In Relative Good, David Gow grapples with the complex implications of the War on Terror, and the resulting sweeping changes to law that allow authorities to violate basic civil rights. Mohamed El Rafi is a Syrian-born Canadian engineer. He’s arrested in New York’s JFK airport, held without explanation, interrogated, and eventually forced to sign papers that facilitate his deportation to Syria. As Canadian government involvement only worsens El Rafi’s predicament, his lawyer and wife team up in an attempt to gain his freedom in a world where, as one character says, “Sometimes the price of freedom is freedom itself.” This incisive drama lays bare the absurdity of official policy, and the human cost of racial profiling.
News & Reviews
“Gow has made a hard-hitting and sharp-edged script full of quotable lines.” —Montreal Mirror
“The world premiere of David Gow’s Relative Good at GCTC packs a powerful and thought provoking punch.” –North Country Public Radio
“… clearly articulates the issues.” —Montreal Gazette
About the Author
David Gow‘s plays have been seen across the USA, Canada and abroad, including productions in London, New York City, Berlin, Rome, Sao-Paulo Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Krakow, Warsaw, and many other cities. David’s plays include Cherry Docs, Relative Good, Bea’s Niece, The Wake of the Bones, Boilerplate, The Friedman Family Fortune and Elephant. Gow’s first feature film “Steel Toes,” based on his hit play Cherry Docs, has won numerous awards in the US and Canada, including Best Feature Film (Beverly Hills Film Festival) and Best Independent Feature in America (Cine Golden Eagle). David is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Playwrights Guild of Canada.