Page 7 - Giv'er Miramichi Magazine - Spring Giver 2023

Reviving a Comedy Gem:

Mullin's Boom Takes the Stage with

Character Matters Miramichi

“Mullin’s Boom,” a folksong first performed in 1823 by has sent Ron Alden, Jerry
the inmates of the Newcastle jail, and thought to be so Garfield and Teddy
politically subversive that it was banned by law not long Gordon, recently arrived
afterwards, will be brought to life again, for its bicentennial from Maine, to cut for him
year, by a new performing troupe, Character Matters on the very same ground.
Miramichi. Performances are scheduled at Folklore Park in Confusion and excitement
Renous, the weekend of April 29; at the Woodmen’s Museum abound, as these two
in Boiestown, May 6; and in Miramichi, May 12-13. bands of woodsmen face
The song itself detailed an altercation between local off in a bout that was best
lumbermen, and a group of loggers from Maine, along the captured in verse.
Southwest Miramichi, sometimes referred to as the “Battle The play is the first
of Musha-Whack.” The local workers accused their American feature from Character
counterparts of intruding and cutting on their territory. As Matters Miramichi, a local
might be expected then, the script takes a humorous tone, as heritage theatre business
a set of locals – Frank Gleason, John Burroughs, and Michael founded by Thomas
Darby – escape the Newcastle jail on Halloween Night and Daley and Shawn
flee to the Southwest, where they find work with the logging McCarthy. Thomas
crews of Robert Doak. Trying to earn their way with saw and studied Acting at Vancouver Film School and has worked to
axe, little do they realize that the industrious Thomas Boies combine entertainment, tourism and heritage to create
enriching experiences in both Vancouver and in Miramichi.
He currently lives in Semiwagan Ridge with his wife Klara.
For his part, Shawn is a Western University doctoral graduate
in history, perhaps best known for his time at the Boishébert
and Beaubears Island Shipbuilding National Historic Sites of
Canada, where he specialized in experiential heritage
offerings, utilizing on-site, character-based, re-enactment.
The two are long-time friends, and have worked together
on a number of projects, including the revival of the Dare
the Dark: Headless Nun Experience, scheduled to return
in July 2023, under the Character Matters Miramichi banner.
For more information on this new enterprise, and on the
upcoming production, contact 506-210-1830 or
charactermattersmiramichi@gmail.com.

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