Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Cruel Tears
Country and western opera in three acts by Ken Mitchell with music by the bluegrass group, Humphrey and the Dumptrucks. It premiered at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon by Persephone Theatre in 1975, directed by Brian Richmond, and featuring Winston Reckert, David Stein, John Wright, Anne and Janet Wright, and subsequently played across the country on national tour including at Centaur Theatre in 1977.
With utterly theatrical flights of imagination, this musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello enters the world of Saskatchewan truck drivers. The title derives from the line spoken by Othello, "I must weep, But they are cruel tears" (Act V).
In 1978 the work was a finalist for the Chalmers Award. The work was revived as part of the Globe Theatre's 1999/2000 season.
Commentary by Gaetan Charlebois
Last updated 2020-05-14
Since October 2002, Athabasca University has hosted the web site, with an editorial board of theatre scholars from across Canada.
To submit an entry, please consult the guidelines for submissions.
Email your submission to: Anne Nothof, Professor Emerita, Athabasca University.
The Encyclopedia collects and disseminates information on plays, playwrights and theatre practitioners. It does not respond to requests for information, auditions, bookings, or tickets.
The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
