Lifetime Yellowknifer and musician Norm Glowach will take the NACC stage as a new character named Johnny Cole on Saturday evening.

Through a multimedia performance and music, Johnny Cole SA国际影视传媒� Meet Me at the Rex tells the story of how Glowach's ancestors came to Canada, settled in Yellowknife in 1940 and eventually bought the Rex Cafe on Latham Island.

Although Cole is a fictional character, his persona is an amalgamation of real ones. From his father to long-time Northerners, Cole is inspired by people that influenced Glowach as a younger man in Yellowknife.

SA国际影视传媒淎ll of these people are long passed and I truly believe that I can draw on them to help me find my way in this character,SA国际影视传媒� said Glowach.

When he was searching for a name for this new character, his brother suggested the surname Coe, which is a family name. But Glowach decided on Johnny Cole because SA国际影视传媒渂ack in the daySA国际影视传媒� the Cole family owned the town's movie theatre.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd I used to work for old man Cole for a very short time,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding he liked having that connection to 1950s and 60s Yellowknife.

As Johnny Cole, Glowach will tell his family's story, from Quebec City to the Red River Colony to the North, backed by an eight-piece band performing acoustic versions of his original songs.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou will see pictures of my ancestors up on a screen behind us as weSA国际影视传媒檙e going through the songs and as ISA国际影视传媒檓 telling the story as the narrator Johnny Cole,SA国际影视传媒� he explained.

But it took him nine years of research, writing and recording to get to this point.

Glowach has worked at the NWT Archives for 20 years, and scanned over 700 photos in the family collection, ranging from the 1860s to the 1950s. While doing preservation work on the photos, like one of his grandmother getting married in the Red River Colony, songs started coming to him.

SA国际影视传媒淚 feel like I am being led by my ancestors,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I was writing the songs, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 times where, seriously, I felt like the songs were being written by somebody else. I was being directed.SA国际影视传媒�

One of his songs titled Bootlegging Granny, much to the chagrin of some relatives, is about how his grandparents sold bootleg booze to make ends meet.

SA国际影视传媒淭he reason that they did that was they couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 make a living any other way,SA国际影视传媒� Glowach explained.

In the 1940s and 50s, the Rex Cafe was the only one in town that would serve Indigenous people.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen you take a look at the history of the Rex Cafe, the pictures you see, the Indigenous people were more than welcome in the cafe, because of course, my grandmother was Metis,SA国际影视传媒� said Glowach.

In the early days of this project, Glowach envisioned simply stringing a few songs together for a short show.

SA国际影视传媒淎 story of Yellowknife that I could tell at the Ramble and Ride,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

But his late friend Alex Czarnecki encouraged him to think bigger. This was not just a Yellowknife story, but a Canadian story Czarnecki told him.

SA国际影视传媒淚 have to think of it in a big-scale story of how our country developed,SA国际影视传媒� said Glowach.

SA国际影视传媒淲ith immigrants coming in and mixing with Indigenous people and all kinds of races mixing in order to develop this wonderful country that we have.SA国际影视传媒�

The performance on Saturday night will be the first for an audience, but likely not the last, as the show has already gained interest elsewhere, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淏ecause itSA国际影视传媒檚 a story of Canada, in a lot of ways,SA国际影视传媒� Glowach said

SA国际影视传媒淎nd itSA国际影视传媒檚 a Metis story because of the Indigenous connection through my momSA国际影视传媒檚 side, so thereSA国际影视传媒檚 this interest within the Metis community of this project.SA国际影视传媒�

This show will give the audience a view into what old Yellowknife was like and Glowach's vision of what the Rex Cafe would have been like at that time. And while the musical is based on historical events, it's not completely historically accurate.

SA国际影视传媒淚 know for a fact there were lots of happy times at the Rex Cafe SA国际影视传媒� but itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all happy,SA国际影视传媒� said Glowach.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 the good thing about this SA国际影视传媒� itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all truth, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all false, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all happy, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all sad, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all country, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not all early rock nSA国际影视传媒� roll. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not about one race of people to another race of people, itSA国际影视传媒檚 about all of us.SA国际影视传媒�

Glowach said it's important to him that the old-time families of Yellowknife come to the show.

SA国际影视传媒淚f anybody out there knows my brothers, my sisters, any other people in the family, you should come out and say hello,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd weSA国际影视传媒檙e having pie before the show.SA国际影视传媒�

are $10 for seniors and youth and $15 for adults. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.