Prairie Nurse, which premiered at the Blyth Festival, is a comedy about two Filipino nurses who come to work at a small-town Saskatchewan hospital in the late 1960s. Cultural clashes, personality differences, homesickness, and the amorous but dim-witted goalie from the local hockey team complicate the women’s lives. Based on the true story of her mother’s immigration to Canada, Badian’s play is part romantic comedy, part farce, and part cultural history.
About the Author
Marie Beath Badian is a Toronto playwright, actor, and dramaturge. Her work includes Prairie Nurse, The Making of St. Jerome (nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards), Mind Over Matter, and Novena. In addition to a CBC Radio Drama adaptation of Novena, she has also written for CBC Radio’s Outfront. Marie Beath has been playwright-in-residence at fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Company and with Project Humanity. Marie Beath was a member of the HotHouse Playwright Unit at Cahoots Theatre Company and a member of the 2013 Tarragon Playwright Unit. She spent two seasons as director of the Blyth Festival Young Company, two seasons as co-director of Youth Programs at Nightwood Theatre, and two seasons as Associate Artistic Director/Associate Artist at Theatre Direct Canada. Marie Beath is a graduate of the Ryerson Theatre School.
CBC PlayME Podcast – Prairie Nurse
A free audio drama version of Prairie Nurse produced by PlayME is also available from CBC Podcasts. You can listen to all three parts of Prairie Nurse as well as an interview with Marie Beath Badian at the links below.
