7th Cousins: An Automythography

190 Pages·64.692 MB·English

by  Christine Brubaker , Erin Brubacher

WATERLOO
TORONTO
CAMBRIDGE LAKE ONTARIO
HAMILTON CANADA
GRIMSBYST. CATHARINES UNITED STATES
NIAGARA FALLS
BUFFALO
LAKE ERIE
EAST AURORA
ARCADE
BELFAST
ANGELICA
ALFRED STATION
ULYSSES
WELLSBORO PENNNESWY LYVOARNKIA
TIOGA STATE FOREST
ARNOT
TROUT RUN
WILLIAMSPORT
PGERNANNSDY CLVAANNYIOAN
MILTON
SELINSGROVE
DALMATIA
510 20 40
DUNCANNON
NORTH KILOMETERS
APPALACHIAN TRAIL
HARRISBURG
HERSHEY
MANHEIM
LANCASTER
PHILADELPHIA
7th COUSINS
An Automythography
Erin Brubacher and Christine Brubaker
Book*hug Press
TORONTO
FIRST EDITION
copyright © 2019 by Erin Brubacher and Christine Brubaker
text on pages 112–115 copyright © 2019 by Erum Khan
Endnotes, or, A Talkback on pages 170–174 © 2019 by Christopher Stanton and Andrea Nann
Journey Gesture photographs on pages 44–51 by Samuel Choisy, choreographed by
Andrea Nann; production photographs on page 78 and page 99 by Sophia Wolfe, taken
at PushOFF; all other photographs by Erin Brubacher. Used with permission.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: 7th cousins : an automythography / Erin Brubacher and Christine Brubaker.
Other titles: Seventh cousins
Names: Brubacher, Erin, 1979– author. | Brubaker, Christine, author.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190199466 | Canadiana (ebook) 20190199474 | ISBN
9781771665469 (softcover) | ISBN 9781771665476 (HTML) | ISBN 9781771665483 (PDF) |
ISBN 9781771665490 (Kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Brubacher, Erin, 1979–—Travel—Northeastern States. | LCSH: Brubaker,
Christine—Travel—Northeastern States. | LCSH: Women performance artists—Travel—
Northeastern States. | LCSH: Women performance artists—Canada—Biography. |
LCSH: Northeastern States—Description and travel. | LCSH: Hiking—Northeastern
States. | LCSH: Hospitality—Northeastern States.
Classification: LCC F106 .B78 2019 | DDC 917.404/44—dc23
The production of this book was made possible through the generous assistance of the
Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. Book*hug Press also
acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book
Fund and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit
and the Ontario Book Fund.

Book*hug Press acknowledges that the land on which we operate is the traditional
territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg,
the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. We recognize the enduring
presence of many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and are grateful for
the opportunity to meet and work on this territory.
CONTENTS
Performance Collaborators Legend / 6
History of First Performances / 7
One version of 700 kilometers: A Photo Essay by Erin Brubacher / 8
Welcome / 29
7th Cousins: Performance Text / 32
Endnotes, or, A Talkback with Directors
Christopher Stanton and Andrea Nann / 170
On Hosting and Guesting / 175
Time, a postlude / 180
Acknowledgements / 186
PERFORMANCE COLLABORATORS LEGEND
CO-CREATORS/ PERFORMERS:
EB Erin Brubacher
CB Christine Brubaker
DIRECTORS:
AN Andrea Nann, director/choreographer
CS Christopher Stanton, director/dramaturge
PRODUCTION TEAM:
KH Kaitlin Hickey, production designer
EK Erum Khan, production assistant
Our collaborators’ voices appear in this book in a few ways.
Most notably, AN crafted many of the stage directions within and
CS wrote most of the editorial endnotes you’ll find at the
conclusion of the performance text. This book would not be
what or how it is without our collaborators. We know this and
want you to know it too. —EB/CB
6 ·
HISTORY OF FIRST PERFORMANCES
December 2014 Brubach/ker Family Dinner, Christine Brubaker’s
Home, Toronto
July 2015 The Walk, Pennsylvania–New York–Ontario
July 2015 Walk With Us, a site specific invitation, with
audience-participants across North America and
Europe
August 2015 The Unpacking, Summerworks Performance
Festival, Toronto
July 2016 7th Cousins Workshop Performance, The Theatre
Centre, Toronto
June 2017 7th Cousins, The Royal Canadian Legion, Toronto;
Presented by Nightwood Theatre
August 2017 Excerpt of 7th Cousins, The Brubacher Family
300th-Year Anniversary, Millersville, Pennsylvania
August 2017 The Unpacking, Summerworks Performance
Festival, Toronto
September 2017 7th Cousins, St. Matthews United Church,
Toronto; Presented by Nightwood Theatre
December 2017 7th Cousins, The Emmet Ray Bar, Toronto;
Presented by Nightwood Theatre
June 2018 7th Cousins, The Ismaili Centre, Toronto;
Presented by Nightwood Theatre
June 2018 7th Cousins, Conrad Grebel Chapel, Waterloo;
Presented by Green Light Arts
February 2019 Excerpt of 7th Cousins, The Russian Hall,
Vancouver; Presented by Theatre Replacement at
PushOFF
· 7
From July 7 to August 6, 2015, we walked seven hundred kilometres, from
Pennsylvania to Ontario. A stranger asked if we were walking to learn how
to be together. This was certainly part of it. —CB and EB
8 ·
· 9
10 ·