About the Play:

The New Canadian Curling Club is a full-length comedy by Mark Crawford. A Chinese medical student, a Jamaican Tim Horton's manager, an Indian father of three, and a 17-year-old Syrian refugee walk into a small town curling club for a free, introductory "Learn to Curl" class, open exclusively to newcomers to Canada. Trouble is, the reluctant coach has some strong opinions about immigrants. Will this group of unlikely athletes – facing off against prejudice, pulled groins, and slippery ice – become a true team in time to face the high-pressure of competition for the coveted Highlander Cup?

The New Canadian Curling Club takes a look at four new Canadians trying to make sense of their new culture by becoming a curling team. Charmaine Bailey is originally from Jamaica, Fatima Al-Sayed is from Syria, Anoopjeet Singh hails from India, and Mike Chang came from China. It's Monday night at a small-town rink and it's the first-ever "Learn to Curl" program for new Canadians. Inspired by the local refugee resettlement program, community-minded Marlene organized this evening to welcome newcomers and "diversify the club." But when she slips on the ice and breaks her hip, a salty old rink rat, Stuart MacPhail – who also happens to be Marlene's curmudgeonly, grumpy, politically incorrect ex-husband – is forced to step in as head coach. Trouble is, Stuart, a former champion curler himself, has plenty of unsavoury opinions about immigrants in Canada. What follows is the perfect combination of comedy, cantankerousness, and crashing granite, as this unlikely group of wouldbe athletes face off against local prejudice to become a true team and compete in the most prestigious local bonspiel: the highly coveted Highlander Cup. Both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly moving, The New Canadian Curling Club gives us a chance to watch everyone learn something important along the way

The New Canadian Curling Club premiered in 2018 at the Blyth Festival in Huron County, Ontario. It then opened in 2019 at Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary and became the highest-grossing play for single ticket sales for a non-holiday production in the company's 48-year history.

Cast: 2 women, 3 men

What people say:

"By the end ... you might find yourself sweeping hard for The New Canadian Curling Club." — Globe and Mail

"The New Canadian Club is the perfect combination of realistic prejudice due to lack of exposure to other cultures, mixed with dark comedy to lighten the very real and topical connection to the refugee crisis and political climate today." — Goderich Signal Star

About the Playwright:

Mark Crawford is a Canadian actor who has performed at theatres across Canada. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, he grew up on his family's beef farm near Glencoe, a small town in south-western Ontario, and now lives in Stratford.