On July 1, 1916, the best and the brightest of a
generation of Newfoundland men were virtually wiped out. From every bay and
cove and town, from fishing stage to merchant's home, they marched off to
the Great War, proud members of their very own Newfoundland Regiment, never
suspecting what one terrible morning of treachery would bring. The Battle of
Beaumont Hamel is considered the greatest tragedy in Newfoundland and
Labrador’s history.
Beyond the trenches were lovers and mothers and others
who held them dear. The soldiers were part of the immeasurable turmoil of
war, yet as they travelled to dangerous and distant lands they were never
without the spirit and humour they brought from their homeland.
Adapted for stage from the novel of the same name.
“This past summer in Trinity, among those who had come to No Man’s Land was a very, very old man. At the end, he stood up and he said, ‘I knew these men. I knew them.’ It was, in its simplicity, the most powerful statement that one could ever hear about the play.”
Donna Butt
“Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.”
John Moss
"No Man's Land is a gripping
drama. . . . The tale is well told, informative without being
expository, embedded with subtle touches of the soldiers' panic and
homesickness."
The Telegram
"The play is sensitively written using the
songs and values of the time to underline what we would consider a naive
view of war, one that makes the end of many of these soldier all the more
poignant."
CM: Canadian Review of
Materials
"This masterful adaptation of his celebrated
war novel includes archival illustrations and photographs by Ned Pratt from
Rising Tide Theatre's 2001 and 2003 productions of the piece in an
exquisitely designed softcover edition."
Canadian Book Review
Annual
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