The Shawchuck River Wildlife Sanctuary is nestled in between two of the less impressive peaks of the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia. It’s usually a quiet place, hosting maybe a few backpackers at a time, as well as an impressive array of mammalian, amphibian, and avian biodiversity. It’s also right in the middle of the current government’s hydro-electric plan, a massive federal initiative to build enough dams to get Canada’s power grid emissions-free by 2045.
Upriver, activists have gathered to protest the dam, but in the Shawchuck Interpretive Centre, all is calm. Isabel Cavaleiro, an ecoscientist blacklisted due to her extreme anti-oil demonstrations, is quietly employed here by her friend and secret crush, park director Jane Lamorak. These days, Isabel mostly focuses on feeding the frogs, fish, and insects under the Interpretive Centre’s care, but unbeknownst to her, however, one of her little animal friends—a tailed frog—has a secret that might make powerful people very upset indeed. And when a politician comes to town with a secret plan and history with Jane, Isabel’s new life threatens to fall apart.
Green Knight on the Frog River explores what happens when the needs of the environment and the climate clash.
Nominated for the 2021 Tom Hendry Awards RBC Emerging Playwright Award.
Keywords: Frog, Climate, Environment, LGBTQ+, Politics, Nature, one act, Indigenous, Portuguese-Canadian
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Run time: 80 minutes
Suitable for students 15+
Content note: Contains coarse language, violence, references to industrial accidents, sexuality, and climate catastrophe. A territory acknowledgment must be given before the start of this play.
Cast size: 4 actors
Male roles: 1
Female roles: 3
Casting notes: Davis must be played by an Indigenous actor. Pronouns and names can be altered to accommodate actors that do not identify with the gender binary.
Cover art by Annie Konstantinova.