''Of the Fields, Lately'' 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 1973. It is the second in his Mercer Plays series, following '' Leaving Home'' (1972) and preceding ''

Salt-Water Moon ''Salt-Water Moon'' is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by Tarragon Theatre in 1984.Stephen Godfrey, "Tale of two partners adds a new chapter with Mercers' return". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 1, 1984. It is the third in ...

'' (1984), ''

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 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

'' (1988) and ''Soldier’s Heart'' (2001). The play centres on Ben Mercer returning home to attend his aunt's funeral, two years after the events of ''Leaving Home''.John Fraser, "Of the Fields low key but brilliant". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', October 1, 1973. Its original cast included Tim Henry as Ben, Sean Sullivan as his father Jacob,

Florence Paterson Florence Paterson (November 3, 1927 – July 23, 1995) was a Canadian actress. Early life The daughter of machinist and politician George Nightingale and Violet Noseworthy, she was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and was educated there. ...

as his mother Mary, and

Sandy Webster Alexander (Sandy) Webster (January 30, 1923 - March 22, 2017) was a Canadian actor, best known for his regular supporting role as forensic investigator Dr. Chisholm in the drama television series '' The Great Detective''. Background Born and raised ...

as his aunt's widower Wiff Roach. The play was the winner of 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 ...

in 1973. The play received a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production at the Century Theatre in 1980, starring

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. Having made his debut as a stage actor, he made his Breakthrough role, breakthrough on television as Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed Western television miniseries ''Loneso ...

as Ben, William Cain as Jacob, Mary Fogarty as Mary and John Leighton as Wiff. The production was directed by Jamie Brown. A 2009 revival of the play at

Soulpepper Theatre Soulpepper is a theatre company based in Toronto, Ontario.Keith Garebian"Soulpepper Theatre" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', November 4, 2010. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatri ...

starred Jeff Lillico as Ben,

Kenneth Welsh Kenneth Clifford Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian actor, who made over 300 stage, film, and television appearances over a nearly 60-year career. Educated at the National Theatre School, he was a member of the Stratford S ...

as Jacob,

Diane D'Aquila Diane D'Aquila (born October 23, 1952) is an American-Canadian actress. She has appeared in both television and film roles, but is best known for her stage appearances at the Stratford Festival. Early life Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, D'Aquila ...

as Mary and

Eric Peterson Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian television series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (live-action 2004–2009 and fi ...

as Wiff.

Film

Mike Newell directed a television film adaptation of the play, which was broadcast by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

in January 1976.Blaik Kirby, "Of the Fields moving". ''

'', January 10, 1976. In the film, Sullivan and Paterson reprised their roles as Jacob and Mary, while Ben was played by R. H. Thomson and Wiff Roach was played by

Gerard Parkes Gerard Parkes (October 16, 1924 – October 19, 2014) was an Irish-Canadian actor. He was born in Dublin and moved to Toronto in 1956. He is known for playing Doc on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television series ''Fraggle Rock'' and ...

. Sullivan won the

Earle Grey Award The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team (such as SCTV or Royal Canadian Air Fa ...

for best performance in a television movie at the 6th ACTRA Awards in 1977. Lawrence O'Toole, "ACTRA award goes to CBC Beaverbrook play". ''

'', April 15, 1977.

References

{{Mike Newell 1973 plays Plays by David French 1976 films 1976 television films Canadian drama television films CBC Television original films Films directed by Mike Newell Canadian plays adapted into films 1970s Canadian films