Western Gold Theatre’s production of David French’s Salt-Water Moon opens this week, running May 21 to June 7 at PAL Studio Theatre.
The time is 1926, the place, the front porch of a home in the tiny Newfoundland outport of Coley’s Point. It’s a splendid moon-filled night as Mary Snow (played by Dolores Drake), a lovely young girl of seventeen, studies the evening sky. Her reverie is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of 18-year-old Jacob Mercer (played by Craig March) who has returned from Toronto, hoping to win back his former sweetheart. But Mary has become engaged to reliable Jerome McKenzie and is still hurt and bewildered by Jacob’s abrupt departure a year earlier. She will not be easily wooed…but is Jacob the man for her?
Western Gold Theatre’s Artistic Director Tanja Dixon-Warren says: “As a Canadian classic, Salt- Water Moon is very much in Western Gold’s wheelhouse. It explores the universal themes of love, loss and reconciliation, while also addressing ambition vs. loyalty; memory; forgiveness; the challenges of poverty, and the effects of war on identity and family. These themes are deeply meaningful to us at Western Gold; we have lived them and know that they still resonate today… At its heart, Salt-Water Moon is not simply a romantic story about first love, but a meditation on memory, choice, and the fragile moments that define an entire life. Casting older actors allows the audience to experience these themes in a profound way with heightened resonance. It has wonderful roles for two older actors, (both hail from Newfoundland) whose own life experiences echo the play’s themes.”
Photo: Robert Bockman-Cobban
Salt-Water Moon has gained much acclaim since it premiered at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre in October 1984. The play went on to win the 1985 Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Drama, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, the Hollywood Drama-Logue Critics’ Award, and was a finalist for the 1985 Governor-General’s Award for Drama.
Directed by Michael Fera, Salt-Water Moon presented by Western Gold Theatre runs May 21 to June 7, 2026 at PAL Studio Theatre, 8th Floor, 581 Cardero Street. For show information and tickets visit westerngoldtheatre.org