The New Canadian Curling Club

A Chinese medical student, a Jamaican Tim Horton's manager, an Indian father of three, and a 17-year-old Syrian refugee walk into a curling club. It's Monday night at a small-town rink and it's the first-ever Learn to Curl class for new Canadians. Inspired by the local refugee resettlement program, community-minded Marlene organized this evening to welcome newcomers and diversify the club. But when she slips on the ice and breaks her hip, the club's ice-maker--who also happens to be Marlene's ex-husband--Stuart MacPhail is forced to step in as head coach. Trouble is, Stuart has plenty of opinions about immigrants. What follows is the hilarious and inspiring story of a group of unlikely athletes who face off against local prejudice and become a true team. Both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly moving, The New Canadian Curling Club is a new Canadian comedy with a heart as big as Canada itself!

Since his first play premiered in 2014, Mark Crawford has quickly become one of Canada's most popular playwrights. That first play, Stag and Doe, premiered at the Blyth Festival, has had several productions here at home, and recently had its international premiere in Lodz, Poland. His next play, Bed and Breakfast, premiered at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in 2015 and has gone on to be produced by many theatres across the country--often with Mark in the cast. In 2016, The Birds and the Bees premiered at Blyth; it's received a dozen productions and counting! Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures--a play for young audiences--premiered with Carousel Players in 2017. It has been remounted by that company, produced by Theatre Orangeville, and will receive more stagings in the next year. All of Mark's previous plays are published by Scirocco Drama. As an actor, Mark has performed at theatres from coast to coast. He grew up on his family's farm near Glencoe, Ontario, studied theatre at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, and now lives in Stratford.