About the Play:

Vimy has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Four or Five Person Scenes.

Vimy is a full-length drama by Vern Thiessen about one of the seminal battles in Canadian history. But it is not a play about war, it is a dreamscape where small actions define us as individuals and as a nation. Here innocence is lost and lovers torn apart by the tidal forces of history. This abstract and poetic memory play makes concrete the lives of eight young Canadians. Our nationhood is defined as much by their courage and sacrifice as by their common love of our rugged landscape.

Vimy explores the trials and tribulations of four wounded Canadian soldiers recovering in a field hospital in France in the wake of the battle for Vimy Ridge, waiting to find out where they'll be sent next: back home or back to the front. Clare, a nurse from Nova Scotia, tends to the men – accepting their pain, while she mends her own. Governor General's Literary Award-winner Vern Thiessen takes his characters, drawn from a spectrum of Canada's regions and peoples, and shows how the battle has redefined them. Coming from different perspectives through the eyes of five people, we perceive why we fight and what we fight for. Vimy is an impressive elegy on how a nation's defining moment is reflected in the lives of everyday people, their hopes and their dreams.

Vimy premiered in 2007 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton to commemorate the 90th anniversary of 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge in World War I. It won the Carol Bolt Award for Drama and was nominated for Sterling Award for Outstanding New Play. A piece rooted in Canadian pride, the play has been performed across the country numerous times.

Cast: 3 female, 5 male (alternate casting 1 female, 2 male with doubling)

What people say:

"Elegiac, spare and elegant… Vimy is a testament to the power of remembrance, the anchor of identity and the solace of memory." — VUE Weekly

"A superbly crafted masterpiece." — The Gateway

"A powerful and moving piece of theatre." — Edmonton Sun

"First rate… In a country where nationalist fervour and even basic historical knowledge have always been in short supply, it will be an eye opener." — Edmonton Journal

"A poetic reality that express(es) a country, a war and individual lives." The Chronicle Herald

"Poetic, haunting and terrifyingly real." — See Magazine

About the Playwright:

Vern Thiessen is one of Canada's most produced playwrights. He has written for stage, radio and television. His stage plays – including Vimy – have been seen off-Broadway and in regional theatres across Canada, the United States, Asia, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Europe. He is the winner of many awards including the Governor General's Literary Award, Canada's highest honour for playwriting. He splits his time between Canada and New York City.