Unity (1918)

Unity (1918)
Original language	English
Written by	Kevin Kerr
Characters	Beatrice, Sissy, Sunna, Hart, Michael, Glen, Mary, Rose, Doris, Stan
Subject	Spanish flu pandemic
Genre	Drama
Setting	Unity, Saskatchewan, during the Spanish flu pandemic
Premiere
Date	2001
Place	Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia

Unity (1918) is a play by Canadian playwright Kevin Kerr. The play won the 2002 Governor General's Award for English-language drama. The play was published by Talonbooks.

Synopsis

Set in Unity, Saskatchewan near the end of World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic brings the town to a paranoid halt. Caught up in the strife are sisters Beatrice and Sissy, as well as their friend Mary.

Awards and nominations

Along with the Governor General's Award, the play also won two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, including the Sydney J. Risk Award for emerging playwright.

References

↑ "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Kerr, Kevin". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
↑ "Unity (1918) » Books » Talonbooks". talonbooks.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
↑ "Unity (1918) » Books » Talonbooks". talonbooks.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
↑ "Emerging Playwright – Jessie Richardson Awards – Sydney J. Risk Foundation". sydneyriskfoundation.org. Retrieved 2026-05-08.

v t e Winners of the Governor General's Award for English-language drama
1980s	Sharon Pollock, Blood Relations (1981) John MacLachlan Gray, Billy Bishop Goes to War (1982) Anne Chislett, Quiet in the Land (1983) Judith Thompson, White Biting Dog (1984) George F. Walker, Criminals in Love (1985) Sharon Pollock, Doc (1986) John Krizanc, Prague (1987) George F. Walker, Nothing Sacred (1988) Judith Thompson, The Other Side of the Dark (1989)
1990s	Ann-Marie MacDonald, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (1990) Joan MacLeod, Amigo's Blue Guitar (1991) John Mighton, Possible Worlds and A Short History of Night (1992) Guillermo Verdecchia, Fronteras Americanas (1993) Morris Panych, The Ends of the Earth (1994) Jason Sherman, Three in the Back, Two in the Head (1995) Colleen Wagner, The Monument (1996) Ian Ross, fareWel (1997) Djanet Sears, Harlem Duet (1998) Michael Healey, The Drawer Boy (1999)
2000s	Timothy Findley, Elizabeth Rex (2000) Kent Stetson, The Harps of God (2001) Kevin Kerr, Unity (1918) (2002) Vern Thiessen, Einstein's Gift (2003) Morris Panych, Girl in the Goldfish Bowl (2004) John Mighton, Half Life (2005) Daniel MacIvor, I Still Love You (2006) Colleen Murphy, The December Man (2007) Catherine Banks, Bone Cage (2008) Kevin Loring, Where the Blood Mixes (2009)
2010s	Robert Chafe, Afterimage (2010) Erin Shields, If We Were Birds (2011) Catherine Banks, It Is Solved by Walking (2012) Nicolas Billon, Fault Lines: Three Plays (2013) Jordan Tannahill, Age of Minority: Three Solo Plays (2014) David Yee, carried away on the crest of a wave (2015) Colleen Murphy, Pig Girl (2016) Hiro Kanagawa, Indian Arm (2017) Jordan Tannahill, Botticelli in the Fire and Sunday in Sodom (2018) Amanda Parris, Other Side of the Game (2019)
2020s	Kim Senklip Harvey, Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story (2020) Hannah Moscovitch, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (2021) Dorothy Dittrich, The Piano Teacher: A Healing Key (2022) Cliff Cardinal, As You Like It: A Radical Retelling (2023) Caleigh Crow, There Is Violence and There Is Righteous Violence and There Is Death, or the Born-Again Crow (2024) Tara Beagan, Rise, Red River (2025) Jordan Tannahill, Prince Faggot (2026)