Archives: Plays

Author: Marjorie Chan

Year: 2005

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Cultural misunderstandings can be daunting, but also a source of humor and enduring stories. When Miriam arrived in Toronto from Hong Kong in 1967, she was thrilled by what seemed like a citywide celebration—an event that would never happen again, though she still hopes for it. Now, lying ill in a hospital, Miriam revisits this cherished memory, sharing it with her daughter and fellow patients to bring laughter and light to their days

Publication: Pietropaolo, D. (2005). Where is here? : the drama of immigration Vol. II. Scirocco Drama.

Author: Marcia Johnson

Year: 2005

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Nadia, a young Jamaican Canadian in Toronto, has long avoided returning home, fearing what it might reveal about her identity. When her grandmother falls ill, she can delay no longer. The journey, like for many immigrants, becomes transformative: confronting her fears, Nadia discovers renewed appreciation for what immigration has given her and a deeper connection to what she left behind—bridging past and present, homeland and adopted land.

Publication: Pietropaolo, D. (2005). Where is here? : the drama of immigration Vol. II. Scirocco Drama.

Author: Arthur J. Vaughan

Year: 2005

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: One Officer’s Experiences, by Arthur J. Vaughan, the compassionate and humorous memoir of an immigration officer stationed at Halifax’s Ocean terminal who greeted the arrival of immigrants for twenty years spanning the great post–war influx.

Publication: Pietropaolo, D. (2005). Where is here? : the drama of immigration Vol. II. Scirocco Drama.

Author: Dennis Foon

Year: 2013

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Skin introduces us to a group of Canadian teenagers who are coming of age in the late 1980s. Faced with racial discrimination, Phiroza, Jennifer and Tuan must navigate the choppy waters of high school, each confronting his or her own set of challenges. Ranging from academic difficulties, to budding relationships, to the trials of adapting to a foreign language and culture, the three share their stories of struggle, survival and defiance of negative expectations and racist attitudes.

Publication: Foon, D. (2013). Skin. In Skin & Liars (pp. 15–72). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Andrew Moodie

Year: 2006

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Elijah McCoy, born in Canada to runaway American slaves, showed so much promise in school that he won a scholarship to study mechanical engineering at Edinburgh University. McCoy moved to the US, where no one believed a black man could be an engineer and so he was set to stoking boilers. Nevertheless, McCoy devised a solution to one of the greatest problems facing steam locomotion that was sold worldwide with the marketers’ proviso that McCoy’s race be concealed.

Publication: Moodie, A. (2006). The Real McCoy. In The Real McCoy (pp. 2–118). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Dwyer, Audrey

Year: 2024

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Julie, a young Jamaican Canadian screenwriter, is adapting To Kill a Mockingbird from the perspective of Calpurnia, the Finch family’s Black maid. Despite her father’s support and encouragement from their housekeeper Precy, Julie faces writer’s block and distractions as her family prepares for a significant dinner party. When her brother accuses her of cultural appropriation, Julie takes dramatic steps to defend her adaptation, only to discover her own biases and misunderstandings. Calpurnia is a sharp exploration of intersectionality and allyship, revealing the clear and ambiguous aspects of motives and biases.

Publication: Dwyer, A. (2024). Calpurnia. Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Fennario, David

Year: 1980

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: The story revolves around three families and Thibault, a local drifter, who spend their days on their balconies, observing life around them. As election season heats up, Gaétan Bolduc, a candidate for the Liberals, campaigns through the streets with his broadcast truck, making promises in both English and French, all while blaring Elvis Presley tunes. The play explores the tension between the English and French-Canadian working-class communities as they confront the political establishment, highlighting the cultural and linguistic divides in a vividly realistic portrayal of urban life.

Publication: Fennario, D. (1980). Balconville. Talonbooks.