''Salt-Water Moon'' is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by

Tarragon Theatre The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.

in 1984.Stephen Godfrey, "Tale of two partners adds a new chapter with Mercers' return". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 1, 1984. It is the third in his Mercer Plays series, following '' Leaving Home'' (1972) and ''

Of the Fields, Lately ''Of the Fields, Lately'' is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by Tarragon Theatre in 1973. It is the second in his Mercer Plays series, following '' Leaving Home'' (1972) and preceding ''Salt-Water Moon'' (1984), '' 1949'' ( ...

'' (1973), and preceding ''

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

'' (1988) and ''Soldier’s Heart'' (2001). Unlike the earlier plays, which centred on Jacob and Mary Mercer's relationships with their adult children in the 1960s, ''Salt-Water Moon'' depicts the beginning of their relationship in 1926. Jacob previously dated Mary until breaking up when he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

a year earlier, but upon returning to Coley's Point he discovers that she is now engaged to another man and sets out to win her back.

Production history

The original Tarragon production starred

Richard Clarkin Richard Clarkin is a Canadian actor. He is most noted for his performance in the 2017 film ''The Drawer Boy'', for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019.Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

for the

Great Canadian Theatre Company The Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) is a professional theatre company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1975 by a group of professors and graduate students at Carleton University. Riding a wave of cultural nationalism, ...

starred Marshall Button and Rona Waddington. A production for the

Blyth Festival Blyth Festival, is a theatrical festival, located in the village of Blyth, Ontario, Canada, which specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays. In addition, the Festival acts as a resource for local groups and makes its facilities ...

in 2004 starred Darren Keay and Charlotte Gowdy; Keay had also played Jacob in the premiere of the sequel ''Soldier's Heart'' in 2001. A 2008 revival for

Soulpepper Theatre Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has sinc ...

starred Jeff Lillico and

Krystin Pellerin Krystin Pellerin (born July 12, 1983) is a Canadian actress of theatre, television, and film. Early life Pellerin was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland. After attending high school at Prince of Wales Collegiate and attending Memorial ...

Awards

The play won both the

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

and the

Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play The Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in Toronto theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to prese ...

in 1985, and was a

Governor General's Literary Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

nominee for English-language drama at the

1985 Governor General's Awards Each winner of the 1985 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. English French References {{GovernorGeneralsAwards Governor General's Awards Governor ...

Bill Glassco William Grant Glassco, (August 30, 1935 – September 13, 2004) was a Canadian theatre director, producer, translator and founder of Toronto's Tarragon Theatre. Born in Quebec City, Quebec, he studied at the University of Toronto, Princeton ...

was also a Dora nominee for Best Director, and Sue LePage was nominated for Best Set Design. At the

15th ACTRA Awards The 15th ACTRA Awards were presented on April 2, 1986 to honour achievements in Canadian television production in 1985. They were the final ACTRA Awards presented before the responsibility for organizing and presenting Canadian television awards w ...

in 1986,

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and former politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ...

won the award for best actress in a radio drama for a

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

production of the play. Urjo Kareda was also nominated, but did not win, best radio writing for the adaptation."ACTRA nominations for 15th annual Nellie Awards on April 2". ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', March 18, 1986.

References

{{reflist 1984 plays Plays by David French Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning plays