My First Christmas Dinner in Victoria: A Staged Reading

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Monday, December 28th, 2015
6:00 PM

DW Higgins came to Victoria when it was in the throes of the Fraser River Gold Rush. He worked with Amor De Cosmos on the British Colonist newspaper while Victoria rapidly expanded, and later was its editor.

As an MLA, member of the city council, school board and Victoria fire department board, he was instrumental in the development of Victoria as a prosperous, organized community, and most certainly had dealings with the Dunsmuir family. Luckily for us, he was also a gifted writer.

He left behind a published series of non-fiction short stories, written with a Dickensian flair that combined chattiness, a touch of the mystical, perhaps a tendency towards the melodramatic, and a lot of lush historical detail which provides first-hand insight into Victoria’s earliest years.

One of these stories, ”My First Christmas Dinner in Victoria, 1860”, paints the forlorn picture of a destitute family, struggling to survive in Victoria after their gold claims went bust. In its reading, one can feel the thick mud of Government St., sense the tremulous chill of winter in this distant outpost, and feel the bite of ravenous hunger as it gnaws at the guts of the miners and their families who have travelled so far, and found so little. But there is hope on the horizon! A small act of kindness and a romantic love that will not be extinguished, forever change this family’s fortune and Higgins records it all.

This is a story so good, it can only be true.

Join actor Jason Stevens, well-known to Castle audiences for his one-man A Christmas Carol, for a dynamic staged reading of this story in all its Victorian glory. Stevens will take inspiration from Charles Dickens, who travelled the world performing staged readings from his own works, to bring the world of Higgins, De Cosmos, and early Victoria to life. The performance will be prefaced by a brief talk by historian Kate Humble, who will provide historical context for mid-19th century Victoria and the Dickensian tradition of good, old-fashioned storytelling.

Tickets are $18 and are for sale online, by phone at 250.592.5323 ext 31 or in person at the Castle. Members please call the office for your discounted tickets.

https://thecastle.ca/events/