“Ten years ago, I was inspired to adapt Fall on Your Knees as a piece of music-driven theatre.

Over the next several years with support from the National Arts Centre, the Shaw Festival, Citadel Theatre (Edmonton), New York Theater Workshop, and Mirvish Productions (Toronto) the development of Fall on Your Knees has engaged the talents of some of Canada’s top theatre artists, as they translated the power of MacDonald’s novel to the stage. Under the umbrella of Palmer’s company Vita Brevis Arts, a unique development process began.

The idea germinated with the renowned Canadian theatre artists Alisa Palmer, who approached Hannah Moscovitch more than 10 years ago. ADAPTING A CANADIAN MASTERPIECE FOR THE STAGEĪmbitious creation projects like the adaptation of Fall on Your Knees take many years to develop. The novel was also a finalist for a number of prestigious literary awards, including the Giller Prize, the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Trillium Book Award, the Orange Prize for Fiction, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and was selected for the hugely popular Oprah’s Book Club. Released in 1996, the book won multiple awards, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction CBA Libris People's Choice Award and the CBA Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year.

The story moves from the battlefields of the First World War to the emerging jazz scene in Harlem, NY, and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters. Written by the internationally acclaimed Canadian writer Ann-Marie MacDonald, Fall on Your Knees is a sweeping novel that chronicles three generations of Cape Breton Island’s Piper family. Ma– OTTAWA – National Arts Centre English Theatre, Vita Brevis Arts, Canadian Stage (Toronto), Grand Theatre (London, ON) and Neptune Theatre (Halifax) today announced an unprecedented partnership that will bring the world premiere stage adaptation of the Canadian classic Fall on Your Knees to four cities – Toronto, London, Ottawa and Halifax – beginning in 2023. Five theatre companies partner to bring production based on Ann-Marie MacDonald’s internationally acclaimed novel to four cities

Novel fall on your knees