In 1989, Edmonton Playwright Brad Fraser’s "Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love" debuted at Alberta Theatre Project’s annual "PlayRites" festival. It became a smash hit with runs in Chicago and London and a film version in 1994. Firebelly Theatre restages the show in the Big Secret Theatre from November 9th – 20th.

Starring Trevor Schmidt, Trevor Leigh, Kattina Michele, Anita Miotti, Jamie Konchak, Scott Roberts and Aaron Olney, the play is set in Edmonton and follows seven people as they search for truth and fulfillment in their lives. Brooding yet highly comical, the story takes us through a minefield of relationship disasters and the possibilities that lie in wait for each of the characters as they wrestle with determining what they ultimately want. Will they discover true love? Can they find contentment in their lives and within themselves? What lengths will they go to in order to fulfill their desires especially when there’s a serial killer on the loose?

Brad Fraser’s dark yet beautifully touching story captures our innate need for affection and human contact. It also deals with betrayal and deception and asks us to ponder how far we would be willing to go for love and friendship. The play itself has been published in seven different languages and was named one of the ten best plays of 1989 by Time Magazine.

Director & Producer Abby Charchun spoke about why she chose the play.

"I chose to produce and direct this play because I wanted to celebrate the show’s 15th anniversary and the playwright – Brad Fraser, one of Canada’s most revered and controversial writers. I felt that by bringing Unidentified Human Remains home to where it first opened in 1989, [it] would be an exciting and challenging production. We all begin in the same place – tucked deep in the abdomen of the woman who brings us into this world. We enter, dazed and innocent and ultimately receptive to the life events that unfold as we develop. But as we grow up and experience the stark reality of life, we begin to grow a skin that can get thick and calloused, depending on how difficult our lives become. What happens when the characters cut through that skin they have been building up over the years? When they shed it, what will be revealed?"

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Alberta Theatre Projects | Theatre |