About this item
Highlights
- Waiting for the Parade is John Murrell's play, set in Calgary during World War II, in which five women gather to work for the war effort while their men are away.
- About the Author: John Murrell was born in 1945 in Texas, but has lived for many years in Calgary, Alberta.
- 112 Pages
- Drama, Canadian
Description
About the Book
In Waiting for the Parade, women work for the war effort while their men are away. Cast of 5 women.Book Synopsis
Waiting for the Parade is John Murrell's play, set in Calgary during World War II, in which five women gather to work for the war effort while their men are away. Waiting for the Parade was first performed by Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary. Subsequently, it has been performed by Northern Light Theatre, Edmonton; Bastion Theatre, Victoria; Tarragon Theatre, Toronto; the National Art Centre, Ottawa; Centaur Theatre, Montreal; and at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, England.
From the Back Cover
Waiting for the Parade is John Murrell's play, set in Calgary during Word War II, in which five women gather to work for the war effort while their men are away. Waiting for the Parade was first performed by Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary. Subsequently, it has been performed by Northern Light Theatre, Edmonton; Bastion Theatre, Victoria; Tarragon Theatre, Toronto; the National Arts Centre, Ottawa; Centaur Theatre, Montreal; and at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, England.Review Quotes
"...subdued and definitely reflective. It's told not from the male point of view, but from the women left behind to raise children, keep factories operational, and bolster young solders as they leave for the killing fields. ... an honest appraisal and speaks directly to the heart. ... In short, this is a parade of talent worth seeing. " - St. Albert Gazette
"Waiting for the Parade demonstrates the old theatrical law that a play that is local, detailed and specific often has the capacity to reach out beyond its immediate environment. Set in Calgary, Alberta, Waiting for the Parade deals with the way five women coped with the pressures of World War II. Geographically, the conflict may have been remote, but it still impinged on individual lives. Waiting for the Parade is an honest play that captures precisely the texture of ordinary hopes and despairs."
-- The Guardian
"An honest appraisal and speaks directly to the heart. ... In short, this is a parade of talent worth seeing. " - St. Albert Gazettez
About the Author
John Murrell was born in 1945 in Texas, but has lived for many years in Calgary, Alberta. He has been playwright-in-residence with Alberta Theatre Projects from 1975 to 1976, associate director of the Stratford Festival from 1977 to 1978, and head of the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts Playwrights Colony in 1986. In 1988 he was appointed Head of the Canada Council's Theatre Section. Murell's 1980 play Waiting for the Parade has become a classic repertoire piece in theatres in the English-speaking world.