PlayME

By Mark Crawford. Brett and Drew’s neighbours rally around the couple to show their support. Meanwhile, Brett starts digging into Maggie’s past, asking questions about a photo he found of her when she was young. Their renovator Doug investigates the culprit behind the ransacking of their home and uncovers a family secret. Brett and Drew learn something that has them questioning whether they can ever call this place home.

Chris talks to playwright Keith Barker, a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, who explains why he's drawn to writing about loss and how his family has been touched by suicide. He also reflects on what it might mean to "feel deep love and no regrets," how nature helps us grieve and why he does his best writing when he like giving up.

By Keith Barker. We meet Paul as he tries to visit his estranged wife, Lucille, on the first anniversary of their son Craig’s death. But Liset, Lucille’s protective sister, sends him away. “Some days are better than others and today is not one of those days.” Then, Paul is visited by Jim — his best friend and Liset’s husband. The two men have grown distant, and an argument about “fruits'' quickly turns into something deeper.

By Keith Barker. We trace family tensions back in time. They start off arguing about one thing — dirty laundry, smashed plates, a broken hand — but eventually get to the thing no one really knows how to talk about. A son and nephew, “a good kid,” who took his own life. Sharp words and serious accusations fly. But Lucille finds hope in a creature who keeps visiting the garden.

By Keith Barker. We keep moving back and forth in time. Paul confronts Jim about a perceived betrayal, later to find out it may have been an act of mercy. Liset drives the creature from the garden, and her sister disappears into the backwoods to find it. Paul and Lucille finally meet by the tracks and remember an old story. “One day, as sometimes happens, things changed.”

Laura talks to playwright Jordi Mand. The Toronto-based playwright, who has worked with some of Canada’s most prominent companies, shares why she’s drawn to female-driven narratives and why she loves to craft characters that represent some of her greatest fears. Jordi also shares the audience’s emotional reactions to her hit show and how it led to some candid post-show confessions.

By Jordi Mand. Marion, a middle-aged working mother, arrives at her son Alex’s private elementary school — ostensibly for the school’s parent/teacher night. Teresa, Alex’s twenty-something teacher, wasn’t expecting her but reluctantly agrees to a brief meeting about Alex’s academic progress. The two share a tense exchange about school policy and Teresa’s teaching style until Marion reveals the real reason for her unannounced visit.

By Jordi Mand. Accusations fly from both sides as the women argue about how they’ve arrived in an adversarial situation that threatens Marion’s family. Marion corners Teresa with probing and intimate questions about her personal life. Teresa refuses to answer her queries until she can’t take it anymore and decides to fight back. She lands a blow that promises to blow up Marion’s home life.

By Jordi Mand. Marion digs for details about Teresa’s future and starts to poke holes in her naive plans. Teresa’s inexperience shows as Marion lays out what life might look like for her a few years from now. Teresa reveals she has a lot more at stake than Marion knows, and they realize they share some common ground and have both experienced heartbreak. Marion asks Teresa for help to get her life back to the way it once was, but Teresa discovers the depth of Marion’s revenge.

Laura talks to playwright Amanda Parris. The Governor-General Award-Winning writer and CBC host shares how sitting in a prison waiting room filled with women sparked the idea for “Other Side of the Game.” In a world saturated with shows about the justice system, she says stories tend to follow those arresting or being arrested. “They don’t follow the woman who has to clean up the mess...” She also explains why she isn’t a purist when it comes to theatre and why it’s so important to preserve the work of Black female artists.