Play Memory

Written by:

Joanna McClelland Glass

Cast Size:
11

Roles For:

  • Men: 8
  • Women: 3

Genre:

Drama

Themes:

Abuse
Alcoholism
Broadway
Canada
Capitalism
Children
Class
Community
Death
Depression
Domestic Abuse
Family
Growing Up
Health
Home
Loss
Memory
Mental Health
Money
Ontario
Parenthood
Poverty
Work
Youth

Length:

120 min.

Synopsis:

An examination of the decline and fall of Cam MacMillan, a prairie salesman who considers himself a Canadian “aristocrat”. When he is chosen as the scapegoat during a World War II gas-ration scandal, he is unable to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. We watch the effects of his alcoholism on his wife and daughter, and journey with them on their voyage toward survival. Nominated for a Tony Award on Broadway in 1984.

Characters:

Cam MacMillan

Ruth MacMillan

Jean MacMillan

Mike Melzewski

Roy

Billy

Ken

Ernest

Duncan

Miss Halverson

Ross

First Produced:

1983 McCarter Theatre, New Jersey

Resources:

Play Memory is available through Concord Theatricals.

To view other works by this playwright, click here.

Notes:

Nominated for the 1984 Tony Award for Best Play.

The legendary Harold Prince staged Play Memory in 1984 at the McCarter Theatre, Princeton, New Jersey, before moving to Broadway with Donald Moffat. Its Canadian premiere was in 1986 at the 25th Street Theatre in Saskatoon.

Featured Play Category:

Sarah's Picks

Selection Notes:

Sarah's Picks: Written from the perspective of Jean, patriarch Cam MacMillan's teenage daughter, the playwright leads you through the memories of living with alcoholism. McLelland Glass expertly portrays the adolescent psyche struggling to find warmth and attachment inside the downward spiral of addiction and depression.