Foreword, Afterword and Chronology by James Noonan. The Donnellys is a tragedy nothing like any of Shakespeare’s, but it belongs in such company. As with the drama of Yeats, Eliot, O’Neill, Brecht and Beckett, this rendering of a generation of Irish settlers and their brutal murder at the hands of more than thirty vigilante killers is controversial and exciting to this day. The Donnellys (English, Paperback, Reaney James) Based on a true story, these three plays explore the saga of a secret society and massacre that stunned the.

Nicholas Hotel and Handcuffs, three tense and mythic tragedies that garnered critical praise at the 1973 Tarragon Theatre opening and continue to acquire accolades from professors, actors and artistic directors across the country. The Donnellys is a trilogy comprised of Sticks & Stones, St. First published in 1975, this script takes its place among other true Canadian classics on university and college course listings and in the hearts of drama lovers everywhere. The Donnelly Trilogy by James Reaney Adapted, abridged, and directed by Artistic Director Gil Garratt Part I: Sticks and Stones, June 22-September 1 Part II: The St. 10 As well, Reaney coauthored several operas with musician John Beckwith, including Night-Blooming Cereus (1960), The Shivaree (1982), and Crazy To Kill (1988).

It is the story of a secret society and a massacre that shocked the Canadian public, a story overlooked by the artistic community until Reaney’s play elevated the events to the level of legend. The Donnellys toured nationally in 1975, from Halifax to Vancouver with the NDWT Theatre Company, 3 again with Turnbull directing. Based on the true story of an Irish family with seven sons and one daughter immigrating to Biddulph Township near London, Ontario, in 1844, The Donnellys tells the tale of mystery and truths stranger than fiction.

The Donnellys by James Reaney