Night of the TricksterAbout the Play:Tomson Highway, the Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts, and celebrated playwright, called me in late autumn, to ask if I could write a play for a spring performance. The play he is working on, Rose, would not be ready. In that moment I saw it as a challenge and I said sure, I’ll do it.I had no idea how to write a play. Because I’m hard of hearing I rarely go to the theatre as I miss most of the dialogue. So off I go to a bookstore specializing in the arts, and buy a book, How to Write a Play, by Raymond Hull. What should my play be about? I’ve already written about everything that concerns me. Ah, but two events have happened recently that I could use. Since I’m not planning to write that much, I’ll use them both. One is the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba and the other is Elijah Harper saying “no” to Mulroney’s Meech Lake Accord. His “No!” will become relevant in my play, as my characters will come to say, “No! We will not be raped anymore.” With that, I write about a woman who has recently been raped and how her friends and her husband try to help her heal. 
Cast:Doris Linklater Jack Burning Marrie Mumford Gloria May-Eshkibok Pamela Matthews/Jani Lauzon Loon Hawk (and Magnolia, a white rabbit) Crew: Reviews:Writer’s mix of poignancy and humor does the trickMosionier’s accomplishments are impressive, particularly her ability to pivot between light and dark, a feat that often eludes even the most experienced dramatists. - Vit Wagner, Theatre Notes, The Toronto Star, 1992 Interview with Doris Linklater: “I really wanted to do this play,” Linklater says. “It’s very much a woman’s piece dealing with the twin issues of rape and the legal system. And while I’m not a hard-core feminist, I’ve dedicated my performance to the women of Manitoba who are opposing the Constitution. “It’s not an easy story, but Mosionier writes beautifully. There’s also a lot of humour in it.” And humour is important to Linklater. “We might have lost everything, but we still have the strength of our spirituality and the ability to laugh at ourselves. That’s the most important thing our elders have taught us about survival.” - Mira Friedlander, Stage, The Toronto Star, 1992
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