McGILL'S FACULTY OF LAW: MAKING HISTORY - Publications ...

This winter, Actus Reus took the
stage in the Faculty of Law’s Maxwell
Cohen Moot Court for a production
of Blood Relations, a dramatic mystery
by Canadian playwright Sharon Pollock. The
play is a “trial by theatre” of the infamo us Lizzie
Borden, who was accused of murdering her father
and stepmother in 1892. Historical re-interpretations
of this murder have multiplied the theories of what
really happened, with various accounts pointing to the
family maid, the local doc tor, a visiting uncle, an older
sister, a student of Lizzie’s and Lizzie herself. In Blood
Relations, the “facts” are used to build a strong case of
collective guilt and responsibility, with the audience
participating as judge, jury – and accomplice.
Joyce Tam, a BCL/LLB student who played the defence
lawyer in Blood Relations, draws parallels between
acting and law. “Both are about stories,” she says.
“Both are about people. You learn to understand
a situation, work through it and present it to
others. It has helped for mooting as well – the
skills I developed on stage have definitely come
to my rescue behind the podium.”
Though he has just completed his BCL/LLB
degree, Kyle Gervais, a four-year Actus Reus
veteran who directed this year’s production,
plans to return as a volunteer in the fall and
has no doubt that the theatre company will
live on. “It’s a great McGill institution,” he
says, “and this year we had a great class,
mostly first-year students. I fully anticipate
that they’ll take up the torch.”
Indeed, last year marked the 50th anniversary
of My Fur Lady, a McGill Red and
S T U D E N T N E W S A N D A W A R D S
Inset lower feft · Actus Reus 2008: Stephanie McKinnon,
Julia Kennedy, John Lofranco, Colleen Kelly, Kyle Gervais,
Alika Hendricks, Patrick McIntyre and Gregory Ko.
Not shown are Joyce Tam, Miriam Fortier, Alison Glaser,
Allison Rhoades and Seth Earn
White Revue production that in 1957-58 dealt a wildly successful
comedic poke at the Canadian establishment.
That year, over ten Law grads lent a hand in the musical,
which garnered unanticipated success and eventually
toured Canada, giving 402 performances
at 82 venues, including the Stratford Festival.
James de Beaujeu Domville, BA’54, BCL’57, worked
on the My Fur Lady score and Timothy Porteous,
BA’54, BCL’57, who was later appointed to the Order
of Canada for his political, cultural and volunteer
contributions, helped write the lyrics. Justice James
Hugessen, BCL’57, played the role of Rex Hammerstein,
a reporter for True Canadian Romances magazine.
Donald MacSween, BA’56, BCL’61, co-wrote the
lyrics with Porteous and Erik Wang, BA’54, BCL’57,
and like Porteous, went on to become director general
of the National Theatre School.
As Kyle and others prepare for a first-ever October
production in 2008, the torch of McGill Law’s strong
theatre tradition is indeed in good hands, just as it has
been for more than half a century.
FACULTY OF LAW FALL 2008
3