The Bee's Knees

A theatrical production by Judy Reynolds

Showing November 15 to 24, 2024

The Theatre Centre
1115 Queen St. W., Toronto

Hero

A theatrical production by Judy Reynolds

Coming November 15 to 24, 2024

The Theatre Centre
1115 Queen St. W., Toronto

Let 's go!

Rita and Jerry Dancing

Woman on podium

About the play

The Bee’s Knees is a two-act drama with songs. It’s set in the early 1920s when for the first time ever women could run for parliament. The story is centred around two sisters, Bernie, a rebellious young flapper and her older, responsible sister, Dolores. Bernie convinces Dolores to run for office against the local male incumbent.

For a woman of her time, this is a scandalous, dangerous decision. The sisters must deal with smear campaigns and death threats, a catatonic mother, the betrayal of female colleagues, and Dolores falling in love, all while running a campaign.

With a large, diverse cast and original jazz-era music, The Bee’s Knees is entertaining and hopeful. It takes you back to the Roaring Twenties, but shines a lens on the 2020s, forcing the audience to examine the landscape of modern leadership.

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The inspiration

When my daughter was around 6 years old she asked me, “Mommy, can’t a woman be prime minister?” She was raised in a feminist household and would never think to ask if women could be astronauts, firefighters, or doctors.

But somehow she wasn’t picking up that women could be world leaders. I wrote The Bee’s Knees because I wanted to show her something better.

— Judy Reynolds | Playwright

Johanna Sigurdardottir — Johanna Sigurdardottir
Iceland's first female PM and the world's first openly gay head of state.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
First female president in Africa (Liberia), Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Key Characters

Dolores — Dolores

A war widow who fought for the right to vote, Dolores is coaxed back into the political arena. She finds renewed purpose and love, but is completely unprepared for the risks facing a “lady politician”.

Rita Blue — Rita Blue

Entrepreneur and singer, Rita operates the local speakeasy. She has always been one step ahead but now has to decide where she stands. Through her songs, Rita acts as both conscience and commentator, addressing modern times.

Bernie — Bernie

Intelligent, athletic and the mastermind behind her sister’s campaign, Bernie is the modern flapper girl. But Bernie’s independence hides a deeper wound; guilt and anger over her mother’s illness.

Jerry — Jerry

The entrenched incumbent, Jerry is morally unscrupulous, charismatic and a savvy politician. He is the epitome of the old boys club and self-proclaimed 20th century man.

See the Show

Show Dates

The Bee’s Knees will be playing
from Nov. 15 – 24, 2024
in the Franco Boni Theatre
at The Theatre Centre.

Address

Theatre Centre Map

The Theatre Centre
1115 Queen St W, Toronto ON M6J 1J1

Buy Tickets

You can purchase tickets to The Bee’s Knees at The Theatre Centre’s website.

See Showtimes

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We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

We acknowledge that before colonization, the First Nations had their own governing systems, many of which were based on consensus. It's important to note that the current system of bands and chiefs was imposed by the federal government, and does not fully represent traditional Indigenous governing, which included women’s voices.

On May 24, 1918, most of the women you see in this play were allowed to vote federally. This “privilege, not a right” as one early Prime Minister labelled it, did not extend to First Nations women.

If an Indigenous woman wanted to vote she had to give up her status and treaty rights. So the right to vote was not extended as a long overdue redress, but rather another aggressive tool in the colonial toolbox. It held the basic rights of Indigenous women (and men) hostage, the promise of their release incumbent only on becoming enfranchised, which meant giving up all their Indigenous rights.

Withholding basic rights, then dangling them at a high price, was a common government tactic designed with one intent, the eradication of all Indigenous culture and peoples.

Finally in 1960, all Indigenous men and women were granted the right to vote federally without giving up their status. (The Inuit were granted the right to vote in 1950, but as ballot boxes were not delivered until 1962, there was no way for them to exercise this.) And while Indigenous women may have received the right to vote in federal elections, there were provincial holdouts. It was not until 1969 that Indigenous women received voting rights in all provinces.

There is still a long way to go until this land’s diversity is reflected in our political representation. Neither Indigenous nor non-Indigenous women do well under the current patriarchal system of governance.

But I am always hopeful for a better world, so I would like to finish this acknowledgement with a recognition of the political achievements of Indigenous women, both as official representatives, and through their continued political activism and leadership. They are change-makers, and we all need them.