Edward lives with schizophrenia and makes music and outfits from cast-off items. Charlie is a local kid who makes waves when he befriends Edward. Adapted from Marie Day’s book of the same name, Edward the ‘Crazy Man’ chronicles an enduring bond shaped by laughter, loss and hubcaps.
“A hopeful look at mental illness, homelessness and second chances.”
– Toronto Life
“They are our next door neighbours and sometimes our next-of-kin,” Emil writes in the playwright notes for Edward the ‘Crazy Man’. The “they” are those living with schizophrenia, those for whom ‘mental health issues’ are not a label but a way of life. And so Emil was drawn to the fertile territory found in Marie Day’s book and welcomed the opportunity to adapt it for the stage for Workman Arts. He took dramatic liberties – with Marie’s blessing and support – and introduced characters that were not in the original story but help drive the stage play forward, such as Edward’s estranged brother and the infant niece he yearns to hold.
Guided by the gifted hands of director Leah Cherniak, the play premiered in 2008 and was revisited and remounted in 2011, earning a Dora award for John Cleland.