Fredericton Playhouse honours Peter Pacey with The Playhouse Honours
Fredericton theatre mainstay Peter Pacey has received the Playhouse Honours from the Fredericton Playhouse.
The veteran actor, producer and director is perhaps best known for founding Fredericton's Calithumpians Theatre Company, an entertainment and educational group that has put on free, live theatre and historic walking tours for 35 years.
"He's so dedicated to this company and he believes so much about the work that we do and in young people doing the work," said Jack Ball, 20, a member the Calithumpians for the past four summers.
Ball isn't the only young person inspired by Pacey's mentorship.
"From my perspective he's been the most important arts figure in Fredericton," said 18-year-old Max Kerr.
"The actual amount he cares about this city, and the amount he knows, he instills this love of Fredericton into you that you wouldn't normally have."
The son of a Canadian literature teacher, and a former teacher himself, Pacey says he comes by his interest in New Brunswick honestly.
"It was an accident of birth, you could say," he said.
Bull of the Woods
Pacey has also performed professionally at the National Arts Centre, Theatre New Brunswick and Neptune Theatre. And he's known around Fredericton for his performances as Lord Beaverbrook or his tales of the old logging ways and lessons in moose-calling as the character, Bull of the Woods.
Other awards and honours on his shelf include the highest award to be presented by Rotary International - the Paul Harris Award, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award.
But when asked about his greatest accomplishment, Pacey comes back to the Calithumpians.
"I just love the work we do and I love the young people, they keep me young," he said. "I really believe in what we do."
"It's all about pride of place and getting people to realize that here in New Brunswick we're second to none and that in Canada, we have the most wonderful country in the world and it's something to cheer about."
That message is translating.
"He's doing a really good job of getting our age interested in acting and all the things we're talking about in our plays," said 19-year-old Calithumpian Madeline Messenger before going to perform for the dozens of school-aged kids sitting in the grass at Officers' Square on Thursday.
"And also all these other young kids who are really little and I think he's making a really good impact on them by his efforts in the city."
Pacey will receive his award in a private Playhouse ceremony later this summer.
Previous recipients of The Playhouse Honours include Ilkay Silk, Brent Staeben, Philip Sexsmith, Walter Learning, Mabel Doak, Bonnie Kilburn, Michael Doherty and Aida and Hrvoje Tisler.
