About the Play:
The Crackwalker
is a full-length drama by
Judith Thompson. A
tough, brilliant play that paints a stark portrait of the downcast and downtrodden members of society. The seminal
play that brought Judith Thompson
to the attention of audiences everywhere, it
remains as vital today as it was when it premiered over 35 years ago.
The
Crackwalker is about down-and-outers in Kingston, Ontario. Living with mental illness,
Theresa and Alan struggle to make a home for their baby, but with
disastrous results. Sandy and Joe are trapped in a booze-fuelled
cycle of domestic violence and verbal abuse with no end in sight. And
bearing witness to it all, a mysterious man called the Crackwalker,
haunts them, and us, with the spectre of the ones left behind. In
this unforgettable work, the line between a nightmare and our daily
reality is not so easily separated.
The Crackwalker
premiered in 1980 at Theatre
Passe Muraille in Toronto, was remounted in 1982 as a
co-production with Montreal's Centaur Theatre, and revived in 2016 at Factory Theatre in Toronto.
Cast: 3 women, 2 men.
What people say:
"The Crackwalker hit the scene like a bolt of lightning, jolting people alive with its bracing, brutal yet fragile characters and situations inspired by Thompson's own experiences as a social worker in Kingston, Ontario. Better viewed as a period piece than a timeless work, The Crackwalker crossed boundaries, offending and challenging many. Most importantly, Thompson broke new ground by insisting that while the play was rough and raw, it communicated critical truths about human failings and small Canadian towns." — The Book of Lists
"Maybe the most powerful play
ever written in Canada...." — CBC
"Judith Thompson's
first play is a graphic, harrowing glimpse at life on the edge, at
individuals battered by poverty, ignorance and hopelessness."
— The Vancouver Sun
"Exudes vitality."
— Toronto Star
"Judith Thompson
has captured the corrosive imagery and exploding rhythms of life in
Kingston's lower depths, where spiked heels are dangerous weapons and
salvation is driving a cab in Calgary. Thompson so clearly
demonstrates an ability to expose the deepest roots of the theatrical
experience… its language and humanity make the play a minor
masterpiece." — Maclean's
"The Crackwalker's
[characters] are mesmerizingly real. These people live with you."
— The Globe and Mail
About the Playwright:
Judith Thompson, OC
is a highly esteemed Canadian playwright and educator. She has twice won the Governor General's
Literary Award for Drama for White Biting Dog and The Other Side of
the Dark. Other often-produced works include Sled, The
Crackwalker, I Am Yours, Lion in the Streets and many more. In 2006
she was invested as an Officer in the Order of Canada, and in 2008
she became the first Canadian to be awarded the prestigious Susan
Smith Blackburn Prize honouring
the best English-language women writers worldwide for
her play Palace of the End.
She is currently a professor at the University of Guelph for the School
of English and Theatre Studies teaching courses in acting and
playwriting.