Matthew Mackenzie

From the author of Bears comes two dark comedies that expose the effects of disturbing the natural order and what we’re capable of when pushed to our breaking point.

Set in the aftermath of the disaster that nearly destroyed Fort McMurray in 2016, After the Fire centres around two couples whose lives have been deeply affected by the ruin. Sisters Laura and Carmell have been channelling their devastation after the disaster into their daughters’ hockey team . . . maybe a little too much. Their Indigenous oil-worker husbands Barry and Ty are fighting their own demons as they try to sort out how to move on, while digging a very big hole.

In The Particulars, a week’s worth of daily routines for an insomniac is disrupted by a mysterious home invasion. Gordon battles his invaders on two main fronts—in his home, where he believes he is dealing with vermin, and in his yard, where insects have taken over his garden. By day, Gordon forges ahead, in control of every aspect of his life. But by night, the scratching he has begun to hear in his walls is unravelling him, driving him to the edge of cosmic desperation.

The sharp commentary in these two plays will shock and satisfy the temptation of taking matters into your own hands.

Reviews
“After the Fire may have one of the greatest surprise endings ever in a Canadian play—and certainly has one of the most Canadian surprise endings ever to a play . . . It is also good writing that alters your perception of all of the characters, the state of their relationships—and maybe Fort McMurray as well.”— J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail

“The Particulars entices you with its details, but it’s the exploration of life’s biggest mysteries that will break your heart.”— Carly Maga, Toronto Star

"Moving and funny, audaciously strange . . . Suffice it to say that it’s as if Martin McDonagh took up writing the kind of Canadian family plays where revealing dark secrets of the past usually tends to be the way forward. Basically, [After the Fire] blows that Canuck m.o. into smithereens, while slyly seducing us into feeling its embrace."— Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca

"The writing [in The Particulars] stands on its own—I like how our narrator speaks of himself in third person—and MacKenzie effectively brings the cyclical smallness of a life to life."— Elizabeth Withey, Edmonton Journal

Additional Information
120 pages | 5.37" x 8.38" | Paperback

As the prime suspect in a workplace accident, Floyd has to get out of town fast. Pursued by the RCMP, he heads through the Rockies for Burnaby, BC, along the route of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. By the time he reaches the Pacific, Floyd has experienced changes: his gait widening, muscles bulging, sense of smell heightening…

Awards

• 2018 Carol Bolt Award winner
• 2018 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play winner
• 2018 Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best New Canadian Play winner

Reviews
“Bears is inventive and daring theatre.”— Liz Nicholls, Edmonton Journal

“It’s packed with the same adrenaline rush you’d get from a sprint. And like any run, Bears will leave you breathless.” — Amanda Ghazale Aziz, NOW Magazine

“It’s a blend of chase story, identity search, ode to Indigenous spirituality, dark comedy, interdisciplinary spectacle, and eco-activist plea.”— The Georgia Straight

Educator Information
Bears has been performed in Edmonton, Maskwacîs, Saddle Lake First Nation, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Canmore, Kamloops, Wells, and Victoria.

Additional Information
64 pages | 5.00" x 7.50"

Matt and Masha hit it off during a theatre research trip in Ukraine. At first they seem like opposites: Masha loves the sea, Matt loves mountains. Masha is Ukrainian, Matt is Métis. But the passionate spark ignited between them cannot be denied. Despite the improbabilities of a cross-continental relationship, a few fairy-tale visits overseas solidifies their bond. But when it seems distance could be the only obstacle in their path, a series of extreme circumstances put their commitment to the ultimate test.

Based on actual events, First Métis Man of Odesa is the extraordinary true story of a whirlwind romance that withstands a global pandemic, a surprise pregnancy, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Transcending the usual tropes of documentary theatre, this heartwarming how-we-got-together tale turns art of the here and now into a catalyst for action and a hopeful ode for a better future.

Awards

• 2024 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play winner

Reviews
“A star-crossed, windswept, war-torn romcom that waltzes back and forth across the threshold that separates dreams from nightmares.” — Ben Waldman, Winnipeg Free Press

“Many of the best tales in the show are so deeply improbable, or so straightforwardly honest, that the plot lines could never have held up as fiction; but as the true stories they are, they triumph.” — Julia Peterson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“For all its full-blown drama, First Métis Man of Odesa retains a dreamy charm without ever letting go of the truth.”— Liane Faulder, Edmonton Journal

Additional Information
80 pages | 5.12" x 7.62" | Paperback