Pegeen and the Pilgrim

Susan Kemp is a high-school teacher in Kingston, Ontario.

Pegeen and the Pilgrim was originally published in 1957, four years
after the launch of the Stratford Theatre Festival, which celebrates its
50th season this year. Back in the 1950s, it was rare to find a book
that was quintessentially Canadian in both its setting and its
characters. Pegeen and the Pilgrim is a quintessentially Canadian story
that celebrates the birth of the Stratford Festival.

Pegeen, a young girl growing up in a sleepy western Ontario town, has
secret hopes and ambitions for a creative life. Her chances of achieving
her dream seem remote. But then an elderly gentleman, superbly equipped
to teach her about Shakespeare, arrives at her mother’s boarding
house. Another friend, an actor, also enters Pegeen’s life. Meanwhile,
she witnesses the birth of one of Canada’s most celebrated cultural
events in her own hometown.

The author masterfully brings the small town of Stratford to vibrant
life. She acquaints us not just with the stars of the first Stratford
season (Tyrone Guthrie, Irene Worth, Alec Guinness) but also with the
people whose names do not appear on the marquee (the carpenters, the
tent erectors, the costume designers, the first visiting theatre-goers).
Tundra is to be congratulated for reissuing this magical book, which
includes an introduction by the celebrated author Jane Urquhart. Highly
recommended.