“…the dark edges of the plot summon up a David Lynch or Joe Orton-like surrealism that leaves the folksy magic realism of much East Coast Theatre in the dust.” – Halifax Daily News

Nominated for Best New Play at the first Canadian Comedy Awards in 2000 and published in a collection of Maritime plays called Marigraph in 2004.

This black comedy satirizes common notions about “the maritime way of life.” Upon hearing that her father has had a lung removed Maggie returns home to find her proud father working in a mine that closed two years ago, her brother “working” at the video lotto and her wheelchair bound grandmother unable to speak anything but the “old language.”  Then Maggie breaks her neck and the family realizes she could be the answer to their problems. 

Cast Requirements: 3 Females/2 Males (doubling) Note: The original production of this play had the three older characters, Ma, Pa and Grandma, cast cross-gender. More recent productions have not cast cross gender and I believe it works better that way in 2020.

Premiered at Live Bait Theatre, July 1997

Subsequently produced by Mulgrave Road Theatre, Victoria Playhouse (twice), Theatre Newfoundland Labrador,  St. Ann’s Bay Players, Ship’s Company Theatre and the Boardmore Playhouse.

“…snappy dialogue that skips along naturally…the warmly satiric Cape Breton Summertime Revue meets the twisted Kids in The Hall.” – Halifax Chronicle Herald

“…a funny and relevant play…the laughs keep the pace flying…it is almost embarrassing how well (Rhindress) exposes the insular and isolated views of small communities…” – The Guysborough Journal

“…a dark, dark comedy…an intricately constructed, cleverly written, abundant collection of stereotypes…a little gem. The end result was a feeling of unease that suggested Rhindress was not poking fun at something as innocuous as a framework of stereotypes, but at the nut of truth that lies at the root of each one.” – The Saint John Times Globe

IN THE BEGINNING: Read the first few pages of The Maritime Way of Life here. If you are considering producing the show please contact me at charlierhindress[at]hotmail[dot]com to receive an electronic copy of the full script.