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An unflinching look at love, sex, and fertility, inspired by real stories of young mothers during the Canadian birth control movement of the early 20th century

Liisa Repo-Martell, David Patrick Flemming; Photo by Timothy Richard

What a Young Wife Ought to Know

By Hannah Moscovitch

Just don’t lie down and no child will come.

It’s Ottawa in the 1920s, pre-legalized birth control. Sophie, a young working-class girl, falls madly in love with and marries a stable-hand named Jonny. After two difficult childbirths, doctors tell Sophie she shouldn’t have any more children, but don’t tell her how to prevent it. When Sophie inevitably becomes pregnant again, she faces a grim dilemma.

In an unflinching look at love, sex, and fertility, and inspired by real stories of mothers during the Canadian birth-control movement of the early twentieth century, one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights vividly recreates a couple’s struggles with reproduction.

Production Facts

  • March-April, 2018 - 2b theatre company Production presented by Crow's Theatre

  • November-December, 2018 - Theatre Network

  • 2019 - Nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award

     

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