It's 1950 in the deserts of Southern California. Evangelist Brother Cain has a booming trade; his tent revival show moves from town to town, fleecing crowds desperate for something to believe in. When he discovers Mary, a Ntlaka'pamux woman from BC's Nicola Valley, reading the Bible, he puts her onstage, renames her Grace, and displays her as a miracle: an Indian who can read. A grand, sweeping story of friendship and redemption, The Ministry of Grace is a powerful look at people struggling to live, love, and retain dignity in a heartless world.

p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"&gtspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"&gtfont face="Times"&gtTara Beagan is a proud halfbreed of Ntlakaâ??pamux and Irish Canadian heritage. She is Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. Her debut play, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtThy Neighbourâ??s Wife/i&gt garnered three Dora Award nominations in â??05, winning for Best New Play. Ensuing plays include i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtDreary and Izzy/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtThe Fort at York/i&gt, for which she was head writer and co-director, and i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtMiss Julie: Shehâ??mah/i&gt, which earned five â??09 Dora nominations. Short plays include i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtQuilchena/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtHere, Boy!/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtFoundlings/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtBLUEBEARDâ??S WI7E/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtTransCanada/i&gt, and i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtAnatomy of an Indian/i&gt. She was playwright-in-residence at the National Arts Centre in 2011, at NEPA in 2009/2010, and at Cahoots in 2007/2008. As well as a mentor for emerging theatre artists, Tara has written for film and radio, and is a Dora- and Betty-nominated actor.?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /&gto:p&gt/o:p&gt/font&gt/span&gt/p&gt

Tara Beagan's profile page

"A gripping tale of heart and humanity...Lauzon and Riordan repeatedly demonstrate that Shakespeare's words help give voice to ideas the students find useful." -Stratford Today

"The production leaves us in no doubt that students who depart the school are survivors of a process of cultural erasure that some will never conquer." -Stage Door

"1939 balances youthful optimism and heartbreaking reality. By the end, I was left with feelings of both sadness and hope." -Stratford Beacon Herald

"A Moving and Powerful 'Must-See' Play" -Broadway World

"The message is clear and resounding without being hard-hitting." -The Passionate Playgoer