Play by Hope McIntyre
2 Female/Drama/70 minutes
Based loosely on a true story, Hunger is the story of one woman’s struggle against political and emotional turmoil. Jesse is a human rights lawyer who married the Commandante of a Guatemalan guerrilla group. He soon disappeared. Knowing this was a common government tactic, Jesse began a hunger strike on the steps of the Guatemalan Capital Building. We follow her journey of deprivation which is filled with dreams, nightmares and memories. She soon discovers just how her own American government is caught up in the same web of corruption as the Guatemalan government, both torturing and tormenting the Mayan population in order to maintain control. Using movement, sound score, video and slide imagery, this play is a powerful portrayal of loss and hope.
Hunger was originally workshopped in Toronto in 1998 and was performed that same year in Theatre Passe Muraille’s Backspace produced by Sarasvàti Productions. The show was then remounted in Winnipeg in 2001. Both shows were benefits for Amnesty International raising money and awareness for human rights work. The play has also been published in International Plays for Young Audiences (Meriwether Publishing Co.).
Rights to HUNGER are available through the Playwrights Guild of Canada.