The Royal Arctic Theatre

Last week I wrote about the Aurora Borealis, a manuscript newspaper produced aboard Captain Erasmus Ommanney's ship, Assistance, during the winter of 1850-51. A monthly effort, it featured prominently the entertainments produced on board the ship by the Royal Arctic Theatre.

Captain Ommanney had determined that on his ship a variety of activities should be conducted during the darkest period of winter to keep the minds and bodies of his crew active. Live theatre was one of the activities he chose. Because the Assistance, and its sister ship, Resolute, under Captain Horatio Austin, were moored close together, the actors were taken from the crews of both ships.

On Jan. 9, 1851, the Royal Arctic Theatre produced three plays. The first was a farce called "The Turned Head." The house was crowded and the audience was pleased by the results. Aurora Borealis even published reviews of the plays, and the anonymous reviewer reported that "The Turned Head" is one of those farces that require more than an ordinary degree of comic talent to render attractive; nevertheless, it was put on the stage with unexceptionable taste, and carefully played."

The second item was a play, "Bombastes Furioso," in which "the dresses were splendid, and did honour to the producers." Of course, all the parts were played by men, there being no women aboard ships of the British Admiralty. Men in drag were an accepted part of the entertainments.

The third and most impressive piece was composed specifically for the Royal Arctic Theatre. It was a pantomime called "Harlequin Light." A set had been painted for this pantomime. It showed "one of the Arctic vessels nipped in a most dangerous position between lofty hummocks of ice" and it had been produced with great difficulty. There was not a lot of paint on board the Assistance, and so the enterprising artist used what he had, mixed with black ink, glue, washing blue, chimney-soot and lamp-black.

The anonymous reviewer was impressed with the scene and with the artist's ingenuity. "The spirit of decorative enterprise which has so liberally presided over the scenic department of this theatre, burst forth on Thursday evening with all its wonted force," he wrote. "To have an opportunity of admiring this splendid picture… is worth a visit." With a flourish, he added, "I have sailed in gilded yachts, flash frigates and magnificent liners; and I have seen their spacious decks fitted up for various purposes in the most brilliant style, even for the reception of Royalty itself, but the upper deck of the 'Old Assistance' presented a scene surpassing, in gorgeous splendour, anything that I have ever seen on board o' ship."

The play itself turned "all the dangers and inconveniences to which we are exposed in these inhospitable climates into evil spirits that are leagued against us, it supposes them continually watching every opportunity to surprise an unfortunate travelling party, till at length their power is destroyed by the appearance of the more puissant good spirits, Sun and Daylight."

The evening's entertainment was well attended. The temperature on board was exactly at the freezing point, while on the ice the mercury hovered at minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thus, through the humour and distraction of plays produced in the dead of winter, the distractions of the Royal Arctic Theatre offered the crews of the Assistance and the Resolute the promise of respite from the cold and dreariness of their surroundings and the reappearance of the sun, and with it the warmth of spring.

Taissumani recounts a specific event of historic interest. Kenn Harper is a historian, writer and linguist who lives in Iqaluit. Feedback? Send your comments and questions to kennharper@hotmail.com.