Firewater

Synopsis:

It is 1932. American prohibition and the great depression dominate Canadian life in the Border Cities (now known as Windsor Ontario and Detroit Michigan). The men appear to have all the power – in both politics and in the workplace. But in actuality it is the women who have the real strength. So while the Judge and The Captain fiercely oppose one another as candidates for Mayor – Delilah the African American, Martha the wealthy racist and Marie, an Ojibway single mother, unite and conquer to make their world a better place for all.

Note – In 1932 the majority of Essex residents were French Canadian, American, British and Indigenous. Windsor was the end of Canada’s rail line and attracted many of the desperate unemployed who rode the rails from as far away as Québec to the Windsor terminus.

Characters:

Marie LaFramboise – 32 years old, Indigenous Ojibwe, strong, pragmatic and beautiful.

Evelyn LaFramboise – her 16 year old Métis daughter –- appears white

Delilah Washington – her kind and imposing African American friend approx. 45 years old

Martha Fields – her blissfully ignorant employer, about 30 years old

Patrick O’Brien – her late father’s friend, a kind large man, 20 years older than Marie, Irish descent

Captain Lesperance – the handsome and confident French Canadian Captain of “The Lansdowne” ferry, 40 to 45 years old
.
Philippe Langlois – 20 years old, an enthusiastic young man, employed on “The Lansdowne”

Townspeople of all ages.

First Produced:

Reading at "Cold Reads" Toronto 2018

Resources:

The play can be accessed by emailing the playwright at renee_baillargeon@hotmail.com