Running Through the Devil's Club: A Theatrical Exploration in Healing

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

Created by award-winning artist-educator Deborah Hurford and a group of
women actors and musicians, Running Through the Devil’s Club was a
powerful and intense theatrical experience that challenged and changed
the perceptions of its audience—and its creators—as it explored the
issues of spousal abuse and sexual violence in our culture. This
remarkable book chronicles in great detail the development of the
production of Running Through the Devil’s Club. It also provides deep
insight into the feelings of the cast and the reactions of the audience
as the play toured prisons, women’s centres, and communities
throughout Western Canada.

This intensely personal document is reinforced by transcripts of
discussions with two other well-known directors who have created
successful shows within the genre of popular theatre: Ellen Sproule, who
created The Tir Show—a collection of women’s stories about the
history and sexuality of breasts—and Heather D. Swain, who developed a
show that tackled the subject of depression.