Calpurnia

by Audrey Dwyer

Julie, a young Jamaican Canadian screenwriter, is passionately working on an adaptation of one of the most beloved American novels of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird , telling the story from the perspective of the Finch family’s Black maid, Calpurnia. But within the safe confines of her wealthy father’s home, and besides all the encouragement from their Filipina housekeeper Precy, Julie struggles with writer’s block and numerous distractions as her family prepares for an important dinner party. When her brother challenges her, saying she’s appropriating a culture she doesn’t belong to, she goes to dramatic lengths to prove her point, only to find she has much to learn. Calpurnia is a witty and highly charged look at the complicated entanglements of intersectionality and allyship, exposing motives and biases that are clear as a bell one moment, and drowning in ambiguity the next.

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2024

Reviews

[Not Sarah Connor Writes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Playwrights Canada Press for sending me a copy of this play for honest review!

This is such a strong, tight play that parallels brilliantly with To Kill a Mockingbird. A great farce and example of comedy that challenges the audience.

Read the full review on my blog!

[Jadyn Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

the exposition was way too long, the climax was so small, and the conclusion felt like an eternity

i can hear magda in the back of my mind telling me the journey of this play is like a male orgasm. and it is. short and definitely not sweet.