A Production of the Chemainus Festival Theatre

Waiting for the Parade is described in the program as:

A Dramatic Comedy
Poignant, funny and enduring – This inspiring story brings to life five distinctive women whose lives are affected by WWII. This bittersweet tale shows the grit and determination needed to keep the home fires burning till at last – “we made it!” they cry.

This play certainly does have its funny moments but I think theatre goers will be struck more by the poignancy than by the humour. It is a moving tale of five women in Calgary over seven years spanning from before World War II to the day when their men folk return home. For me, this was a story told from “the other side” and it made an excellent counterpoint to the stories told in my book “We Don’t Talk About That”.

For me, as a German emigrant to this country, I was particularly drawn to the story of a young woman of German origin who had been brought to this country when she was just nine, whose mother had already died and whose father was imprisoned as a suspected enemy alien. She was ostracized because of her family and background as, of course, were so many of our Japanese immigrants. People are so quick to paint everyone with the same brush just because of the place of their birth.