This short film pays tribute to actress and comedian Mary Walsh. Layering archival photographs of downtown St. John’s and evocative imagery, it tells the remarkable story of a little girl who grew up next door to her family. Inspired by Mary Walsh’s one woman play Dancing with Rage, the film reveals the heart of the unique characters created by Newfoundland’s grand dame of comedy.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.
Ages 14 to 17
Family Studies/Home Economics - Family Diversity and Challenges
Health/Personal Development - Identity
Identify the “little girl” in the film. Compare her biographic story with her comedic persona; have students research similar comparisons for other celebrities. Assign an Inside/Outside the Box project: students decorate boxes with images representing both public (outside) and private (inside) aspects of themselves, and then write about the process. Discuss how imagination helps children in painful situations. (Consider referencing Life Is Beautiful.) Stage scenes from Imaginary Heroine and assign journal entries from the POV of one of the characters.