Andrew Kushnir & Paul Dunn. Photo Credit: Jay Kopinski.

Bed and Breakfast

By Mark Crawford

Brett and Drew want to move out of their tiny downtown condo and into a house, but they just lost their seventh bidding war in Toronto. When Brett’s beloved Aunt Maggie dies, he unexpectedly inherits the historic family home in a quiet little tourist town. Unhappy with their careers and frustrated by life in the fast-paced city, the couple decides to make the move and start up a B & B. But when the guys face friction in their new community, they discover the simple life is more complicated than they thought…

With more than a few unexpected and hilarious plot-twists, we follow Brett and Drew over the course of one year— through the real estate rat race, renovation hell, a farcical opening weekend at their B & B, and encounters with small-town prejudice—all the way to their big decision: do they stay here or do they pack it all in?

With dozens of characters—male and female, young and old—all portrayed by two men, Bed and Breakfast is a theatrical tour de force. As riotously funny as it is deeply moving, this is a heartfelt comedy about “being out” in small town Canada, skeletons in the closet, and finding a place to call home.

Mark Crawford & Paul Dunn, Blyth Theatre Festival. Photos: Terry Manzo
Mark Crawford & Paul Dunn, Blyth Theatre Festival. Photos: Terry Manzo
Paul Dunn & Mark Crawford, Blyth Theatre Festival. Photos: Terry Manzo
Mark Crawford & Paul Dunn, Blyth Theatre Festival. Photos: Terry Manzo
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"Bed and Breakfast hits all the right notes!"

Capital Critics Circle
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"Full of charm and quiet humanity...Crawford writes articulately about the pressure to revert to closeted caution when on unfamiliar territory."

Montreal Gazette
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"Don’t worry about keeping the many characters straight. What’s going on is always very clear and firmly anchored by Drew and Brett… Bed and Breakfast is funny, touching, and very human."

North Country Public Radio
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"Seeing Bed and Breakfast last summer was a revelation. Not only is it funny, it’s deeply moving and full of surprises."

Roy Surette, Artistic Director of Centaur Theatre
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"A brilliant production of a play that is sure to go on to be a classic not just in small town Ontario, but in bigger venues everywhere."

A Fresh News Start
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"Bed and Breakfast will strike a chord with anyone who sees it. While hilariously funny throughout, there are some very poignant scenes and I challenge anyone to leave the theatre without shedding a tear."

Westmount Magazine
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★★★★/5
"An entertaining night at the theatre... Crawford sidesteps heavy-handedness or didacticism. The majority of the characters are multi-faceted, even complex—and they’re portrayed with heart and humanity."

Times Colonist, Victoria
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"A keen understanding of the careful and essential balance between laugh-out-loud funny and quiet consideration of life-altering revelations."

janislacouvee.com
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"an entertaining evening with a secret revealed and a reminder of human kindness."

"A real crowd pleaser."

Entertain This Thought
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NNNN (out of five)

"entertaining, accessible and quietly subversive"

"The show has 'hit' written all over it."

NOW Toronto
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★★★/4

"Funny, touching and sweet."

"Crawford is most impressive in the way he sketches full characters with just a few lines and, in so doing, swiftly constructs a world that seems to have existed long before the house lights dim."

The Globe and Mail
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★★★★/5

"Crawford’s play may be a comedy but it is also as deeply thoughtful as it is funny."

Stage Door

Production Details

2 Male

120 minutes (including intermission)

By Mark Crawford

Purchase Play Script

2_BandB_Mark Crawford and Paul Dunn as Brett and Ca
5_BandB_Mark Crawford and Paul Dunn as Roy and Drew
4_BandB_Mark Crawford and Paul Dunn as Brett and Dr
22_BandB_Paul Dunn and Mark Crawford as Cody and Du
September 28, 2019

Bed and Breakfast – Charlottetown Festival, Confederation Centre of the Arts (PEI) July 11- September 26, 2020

May 10, 2011

PAST EVENT: Bed and Breakfast – Theatre Network (Edmonton, AB) November 21 – December 8, 2019

May 6, 2011

PAST EVENT: Bed and Breakfast – Arts Club on Tour (BC) October 3 – November 2, 2019

April 29, 2011

PAST EVENT: Bed and Breakfast – Blyth Festival (Blyth, ON) September 11-28, 2019

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Production History

Bed and Breakfast premiered in 2015 at the Thousand Islands Playhouse, where it broke box office records as the best-selling show in the history of their Firehall Theatre.

The script was developed as part of the Thousand Islands Playhouse Playwrights’ Unit.

Bed and Breakfast had successful productions at Centaur Theatre and Belfry Theatre in 2017.

Bed and Breakfast ran at Magnus Theatre in early 2018, followed by a Soulpepper Theatre (Toronto) production. There is a production planned for 2019 at The Arts Club Theatre (Vancouver).

Bed and Breakfast was short-listed for the Stage West Pechet Family Comedy Award.

Paul Dunn & Mark Crawford. Centaur Theatre, Photo by: Greg Wong

Thousand Islands Playhouse. Graphic design/illustration by: Kinnon Elliott

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More Plays By Mark Crawford

  • Bed and Breakfast

    By Mark Crawford

  • The Birds and the Bees

    By Mark Crawford

  • Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures

    By Mark Crawford

  • The New Canadian Curling Club

    By Mark Crawford

  • Stag and Doe

    By Mark Crawford

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