Raft Baby is folktale, handed down from the 1870’s, about a trapper who finds a baby floating down the Peace River. Kind of the Moses myth transposed to the Canadian North. Chinook Theatre in Fort St. John flew me there to do the research. It was about 45 degrees below zero, the coldest weather I’d ever experienced. I quickly found out that wearing eyeglasses was a big disadvantage. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting an oldtimer named Jesse Starns, who taught me how to pan for gold on his kitchen table, slopping water everywhere.
Review
“A lively little family entertainment. Foon knows the value of economy in narrative and characterization and has an ear for the telling phrase and observation. These values, together with the story’s optimistic emphasis on plain-folks decency, do much to make this play the pleasure it is.”
—Max Wyman, Vancouver Sun
Visit The Playwrights Guild to order a copy
Contact Michael Petrasek at Kensington Literary Representation for performance rights information
Selected Production History:
Green Thumb Theatre
Chinook Theatre
Canada Council Supershow Tour
Neptune Theatre