I've been working for over a year on a play entitled Last Day, Last Hour which is about one of the most sensational courtroom battles in Canadian history. The case was a libel suit brought in 1928 by Sir Arthur Currie, the man who had led the Canadian Corps to victory in World War I. The cause of his grievance was a front-page editorial in the Port Hope Evening Guide which claimed that Currie had needlessly wasted Canadian lives, particularly during the advance toward Mons in the last days of the war. The trial placed Canada’s role in the war under a microscope and its proceedings kept the country riveted for weeks. I've incorporated some of the dialogue from the trial transcripts for the courtroom scenes in what I trust will be a compelling drama. The Curtain Club in Richmond Hill did a first reading of the play in March which was hugely helpful. I've revised it since then and the VOS Theatre Group in Cobourg will be giving another reading on Saturday October 17 at 7:00. And what I'm very excited about is that it will take place in the historic courthouse in Victoria Hall, Cobourg, where the original trial took place 88 years ago. Even more exciting is that the VOS plans to do a full production of the play in May 2016 as part of Cobourg's World War I commemorations. Here's a photo of director Bea Quarrie with VOS member Florence Fletcher making plans in the Cobourg courthouse. What a setting!
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