If Truth Be Told is a fictional response to real cases of censorship in the late 1970s, when Christian groups and concerned parents attempted to ban books by Alice Munro (Lives of Girls and Women) and Margaret Laurence (The Diviners) from being taught in Ontario high schools. The story follows the celebrated writer Peg Dunlop as she returns to her hometown of Wayford to face a community that doesn’t appreciate the stories she writes, stories that seem to reveal secrets and truths about their own lives. If Truth Be Told is about the power of words, both spoken and written; how are stories told; what words do we use to fight for what we believe in; how do we coexist when we have opposing views?
“A compelling, well-reasoned play about censorship, book banning and the freedom to read what you want.” —The Slotkin Letter
About the Author
Beverley Cooper is a writer, teacher, and actor. Her plays include: Clue in the Fast Lane (with Ann-Marie MacDonald); Thin Ice (with Banuta Rubess, Chalmers/Dora Award); The Eyes of Heaven; The Woman in White (from the novel by Wilkie Collins); The Lonely Diner: Al Capone in Euphemia Township; Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (nominated for Prix Rideau Award) and If Truth Be Told. Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott was a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award and was on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, a first for a Canadian playwright. She has also written for television, film, and extensively for CBC Radio Drama. Beverley is the coordinator of PGC’s The CASA Project, which aims to support women playwrights living in South Africa.
