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Matara: The Elephant Play (Prairie Play Series #34)
by Conni MassingAt a crumbling zoo, an elephant keeper, a security guard, and a newly hired media consultant have differing views over what should be done about the zoo’s main attraction, the aging Sri Lankan elephant Matara. Matara is deteriorating by the day following the loss of her companion elephant Cheerio and a petition is circulating to try to force the zoo’s management to move her to a sanctuary. Karen, Matara’s keeper, argues adamantly that the zoo is Matara’s home and family, and that she is not strong enough to travel. Romney, the enthusiastic but increasingly stressed media consultant, thinks more about donations and galas than Matara’s life, while Marcel the security guard and an international graduate student struggling in the last stages of his thesis, understands the perspective of the protestors even as he seeks to protect the zoo’s employees.Weaving between the perspectives of public relations, zoos as unique spaces of human animal interaction, and the question of whether or not zoos should exist at all, Conni Massing’s latest play takes inspiration from real life debates that surround Lucy, the lone elephant at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, asking poignant questions about our relationships with animals, and the power dynamics and instability that surround them.
Medicine Shows: Indigenous Performance Culture
by Yvette NolanContemporary Indigenous theatre in Canada is only thirty-three years old, if one begins counting from the premiere of Maria Campbell’s Jessica in Saskatoon and the establishment of Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto. Since those contemporaneous events in 1982, the Canadian community of Indigenous theatre artists has grown and inspired one another.Medicine Shows: Indigenous Performance Culture traces the work of a host of these artists over the past three decades, illuminating the connections, the artistic genealogy, and the development of a contemporary Indigenous theatre practice. Neither a history nor a chronicle,Medicine Shows examines how theatre has been used to make medicine, reconnecting individuals and communities, giving voice to the silenced and disappeared, staging ceremony, and honouring the ancestors.
The Melville Boys
by Norm FosterA relaxing weekend trip full of fishing, football, and beer is on the agenda for the Melville brothers. Unfortunately, so is confronting eldest brother Lee's terminal illness. But weekend plans are suddenly thrown for a loop when the boys meet two attractive sisters, who inadvertently change more than just their agenda. In this modern Canadian classic, Norm Foster offers a lighthearted comedy full of vigour about brotherhood and the unexpected.
The Men in White
by Anosh IraniA finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Drama, The Men in White explores urgent themes surrounding the complexities of the modern immigrant experience, Islamophobia, and the unifying power of sport — the masterful playwright and novelist Anosh Irani at his finest.Eighteen-year-old Hasan Siddiqui lives in a bustling Muslim quarter of Bombay. He escapes the drudgery of his work at a chicken slaughterhouse by fostering two fervent dreams — to become a star in cricket, a sport at which he happens to excel, and to win the affections of Haseena, a fiercely intelligent young woman two years his junior. Half a world away in Vancouver, Hasan’s older brother, Abdul, has been working under the table at an Indian restaurant, attempting to set down roots with the hope of one day reuniting with his brother. For Abdul the immigrant dream shows little sign of materializing, but he finds solace in his amateur cricket team. When he and the team’s captain decide to take action to end their losing streak, they talk of recruiting the talented Hasan for the rest of the season. But bringing Hasan from India to Canada will take much more than just a plane ticket, and rising tensions demonstrate that not all members of the team agree with the high cost.
Mending Fences
by Norm FosterHarry Sullivan hasn't seen his son Drew in thirteen years, and now Drew is coming to Harry's Saskatchewan ranch for a visit. This poignant comedy tells the story of two men who are too stubborn to give in to feelings of the heart.
Mesa
by Doug CurtisPaul is asked to drive his wife's 93-year-old Grandpa "Bud" all the way from Calgary to his retirement trailer in Mesa, Arizona. Paul hopes to find strange, roadside diners and sleep out under the stars. Bud wants Denny's and Motel 6. Paul and Bud spend five days together, navigating the predictable turnoffs on the Interstate while discovering their need for each other, sharing their lives and experiences, their hopes and dreams. This will be Bud's final year in Mesa, and Paul is his chauffeur.
The Mill
by Daryl Cloran Matthew Macfadzean Hannah Moscovitch Tara Beagan Damien AtkinsIt's 1854 at the start of Now We Are Brody. The mill is boarded up as the townsfolk attempt to bury a dark shame from their past, but the arrival of a young woman with the deed to the mill threatens to unearth its secret. In The Huron Bride it is 1834 and Hazel Sheehan has braved the perilous journey across the Atlantic to work as a hired hand at her cousin's sawmill. When her cousin James asks her to marry him, Hazel is overjoyed, but will the ghost of James's ex-wife spoil their wedding plans? The mill does not yet exist in The Woods, and the land is the site of a First Nations burial ground. The interactions between the First Nations people and the first settlers put the wheel in motion for the terror that will haunt this area for hundreds of years to come. In part four, Ash, the mill stands: battered and surrounded by ash. Inside, five young people cling to life. Can hope take root on such poisoned ground?
Mirror Game
by Dennis FoonWhen abusive behaviour surfaces in the lives of four friends, the teenagers are forced to examine how learned behaviour can be mirrored by victims and home situations reflected in the school until, finally, the choice to break the damaging cycles is made. In this powerful and moving play which speaks honestly and intelligently to teens, Dennis Foon examines the cyclical nature of physical and psychological abuse.
Missing
by Florence Gibson MacdonaldCarol's own marriage is dragged into the spotlight and it seems that everyone is harbouring their own toxic secrets; things are certainly not as they seem. Inspired by a true story, Florence Gibson MacDonald digs at the secrets that hide behind family bonds and examines the complacency and complicitness of community. A story about love, companionship, trust, and loyalty, Gibson MacDonald reveals what can be found when we choose to look at what lurks just below the surface of those we love.
Mistatim / Instant
by Erin ShieldsIn these two plays for young audiences, award-winning playwright Erin Shields presents the challenges of friendship and communication. In Mistatim, which is based on a concept from Sandra Laronde of Red Sky Performance, two eleven-year-olds strike up an unlikely friendship at the fence between one’s reserve and the other’s ranch. On Speck’s side, she’s carved names of family members into the wooden posts as she tries to piece together her identity. On Calvin’s side, he’s trying to train a horse in order to prove himself to his father. When Speck realizes she can communicate with Calvin’s horse Mistatim, the pair work to liberate the animal, and in the process learn about one another’s cultures. In Instant, three teens find out how far they’ll go in their quest to be seen and heard. Meredith is a singer-songwriter who makes YouTube videos of covers in an attempt to gain Internet fame. But her friend Jay, a rising hockey star, can’t understand why she won’t post her original songs. When their classmate Rosie suddenly goes viral after a video is posted of her singing to raise money for her father’s medical bills, Meredith’s jealousy takes over and she pushes Rosie too far, triggering a near-deadly response.
Mom, Dad, I'm Living With A White Girl
by Marty ChanA Chinese son must tell his parents he has moved in with his white girlfriend. In a counter-narrative, the play explodes Asian stereotypes in a B-movie spoof called Wrath of the Yellow Claw.
The Mommiad
by Sky GilbertPoetic and heartfelt, The Mommiad chronicles the relationship between a mother and her son, the ups and downs they shared, and the toll that alcohol and dementia would eventually take on Patricia Tucker Gilbert's life. Intimate and affirming, Sky Gilbert confirms the bond he shared with his mother, both in his own voice and through the voice of his alter ego, Jane. The Mommiad is lyrical and tragic and true, an artist's self-reflection and an endeavour to turn one woman's life into an artistic experience.
The Monument
by Richard Rose Colleen WagnerStetko is the model boy next door and the son of middle-class parents, but when war arrives it forever changes his life. Although he does nothing more than follow his commanding officer's orders, when the war is over he stands accused of terrible crimes. A profoundly affecting two-person drama that reminds us of the faceless horror of war, and of the guilt which whole nations must carry on their shoulders. Wagner's play goes to the heart of man's inhumanity in war time.Winner of the 1996 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama
Mortified
by Amy RutherfordA woman runs into her former abuser and is surprised by the power he still holds over her. In an attempt to uncover the truth of what really happened between them, she recalls her adolescent self: a synchronized swimmer struggling to make sense of the world around her. Humorous and dark, Mortified explores sex, shame, and transformation and how we reckon with the traumatic experiences that have shaped us.
Mother's Daughter
by Kate HennigIn this stunning third part to Kate Hennig’s powerful Queenmaker series, England’s first queen regnant finds herself fighting xenophobia, religious nationalism, and strained familial bonds in the power struggle that dubs her Bloody Mary. Upon the death of King Edward VI, the thirty-eight-year-old princess Mary—daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon—wrests the throne from Edward’s deemed heir. But Mary’s mother appears from the vaults of memory, and adamantly questions the motives of Mary’s cousin Jane and her half-sister Bess, despite Mary’s affection for them both. As the kingdom splits along Roman Catholic and Protestant lines, Mary walks a gauntlet of squabbling ethics and politics, and is forced to make some tough decisions. Should she execute her opponents before it’s too late, the way her father did? Should she scramble to find a husband who can give her a rightful heir? And can she trust her mother, her sister, or even herself?
Mustard
by Kat SandlerMustard shouldn’t still be here, but he is. Imaginary friends don’t normally stay with their Person until that Person is a troubled teenager, exhibiting strangely violent behaviour. Imaginary friends don’t suddenly become visible to their Person’s mom and then go on a date with them, either. But Mustard is special. At least that’s what he thinks. And he’s not ready to leave his best friend, Thai, even though he’s in deep trouble with some unsavoury characters who are ready to enforce some serious rules. And, oh yeah, he’s falling in love with Sadie, Thai’s recently separated, wine-guzzling mom, who doesn’t believe he’s real. A twisted fairy tale about friendship, love, growing up, moving on and finding magic where you least expect it, this darkly comedic bedtime story by Canadian theatre’s indie darling blurs imagination with reality in order to save a family from its own destruction.
My Chernobyl
by Aaron BushkowskyWhile there, he meets his long-lost cousin, a beautiful, young Russian woman, who sets her sights on her wealthy relative as a ticket out of the radiation-blasted country. My Chernobyl is a quirky romance set in the existential old country, where cultures and ideals clash with touching and hilarious results.
My Family and Other Endangered Species
by Ellen Close Braden GriffithsNine-year-old Phineas interprets the world through his encyclopedic knowledge of animals, but some human behaviour is just too puzzling. Take for example his mom, who insists he learn to fall asleep on his own, even though all young mammals sleep with their mothers; or his dad, who recently picked up and left the family, a behaviour quite unlike other mate-for-life animals. And then there’s the constant news from his favourite TV station, the Green Channel, about how humans are ruining the environment, a fact Phin is growing increasingly anxious about. So when his fourth-grade class gets a White’s tree frog as a pet, all of Phin’s anxieties come to a boil.
My Fellow Creatures
by Michael RubenfeldVenturing into dark and explosive territory, My Fellow Creatures is a raw, honest, and thoughtful portrayal of these men and their virtues, confronting the reader with difficult questions about love, consent, vengeance, and acceptance.
The Mystery of Maddy Heisler
by Daniel LillfordAs a young man in the midst of World War II, Jacob fell in love with an older woman and began a rapturous affair, until she seemingly vanished. As strange things start to happen around him, a familiar young woman appears at Jacob's house with a mysterious notebook. The past doesn't stay buried and the mystery of Maddy Heisler is reveled. With secrets and lies, lovers and spies, Jacob will never be the same again.
A Nanking Winter
by Marjorie ChanMarjorie Chan's gripping narrative intertwines the past and the present, transporting the reader between Irene and a small group of unlikely heroes caught in the invasion. Scrambling to create a refuge from the horror, the band's struggle to survive binds them in a promise that will span the ages of time, while Irene struggles to reveal the truth despite her publisher's conservative worries. a nanking winter brings the horror and endurance of a nation's history into stark focus with breathtaking clarity and brutal honesty.
Ned Durango
by Norm Foster Leslie ArdenIn the town of Big Oak lies the Crossroads Cafe, where five locals come together to plan the annual Tomato Parade. With everything in place, the town hopes the parade can sweeten the hearts of potential investors who are considering Big Oak for a new amusement park, which could bring tourists and an end to the town's financial distress. So who else should ride in the show but Ned Durango, beloved idol and star cowboy. Well, to some at least. Norm Foster and Leslie Arden deliver a comedic yet touching musical of big dreams and new beginnings.
The Negroes Are Congregating
by Natasha Adiyana MorrisFirst produced by PIECE OF MINE Arts for Black Theatre Network, Memphis, in July 2018.
Never Swim Alone & This Is A Play: 2nd Edition
by Daniel MacivorA funny, satirical story, Never Swim Alone is about Frank and Bill, two egotisitical men locked in a ruthless competition of one-upmanship for seemingly no reason. A hilarious metaplay, This Is A Play follows three actors who, while performing, reveal their own thoughts and motivations as they struggle through crazy stage directions and an unoriginal musical score.
New
by Pamela SinhaComedy! Not just in laughs but in structure!About marriage and an almost irreverent look at the Immigrant experience.Honours previous generations of immigrants as young, fun, sexy, and complicated.Strong appeal to 60-70something generation but also to their kids and younger.Joyous, hopeful, surprise ending about the complex nature of love and the meaning of freedom.First-wave feminism / 1970s.Most of the characters work in academia.Not just an "Indian' story but one that explores universal themes of being "new."Necessary Angel Theatre Company in association with Canadian Stage and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre: RMTC November 2–19, 2022, and Canadian Stage April 25–May 14, 2023.