N.B. play remembers wartime nurses, prepares for world premiere

With Remembrance Day coming up, the world premiere of a play is highlighting some often-missed war heroes.

Bluebirds, written by Vern Thiessen, focuses on three First World War nurses who traveled from Canada to taples, France to care for wounded soldiers in 1918.

Natasha MacLellan is directing the play which will be put on by Theatre New Brunswick starting Oct. 26.

MacLellan said she was originally drawn to the play because it was a new take.

"It was the opportunity to tell history from a different point of view," she said. "I'm always looking for something like that the untold stories out there and the new takes on history."

She said the three characters are based on real women. While Thiessen invented stories around them, MacLellan said almost everything that happens in the play happened in real life.

Maggie, Bab and Christy are the three nurses.

"I love these women who were doing so much in their time and trying to be all they could be and defying the norms and yet being absolute products of their time," said MacLellan.

MacLellan said there are pivotal moments in the play, as the women gain the right to vote and get paid the same as the male soldiers.

She said seeing those moments whenwomen are still struggling for things like equal pay reminds her that "we've come far, but there's far to go."

Mlanie LeBlanc plays Bab.She said she admires her independence, curiosity and bravery.

LeBlanc said portrayingBab takesfocus, but said it would have required plenty of focus to be a war nurse, who had to respond quickly in imperfect conditions.

"It must have been emotionally very difficult and physically [difficult], and you just had to do what you had to do," said LeBlanc. "They were soldiers, you know, in their own way. We have to have that mind frame in that resilience."

She said it's important to remember the women who served in these conditions to tend to the wounded.

LeBlanc said the bombing of hospitals and other civilian settings is not uncommon,and"those horrors are still happening."

"These frontline workers were important then and they're important now because these tragedies are universal and timeless," said LeBlanc. "War is ruthless then and now."

Bluebirds will run until Oct. 30 at the Open Space Theatre in Fredericton followed by six touring performances across the province leading up to Remembrance Day.