The Drowning Girls and Comrades

The Drowning Girls

Bessie, Alice, and Margaret have two things in common: they are married to George Joseph Smith, and they are dead. Surfacing from the bathtubs they were drowned in, the three breathless brides gather evidence against their womanizing, murderous husband by reliving the shocking events leading up to their deaths. Reflecting on the misconceptions of love, married life, and the not-so-happily ever after, The Drowning Girls is both a breathtaking fantasia and a social critique, full of rich images, a myriad of characters, and lyrical language.

Comrades

Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco dreamt of the land of the free. Leaving their small Italian villages, they embarked on a long voyage to the United States, only to encounter a world they never could have imagined. Controversially imprisoned for murder, both men must fight for their lives amidst discrimination and public humiliation. Based on actual events, Comrades bring to life Sacco and Vanzetti’s seven-year imprisonment and explores the struggles and agonies of two men, tried not for what they did, but for who they were.

AUTHOR

Beth Graham

Daniela Vlaskalic is an actor and playwright who lives and works in Canada. Since graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting, she has worked in numerous theatres across the country. Daniela began collaborating with Beth Graham and Charlie Tomlinson in 1999 with The Drowning Girls and continued collaborating with Beth on several plays, including Comrades, The Last Train (winner of the 2003 Alberta Playwrights Network Playwriting Competition), and Mules. They also shared the role of artist-in-residence at Catalyst Theatre in 2006. Daniela currently lives in Toronto.

AUTHOR

Liz Nicholls

Liz Nicholls is a theatre writer, traveller, and appreciator of all matters theatrical.

Reviews

“The imaginative depth of The Drowning Girls is enough to take your breath away.” —Bob Clark, Calgary Herald
“If the job of political theatre is to inspire or warn, to ignite new ideas or incinerate old ones with the heat of emotion, Comrades has more than punched in.” —Liz Nicholls, Edmonton Journal