Controlled Damage explores the life of Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond and how her act of bravery in a Nova Scotia movie theatre in 1946 started a ripple effect that is still felt today. An ordinary woman forced to be extraordinary by an unyielding and racist world, Desmond never gave up — despite the personal cost to her and those who loved her. Andrea Scott’s highly theatrical examination of Desmond and her legacy traces the impact she has had on our culture, but also casts light on the slow progress of the fight for social justice and civil rights in Canada.
News & Reviews
“There’s so much interest in seeing Desmond’s story dramatized that it’s actually a tougher ticket to get than Hamilton.” —Globe & Mail
About the Author
Andrea Scott is a Toronto playwright, screenwriter, and producer. She is the author of Better Angels: A Parable, Eating Pomegranates Naked, Don’t Talk to Me Like I’m Your Wife, Controlled Damage, and co-author (with Nick Green) of Every Day She Rose. Andrea is the recipient of the Cayle Chernin Award for Theatre. She has been in the playwright units at Obsidian Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Roseneath Theatre, Factory Theatre, Theatre Direct, Nightwood, and Eastern Front Theatre. In 2019, Andrea was awarded the Magee TV Diverse Screenwriting Award. She is the story editor for CBC TV’s The Porter.
