's 'Reminiscences,' the program had to wait until the stage could be readied, even though previous performances had gone off at the barracks quite well. Nevertheless, as in Regina, Deane modified one of the buildings at the barracks:

The Division mess room was a fine big room opening through double doors into a spacious kitchen. It was easy to construct proscenium and stage fittings in a more or less permanent form and to leave a passageway about eight feet wide through the stage without in the least interfering with the ordinary purposes of the rooms.⁴³

On the stage the wife of the manager of the Union Bank, 'an accomplished musician with a sweet voice,' presented a fine program of music 'ably supported' by several others.⁴⁴ Deane, along with Mr and Mrs White Fraser, performed the three-character little comedy Cut off with a Shilling by S Theyre Smith. Their efforts were much appreciated. The Lethbridge News vowed that it was the best entertainment ever given in the town and had attracted an overflow crowd: 'The acting of Capt Deane and Mr and Mrs White Fraser was pronounced by competent critiques to be equal to many professionals.⁴⁵ The evening netted the church fund some $100, no mean sum in those days and the equivalent of $5000 in 1993. A similar concert/play presentation was engineered sixteen months later with Deane selecting Dearest Mama for the occasion. The event was lauded by the local newspaper as 'one of the most pleasing entertainments the people of the West have had the good fortune to patronize' and Deane's acting was complimented as 'simply splendid.'⁴⁶ Inbetween these projects in aid of the Anglican Church, Deane staged a repeat of his Regina productions of Chimney Comer and Ici on parle français. The beneficiary of two consecutive evenings of performance was the acquisitions fund for the recreation room at the barracks. Once again, Deane and Mrs White Fraser were specially commended by the critic for acting in both plays 'as though in the manner born.'⁴⁷

These offerings were but a prelude to a more challenging enterprise in March, 1890-a fully costumed production of Dance's comic drama Wonderful Woman. For the production Tim Dunne provided valuable assistance to Deane both off and on stage, while the cast, composed of a preponderance of townsfolk, proved more than satisfactory. The reviewer for the Lethbridge News was mightily impressed:

For amateurs, it was an exceedingly ambitious undertaking to place a drama of the nature of 'The Wonderful Woman' before a critical audience-and such, strange to say, is frequently found in the west-yet, when it became known that it was under the direction of a gentleman who bears more than a local reputation, none doubted its success.

The plot of the above piece is laid in the time of Louis XIV. The costumes are, therefore, picturesque; the manner stiff; the dialogue stilted, and the humor frequently ponderous, yet it was amusing to note how quickly, from the 'dress circle' to 'gods,' every stroke of wit was appreciated.

The scenery, painted by local artists, was pretty and effective, the tapestried chamber in Madam Bertrand's house being particularly well executed.

The part of the Marquis of Frontignac was taken by Capt Deane, and, it is needless to say, was admirably done. Enconiums have long since been exhausted in describing that gentleman's excellencies as an actor, and we were glad to see that his efforts of producing the first dress play in the Territories met with the encouragement it so richly deserved. ⁴⁸

To receive such a response must have been most satisfying, but what really interested Deane about this production was the process of providing costumes for the characters:

I procured the necessary wigs in Chicago, and, for the rest, I.G. Baker & Co., of St. Louis, had had in the town since its inception a general store which was able to supply us with velveteens and such other finery as was needed to make our costumes. The making of the costumes was easy-there was resident in Lethbridge at the time an old lady named Mrs. Kean, wife of a Church warden, one of the old unconquerable breed of Canadian pioneers to whom difficulties were but flies to be I swatted,' and she, with a pattern in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, was not to be beaten by anything that required to be cut out. We procured, and where we could not procure, we invented patterns, and there was no lack of willing workers to complete the job. The costumes were as well turned out as any I had ever hired. ⁴⁹

Deane was well-satisfied with the entire effort, not only with the dress play but also with the performance of Betsey Baker which concluded the evening's entertainment: 'to me the most agreeable feature was the fraternal spirit that animated the whole Company. We all pulled together like a happy family.⁵⁰

Deane was quite willing, therefore, to take the show the thirty-two miles to Fort Macleod for a third performance, all of which were in aid of the Presbyterian Church.⁵¹ Three four-horse teams hauling wagons carried the Company: one for the ladies, one for the men, and the last for the scenery and properties:

At the Kipp Crossing of the Old Man's River the ice gave a disgruntled crack as the leading waggon [sic] reached the further shore, and no one was surprised when its immediate successor broke through into the water which we knew was not deep. Police horses, however, were well accustomed to such little interludes as that, and the property waggon lost no time in rejoining its companions on the opposite bank.⁵²

The citizens of Fort Macleod repaid the troupe with a full house-for Deane's reputation for fine theatricals was well-known-an appreciative audience, a most enthusiastic report in the town newspaper, and a splendid banquet following the performance.⁵³

Deane's 'Reminiscences' provide little detail after this point. They merely indicate that various plays and concerts continued, frequently in support of worthy causes in Lethbridge and on occasion involving Deane's two daughters.⁵⁴ By late 1891 the Alberta Railway and Coal Company had erected a substantial building containing a large auditorium which provided an alternative to the barracks' mess room for the staging of plays and concerts. Deane aided its construction by offering a benefit performance of Ici on parle français in September 1891, and then inaugurated the facility in December 1891, with the dual presentation of John Oxenford's Porter's Knot and James Kenney's operatic farce Illustrious Stranger.⁵⁵ In 1892 he became a member of the executive committee of a newly created musical and dramatic club in the city.⁵⁶ Two months later, in the Company Hall, he produced Henry James Byron's Not Such a Fool as He Looks, and himself played the role of the honourable, if confused and innocent, Sir Simon Simple. While the Lethbridge News praised the quality of the production, its report indicated slender attendance for the two evenings of presentation.⁵⁷ However, the turnout for a December 1894 musical and dramatic entertainment was much better, in spite of a terrible wind, and $80 was raised for St Augustine's Anglican Church. For the occasion Deane produced and took a major role in Charles James Mathews' comedy Who killed Cock Robin?⁵⁸ Deane was significantly less active in theatre after that point. He had filled an important gap in local theatre but had no vested interest in remaining dominant in the field when others were able to take over. Thus as the 1890s wore on, his theatricals were superceded by other local amateur groups and by touring professional companies, although variety nights in aid of worthy causes continued at the barracks with Deane's full approval.

During the 90s Deane was given the chance to present a play written by a Lethbridge citizen and with a local setting. As the plays Deane produced were invariably British imports having little local flavour-except for occasional inserts such as the reference to the liquor law added to the 1886 Regina production of Dearest Mama⁵⁹ -this might have seemed a golden opportunity. But to Deane it was merely an amusing anecdote for, as he explained, there were problems with the proposal made by the author:

He had christened it 'The Mirage' . . . and said it had to do with a murder which had been committed on the prairie and which had been discovered by means of a mirage, that is to say by its reflection in the sky! Describing the surroundings and details at considerable length he said that the murder would turn out to have been committed by the local superintendent of police, and he wanted me to play the villain.⁶⁰

The prospect of portraying himself in such light no doubt was anathema to Deane, but what he told the author was that the staging of a mirage would be terribly difficult and he'd need time to think it over. The writer, an official with the Coal Company, was sufficiently discouraged that he never troubled Deane again. It would not have done for an actual Mounted Police officer to play the role of a murdering Mountie, but it would have been uncharacteristic for Deane to have played a genuine villain in any case.

According to Deane's 'Reminiscences,' his own participation in theatre entirely ceased after 1897 when he was given charge of the large force of Mounted Policemen stationed at Fort Macleod, in addition to continued superintendency of the Lethbridge Division. The burden of these extensive duties, which required him to spend part of each week in each location, made it difficult for Deane to mount theatrical productions. But in his 'Reminiscences' he had forgotten his theatrical swan song in Lethbridge. In April 1901 he participated in yet another evening of amateur entertainment on behalf of St Augustine's. For this, his final production of Dearest Mama, Deane enlisted the talents of his daughter and 'some of the most prominent amateurs of Lethbridge.' The News found the presentation worthy of the highest praise and Deane's performance as most commendable.⁶¹ But that seems to have been the end of Deane's theatrical activities. He was transferred to the Maple Creek Division in 1902 and subsequently to the Calgary Division in 1906, but Deane did not resume his involvement in theatre. In later years, however, he recalled his lengthy involvement in magical and theatrical entertainment with fondness and as worthy of being recorded. The modern-day historian of pioneer theatre in Saskatchewan and Alberta can only be grateful that he left behind those recollections in his 'Reminiscences.'

Let us now return to the four questions itemized at the beginning of this paper. In the first place it is clear that the role of the military in promoting dramatic productions after Confederation was continued in the pioneer west by the North West Mounted Police, a body modelled very much on military principles and practices. Deane may have been the most prominent example of the extension of the tradition but certainly he was not the only one. Indeed, one can hardly examine the record of the force in any locale of the North-West Territories without encountering some involvement in theatrical activities.

No doubt the motivations of military personnel were complex, including boredom and a desire to improve and cement community-police relations. Deane's involvement certainly was successful in regard to the latter objective. When an 1891 production in Lethbridge was delayed because of Deane's illness, the local newspaper voiced its concern for the welfare of 'that popular gentleman,' ⁶² and although his good standing was due to more than his theatrical activities, they helped. So attached to Deane was the Lethbridge community that when his transfer was ordered in 1891, an aggressive and successful campaign was undertaken by its leading citizens to retain him.⁶³ But it would be erroneous to think that Deane's motivation was different from that of other actors and producers. One simply cannot comprehend the amount of time, expertise, and energy he devoted to the stage over so many years without crediting him both with a sense of responsibility to do his part to provide for the enlightenment and entertainment of his social peers and with a sheer love for and devotion to the theatre.

The matter of the quality of Deane's productions may be divided into two parts: the plays themselves and their performance. We know that Deane produced fourteen different plays in Canada. Thirteen of them had initially been performed in London between 1849 and 1877 at such theatres as the Lyceum, the Adelphi, the Olympic, Theatre Royal (Haymarket), the Princess, and the Prince of Wales.⁶⁴ Few of the plays have left much of an imprint on the annals of the history of English theatre and, aside from W S Gilbert, the authors of the plays are not well-known today. But a cursory examination of the literature on English theatre in the third quarter of the nineteenth century suggests that Deane frequently used the better work of some quite popular and prolific writers of the time.⁶⁵ For, not only Gilbert, but Dance (Wonderful Woman), Morton (Betsey Baker), Byron (Not Such a Fool as He Looks), and Burnand (Turkish Bath) were all notable figures in English theatrical circles at the time. Deane's selections were also representative of English theatre of the period both in their emphasis on comedy and farce, and in their concentration on gender relations and on the characteristics, manners and foibles of leading social classes. In short, Deane's selections, though limited in both number and type, were not dissimilar to the fare that one might have expected for respectable audiences in the substantial county towns of England and what did appear in the major centres in Canada.⁶⁶

If the plays themselves were not enormously different in quality to those appearing in older and more populous centres, an evaluation of Deane's productions is more difficult. The critiques appearing in local newspapers were overwhelmingly complimentary but this might have been a form of local boosterism expressing local pride more than critical judgement. While one must accept that these newspapers did not wish to discourage the participants by harsh criticism, it is also clear that they believed that the ability to evaluate productions was a mark of sophistication and culture. Therefore, they were not beyond pointing out deficiencies. For example, of one performer in Porter's Knot, the Lethbridge News stated that 'his emotions had not that freedom and grace which characterizes a good actor.'⁶⁷ The constant references in the press to the excellence of Deane's productions ought, therefore, to be given a good deal of credence, especially since the performances by other groups did not usually receive the same praise.⁶⁸ Then too, Deane's own evaluation did not denigrate his Canadian productions in comparison with those he had undertaken in England. His casts, though amateur, usually contained a number of able and experienced actors. Indeed, the sophistication and breadth of both performers and audiences in the Territories were considerable. This may have been a frontier, but it included persons such as the previously-mentioned Nicholas Flood Davin, who had arrived in Regina via Cork, London, Paris, Belfast and Toronto; Francis Dickens, Mounted Policeman and son of novelist Charles Dickens; Charles Mair, the Shakespeare quoting immigration agent and author of the 1886 Canadian drama Tecumseh; and Rev A M Gordon, better known as Ralph Connor, who learned of the lumber shanties he wrote about in his novels on Glengarry from the 'fighting parson' of Lethbridge, Rev Charles McKillop.⁶⁹ The point is not that any of these persons necessarily saw any of Deane's productions-although it is a good bet that at least Davin, Mair, and McKillop did-rather, it is that the west was littered with people of extraordinary breadth, knowledge and talent. The Regina and Lethbridge audiences attending Deane's productions included individuals of wide-ranging experience who would not easily accept effusive newspaper reviews that were blatantly uncritical. The composition of the audience was seldom reported in newspaper accounts, but it is certain that the elite attended Deane's productions. Clearly, the promoters of the entertainments and the cast members included leaders--or their spouses or children--of the political, judicial, religious, and business sectors. This is best illustrated by the 31 January 1888 issue of the Regina Leader which reported that 'His Honor Lieut Gov and Mrs Dewdney with His Lordship Bishop Pinkham and Mr Justice and Mrs Wetmore were present' at Deane's production of Engaged. It would seem, therefore, that what the newspapers wrote about the high quality of Deane's work must not be regarded as lacking in substance. On the other hand, of course, the question of what constituted a 'good' show might be raised, for the special need of people in pioneer communities to establish the basics of 'civilization' may well have influenced their evaluation of the quality of the productions. Yet their views differ little from the evaluation of Deane's productions by audiences and critics in Rochester/Chatham on the doorstep to London back in England. In all likelihood, and even if one applies quite demanding criteria, Deane's work was of a high standard.

Of what significance was the military's role in establishing theatre in the North-West Territories, as seen in the case of R B Deane? Firstly, one must note that the paramilitary Mounties were instrumental in early theatrical productions and other types of dramatic and musical entertainments in practically every community in, which they were established. The Mounties not only provided the performers and production crew but also the facilities and an important portion of the audience. It is true that the force benefitted by using such congenial means to establish positive relations with local citizens, especially the elite, but the communities were greatly enriched as well. Deane's productions, for example, provided an outlet for local amateur performers, supported charities, and provided a connection with the culture of such a dominant centre of the English-speaking world as London, where most of the plays Deane presented were originally performed. Regina and Lethbridge might have had their cow dung and vacant vistas but they also had William Schwenck Gilbert and John Maddison Morton. Moreover, Deane's activities formed a base for the evolution of amateur groups and even the touring professional companies that appeared in places like Lethbridge during the 1890s.⁷⁰

Finally, an examination of the importance of Deane's productions must pay brief attention to the social function of theatrical offerings within a community. In part, as has been indicated, Deane's plays kept those who formed the new elite groups in frontier Prairie towns in touch with the culture of the English metropolis. A superficial examination might suggest that this was an alien import because the activities of the leading social classes in England, which formed the core of the plays Deane produced, might seem to be of little relevance to life in newly-established pioneer communities. Yet there were social issues raised in the plays which were of concern even in these Prairie centres. Two examples must suffice. The first is the very matter of social class. In Victorian England, of course, social classes were in flux as the landed aristocracy was having to make room for the plutocracy and both groups were being pushed by an increasingly large number of 'respectable' middle class citizens.⁷¹ In pioneer western towns there was also a jostling for social dominance, but here society was particularly imbued with democratic and utilitarian values. Worth to the community, not accident of birth, was the basis of social leadership in the west. Audiences were no doubt amused by the pretentions and foibles of the gentry in Engaged in which Cheviot Hill, the character played by Deane, goes about proposing marriage to every woman he meets but also proves himself to be a thorough-going miser. All the other characters in the play also demonstate that whatever class they emanate from, their prime motivation is greed and their sense of honour entirely dubious. The question of class was also examined in Not Such a Fool as He Looks. Here, Sir Simon Simple, played by Deane, is 'a sympathetically conceived aristocratic fool whose heart is as pure as gold . . .'⁷² As the play progresses Simple discovers that his lineage is not aristocratic but, as he first thinks, lower class, only to find out that his blood parents are actually of the middle class, though not married to one another. Thus, whatever dignity Simple possesses, and whatever course his life takes, are due not to his status of birth but to his own innate character and are under his own direction. These plays, and others like them, therefore presented Prairie elites with images of personalities and actions that should be avoided if they were to be the true, useful leaders of their community.

A second social issue of particular relevance on the Prairies was the matter of gender relations.⁷³ The Canadian West, like other pioneer societies, was one which was dominated by males, or so it seemed. The prime economic activities of ranching, mining, construction, and farming attracted single males to the area and resulted in an enormous imbalance in male-female ratios. In 1901, for example, there were 2 single males in Lethbridge for every single female. ⁷⁴ In a territory where there were limited opportunities for men to meet eligible women it was a dilemma for males to know how to relate to females. But this was not so different from middle and upper class males in England who, like Deane, attended segregated schools ⁷⁵ and then joined the military. Dances at the barracks were one answer, but plays which explored male-female relations were another. In Act I of Sweethearts, Spreadbrow, played by Deane, is desperately in love with a woman who appears to be coolly aloof to him. In the second act they meet again thirty years later, but Spreadbrow has virtually forgotten his former attraction, while the woman, far from being indifferent, has carried the torch for him for three decades. By showing the absurdity of the relationship at both points in time, the play thus carried the message that both men and women should avoid the nonsense of romantic sentimentalism and the playing of games in male-female relationships. Moreover, Illustrious Stranger and Not Such a Fool as He Looks demonstrated the determination and dignity of women who had the right and the ability to determine for themselves how they would lead their lives and to whom they would give their hearts. Indeed, in Deane's productions it was the males who tended to be the fools while the females were more frequently depicted as being controlled, intelligent and rational. While the characterization of women in these plays was hardly an advanced position, at least it was not the gross misrepresentation that found currency in male enclaves where women were seen as a separate species, beyond comprehension, to be dominated and used, as well as protected, indulged and ultimately elevated. Any modification of this stereotype was all to the good, especially since Prairie women were daily demonstrating their enormous contribution to the development of pioneer communities, in activities quite as essential as those of males.

In the final analysis, therefore, Deane's involvement in theatre was an important component of his overall contribution to the development of white society in the Prairies. This Mounted Police officer cannot be seen simply in terms of bringing murderers, cattle smugglers and sundry miscreants to heel. The breadth of his activities was extensive, including stints filling in for Anglican clergymen, organizing and playing on cricket teams, and experimenting with the growing of vegetables and trees on the barren plains. But theatre was one of his great loves and to it he brought much expertise and skill. Dramatic offerings preceded Deane's arrival and survived his retirement from the stage, but the contributions made by this military man to the development of theatre on the Prairies in the 1880s and 1890s were significant and are entirely worthy of recognition by historians of theatre in Canada. Equally, the case of Deane demonstrates that further detailed examination of the role of the military in the establishment of theatre in Canada promises to be richly rewarding.

NOTES

The author gratefully acknowledges the research assistance provided by the University of Lethbridge, the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada and the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. To my U. of L. colleagues George Mann, Martin Oordt, Ches Skinner and David Spinks I express my appreciation for their helpful comments, interest and support.

1 J E MIDDLETON, 'The Theatre in Canada,' in Vol XII of Canada and Its Provinces, ed by A SHORTT and A G DOUGHTY (Toronto 1914), p 651
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2 Ibid p 652
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3 N REWA, 'Garrison Theatre,' in The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre, ed by E BENSON and L W CONOLLY (Toronto 1989) p 222
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4 E BENSON and L W CONOLLY, English-Canadian Theatre (Toronto 1987) p 4
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5 lbid p 8
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6 D GARDNER, 'Little Theatre and Amateur Theatre,' in Oxford Companion, p 302. Additional information about the contributions of the military to theatre in Canada may be found in Section I of RICHARD PLANT's entry on 'Drama in English' in Oxford Companion, pp 148-153
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7 At this time the usual practice in Britain was for gentlemen to purchase commissions as officers. One could be accepted in some branches of the service on the basis of competence and influence, but joining as a non-purchase officer was usually an indication of scarcity of funds
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8 R B DEANE, Mounted Police Life in Canada: A Record of Thirty-one Years' Service (London 1916: reprint by Coles Publishing Company 1973) p 37
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9 Ibid p 44
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10 lbid p 69
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11 A file of Deane's letters to his publishing agent, The Authors' Syndicate Ltd., is housed in the National Archives of Canada under reference file MG28, 1, vol 259. These letters do not specify the exact material that was cut out, but the title of the material in the Glenbow Archives under reference file M311 is an important clue because Deane's correspondence with the agent reveal that the ultimate title for the book was not the one he preferred and had been working with for four years. It would also make sense that the British publisher, Cassell and Company, would have considered material about Deane's card tricks, theatrical involvement, and cricket days, of little interest either to a British or Canadian audience. On the other hand, there is a reference in the 'Remiscences' on page 53 that seems to indicate that they were written after 1916, the publication date of Deane's book
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12 The 'Reminiscences' provide the bulk of the information in what follows. To provide specific page references for all details would be pedantic and, therefore, only quotations from the 'Reminiscences' or information deriving from other sources will be footnoted
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13 'Reminiscences' p 1
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14 Ibid p 4
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15 Ibid p 5
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16 Ibid p 12
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17 As Deane explained it, the name derived from combining three items: Shakespeare's statement 'All the world's a stage'; the equation of the world with the globe; and the fact that the crest of the Royal Marines is the globe. Deane's predecessor as manager was a Captain Sweny who, according to Deane, was a skilled amateur actor with lengthy experience in managing the barracks' theatre; so long, in fact, that he could not avoid foreign service and he therefore turned over the reins of The Globe to Deane
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18 Ibid p 23
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19 The newspaper critique was quoted by Deane in ibid pp 27-28. Although it has not been possible to check the original newspapers in England, one may place confidence in the accuracy of Deane's quotations since the 'Reminiscences' are entirely correct in quoting Canadian papers
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20 lbid p 28
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21 The 'Reminiscences' give an example of a particularly tenacious sceptic, an Admiral Warren, of one of Deane's card tricks on pages 18 to 22. Deane's account suggests that he handled Warren's scrutiny with aplomb
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22 GARDNER, 'Little Theatre . . .' p 301. The other tradition enumerated by Gardner is theatre for pedagogic purposes
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23 The 'Reminiscences' say nothing about performing magic tricks in Canada but he had done so on the voyage over and had given the ship's captain a lesson on a 'money and hat' trick (Glenbow Alberta Archives, M 313, R Burton Deane's Diary). It is likely that he continued to practice legerdemain until he broke his wrist in Toronto in 1883 and although the wrist healed well, the splint that was applied curled his fingers over a rod. In the process of time his fingers gradually stiffened and curled one after the other so that by the end of the century he could not even play cricket let alone do card tricks
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24 The North-West Territories consisted of all of western Canada except for the then tiny province of Manitoba and of British Columbia. For the history of Regina consult I W BRENNAN (ed), Regina before yesterday: a visual history 1882 to 1945 (Regina 1978); J W BRENNAN, Regina: An Illustrated History (Toronto 1989); E J DRAKE, Regina: The Queen City (Toronto 1955); and W A RIDDELL, Regina from Pile 0' Bones to Queen City of the Plains (Burlington 1981). On the history of theatre in Regina the section in E R STUART's The History of Prairie Theatre (Toronto 1984); P B O'NEILL's 'Regina's Golden Age of Theatre: Her Playhouses and Players,' Saskatchewan History, XXVIII, 1 (Winter 1975), pp 29-37; and Section I of O'NEILL's entry on 'Theatre in Saskatchewan' in the Oxford Companion, p 487. All are useful but none provides much information on the very earliest productions of the 1880s
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25 DEANE, Mounted Police Life, p 3
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26 'Reminiscences' p 33
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27 Ibid. Both the term 'nigger' and the concept of a minstrel show were common in the 1880s and even three decades later when Deane wrote his 'Reminiscences.' Such stereotypes were evident at the turn of the century in the series of cartoons published by the Montreal Star under the title 'Songs of the By-town Coons.' It depicted prominent federal politicians (at one time Ottawa had been called Bytown) in blackface, playing and singing songs which were printed alongside the caricature. Needless to say, the songs used idiomatic language supposedly typical of Afro-Americans. In a sense, the 1884 Regina presentation of the minstrel show coupled with the play represented, in turn, the influence of the United States and Britain on Canadian culture
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28 'Reminiscences' p 34
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29 Ibid pp 36-37
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30 Regina Leader, 24 Jan 1884
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31 Davin's play The Fair Grit (1876) was a satirical farce about Canadian politics according to Benson and Conolly, English-Canadian Theatre, p 18. On Davin see C B KOESTER, Mr Davin, M.P.: A Biography of Nicholas Flood Davin (Saskatoon, 1980), especially pp 175-192. In addition, KEN MITCHELL has written a play about this talented and complex character entitled Davin: The Politician (1979). See also R PLANT, 'Davin, Nicholas Flood,' in Oxford Companion, p 132
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32 Regina Leader, 24Jan 1884
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33 It would be very difficult to establish the date of the first theatrical production in the North-West Territories even if one restricted it to presentations by the white community. STUART's History of Prairie Theatre and JOHN ORRELL's Fallen Empires: The Lost Theatres of Edmonton (Edmonton 1981) >both cite performances in the 1880s, while a Mounted Policeman stationed at Fort Macleod reported a December, 1877 presentation by the ( Drama Club H A DEMPSEY, ed, William Parker: Mounted Policeman (Calgary 1973) p 132). However, it would not be surprising to discover that an even earlier dramatic presentation had taken place at a location such as Fort Walsh, the main Mounted Police quarters in the 1870s
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34 'Reminiscences' pp 41-42
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35 The account in the Regina Leader, 16Nov 1886, reported that Dewdney had suggested that the performance be repeated in aid of the Territorial Hospital and that Deane had agreed. Whether this took place is not known
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36 The production was reviewed in Regina Leader, 1 March 1887.The report stated that Deane's performance as Peter Probity in Chimney Corner repeatedly brought down the house, while in his repeat role of Victor Dubois in the second play Deane gave 'a capital picture of the typical stage Frenchman with his broken English and monkey like gestures'
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37 The Regina Leader, 31 Jan 1888, had much praise for the performance. Deane himself played the leading role of Cheviot Hill in Engaged. One unique feature of the cast was that Mrs. Deane played a small role, evidently the only occasion that she appeared in one of Deane's productions
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38 Aside from Deane's allusion to Dunne's expertise, STUART's Prairie Theatre, p 47, refers to a T H Dunne (surely the same man) as an 'active Dramatic Club member' in Calgary in 1884
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39 See review in Regina Leader, 28 Feb 1888.Once again Deane took the male lead in the Gilbert play, the part of Harry Spreadbrow. The Leader was generally positive about the production but did note that 'a word of praise must be awarded to the prompter, whose office on this occasion could not be called a sinecure'
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40 On the history of Lethbridge see A JOHNSTON and A DEN OTTER, Lethbridge: A Centennial History (Lethbridge 1985); and A DEN OTTER, Civilizing the West: The Galts and the development of western Canada (Edmonton 1982)
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41 Deane's 'Reminiscences' appear to be incorrect in several specifics concerning this matter. It is true that Deane produced Cut Off With a Shilling in August, 1888, as a benefit for St Augustine's, but the performance for the pew fund took place in December 1889, in response to a request Conybeare had made seven months earlier (Lethbridge News, I May, 6 Nov and 4 Dec 1889). It seems likely, therefore, that the modifications to the mess room described below probably took place in the summer of 1889 rather than in 1888
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42 'Reminiscences' p 46. This was not the first entertainment at the bar-racks and assisted by the Mounties, in aid of St. Augustine's church. In April 1887, the band from the Fort Macleod Division and one Sergeant Monjean, a capable violinist, had lent their support (Lethbridge News, 27 Apr 1887). Other denominations, most particularly the Presbyterians, also used barracks' facilities for fund-raising concerts (ibid, 22 Dec 1887). Indeed the barracks had even been the site of earlier dramatic performances. The 1887 Christmas entertainment of the Presbyterians had included a scene from School for Scandal (ibid), while the one in support of St Augustine's ended off with the farce Martyr to Science, which 'provoked hilarious mirth' amongst the audience (ibid, 14 and 22 Dec 1887). In January 1888, it was announced that a dramatic club had been formed at the barracks and that it was expected to put on a production before long (ibid, 26 Jan 1888), but no record of a performance by this group, prior to Deane's arrival, has been uncovered. There was, however, an entertainment in April 1888, which included three scenes from Bluebeard and two from Bohemian Girl (ibid, 19 Apr 1888). Frequently, dances lasting into the early hours followed the performances. In any case, it is quite evident that Lethbridge had not waited for Deane before beginning its theatrical endeavours
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43 'Reminiscences' p 46
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44 Ibid p 47
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45 Lethbridge News, 22 Aug 1888. 'Critiques' is an obsolete form of 'critics.' The News also was complimentary about the decorations and fittings of the stage
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46 Ibid 4 Dec 1889
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47 Ibid 21 Nov 1888
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48 Ibid 19 March 1890. This account went on to provide complimentary evaluations of the performances of the rest of the cast members. It is difficult to know the validity of its being the first dress play in the Territories, for the claim would seem to depend on the elaborateness of the costumes. In any case Deane repeated the assertion in the 'Reminiscences'
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49 'Reminiscences' pp 48-49
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50 Ibid p 49. The Lethbridge News, 19 March 1890, considered that the concluding farce 'suffered very much from following so closely its ambitious predecessor,' though it maintained that the performers themselves did a good job
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51 On this occasion, however, Betsey Baker was replaced by Cut off with a Shilling as the accompaniment to the main feature. It was anticipated that in spite of healthy audiences the heavy costs of the production would not leave a lot for the Presbyterian fund (Lethbridge News, 19 March 1890)
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52 'Reminiscences' p 50. Deane reported that one of the cast members, the lawyer C C McCaul, K C, made some sketches of this episode that were later published in the London Sporting and Dramatic News
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53 Macleod Gazette, 27 March 1890. The reporter made the following assessment of Deane's acting: 'There was not much scope for his well known talent for acting, and his faithful rendering of the character was, therefore, all the more creditable'
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54 In January 1889, both daughters participated in a Sunday School concert. One played the piano while the other acted in a little play and sang a part in Gilbert and Sullivan's Three Little Maids fom School from The Mikado (Lethbridge News, 16 Jan 1889). The pianist also participated in the December 1889 entertainment on the same occasion that Dearest Mama was performed (Lethbridge News, 4 Dec 1889). One of Deane's daughters played a small role in Wonderful Woman in 1890 (see Macleod Gazette, 27 March 1890). Both Misses Deane also performed in an 1891 concert at the barracks in aid of the Protestant Cemetary Fencing Fund (see Lethbridge News, 16 Jan 1891)
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55 Lethbridge News, 16 Sept and 30 Dec 1891
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56 Ibid 2 March 1892
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57 Ibid 11May 1892
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58 Ibid 5 Dec 1894
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59 The Lethbridge News, 19 March 1890, indicated that there were some 'local hits' in the production of Betsey Baker. In its evaluation of the 1892 production of Illustrious Stranger, the News found the local jokes an interruption and 'tiresome' (see ibid, 30 Dec 1891)
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60 'Reminiscences' pp 52-53
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61 News, 11 Apr 1901. The evening raised the rather disappointing sum of about $55
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62 Ibid 23 Dec 1891
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63 Deane, Mounted Police Life, p 61
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64 Information on each one of these plays is contained in ALLARDYCE NICOLL's monumental A History of English Drama 1660-1900 in six volumes (Cambridge, 1923-1959). Unless used as part of a quotation, titles of plays produced by Deane are given in this paper as Nicoll has them, including capitalization. The fourteenth play was Illustrious Stranger which was first produced in 1827
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65 Of the numerous sources available the most helpful to the author in providing background to nineteenth century English theatre and of comedies/farces, one of the period's dominant genres, have been, aside from Nicoll, the following:E J BURTON, The Student's Guide to British Theatre and Drama (London 1963); M BOOTH, Prefaces to English Nineteenth-Century Theatre (Manchester n.d.); J 0 BAILEY, British Plays of the Nineteenth Century (New York 1966);E REYNOLDS, Early Victorian Drama (1830-1870) (New York 1965; reprint of 1936 publication); A H THORNDIKE, English Comedy (New York 1965; reprint of 1929 publication); A BERMEL, Farce: A History From Aristophanes to Woody Allen (New York 1982); J M DAVIS, Farce (Bristol 1978);N W SAWYER, The Comedy of Manners from Sheridan to Maugham (New York 1961; reprint of 1931 publication); and G ROWELL, The Victorian Theatre 1792-1914: A Survey (London 1978; 2nd edition)
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66 For example, Ici on parle français appears three times in M M BROWN and N REWA, 'Ottawa Calendar of Performance in the 1870s,' Theatre History in Canada, 4:2 (Fall 1983) 134-191; Chimney Corner receives five entries in the index of M E SMITH, Too Soon the Curtain Fell: A History of Theatre in Saint John 1789-1900 (Fredericton 1981); Betsey Baker was one of the plays the son-in-law of Queen Victoria and Canadian Governor General, Lord Lome, attended in Ottawa in 1882 (see J NOONAN, 'Lord Lome Goes to the Theatre, 1878-1883,' Theatre History in Canada, 11: 1(Spring 1990) 36); and Deane's 'Reminiscences' show that in 1887 there was a production of Engaged in Toronto
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67 Lethbridge News, 30 Dec 1891
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68 A performance by one group in 1900 received the following comment in the Lethbridge News, 23 Aug 1900: 'Those who were not present did not miss much of a treat'
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69 On Dickens see the semi-fictional work by ERIC NICOL, Dickens of the Mounted (Toronto 1989). Concerning Mair see N SHRIVE, Charles Mair: Literary Nationalist (Toronto 1965). The information about Gordon's indebtedness to MeKillop appears in J D HIGGINBOTHAM, When The West Was Young (Toronto 1933), 156-158. McKillop was one of the best boxers and wrestlers in the community and was not reticent to demonstrate his prowess
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70 It is hardly coincidental that Deane's productions petered out in the 90s at the same time as a number of touring companies placed Lethbridge on their itinerary. On occasion these groups used the theatre at the barracks (see Lethbridge News, 6 Jan 1891)
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71 Of the numerous works on the social history of Victorian England, three are particularly rich in analyzing the internal concerns and dynamics of the society: W E HOUGHTON, The Victorian Frame of Mind 1830-1870 (New Haven 1957); H PERKIN, The Origins of Modem English Society 1780-1880 (London 1969); and F M L THOMPSON, The Rise of Respectable Society: A Social History of Victorian Britain (London 1988)
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72 NICOLL, English Drama, V, 112
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73 There is an enormous literature on the topic. Readers might begin with PETER GAY's The Bourgeois Experience: Victoria to Freud (2 vols: New York 1984) including the bibliographical essays at the end of each volume. Note also the following: E HELSINGER and R SHEETS (eds), The Woman Question: Society and Literature in Britain and America, 1837-1883 (3 vols: London 1983);M VICINUS (ed), Suffer and Be Still: Women in the Victorian Age (London 1972); M VICINUS (ed), A Widening Sphere: Changing Roles of Victorian Women (London 1977); B HARRISON, Separate Spheres: The Opposition to Women's Suffrage in Britain (London 1978); R COOK and W MITCHINSON (eds), The Proper Sphere: Women's Place in Canadian Society (Toronto 1976);B LIGHT and J PARR (eds), Canadian Women on the Move, 1867-1920 (Toronto 1983); E L SILVERMAN, The Last Best West: Women on the Alberta Frontier 1880-1930 (Montreal 1984); P N STEARNS, Be A Man! Males in Modem Society (New York 1979); and J A MANGAN and J WALVIN (eds),Manliness and Morality: Middleclass Masculinity in Britain and America, 1800-1940 (New York 1987)
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74 Canada: Census of 1901, I, 132-133. Prostitution flourished under such circumstances (see J H GRAY, Red Lights on the Prairies (Toronto 1971)). In his capacity as Mounted Police officer, Deane preferred to control rather than attempt to eradicate red-light districts
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75 The classic depiction of the boys school for the privileged, Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, was published in 1859 when Deane himself was a schoolboy. There is, of course, an interesting contrast between the virtues taught in Hughes' work-of being religious, defending the weak, working hard, being forthright and honest, and of nobility depending on actions rather than birth or wealth-and the characteristics of the males in the plays Deane produced. See also J CHANDOS, Boys Together: English Public Schools 1800-1864 (New Haven 1984)
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