BRIEF SUMMARY
REVIEWS AND LINKS
Two-hander reaps a delightfully full Harvest – The Globe and Mail
Port Stanley’s ‘Harvest’ play brilliantly scripted, performed – St. Thomas Times-Journal
“True story yields good crop of humour and insights”
“Lunchbox Harvest Yields Comic Gold”
“An honest crop of comedy”
“Acting is reason enough to see Harvest”
“Harvest a bumper crop of acting talent” – Cowichan News Leader
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Act One opens in the raspberry patch as Allan and Charlotte wait for news on the fate of their house. To pass the time they bring the audience up to speed on what has happened with them, the house and their farm, taking on all the roles as required.
They begin by describing the need to sell the farm, then introduce us to their Hungarian neighbour Istvan. They sell the farm to Istvan for less than they were hoping, because he wants only the farm, not the house.
Allan and Charlotte move to a condo in the city and attempt to rent out the house where they raised their children. A young airline pilot named Ron rents the house; he is kind and outgoing, and the elderly couple do not suspect a thing.
However, neither Allan nor Charlotte can fully let go of the past. They continue to pick raspberries across the road and occasionally visit their new tenants. Istvan warns them of some suspicious activities, but neither Allan nor Charlotte fully realizes what is happening, until…
…they knock on the door one day to find the house deserted. Frightened out of their wits they explore the house and discover it has been devastated. When the police come, it is explained to them that “Ron” likely used the house as a grow-op.
Faced with extensive damage, Allan and Charlotte are turned away by the insurance company and must confront the possibility of financial ruin. Even a boycott of the insurance company by the local church, Lions Club and John Deere dealership fails to thaw their cold hearts.
Their only hope is an environmental assessment, which brings us up to the present moment. It is while awaiting the fate of their family home that Allan and Charlotte realize that this adversity has brought them closer together than ever, and has allowed them to rediscover their love for one another.
DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION HISTORY
January 2006
April 2006
March 26-April 14, 2007
February 2007
May 2007
August 2007
June 25-August 16, 2008
2009-present
- Port Stanley Festival Theatre(Port Stanley ON)
- Victoria Playhouse(Petrolia ON)
- The Red Barn Theatre (Jackson’s Point ON)
- Shadow Theatre(Edmonton AB)
- Lighthouse Festival Theatre(Port Dover ON)
- Live Bait Theatre(Sackville NB)
- Persephone Theatre(Saskatoon, SK)
- Theatre Orangeville(Orangeville ON)
- Festival Players of Prince Edward County(Bloomfield, ON)
- Hudson Village Theatre(Hundson, QC)
- Lost and Found Theatre(Kitchener ON)
- Western Canadian Theatre Company(Kamloops BC)
- Chemanus Theatre(Nanaimo BC)
- Gateway Theatre(Richmond BC)
- New West Theatre(Lethbridge AB)
There have been a lot of productions over the years. So many that we now believe Harvest to be the most produced play by an Alberta playwright of the 21st Century.
* If I have inadvertently omitted your production please be sure to contact me and I’ll add your name to the list.