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Colours in the Storm

Colours in the Storm
Your Price: $18.95 CDN
Limited Quantities
Author: Jim Betts
Publisher: Playwrights Canada Press (cover image may change)
Format: Softcover
# of Pages: 194
Pub. Date: 2000
ISBN-10: 0887545874
ISBN-13: 9780887545870
Cast Size: 2 female, 3 male, 3 musicians

About the Play:

Colours in the Storm is a musical drama with book, music and lyrics by Jim Betts. A play with songs, rather than a traditional musical, that explores the fascinating story of the Group of Seven artist, Tom Thomson, one of Canada's best loved painters. Increasingly possessed by his artistic vision, Thomson struggles to realize his potential and to come to terms with the passions in his life. Particularly suitable for schools and play contests.

Colours in the Storm focuses on the life – and mysterious death – of iconic Canadian painter, Tom Thomson. His landscapes of Algonquin Park – including "The West Wind", "The Jack Pine" and "Northern River" – are among the most famous paintings ever done in Canada. But Thomson is perhaps as famous for the controversy surrounding his death in 1917 as he is for the strength of his paintings. He died in mysterious circumstances in the waters of Canoe Lake, and in the years since his death there has been endless speculation about who may have murdered him. Colours in the Storm tells the story of Tom Thomson's life with a variety of colourful characters, a number of whom have been implicated in his possible "murder". But the play is more the story of a man who, after drifting through his first 35 years, suddenly comes face-to-face with a potential in himself he becomes obsessed with exploring. (Includes music.)

Colours in the Storm was first developed and performed in 1990 for the Muskoka Festival. Since then the play has been mounted by professional theatres, colleges, high schools, and community theatres.

Cast: 2 female, 3 male, 3 musicians

What people say:

"A play, full of adventure, romance and mystery ... focuses on the years Tom Thomson lived in Algonquin Park, a place of raw beauty and ever-changing landscapes. During that time, he painted hundreds of 'sketches', obsessed with perfection, and produced his iconic paintings The West Wind, The Jack Pine, and Northern River." — Oakville News

"Memorable. Evocative. Wonderfully Haunting Musical Score. A Hit." — Hamilton Spectator

"Elegant. Mature and important themes." — The Globe and Mail

"A story brimming with adventure, romance and mystery. Passionate intensity. Superb." — The Kichener Waterloo Record

"Vibrant songs. Resounding emotion. Sense of wonder." — Hamilton View

About the Playwright:

Jim Betts has been writing plays and musicals for over 30 years. A Dora and Chalmers Award winner, his shows have been produced across Canada and the US. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the theatre, including as a producer, and director. He was the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre Orangeville, and is currently the Artistic Director of Smile Theatre. He lives, teaches and writes in Toronto.