HUNGER

2 Female/Drama/70 minutes

Based loosely on a true story, HUNGER is the story of one woman's struggle against political and emotional turmoil. Jesse is a human rights lawyer who married the Commandante of a Guatemalan guerrilla group. He soon disappeared. Knowing this was a common government tactic, Jesse began a hunger strike on the steps of the Guatemalan Capital Building. We follow her journey of deprivation which is filled with dreams, nightmares and memories. She soon discovers just how her own American government is caught up in the same web of corruption as the Guatemalan government, both torturing and tormenting the Mayan population in order to maintain control. Using movement, sound score, video and slide imagery, this play is a powerful portrayal of loss and hope.

HUNGER was originally workshopped in Toronto in 1998 and was performed that same year in Theatre Passe Muraille's Backspace produced by Sarasvŕti Productions. The show was then remounted in Winnipeg in 2001. Both shows were benefits for Amnesty International raising money and awareness for human rights work. The play has also been published in International Plays for Young Audiences (Meriwether Publishing Co.). Rights to HUNGER are available through the Playwrights Guild of Canada, www.playwrightsguild.ca .

 

                              

Rebecca Burton (top) and Jennifer Fawcett (below) in scenes from HUNGER. Photos by Megan Saxton.

 

 

 REVISIONING

3 Females/Drama/60 minutes

Three women are shipped to the New World (Canada) on a convict ship from Britain. Molly's journey begins with great hope of her new life, Sarah has been taken against her will and forced to leave her life behind, Rene has no illusions that as a convict her life will be much the same. All three are transformed throughout the months on board and find that their lives are changed forever. This moving piece tells a tale of Canada's founding mothers, examining a part of history that is often left untold.

Originally read before an audience in 1998, REVISIONING was first produced as part of the Festival of Original Theatre in Toronto and then given a three week performance run at the Alumnae Theatre Studio in 1999. A chapbook of the script is available at http://oneactplays.net .

Elizabeth Dalgleish and Rebecca Burton in REVISIONING. Photo by Sam Steadman.

"The resulting ‘revisionist’ historical drama is tough, smart, and compelling.." – Randall King, Winnipeg Free Press

 

MISS-IAH

10 Characters; Full-length Multi-media Drama

Imagine the world is an asylum.  The inmates are the continents and the wardens are Money, Religion and Government.  When a homeless woman is dumped in to this metaphorical world, she must battle her own demons as she attempts to liberate the world.  Is she the new Messiah or merely insane?

 

 

HAVE MERCY

26 Characters (with doubling can be done with 8 actors); Full-length Drama

Based on a true story of incest and infanticide, the play explores the journey of Marie.  After years of incest, Marie’s daughters are now giving birth to her husband’s children.  Marie kills the babies at birth – is it an act of mercy, pity, rage or vengeance?   How does a family weighed down with guilt and shame find a path to forgiveness?  The play explores the personal reaction of those involved but also the community’s response to this horrendous tale.

 

TRAUMA

2 Females; One-Act Drama; 30 minutes

Two women, one the mother of a murderer and the other mother to a victim.  We see the effects of the recent trend of school shootings through the eyes of the mothers. 

Winner of Theatre in the Raw’s One-Act Play Contest in 2001.

 

DEATH OF LOVE

2 Female/3 Male; Full-Length Black Comedy

How would you react if you’re ex-fiancé showed up while you were in bed with a new boyfriend.  What if your ex had been dead for over a year?  Rene must cope with her grief after the ghost of her fiancé begins to haunt her.  To add to the chaos is her none-too-supportive mother and her fastidious new boyfriend.

Winner of UNI Theatre’s International Playwriting Competition in 2000.

 

CHILDREN OF THE STATE

3 Female/4 Males; Full-Length Drama

An exploration of one woman’s journey to fight an underground ring of child abuse and pedophilia.  Unfortunately, what she uncovers hits a little too close to home.

 

TEN-MINUTE PLAYS

 

PATIENT

2 Males; Black Comedy

Terry is terrorized by evil, by green jell-o and his own homophobia. 

 

CLEAN

2 Females; Drama

A performance piece exploring Obsessive Compulsive Disorder through the lives of a mother and daughter.

 

 

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