Prairie drama Ruby in the Dust to be performed at Snapping Turtle

By Emily Stewart

A new play about workers’ rights by Laughing Cactus Productions will have its one-night-only run at local coffee shop Snapping Turtle Coffee Roasters.

Laughing Cactus Productions will present Robin Taylor Wright’s Ruby in the Dust at the Snapping Turtle on Aug. 7 starting at 6: 30 p.m. Ruby in the Dust is about Polish-Canadian coal miner Eddie Zabrowski and his daughter, Ruby, finding refuge in the home of childless farmers Abner and Jo Ballantyne. Jo’s brother, Walter, tries to start a revolution, but Eddie isn’t interested in marching nor does he want the family to develop a closer relationship with Ruby.

“It has a little bit of humour, it has some heart, it pertains to subject matter that I think affects us all,” said Wright, playwright. “It is set in the 1930s during the depression but there’s this universality about how we’re all overworked and underpaid, so I think that speaks to what we’re all going through now.”

The prairie drama is inspired by the 1931 Estevan Riot, where three Ukrainian workers were killed by the RCMP.

The production will be similar to a radio drama where actors, including those familiar to St. Marys like Chet Baker, Derek Roberts and Rosemary Radcliffe, will perform the story and there will be sound design like voiceovers and old-time radio sound effects.

“It can be a real auditory experience because there’s no time for rehearsal or memorization, so we’re just going to lift something off the page and tell a story that’s hopefully entertaining for people,” Wright said.

He also encourages St. Marys residents to check out a new and authentic piece.

“In an age where I’m seeing a lot of generative AI happening, I’d really like to strive to bring something that is human-made and something a little more organic and prone to change because plays are alive, breathing organs, so you’re going to see something where it’s at right now, problems and all, you get to see the process of a new show and everything,” Wright said.

The Ruby in the Dust production will be the first time Laughing Cactus productions will be in the Town of St. Marys. Wright, who uses he/they pronouns, had part of their upbringing in Stratford but remembers St. Marys from the late ‘90s and early 2000s, and acknowledge the town has changed since. Baker recommended the Snapping Turtle as a venue to Wright, who found it’s the ideal venue for appreciating the play compared to a bar that focuses on alcohol sales more than the performance.

“They seem to be more open to the artistic and collaborative aspect and something for everybody,” they said.

Ruby in the Dust will be first-come-first-served with limited seating. There are no tickets but it is a pay-what-you-can event.

“Even if you have a couple of nickels, just come see a show,” Wright said.