Selkirk Avenue

David E. Kemp, former drama professor at Queen’s University, is the
author of The Pleasures and Treasures of the United Kingdom.

Bruce McManus, the author of 16 plays, seems totally in control of the
style, structure, and content of this work.

Selkirk Avenue is located in Winnipeg. In the play, Harold, a resident
of the street who is also a photographer, tells the stories of three
families—Jewish, Polish, and Native—who once boarded at his home. In
less talented hands, a storyline that winds back and forth through the
1930s, the 1950s, and the present might be difficult to follow, but
McManus writes and plots with total clarity, interweaving the various
stories he has to tell but never once confusing or losing his audience.
He gives us dialogue that is crisp and realistic and characters who ride
a satisfying roller coaster of emotions. This quintessential
slice-of-life drama is a work of remarkable power and depth.