Inspired by a quote from the I Ching about how we respond to tragedy -- "Some weep, some blow upon flutes" -- Mary Vingoe's play is the story of Costas, an elderly Greek shoe repair man whose wife Elena suffers from dementia and whose marriage has been eroded by a family secret. Costas is in denial of his wife's illness but Lia, their teenage granddaughter who cares for her grandmother, is not. Costas' life is altered when Sandra, a professional organizer who cannot begin to organize her own life, enters his shop. An unlikely, at times humorous friendship develops between the two -- until we discover that Sandra's estranged daughter Marijke is fourteen and pregnant. A chance meeting between Elena and Marijke leads to an unravelling of past lives and buried grievances which play out with unexpected results. Some Blow Flutes brings the issue of dementia into the open and explores the possibility of compassion and redemption in the face of overwhelming odds.

Mary Vingoe is a director, artistic director, festival director, playwright, teacher, and actor. She is the founding artistic director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival at Canada’s National Arts Centre in Ottawa, co-founder and past artistic director of Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, co-founder and past co-artistic director of Ship’s Co. Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, and co-founder and past artistic director of the Eastern Front Theatre in Halifax. Vingoe has directed and taught at theatres and universities across the country, including Canada's National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the National Theatre School, and Neptune Theatre. Her 2013 play Refuge, published by Scirocco Drama, was a finalist for the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award and was shortlisted for the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama. Vingoe's new play Some Blow Flutes was nominated for Best New Play at the Robert Merritt Awards in 2019 and is published by Scirocco Drama. Vingoe is the recipient of Nova Scotia's Portia White Prize for artistic excellence. In 2011, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contribution to Canadian theatre.

Mary Vingoe's profile page

"Some Blow Flutes is yet another gift from Mary Vingoe to Canadian theatre; an opportunity for actors and audiences to engage with truthful characters navigating dense moral dilemmas, and with enough secrets to fill each moment to bursting." - Jillian Keiley, AD English Theatre, National Arts Centre

"Deeply moved by this play. Great work Mary Vingoe and wonderful performances." - Camelia Frieberg, producer Oscar-nominated The Sweet Hereafter

"Fantastic play - deeply moving; great cast; beautiful, taut structure. Sure needed those Kleenex." - Halifax Chronicle Herald

"A rare night of intricate, detailed work that keeps you engrossed, craving more and yet satisfied to your emotional core." - Jeremy Webb AD Neptune Theatre

"This haunting piece, written and directed by Mary Vingoe, will leave you speechless" - Sam Rosenthal, AD Eastern Front Theatre