Whimsy State: or The Principality of Outer Baldonia

By A.J. Demers

With a few drinks and some “Ayes!” three fishermen on a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia declare independence from Canada: henceforth, they shall be known as the Princes of the Principality of Outer Baldonia!

It’s 1948 when Russ, Elson, and Ron discover that the Canadian government plans to open their Atlantic commercial fishing rights to the Spanish, posing an overcrowding threat to business and wildlife. Russ, a vacationing American lawyer, has just purchased Outer Bald Tusket Island for $750. With a newly erected stone lodge, plenty of fish, two new friends, and just enough frustration about rules and regulations, Russ can do what he pleases, including requesting official recognition from the United Nations for his fledgling state and declaring war on the USSR.

Based on an absolutely true story, this hilarious play about friendship shows that when ordinary people set out to do extraordinary things, the possibilities are endless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Playwrights Canada Press
• Release date: Oct 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9780369100412

A.J. Demers

A.J. Demers is a Toronto-​based award-​winning playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He holds an M.F.A. from UBC in creative writing. A.J. wrote and performed one hundred episodes of The Spin (winner of the Sam Ross Award) for CityTV. His writing includes shows on Viceland, CMT, and CBC. A.J. is an alumnus of the 2018 Canadian Film Centre’s Bell Media Prime Time TV Program and the National Screen Institute’s Feature First Program. In addition to his writing, A.J. has performed in well over two thousand improvised stage shows around the world and spent three years touring with the ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again.

Book preview

A sea of different types of fish swim back and forth across the cover, interspersed with tanks, military vehicles, and fishing lures, all in a dark army green colour. In the centre a single fish is highlighted in a purple-white colour, with a shining golden crown floating just above it.

Whimsy

State

(or The Principality of Outer Baldonia)

A.J. Demers

Playwrights Canada Press

Toronto

Whimsy State or The Principality of Outer Baldonia © Copyright

2019

by A.J. Demers

First edition: October

2019

Jacket art and design by Patrick Gray

Author photo © Sean Dennie

Playwrights Canada Press

202

-

269

Richmond St. W., Toronto, ON M

5

V

1

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416

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703

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0013 :: [e-mail] :: www.playwrightscanada.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, downloaded, or used in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for excerpts in a review or by a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopyright.ca.

For professional or amateur production rights, please contact Playwrights Canada Press.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Whimsy state (or, The Principality of Outer Baldonia) / A.J. Demers.

Other titles: Principality of Outer Baldonia

Names: Demers, A. J., author.

Description: A play.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print)

20190154608

| Canadiana (ebook)

20190155620

| ISBN

9780369100399

(softcover) | ISBN

9780369100405

(PDF) | ISBN

9780369100412

(EPUB) | ISBN

9780369100429

(Kindle)

Classification: LCC PS

8607

.E

525

W

55

2019

| DDC C

812

/.

6

 — dc

23

Playwrights Canada Press acknowledges that we operate on land, which, for thousands of years, has been the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe, Métis, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Today, this meeting place is home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and play here.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts — which last year invested $

153

million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country — the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada for our publishing activities.

A stylized, illustrated blue tree sits to the left of the words 'Canada Council for the Arts / Counseil des arts du Canada.''The word Canada is written out with a Canadian flag—a red maple leaf flanked by two vertical red stripes—situated above the final A.An orange O is bisected by a green and purple C, situated to the left of the words 'Ontario Creates | Ontario Créatif.''A large red A is bisected by an angled blue C, with a green O balanced between the two letters on the left. To the right of the OAC logo are the words 'Ontario Arts Council / Counseil des arts de l'Ontario' over a red line with the words 'An Ontario Government Agency / un organisme du gouvernement de l'Ontario' below the line.

For Mom and Dad

Contents

Author’s Preface

Characters

Whimsy State

Scene One: The Tavern

Scene Two: The Island

Scene Three: Flo

Scene Four: Drinking with the Prince

Scene Five: CBC

Scene Six: The First Meeting of the Government

Scene Seven: CBC #2

Scene Eight: Flo #2

Scene Nine: You’re Invited

Scene Ten: Flo #3

Scene Eleven: Fish Out of Water

Scene Twelve: War!!!

Scene Thirteen: Hungover

Scene Fourteen: CBC #3

Scene Fifteen: Flo # 4

Scene Sixteen: Throw Back the Small Ones, or Sleeping With the Enemy

Scene Seventeen: Flo #5

Scene Eighteen: At the Tavern One Last Time

Acknowledgements

Landmarks

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface

Production History

Epigraph

Characters

Whimsy State

Scene One: The Tavern

Scene Two: The Island

Scene Three: Flo

Scene Four: Drinking with the Prince

Scene Five: CBC

Scene Six: The First Meeting of the Government

Scene Seven: CBC #2

Scene Eight: Flo #2

Scene Nine: You’re Invited

Scene Ten: Flo #3

Scene Eleven: Fish Out of Water

Scene Twelve: War!!!

Scene Thirteen: Hungover

Scene Fourteen: CBC #3

Scene Fifteen: Flo # 4

Scene Sixteen: Throw Back the Small Ones, or Sleeping With the Enemy

Scene Seventeen: Flo #5

Scene Eighteen: At the Tavern One Last Time

Acknowledgements

About the Author

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