She was once a clumsy little girl who

always got into trouble...

was an outsider...

was the youngest of five daughters who survived to adulthood...

loved animals and later bred dogs, kept a white rat and a monkey called Woo...

studied art in the States, England and France...

gave up painting for fifteen years...

but when Lawren Harris, of the famous Canadian Group of Seven, became her mentor and inspiration, Emily Carr stopped painting totem poles and started painting what they were carved from — trees. These paintings brought her fame.

When Emily suffered a heart attack and could no longer go on painting expeditions, she began writing. First, she wrote Klee Wick (meaning The Laughing One - a tribute to her First Nations friends). The Book of Small, Growing Pains, The House of All Sorts, Pause and Hundreds and Thousands followed.

Hundreds and Thousands would be an apt title for this interactive Portrait of Emily Carr, as it's comprised of many small episodes, as well as poems, songs and short excerpts from Emily's books. There are props, artifacts and, of course, copies of some of Emily's paintings.

Emily Carr's story can inspire us all to find our own path and leave a trail for others.

Christine Pilgrim as Emily Carr at Powerhouse Theatre, Vernon, BC - 2015. Photo: Vivian Merchant

Christine Pilgrim as Emily Carr at a school with a student playing her father - 2005

This show is available for the entire school or the classroom. Christine Pilgrim writes all her own material so it can be adapted for any age group, running time, location or circumstance at costs that reflect your choice.