Set near Saint John, New Brunswick, during the early summer of Black ’47, the worst year of Ireland’s Potato Famine, the historical drama No Man Is An Island seeks to re-tell the story of how a young city doctor, James Patrick Collins, answered the call to help those fleeing the tragedy. But it isn’t the overwhelming numbers of refugees that pose the greatest challenge: as an Irish Catholic immigrant, Collins quickly finds that the dire conditions on Partridge Island are no match for the persecution and close-mindedness of George Harding and his brother William, the nativist doctors working alongside Collins, who are suspicious of his skills. As the situation on the island deteriorates, Collins realizes he must confront his persecutors or lose everything. Compounding the situation is Harding’s servant, Brighid Hurley, an ardent Irish nationalist, who begins to question Collins’ loyalty to his cultural homeland. Then there’s George Harding’s wife, Margaret, who is unsure if Collins is really the threat her husband makes him out to be, or just what the doctor ordered.

Rehearsals begin March 18, 2019 at the BMO Studio Theatre, 112 Princess Street, Saint John, NB.
Performances from April 9-14, 2019.

Dr. James Collins: A man in his early 20s; an Irish immigrant
Dr. George Harding: A man in his late 30s; the doctor in charge of the Partridge Island Quarantine Station
Dr. William Harding: A man in his early 20s; George Harding’s younger brother
Brighid Hurley: A woman in her late teens; a recent Irish immigrant and Dr. Harding’s assistant
Margaret Harding: A woman in her late 30s, of Scottish descent; George Harding’s wife