Rez Gas by Genevieve Adam and Cale Crowe, developed through Capitol Theatre’s Creators’ Unit, has won the prestigious Carol Bolt Award, part of the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s annual Tom Hendry Awards recognizing excellence in new writing for the stage.
Named for a founding member of the Guild, the Carol Bolt Award honours outstanding scripts of recently premiered plays. The recipient receives $5,000 and the option to be published.
The recognition comes just over a year after the musical had its world premiere at the Capitol Theatre. Rez Gas returns to the Capitol mainstage in 2027, and will also tour to Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre next fall.
Said Rez Gas creators Genevieve Adam & Cale Crowe: “We are so thrilled and honoured to be recognized with this award! We’re deeply grateful to the Capitol for bringing us together, for making this show a reality, and for championing the work at every turn.”
Added Rob Kempson, Artistic Director, Capitol Theatre: “This is such a well-deserved honour because this piece is a uniquely Canadian, uniquely contemporary musical that our world needs right now. As an organization, we are very proud to have been the catalyst behind this beautiful production, and even more excited to share it with audiences once again in 2027.”
Founded in 2023, the Capitol’s Creators’ Unit has been a fruitful mechanism for New Play Development, supporting Canadian creators with an emphasis on local and regional voices. Work developed in the unit also includes this season’s hit shows Farley Mowat’s And No Birds Sang adapted by Dave Carley, and I’m Every Woman written by Taylor Lovelace.
Described by the writers as Come From Away meets Corner Gas, Rez Gas is about a young man coming to his own understanding of home. After moving away from his home reservation to pursue a music career, he stumbles back into town with unexpected car trouble and lands at the Wide Wigwam, the diner at the centre of the community. There he finds many of those who he left behind and who want to remind him of his history and his place in the community.
Hilarious and heartfelt, Rez Gas is a beautiful expression of Indigenous joy with a hip-hop-infused, unforgettable score.
Subscriptions for the Capitol’s 2027 productions, including Rez Gas are on sale here. General public tickets will be available in early 2027. Visit CapitolTheatre.com for more details.
Author: Pete Fisher
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