Back to Berlin
"Thiessen's script is rhythmically sophisticated... There are so many riches here that even analyzing the faults is a pleasure." —The Georgia Straight
"Back to Berlin reminds us that our stories are not only about wars won and lost but also of love and forgiveness." —Vancouver Courier

The Courier
"Terrific Theatre" —Winnipeg Free Press
"Intelligent, well-crafted, and highly entertaining." —The Globe and Mail

The Resurrection of John Frum
"This is the rarest of creature: a play about religion without an obvious agenda." —The Edmonton Sun
"Thiessen has written with compassion and considerable insight about faith and the human need to believe." —Winnipeg Free Press

Valentine
“After a hard working but rich life with his wife, Victor finds himself unprepared for the domestic duty of raising his teenage son alone… (Thiessen) has crafted intricate, believable characters whom we love and hate all at once…” —Dr. Ruth Dyck Fehderau, University of Alberta

Vern Thiessen is one of Canada's most produced playwrights. His plays have been seen across Canada, the UK, United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, and have been translated into five languages. His works include Of Human Bondage, Vimy, Einstein's Gift (Governor General's Literary Award winner), Lenin's Embalmers (Governor General's Literary Award finalist), Apple, and Shakespeare's Will. He has been produced off-Broadway five times. Vern is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Dora and Sterling awards for Outstanding New Play, The Carol Bolt Award, the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award, the City of Edmonton Arts Achievement Award, the University of Alberta Alumni Award of Excellence, The Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition, and the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, Canada's highest honour for a playwright. He was also a finalist for the Siminovich Prize in Playwriting. Vern received his B.A. from the University of Winnipeg and an M.F.A. from the University of Alberta. He has served as president of both the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. For six years he served as Artistic Director of Workshop West Playwrights Theatre, one of Canada's leading new play companies. He is married to acclaimed screenwriter and novelist Susie Moloney.

Vern Thiessen's profile page

Ruth DyckFehderau has written two nonfiction books with James Bay Cree storytellers: The Sweet Bloods of Eeyou Istchee: Stories of Diabetes and the James Bay Cree (2017, 2nd Ed 2020) and E Nâtamukh Miyeyimuwin: Residential School Recovery Stories of the James Bay Cree, Vol. 1 (forthcoming 2023). Her work has been translated into five languages and she has won many literary awards. She sometimes teaches Creative Writing and English Lit at the University of Alberta. She lives in Edmonton with her partner. She is hearing-impaired. This is her first novel.

Ruth Dyckfehderau's profile page

• Short-listed, Jessie Richardson Award for Best Original Script