The Playwrights Database
LINDA GRIFFITHS
(1956 - deceased)Nationality: Canadian
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Literary Agent: Kensington Literary Representation represented by Michael Petrasek (estate of)
Linda Griffiths is "one of Canada's originals, known not only for the quality of her work, but for the sheer range of her career" (Maclean's Magazine 1998). as playwright and actor, Griffiths is the winner of five Dora Mavor Moore awards, a Gemini award, two Chalmers's awards, the QuizAnne International Festival award for Jessica, and Los Angeles' A.G.A. award for her performance in John Sayles' film LianA. She has twice been nominated for the Governor General's award for playwrighting (the Darling Family, 1992 alien Creature, 2000). Best known for writing (in collaboration with Paul Thompson) and performing a triple role in the play Maggie & Pierre in which she played Pierre Trudeau, Margaret Trudeau and a journalist called Henry, Maggie & Pierre toured Canada, played the Royal alexandra Theatre and Off-Broadway. Since then, she has continued to create work that is both innovative and popular. as playwright she is the author of nine plays, including alien Creature: a visitation from Gwendolyn Macewen, the Darling Family, and the Duchess: A.k.A. Wallis Simpson. as co-author of the Book of Jessica (written with native author and activist Maria Campbell), Griffiths and Campbell created a new hybrid of Theatre book, one which included the play Jessica, as well as the personal and political process of its creation. Griffiths is one of the founding members of Twenty-fifth Street Theatre in Saskatoon and was one of the writers of the popular collective creation, Paper Wheat (1978). In 1997, she formed her own company Duchess Productions, which produced a tour of alien Creature, as well as developing and associate-producing the Duchess, alien Creature, Chronic (Factory Theatre 2003) and age of arousal (aTP 2007) an anthology of her work, Sheer Nerve: Seven Plays by Linda Griffiths was published in 1999. She is an adjunct Professor to the University of Toronto's Masters Program in Creative Writing and runs a unique playwright's studio class, Visceral Playwrighting. among other things, she is now working on two personal monologues, the Last Dog of War and Baby Finger.
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below is a list of Linda Griffiths's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Age Of Arousal Alien Creature: A Visitation From Gwendolyn Macewen Brother Andre's Heart Chronic Darling Family: A Duet For Three, The Duchess: Aka Wallis Simpson, The Game Of Inches, A Jessica Maggie And Pierre Od On Paradise Spiral Woman And the Dirty theatreAge Of Arousal
Synopsis:
London,1885 - a time of great passion, great confusion - virtue is barely holding down its petticoats. People are bursting their corsets with unbridled desire. Mary, a charismatic ex-suffragette in her 60s, runs a school for secretaries, aided by her zealous teacher-lover, 30-something Rhoda. When Rhoda literally bumps into childhood friend Virginia on the street one day, she finds that Virginia, her sister Alice and their much younger sister Monica are living in poverty. they are all invited into the school for secretaries, even though the older sisters are deliciously inept at the keys and Monica is more interested in sexual revolution than a career in business. enter everard Barfoot, Mary's cousin, an ex-doctor in his 30s about to embark on a life of leisure, and suddenly all the characters in this lavish sexy ensemble piece are erupting with discoveries, contradictions and epiphanies. Genre busting, rule-bending and ambitiously original.
Notes:
endlessly witty, vigorous, funny, beautifully costumed, poetic At times And brilliantly inventive-outbursts of hilariously revealing Asides occur within normal dialogue, for example-the play tells A story that reaches far beyond its late 19th-century trappings And the Accompanying confusion over women's rights, to tap into current slippery notions on love, marriage And sex. Bob Clark, Calgary Herald.
1st Produced:
Atp Calgary Alberta
2007
Organisations:
aTP in association with Duchess Productions
1st Published:
Coachouse Press, 2007 -
Music:
-
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Genre:
comic Drama Comedy
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageAlien Creature: A Visitation From Gwendolyn Macewen
Gwendolyn Macewen was to many a mesmerizing presence. In less than 26 years, she published twenty books and became, with Margaret atwood, the most celebrated poet her day. then, at the age of forty six, she was dead. Many suspected suicide. alien Creature is inspired by Gwendolyn Macewen's life and work, yet is an entirely new creation. Macewen, as evoked by Griffiths, returns to the modern world one night, bringing images and prophetic warning. there has been a death of poetry, of imagination. the city will pay. the world will pay. then she laughs, opens her hands, pulling brilliant scarves from the air. On this night, Macewen is torn apart by her magic, made invincible by her magic. Revealed as drunk, lover, poet and magician, Gwendolyn Macewen rises to inspire and incite us.
Notes:
anyone looking for conventional docuDrama will be disappointed by Linda Griffiths' new one-woman show. . .what they'll find instead is A sketch of Macewen's soul. And that is the haunting beauty of this play. Mira Friedlander, Variety. Dora Mavor Moore Award, Outstanding New Play 2000. Dora Nomination Outstanding Performance by A Female, 2000, Chalmer's Award, Governor General's Award Nomination.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille in association with Duchess Productions
1st Published:
Contained in: "a Voice Of Her Own" published by Playwrights Canada Press 2003 978-0887546624
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageBrother Andre's Heart
Synopsis:
Two young wanna-be filmmakers live in a Montreal apartment. theirs is an agoraphobic life, watching Star Trek re-runs and dreaming of international stardom. Over the months of inactivity, Jean Luc Picard and William Riker, from Star Trek: the Next Generation, have taken over their lives to the point where they play these characters incessantly, re-enacting their missions. One day their only friend in the building, anna, introduces them to her Portuguese grandmother. She sends them on a mission to the basilica on Mount Royal to steal its central relic - Brother andre's heart. they return to their apartment and wait for the police or a miracle.
Notes:
"Perfect for young Actors looking for A way to stretch their comic talents. Beautifully unpredictable". Pat Dinama, Canadian theatre Review.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Crow's Theatre
1st Published:
Blizzard Publishing In the anthology Sheer Nerve, seven plays by Linda Griffiths, 1999 -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageChronic
Synopsis:
Chronic is about the ancient dance of sickness - our attraction and revulsion to viruses of all kinds. the central character is Petra, a web designer who works with a small IT company. One day she opens a file, and dreams a creature who may or may not be a virus. He kisses her. the virus moves between computer and bloodstream, replicating his endless desires. Health deserts her, but she doesn't die. From then on, her boyfriend, her doctor, her best friend and even her boss, become involved in an environmental petrie dish of postindustrial madness.
Notes:
Pushing practitioners to be inventive, facing the complexities of harrowing stories, finding ways to balance the seriousness of their ideas with humour, each of these plays (Linda Griffiths' Chronic, Sally Clark's Wanted, Marie Clement's the Unnatural And Accidental Woman) demonstrates the Assuredness And technical skills of talented, mid career playwrights pushing themselves to tell difficult stories which fully exploit the language of theatre. Kirsty Johnson, Canadian Literature 191/ Winter 2006
1st Produced:
Organisations:
FaCTORY Theatre in association with Duchess Productions
1st Published:
Playwrights Canada Press, 2004 -
Music:
-
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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 3 Other: 1- a virus, can be male or female
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageDarling Family: A Duet For Three, The
Synopsis:
Subtitled a Duet for Three', the apparently simple theme is about as basic as you can get. Man and Woman meet: three months later she's pregnant. they talk about it. No need or room for frills here. the stage is bare, just an electric heater, and a small dish containing exotic substances. He and She stand, lean on a wall, sit, stretch out, gesture, curl up, squat, kneel and wander slowly about. Yet that is merely the framework for the raw power of Griffiths' writing. they tear themselves apart, examine inch by tormented inch the consequences of their moment of passion. It's riveting. . .at times their harrowing thoughts are spoken out loud, on occasion simultaneously. It's a device that works. . . the Darling Family is simply brilliant. Geoff Chapman, the Toronto Star.
Notes:
Made into A feature film directed by Alan Zweig. Nominated for Dora Award for Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Performance by A Female, Nominated for the Governor General's Award. This play has been performed more than All of Griffiths' work, mainly by young companies - London england, New York (three productions), Vancouver, edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, recent Toronto productions, . . .
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille
1st Published:
Blizzard Press - available as a single play, also included in the anthology, Sheer Nerve: seven plays by Linda Griffiths, 1991 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageDuchess: Aka Wallis Simpson, The
Synopsis:
an extravagant and inspired epic, the Duchess takes us into a kaleidoscopic wonderland where Kings and Queen dance the Black Bottom, Faerie creatures demand blood, and empires are given up for love. the play tells the story of the woman for whom Edward Vlll abdicated his throne, Wallis Simpson. It journeys into the emotional centre of a plain, brash, sexual woman, who danced through her ulcers and collapsed only when the cocktails ran out - a woman destined to become the Black Queen of her time. the multilayered script finds a place between straight-forward narrative and magic realism.
Notes:
Griffiths' tale has the mad, louche, glittering, flakey confusion of An Adult Alice in Wonderland. Catherine Driscoll, eye Weekly.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille in association with Duchess Productions
1st Published:
Playwrights Canada Press, -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Fabulist Drama Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 10 Female: 8 Other: extras
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageGame Of Inches, A
Synopsis:
arial-BoldMT
Notes:
This piece has All the wit And verve of A Dorothy Parker short story. Anyone who understands the complexity And joy of baseball And love, will respond with open Arms. A tour de force. Alison Gordon, the Toronto Star.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille
1st Published:
Blizzard Publishing In the anthology Sheer Nerve, seven plays by Linda Griffiths, 1999 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Comedy Drama Comedy
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageJessica
Synopsis:
". . .a dense, mystical play about the spiritual journey of a young half-breed woman and about the process of change itself. after slipping into a life of prostitution and hard drugs, Jessica is rootless&she visits a native elder who creates a ceremony in which Jessica's animal spirits appear and promise to take her back through her life. each represents an aspect of human existence. Crow is her special protector, he's unreliable and he gambles. Bear is a shaggy security blanket of strength, the Wolverine is vicious and terrifying but also has much to teach. then a Unicorn arrives from Jessica's Celtic past, shocking the native spirits and all hell breaks loose. as the ceremony unfolds, each spirit enacts a character in Jessica's life. Bear becomes her boyfriend Sam, Unicorn, a friend from her drug days, Wolverine a lawyer who tries to own her. But Crow always remains Crow. a significant new play." Robert Crew, the Toronto Star. Winner, Dora Mavor Moore award, Outstanding New Play, Winner Quizanne International Festival, 1996, Winner Chalmers award, 1996.
Notes:
written by Linda Griffiths And Maria Campbell. This play is part of A unique theatre book, the Book of Jessica, which contains the personal And political story of the play's collaboration between A white Actress/ writer And A Metis Author And Activist. the Book of Jessica has sold round the world And been included in A vast number of women's And native studies courses.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille/25th St. Theatre
1st Published:
Coach House Press - included in the Book of Jessica: a transformation - the story of the collaboration between Linda Griffiths and Maria Campbell. also included in Sheer Nerve: Seven Plays by Linda Griffiths, 1998 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMaggie And Pierre
Synopsis:
Three characters. Pierre Trudeau, Margaret Trudeau, a journalist named Henry. Maggie and Pierre takes place from 1974 to 1980. Three characters caught in the battle of reason over passion. . .passion over reason. a nation is changing, a leader has emerged, so has his nemesis - the beautiful flower child Margaret Trudeau. Henry is caught, he loves/hates Pierre, is in love with Maggie, and loves his country. It's a triangle with a nation at stake. What follows is a mock epic, the story of two fatally attracted idealists. "the Trudeaus, their relationship with each other and with us, are a touchstone for the shattered ideals, the betrayed hopes and the still simmering tensions of the past decade." Rick Groen, the Globe and Mail. "the trouble with reviewing Maggie and Pierre is to know where to start admiring it. . .what lifts the play above expectations is it's compassion. Griffiths' explores our erstwhile first couple without ever taking a cheap shot. . ..a play in which every second sentence is memorable. Maggie & Pierre shows power, finesse and insight. " Ray Conologue, the Globe and Mail.
Notes:
written by Paul Thompson And Linda Griffiths. . . .a very funny but very serious exploration of the lives And emotions of two people An owl And A pussycat going out to sea in A runcible boat Clive Barnes, New York Post. Winner of the first Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, Winner of Outstanding Performance by A Female.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Theatre Passe Muraille
1st Published:
Talon Books, also included in Sheer Nerve Seven Plays by Linda Griffiths, 1980 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Comedy Drama Comedy
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: who plays 2m 1f
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageOd On Paradise
Synopsis:
. . .an engagingly peculiar comedy about eight tourists who get off the same plane in Jamaica, each with their own particular holiday fantasy. Two of the couples are young and vaguely counter-culture with backpacking sojourns in India behind them, never mind that they are lawyers and have condos now, there was always the dream of the next journey. But it has turned out to be a package tour, the last adventure ended up ashes, and they are uneasy with themselves. they immediately come up against the doughy gestalt of a working class family out for a romp. Fred has always terrorized his weakling son, Vic, who has managed to find an even weaker bride, the shrinking Joan. Fred has a new wife, an angry pachyderm named Peggy. When one of the 'hippies' flops down beside them, battle lines are drawn. But the power of the landscape encourages dialogue across class lines and the beach becomes a hotbed of exploration. Through the intensity of this experience, all characters must challenge their hypocrisies and certainties. Ray Conolgue, the Globe and Mail.
Notes:
written by Linda Griffiths in collaboration with Patrick Brymer. ". . .below the comedy lurks A timely world weariness&and that is the way of overdosing on Paradise; to visit it when the outside world is out of joint, And gangia Alone can't set it right." Globe And Mail. Winner Dora Mavor Moore Award, Outstanding New Play.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
25th St. Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille
1st Published:
Blizzard Publishing In the anthology Sheer Nerve, seven plays by Linda Griffiths, 1999 -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
social comedy Comedy
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSpiral Woman And the Dirty theatre
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playwrights Canada Press, -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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