Archives: Plays

Author: Aaron Bushkowsky

Year: 2009

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: My Chernobyl is a darkly comic romance about a naive Canadian visiting Belarus to deliver an inheritance. There, his alluring cousin sees him as her escape from a radiation-scarred land. Cultures and ideals collide in this quirky tale of love, survival, and post-Chernobyl absurdity.

Publication: Bushkowsky, A. (2009). My Chernobyl. In My Chernobyl (pp. 2–75). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Asha Jain and Ravi Jain

Year: 2012

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: A Brimful of Asha by Ravi and Asha Jain is a comedic, autobiographical exploration of generational and cultural tensions in an Indian-Canadian family. Young theatre artist Ravi resists marriage and parental expectations while pursuing his artistic ambitions, leading to humorous and poignant conflicts with his mother, Asha. Told through storytelling, the play captures the push-and-pull between personal freedom and cultural heritage, balancing heartfelt moments with madcap matchmaking chaos and candid reflections on identity.

Publication: Jain, A., & Jain, R. (2012). A Brimful of Asha. In A Brimful of Asha (pp. 2–69). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Daniela Vlaskalic and Beth Graham

Year: 2008

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco dreamt of the land of the free. Leaving their small Italian villages, they embarked on a long voyage to the United States, only to encounter a world they never could have imagined. Controversially imprisoned for murder, both men must fight for their lives amidst discrimination and public humiliation. Based on actual events, Comrades bring to life Sacco and Vanzetti’s seven-year imprisonment and explores the struggles and agonies of two men, tried not for what they did, but for who they were.

Publication: Vlaskalic, D., & Graham, B. (2008). Comrades. In The Drowning Girls & Comrades (pp. 64–122). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Maja Ardal

Year: 2001

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: You Fancy Yourself follows Elsa, a lively Icelandic girl who moves to 1950s Scotland with her family. Brimming with imagination and energy, she longs to fit in but is marked as an outsider. Through encounters with bullies, friendships with overlooked peers, and her own resilience, Elsa learns to embrace her identity. Maja Ardal’s solo play captures both the hope and harsh discrimination immigrants face, blending humor, heart, and vivid storytelling.

Publication: Ardal, M. (2001). You Fancy Yourself. In You Fancy Yourself (pp. 2–59). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Kawa Ada

Year: 2016

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: In 1978, Aman and Mariam flee war-torn Afghanistan for Canada, seeking safety and a fresh start. Aman, once a chess champion, struggles with menial work and trauma, while Mariam’s family mythology becomes a source of strength. As their son Roshon is born, the legacy of displacement continues, forcing the family to confront past horrors and find a way to survive together.

Publication: Ada, K. (2016). The Wanderers. In The Wanderers (pp. 14–106). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Marty Chan

Year: 2010

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: The Forbidden Phoenix follows Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, on a quest to feed his son Laoson and aid the drought-stricken city of Jung Guo. His journey tests his strength and character as he encounters magical and ruthless creatures, blending Chinese parables with the immigrant experience of 19th-century Canadian railroad workers in a dynamic, acrobatic musical.

Publication: Chan, M. (2010). The Forbidden Phoenix. In The Forbidden Phoenix (pp. 2–66). Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press.

Author: Rishma Dunlop

Year: 2005

Geography: Americas > Northern America > Canada

Synopsis: Begins on May 28, 1990, in Beaconsfield, Quebec, the day of the narrator’s father’s funeral. The time frame of the play moves back into memory of the narrator’s parents’ lives in colonial and postcolonial India, the narrator’s birth in 1956 and infancy in India.
The narration then spans the period of time between 1958 travelling and immigrating to Ottawa, then moving to Beaconsfield on the West Island of Montreal in the early 1960’s. The narration begins at the funeral home and continuously returns to it during the scenes as the narration moves in and out of memory and time.

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