Can you imagine? A show about the people of the NWT, set in the NWT but shot in Bragg Creek, AB. That was the premise behind CBC's Television's (now axed) dramatic series, "North of 60."
It was starring Tom Jackson and Tina Keeper. It also showcased quite a bit of Native talent. "Dances With Wolves'" Graham Greene made a appearance as well as Tantu Cardinal. Adam Beach also appeared on the series. He's from movies such as, "Joe Dirt," the upcoming "Windtalkers" with Nicholas Cage, "Dance Me Outside," "Smoke Signals," and "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale."
When the show came out around 1992 or 1993, I remember seeing it on TV when I was in school and in drama, and I said to my friend Kirk Titley, "I want to be on that show."
Skip to years later, when I'm going back to college from Hay River. On the drive by myself, I had an epiphany (I can hardly say it, let alone spell it), I'm not going to be noticed by someone on stage who wants me to be on their show... so I decided I had to call them.
I talked to Ken Kramer (my director for "The Crucible"), who had experience on TV... and he told me that I should just try calling the set... it couldn't hurt any. So, I did. I called the set and talked to some guy (I'm not sure who it was either) and I told him all my stage experience, the school I was attending, where I was from, and how I was half Slavey Native, the same as portrayed on the show. I even had the dialect. And he told me that they would get back to me. And my response was a cheerful, but sarcastic, "Sure you will."
So, it came as a total surprise when Carol Gaudry, Native Casting Director for the show, called me up. She even wanted to know if I could come out for an audition and a polaroid. I went and she thought I would be perfect for the episode where I would be cast as a Native news reporter. I was a little too late for the audition (a big no-no) and besides the camerawoman was ill... so I didn't audition. It turns out that the part was given to an actual Native News Reporter. Go figure!
So, my second chance came when I auditioned for the part of John Wolf. The part was actually a dream character, who was a figment of Tom Jackson's character's imagination, only to find out he wasn't real in the end. But they actually gave me the smaller role of John Wolf #2, which was the "real" John Wolf at the end of the episode. The upside to this was that my character possibly had a chance to be seen more on the following season. The downside was I was on their last season.
When I once came back to visit Fort St. John, BC, Kirk Titley approached me and said, "Well you did it. You were on the show you said you wanted to be on... "North of 60." Now if only you could get on "Star Trek."
A funny story about working on the set of, "North of 60." While on the set of the show, I was nervous enough as it was, but the director added a little tension when he said that it was the last scene of the day, and everyone was tired and wanted to go home. This one particular shot the director said to me that he wanted me to quit sighing in between these lines. So I said I would do that, and the following scene a plane was passing overhead so the director called cut. So, the next shot, I did my lines and then sighed at the exact moment I was told not to... but before the director could say anything I turned and looked directly at the camera (I knew the director was watching the monitor) and said, "I know, I know! I could kick my own ass." And the whole crew and cast started laughing... which made me feel a whole lot better.
By the way, check out these sites about the show since the official site, like the show, has been axed.
