NURSE JANE GOES TO HAWAII
by Allan Stratton
April 23-May 15, 2027
Directed by Cliona Kenny
Producers: Anne Harper, David Nicholson
What the play’s about:
When Vivien Bliss, writer of Harlequin Romance novels, comes to spend a romantic weekend with respectably married school teacher Edgar Chisholm, she starts a train of events which involves all the classic elements of farce: confused identities, disguise, long lost relatives, ambushes, chases and glorious mayhem. How Vivien gets her new novel finished in the face of, behind the back of, in spite of and with the help of an advice columnist, a nosy reporter, a doctor in panty hose, an orphan with a cake and Helga the evil Russian physicist, is the story of this hilarious play.
“Howlingly funny … sophisticated comedy and farce.” – Newsday.
About Allan Stratton, the playwright:
Allan says this about himself: “I was raised by a single mom and grew up in Bruce County, Sarnia and London, Ontario. I’ve lived in Manhattan, Montreal, Vancouver and Switzerland – but mostly in Toronto. After starting as an actor, I became a playwright, then an arts school drama head for a few years, and now, since 2000, a novelist. My books have won awards and been published in over twenty countries, which you can read about elsewhere. I always used to have a dog. Right now, though, my partner and I have three cats who think they’re dogs. Aside from animals, I love travel and have been to almost forty countries and on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.”
Allan’s career took off with Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii in 1980; with over 350 North American productions, it is one of the most produced plays in Canadian theatre history. His other plays, which include Rexy!, Papers, and Bag Babies, have variously won the Canadian Authors Association Award, the Dora Mavor Moore Award, the Chalmers Award, and been nominated for the Governor General’s Award.
Allan’s novel Chanda’s Secrets, won over twenty-six awards and citations including the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the Children’s Africana Book Award, and Booklist’s Editor’s Choice. The film adaptation, Life, Above All, won the Francois Chalais Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, 2010, and was South Africa’s official entry for the 2011 Oscar for best foreign language film.
About Cliona Kenny, the director:
Village Players is thrilled to have award-winning Cliona Kenny direct her fourth play with us, following Good People in 2020, Dead Accounts in 2023, and Halfway There in 2025. Her record of accomplishments for Toronto Irish Players include ACT-CO Thea awards as best director for Little Gem (2018) and best direction of an ensemble for Elvis’s Toenail (2015). She had previously been nominated for her direction of Shining City, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Juno and The Paycock, and Translations. Her Little Gem and Translations also both won Theas in their year for best production. Her 2020 Good People with Village Players won a startling 9 Thea nominations, including Best Production. That shows the kind of first-rate performances she’s able to inspire in her actors – which she will now do again for the benefit of Village Players audiences. An actor herself, Cliona’s roles have included Moll in Moll, Dophie in Midden, Eileen in The Cripple of Innishmaan, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town, Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa, and Mrs. Tancred in Juno and The Paycock. Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii will be the only the second Canadian play (and first farce) Cliona has directed.
Village Players 