The First Stone

This play is part of a series that Donna-Michelle St. Bernard is writing called the 54ology, where the playwright and her collaborators look at each country in Africa through a different piece of performance work. Through artistic responses to current and historical events, the project seeks to acknowledge the internal and external pressures of politics, economics, international trade, cultural and spiritual divergence, colonial consequence, natural resources, language, etc., in the life of a complex and variegated continent. The play is inspired by the experience of Acholi people in Uganda’s civil conflict. It’s a not-altogether-oblique reference to events surrounding the crimes of Joseph Kony and the Lords Resistance Army, derived from extensive research and interviews. When talking about the play, the term “child abductees” is intentionally used instead of the more common “child soldiers” to relocate culpability. The First Stone was produced by the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto from October 6–23, 2022.