The Narrow Highway by Colleen Wagner

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The Narrow Highway by Colleen Wagner

The Narrow Highway is a documentary play about four refugees fleeing their country of origin hoping to enter Canada to start a new life. Faysal has fled Somalia and Aamir has fled Yemen. They enter rural Manitoba during one of the worst storm storms through the unmarked border in 2017, the year the United States elected a new President who closed the borders to all asylum seekers from Africa. Sarah has returned to the small border town after years away and recently opened a convenience store/coffee shop as a meeting place when Faysal and Aamir enter. It will mark the beginning of an influx of asylum seekers into the small town, and their encounter with the local people who have become divided about their arrival.

Rita and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Mercy are fleeing Honduras and run out of money in Mexico. Rita makes a hard and fateful bargain with a coyote smuggler putting both their lives at greater risk. When Mercy, alone, collapses just outside the unmarked border on the U.S. side, Mel, the town Mayor, and Erma, the newly recruited RCMP officer must reconcile between the law, which forbids aid to those on the U.S. side, and their conscience.

Keywords: Manitoba, refugees, winter, Africa, Honduras, border town, belonging

Genre: Documentary Play, Drama, Play with Music
Acts: 2
Run time: 100 minutes
Suitable for students 14+
Content notes: Contains references to conflict, domestic violence, and sex

Cast size: 8 actors
Male roles: 4
Female roles: 4
Casting notes: The role of the Coyote can be doubled with the male characters