The Drawer Boy was written by Canadian playright Michael Healey.
Morgan was played by Gary Neil Johnson (left), and Gary Holcombe (right) played Angus.
Gary Holcombe as Angus and David Graham Jones as Miles.
Photos: Don Ipock
Writing the program essay for Michael Healey's The Drawer Boy was personally edifying for several reasons. My grandfather owned a dairy farm and I spent many days there when I was growing up. This gave me a personal insight into the everyday workings of farm life and the world of the characters of Morgan and Angus. Likewise, my theatrical training gave a window into the character of Miles, a "city slicker" (as we call them in Missouri) who is trying to learn about farm life for a theatrical project.
My research for the essay led me to a wonderful book about the project on which Healey's play is based. The Farm Show: A Collective Creation (1976) was compiled by Ted Johns, a member of the original Theatre Passe Muraille. This book was also able to provide some production photographs that were used to accompany the essay in the final program.
