{"product_id":"the-first-stone-9780369105455","title":"The First Stone","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo one remembers why it started--\u003cbr\u003eWhat the first stone was for--\u003cbr\u003eAnd so no one can think of a reason to stop.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCan something torn apart by war be put together again? From the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eGas Girls\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSound of the Beast\u003c\/i\u003e, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard's \u003ci\u003eThe First Stone\u003c\/i\u003e is an epic-yet-intimate exploration of the harrowing path from violence to forgiveness. In an unnamed village in a country modeled after Uganda, two children are captured by an army and forced to commit unimaginable atrocities while their family longs for their return. Through poetry and song, this insightful drama sheds light on the exploitation of child abductees, the communities from which they are stolen, the determination to bring them home, and the hard road to reconciliation that follows.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpansive in its scope, \u003ci\u003eThe First Stone\u003c\/i\u003e is a profound parable that traces ancestral cycles of violence and the imperatives of transformative justice with staggering clarity. This merciful call for humanity follows one family's struggle to reunite, measuring the cost of holding on and the grace of letting go.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDonna-Michelle St. Bernard\u003c\/b\u003e, a.k.a. Belladonna the Blest, is an emcee, playwright, agitator, and practitioner of humanitarian arts. Her main body of work, the 54ology, includes \u003ci\u003eCake\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSound of the Beast\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Man A Fish\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSalome's Clothes\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGas Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGive It Up\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Smell of Horses\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBilguisa Speaks Up\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDiggers\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eConjugal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHunt\/Peck\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe First Stone\u003c\/i\u003e. She is a contributor to \u003ci\u003eThe Only Good Indian\u003c\/i\u003e (Jiv Parasram, Tom Arthur Davis\/Pandemic Theatre), \u003ci\u003eForbidden \u003c\/i\u003e(Afarin Mansouri\/Tapestry Opera), and \u003ci\u003eOubliette \u003c\/i\u003e(Ivan Barbotin\/Tapestry Opera). Other theatre works include \u003ci\u003eReaching For Starlight\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThey Say He Fell\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Final Inquiry\u003c\/i\u003e. She is co-editor with Yvette Nolan of \u003ci\u003eRefractions: Solo\u003c\/i\u003e (2014) and \u003ci\u003eRefractions: Scenes\u003c\/i\u003e (2020) and editor of \u003ci\u003eIndian Act: Residential School Plays\u003c\/i\u003e (2018), all published with Playwrights Canada Press.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaddie Bautista\u003c\/b\u003e is a Bi, Saudi Arabia-born Filipina sound designer and composer. You can catch Maddie creating and shaping sound in iconic theatres across the country--from composing original music in the earliest stages of new work development, to tuning systems with live musicians and large casts. She has created music and sound designs for over 80 productions and counting across Canada, for theatres such as the Stratford Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects, the Grand Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Soulpepper, Tarragon, and more. After the sun goes down, she moonlights as half of xLq with Jordan Campbell--a queer pop performance duo who tours across the country with their daring, interactive theatre and bizarre, grungy drag.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Playwrights Canada Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52127621218578,"sku":"9780369105455","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_776c2c7a-637f-4d84-affc-dfd4da787b9c.jpg?v=1773739275","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-first-stone-9780369105455","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}