New Releases by Vern Thiessen

A wealthy businessman wakes up bound and gagged in a utility shed, kidnapped by his own employees--brothers and icemen Joe and Rennie. In the midst of the Great Depression, the brothers'' ice harvesting livelihood in Kempenfelt Bay is melting away due to the advent of refrigeration, only to further line the pockets of their employers. Desperate to claim what is rightfully theirs, these honest workers turned reluctant captors will stop at nothing to bring their greedy boss to a final reckoning. ICEMEN by Governor General''s Literary Award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that exposes the human cost of capitalism and asks, when the wealthy exploit the working class, who are the real criminals?

Considered a masterpiece of Canadian literature, Margaret Laurence''s The Diviners is the compelling story of Morag Gunn, a woman who perseveres through challenge after challenge as she attempts to carve out an authentic life as a writer. The play moves backward and forward through time, taking us to Morag''s impoverished childhood in rural Manitoba, her early struggles to establish herself as a female artist, and her present, as she works to finish a novel while navigating a thorny relationship with her teenage daughter, Pique. Inextricably bound with Morag''s Scottish settler story is the Metis story of Jules Tonnerre, her friend, lover, and Pique''s father. Adapted for the stage by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan, The Diviners illuminates issues of identity, class, and reconciliation.

Étaples, France, 1918. Nurses Christy, Maggie, and Bab have crossed oceans to care for wounded Canadian soldiers in the Great War. Despite the terrible injuries they must deal with, they manage to stay hopeful as the dangers of the front draw closer to their hospital. As each woman becomes accustomed to her duties and patients, they reveal more personal details to one another and through letters to loved ones. Maggie misses her close friend she lived with back home and worries for their future together. Christy writes to her soldier husband, but she knows there''s a difference between the life she should lead with him and the one she wants. Bab longs for what she can''t have: her beloved grandpa, a married soldier, a child. Through it all, the three women find friendship, independence, power, and influence in a place where men, once again, are trying to destroy the world.

In this fictionalized story based on true events, award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen shows how an inspiring part of history made a local impact and established an internationally renowned legacy.

After Vladimir Lenin''s death, Stalin orders two Jewish scientists to preserve Lenin''s body for all time. If they succeed, the rewards will be considerable. If not, it''s the gulag ƒ‚‚"ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚" or worse. Based on real events, Vern Theissen''s nimble dark comedy exposes the absurdities of Soviet life under Stalin. Lenin''s Embalmers is part of L.A. Theatre Works'' Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays.ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚Major funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world. Starring, in alphabetical order: JD Cullum, Gregory Harrison, Simon Helberg, Jon Matthews, Rufus Sewell, John Sloan, Mark Jude Sullivan, and Jocelyn Towne. Associate Artistic Director, Anna Lyse Erikson. Senior Radio Producer, Ronn Lipkin. Recording Engineer and Editor, Erick Cifuentes. Sound Designer and Mixer, Mark Holden for the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood. Directed by Martin Jarvis.

When Philip meets Mildred, a disarming tea-shop waitress, he finds his yearning for art and experience consumed by his intense attraction to her. Mildred, for all her teasing, isn''t all that interested in Philip, but rather in flattery, possessions, and security. Yet Philip, in a powerful haze of passion and pride, obsessively pursues Mildred despite the anguish and emotional carnage that repels and binds them at all costs. Of Human Bondage is a grand story of lust, unrequited love, and the pursuit of beauty.

A new, fresh edition. Winner of the 2003 Governor General''s Literary Award for Drama.

A powerful and eye opening play by Governer General''s Literary award winner Vern Thiessen.

Same as the old version (same cover, copy and reviews), except it has some revised text.

Two plays from Governor General''s Literary Award winner Vern Thiessen.

A collection of short plays by award-winning author Vern Thiessen.

Andy is in trouble. Downsized from his job, his marriage in crises, he looks to a mysterious young woman for salvation. But when his wife becomes seriously ill, Andy must make a choice: care for an estranged wife, or run away with a woman he knows little about. A haunting tale of sex, secrets and the second chances.

What do food, funerals, the Edmonton tornado and Mila Mulroney have in common? Join the elegant and debonair caterer Lumiere as he serves you up a whole new eating experience.

Dawn lives in a fantasy world of comic book heroes.