An ancient Celtic myth explodes in the centre of a modern Canadian family in this strikingly original drama by Kelley Jo Burke. When Mary gets a surprise visit from her old friend Gen, we learn that Mary has a secret that could threaten her life with husband Cal and teenage daughter Brigit. No ordinary secret, this. As it turns out, Mary is a “selkie”–a seal who sheds her skin to mate with a human male, then returns to the water with her offspring. But Mary, happy with Cal, decided to stay on land. And now, twenty years later, Gen has come to take her back into the water. Accompanying Gen is Dylan, her vital young seal lover (in human form), whose animal attraction to Brigit is immediately evident. In a very short time, the ordinary world Mary has built is turned upside-down.
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“The play works on many levels… Burke has crafted a beautifully-written story of love, longing, and identity.” —Saskatoon Star Phoenix
About the Author
Kelley Jo Burke is an award-winning playwright, creative nonfiction writer and documentarian, a professor of theatre and creative-writing, and was for many years host of CBC Radio’s SoundXchange. Her writing has been produced and published in Canada, including The Lucky Ones, Us, The Selkie Wife, Somewhere, Sask, Ducks on the Moon, Jane’s Thumb, Charming and Rose: True Love, which has been staged over thirty times in Canada, the US and Europe, and her radio play Big Ocean, which was heard on public radio in seven countries. Her documentaries for CBC Radio’s Ideas include “Chorus of Angels”, “Mothers of Miscarriage” and “The Word for World Is Imagination: The Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin”. Kelley Jo’s most recent book is titled Wreck: a very anxious memoir.
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