EXCESS Conversations
EXCESS didn't come from imagination alone. It grew out of real rooms, real handshakes, and real conversations with people who have shaped Canada's story. Here are some of the people behind the play, in playwright Kent Stetson's own words.
The Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien
Former Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Jean Chretien and the Playwright at their Order of Canada induction. With the Playwright's family.
The former Canadian Prime Minister is one of the funniest and most compelling people I've ever met - he helped shape the play through conversations about his extraordinary 2003 "No to Iraq" speech.
The Rt. Hon. Michaelle Jean
The Playwright with Her Excellency The Right Honourable Michaelle Jean at his Order of Canada induction.
She inspired The Half-Life of Love speech that opens Act Two, during a conversation at Rideau Hall. Later conversations with the former Governor General of Canada informed the play's Caribbean perspective.
The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson
With Her Excellency The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul after receiving the Governor General's Literary Award for The Harps of God.
Madame Clarkson, who preceded Madame Jean as Governor General, answered my question about Canada's greatest challenge: maintaining the sovereignty of the Canadian North.
Shirley Douglas
Shirley Douglas created the role of Hestor in Calgary.
The Canadian actor and activist contributed to the play's early development. Her father, Canadian icon Tommy Douglas, became a central presence in the text through long conversations with Shirley and her family.
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