Cruel Tears is one of the most original and inventive theatre pieces ever staged in Canada. Shakespeare buffs may see in the play certain intriguing parallels to Othello, but in Cruel Tears, the jealous hero is a Ukrainian truck driver from Saskatoon, not a moor of Venice. Described as a “country opera,” the play is written in the idiom of country and western music and features music by the Saskatchewan musical group, Humphrey & Dumptrucks.

Born in 1940, Ken Mitchell grew up on the outskirts of Moose Jaw, and worked in journalism briefly before studying sociology and literature at the University of Regina. He became a teacher of creative writing in 1970, and has taught creative writing and literature ever since, in Banff, Victoria, Scotland, and China, besides Regina where he teaches at present. Since 1972, Mitchell has released over twenty books of fiction, poetry, and drama, over ten of which have been plays. In 1999 he was inducted into the Order of Canada for his contribution to the arts. He co-founded the Saskatchewan Writers Guild in 1969, Grain Magazine in 1973, the Saskatchewan Writers/Artists Colony in 1978, and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre in 1982.

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“A unique and astonishing dramatic event.”
— Calgary Herald

“A brilliantly original theatre piece.”
— Montreal Star