Finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama
To a conservative church in a south-western Ontario town comes Jonah Arias–a troubled, left-leaning, pill-popping United Church minister. Jonah is also young and idealistic, with courage enough to challenge the power-brokers in his small community. When Reverend Jonah starts an inappropriate relationship with a young woman in the congregation, and then decides to repatriate a former member of the church expelled for being in a lesbian relationship, the ensuing battle threatens to derail Jonah’s career and fracture the church. The play, like the Reverend himself, is unafraid to ask the tough questions Do we have the right to judge one another? What constitutes integrity? What is courage? Are we prepared to embrace rather than censure our fellow human beings? Thoughtful and powerful, Reverend Jonah challenges us to explore the meaning of community in the very broadest sense.
News & Reviews
“Ambitious, provocative and very moving… beautifully-written, funny and sad by turns.” –96.3 FM
About the Author
Paul Ciufo’s play Reverend Jonah was a finalist for the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. Ciufo’s other plays include the mystery A Killing Snow, and the CBC radio drama On Convoy. The stage version of On Convoy was produced by Goderich Little Theatre Company. Paul works full-time as a financial planner. He lives in Grand Bend, Ontario with his wife Julie and their daughters Celia and Brynn.
