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- [00:01]
Holly Gattery
This episode is brought to you by McAfee. I got a message that our flight.
- [00:06]
Sean Minogue
Was canceled, but they can put us.
- [00:09]
Holly Gattery
On another flight and we just need.
- [00:10]
Sean Minogue
To confirm our credit card info.
- [00:13]
Holly Gattery
Wait, I got a security alert from McAfee. It flagged that message as a scam. McAfee's scam detector automatically spots and alerts you to suspicious texts, emails, and deepfake videos like. Learn more@mcafee.com Online Protection Disney wants to.
- [00:32]
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- [00:33]
Holly Gattery
Yes.
- [00:34]
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- [00:39]
Sean Minogue
Let's do this.
- [00:40]
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- [00:50]
Holly Gattery
Meet the New Avengers. That's cool, man.
- [00:54]
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- [01:00]
Sean Minogue
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- [01:22]
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- [01:36]
Holly Gattery
Hello, everyone, and welcome to nbn. I am your host, Holly Gattery, and I am really excited to be joined today by Sean Minogue to talk about his marvelous play Prodigals, which was published with Latitude 46 in 2025. There are a lot of reasons I love this book, but we have the big city dreamer returning to his hometown. And not to say that I am a prodigal, but I never wanted to move back to a small town. So this is a book, a book, a story, a play that really gripped me. So for listeners, when a big city dreamer from a small northern Ontario city returns to his hometown to testify in a murder trial, he faces old covered wounds in his circle of friends and discovers his missed opportunities are more than just regrets, which is a great, great premise and I was all for it. Shawn Minot has written for film, television and theater. His poems, stories and essays have been published in Arc Poetry Magazine, Maudlin House, Shift, this magazine, Full stop, Huffington Post, and the Globe and Mail. Prodigals premiered as a feature film in 2017. His debut novel, Terminal Solstice, was published in June 2025 by Turnstone Press. He lives in Toronto. So, Sean, I want to know, where did this story, this play begin for you?
- [03:04]
Sean Minogue
You know, I started channeling some voices that I remember, like recalling voices from, you know, my youth that I didn't really consciously, you know, seek out. They were just there. And I think I was like writing a short piece that was to be read at like a student showcase. You know, it was just like a really informal thing that was happening like I don't know, 20 years ago, like a long time ago. And I just like kind of let a couple of voices jump on the page and they argued with each other and I was like, oh, this is a lot of fun. And then the reading went over really well and I was like, I should actually like find out what they're talking about and get that story down. So that was really the beginning of it. And then it started once I hooked up with a theater company in Vancouver. It started actually getting shaped into much more coherent story. And then the more we're developing it, the more I kind of realized that I was talking about a specific phase of my life. And more specifically than that, it was a particular place, Sault Ste. Marie, where I grew up, that I was really trying to, I guess like process that. I. Yeah, I didn't really know what I wanted to say about the Sioux until I started writing this story. Then I was like, oh, I have, I have a perspective on, on my hometown.
- [04:21]
Holly Gattery
Okay, so for listeners that are worldwide or a worldwide audience, you say the Sue. And as a fellow Ontario, and I'm like, yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Because it's a cultural context for me. I know the lore of the Sioux. But for people who may not know about the Sault as affectionately we call Sault Ste. Marie. Could you fill us in a bit?
- [04:45]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, sure. So in Ontario, the most populous province of Canada, there's, you know, the near north. So like near where all the Great Lakes are, there are a lot of industrial towns that had resource based economies. And Sault Ste. Marie was one of those that has still has a steel mill. And that steel mill has sustained the life of that city for a long time. And even right now with, you know, a lot of cross border tensions happening, that steel mill, the fate of it is constantly in the balance. And so it's really an existential crisis for a city like Sault Ste. Marie, which currently has about 70,000, 72,000 people living there. And so for context, the steel mill employs a little over 2,000 as far as I can recall the last time I remember. And so it's a significant draw. And so Sault Ste. Marie is a very, from, you know, my experience there, it was a very working class kind of city. And I guess like it's, you know, people outside of Toronto, because Toronto is the main you know, big city in, in Canada, if you're living outside of Toronto, especially in the north, you're kind of like, you know, like, oh, those big city people. Right? There's a little bit of judgment that comes with thinking about Toronto. And so that. That perspective definitely comes through in this play.
- [06:10]
Holly Gattery
And I appreciate it because I was moved out of Toronto in my. I don't even preteen hood and I resented it deeply. Moved out to a rural area. And like I said, I was like, I'm never going back to a rural area. I'm. As soon as I'm old enough, I'm shaking the shackles of this, you know, one horse town and moving back to a city, which I did as. As soon as possible. As soon as I graduated high school, I went to university in the city and I didn't return for 10 years, but I did return and now I live in rural Ontario again. So there you go. And I really find there's something just deeply enchanting and compelling and timeless about the return story, especially the return story to a small town out of a metropolis. And I just want your opinion because I have my own theories, but they're a little bit half baked on this. It's something I feel more intuitively and I've never really taken the trouble to voice it. So I'm curious about your opinion. What do you think? Is it about this prodigal trope archetype that is so appealing to people?
- [07:16]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, I mean, like for the folks like myself who grew up in a small town, I feel like you. Well, especially if you're like a creative individual, you're constantly seeing the stories of others that take place in the big cities. Right? That's where all the exciting things happen. That's where creative industries are generally located. So you grow up looking elsewhere. At least I did. Not everyone does. A lot of people are totally cool with, you know, growing up and finding a place in their community and giving back to that community. And I. And I want to honor that as well. But that's not my story. My story was very much like growing up and looking elsewhere. And what was really funny about that for me is that like, I, you know, once I left the Sioux, I didn't really think of Sault Ste. Marie as like, part of me in any way. If anything, I was like, still seeking like that writerly journey. I was still trying to find myself for as like a creative individual. And it was during that journey that I, you know, kind of cast an eye back to Sault Ste. Marie. And realized that that is the. At that point in my life was a defining feature of my identity. Right. So writing the play was a way to, like, reconcile who I wanted to be with who I actually was. And. Yeah, so it was a bit of a. Bit of a trip for me to realize that, like, the place that I thought I was escaping, that had no. No claim to who I was, actually was a big part of shaping my identity.
- [08:45]
Holly Gattery
What a great answer. I love that. And something about this. This play reminded me so much if it had, like, a soundtrack of a song by the Watchmen. I don't know if you're familiar with them. They're a Winnipeg band from the 90s, and I missed the boat on them in the 90s, I guess. I don't. I won't say I was too young. That's not strictly true. I think I was just listening to other things at the time. But there's a song they have called Any Day Now. One of the lyrics is nothing changes. Nothing changes except the red light and nobody changes. Want to see them tonight? And it's like this frustration that nothing in these small towns ever changes, that there's still this drawback to them, this reluctant connection that you still want to see them and know what's going on. Even though, like, for me, even the. The town that I grew up in after I left Toronto, I have this, like, deeply loving but also slightly resentful relationship to it. And I really enjoyed that about these characters. And that's what I want to talk about next. I want to start by talking about not our protagonist. I mean, that would be the natural place. But I'm gonna. I'm gonna skip over the protagonist, and I'm gonna talk about Nips right away, which is, number one, a great name. I would love to know where Nips came from, because Nips is a little bit of a cuckold. His actual name is Michael, by the way. Everyone calls him Nips, and he's this. Well, you give a really great description of the characters in the first part of the book, which is an awkward telemarketer who wants to make the best of his life in dreams of taking a chance. Like Wesley. Wesley's our protagonist, everyone. Jen has been his dream girl for years. And, I mean, I felt so much for Nips, and I'd love to know where Nips came from.
- [10:35]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, that. That character, I. I have a lot. He's. He's like the heart. Like, that earnest, you know, g. Shucks kind of heart in the story. And especially if you know, I won't spoil the ending, but, you know, he, he really kind of brings home the emotional impact of what I wanted to do with this story. But yeah, you described him well. He's like a guy who I think admires others who take chances and does not see himself as someone who would do such a thing. He hears about people taking vacations to France and he's like, oh, wow, maybe we'll go to Toronto or like Great Wolf Lodge and like a little resort place with, with, you know, family members down south in Ontario. Right. So, like, his dreams are. Aren't the biggest, but that's not a bad part of his, his character. If anything, it's kind of like a redeeming quality for him. I don't think he has the same chip on his shoulder as Wesley, the main character, where he's not like, I don't think he needs to seek the other part of himself that he'll always be chasing. Like, he's not going out somewhere to find the wholeness of himself. He's like, he is whole. He's just like a little bit of a doormat. And I love that about him. I think that's the most honest feature of his character, that he's just like, he just assumes the best out of people. And in this kind of semi fictionalized version of Sault Ste. Marie that I'm writing about, you know, someone like that kind of gets chewed up by, by other folks who, you know, have not such, like, kind interpretations of, like, how the way the world works. Right. So someone who wears their heart on the sleeve, on their sleeve is like, vulnerable in this kind of environment.
- [12:30]
Holly Gattery
Yeah. And the way you describe, you know, my dear Nyx is, is, you know, as being whole and, you know, his world, like, he's fine with it. He know, it's not like he's. He's not unintelligent. He knows what's going on around him. But it made me think of your description, Nips. Made me think immediately of that wonderful documentary about the Tragically Hip. No dress rehearsal where somebody mentioned to one of the surviving band members, and I don't remember who it was, it may have been Rob. I don't remember said, you know. Well, you, you know, everyone was saying that the Tragically Hip never made it big in the States. And, you know, I just remember the response being something along the lines of I'm paraphrasing, but probably paraphrasing even not in a really great way. But the heart of the response was, what's wrong? With just being big in Canada and to Nipsey said, what's wrong with just being happy in the Sioux? Why do we always seek validation outside of ourselves? Why is that so important? Why can't. Why are we always looking to big cities or to some big metropolis in the States or to Paris or London or Berlin or just somewhere else? What's wrong with living in the Sioux? And I really love that about Nips, and not just because I'm the poet lord of a rural area and I constantly come across people that's like, oh, that's cute. I'm like, no, it's not cute. It's valuable. The arts have happen everywhere. Life happens wherever you are. You don't have to go to a big metropolis to find your life. A lot of people do find their lives and what's best for them in cities that's good for them. But I mean, I didn't. I went, I went, I saw, I returned. And I really. I think that's why I loved Nip so much. The next character I want to talk about is Jen, who I didn't like so much, but I also really did like as well. So Jen is a reform party girl who's trying to commit herself to a stable relationship with my darling Nips and a steady job as the manager of her friend's favorite pub. So scene one opens in this pub, which you describe as a dingy, small town pub, aesthetically stalled in the late 90s. I think a lot of us know immediately. I can just picture immediately what you're talking about. Jen is really a linchpin of the whole story to me, because she. She's the source of so much tension because, you know, she's also Wesley's ex and they are really not over each other. I'd love to ask about how you created Jen in such a way as to. And I'm trying not to give anything away, make me want two completely different outcomes for her, because that was. That's quite a feat. Like, I was rooting in two completely different directions the entire time. I think ultimately the direction it took was probably what I wanted the most for her, but it was still devastating. And I'd love for to hear you talk about that.
- [15:38]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, I totally agree that Jen is the. She's like. Wesley's like the main character in the sense that he's the one who comes home and kind of is the catalyst for a lot of the drama that ensues. But Jen holds the keys to which direction the story goes, and it's what she wants that really shapes the story of prodigals. And especially with the ending, the ending, again, I'm not going to say what it is, but when we had this up in Vancouver many years ago, every single time that ending happened, you could hear the room, like, just like the air just gets sucked out of the room and, and like the conversations started once that, you know, the lights went out and then people left the theater. They were talking all about the same thing and very much in the terms that you just described, like, where, you know, like, you saw her going one way when she goes another. And anyway, but to her actual character, I always saw her as someone who was, you know, grossly underemployed. And her, her, her mental faculties, her way of being in the world deserved so much better, still deserves so much better. And she knows that. And she, I think, is a little annoyed that she can't get that, you know, fulfillment where she is right now. And at the same time, she does not see her life being complete in, outside of Susse Marie. She sees her, her, the place that she lives, her hometown, as the core part of her identity. And I think she's got a lot of frustration that she has repressed and that comes out in some, you know, compromising choices that she makes. But yeah, I always really loved Jen as a character and I felt like that was one of those characters that's like writing herself, right? That was not me doing it. That was the character telling me the whole way. But like, you know how the story is going to go and I'm just like, oh, man. I just, you know, I feel like I had very little hand in that character. Whereas there was a lot that was on autopilot that, you know, I feel good about.
- [17:50]
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- [18:44]
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- [19:13]
Holly Gattery
She is great. And as an ex bad girl myself, I can just see all of my children. Rollerizer next. As an expat girl myself, I get it. Like I. I think that's one of the reasons I both felt so close to Jen and also just infuriated with her because it's like looking in a mirror. You know what I mean? There's some things that are so similar to me. So I really hope when everyone picks up this book, and I strongly encourage you too, that you really get wrapped up in Jen and pay close attention to her. She is fascinating. My next question before I ask you you to share with us a bit from the book in the form of a reading, is about the catalyst that brings Wesley back. And I've just like skimmed over it. You know there's a murder trial, right? But it's so weird to me that in a book that has a murder trial, which, you know, in the days of true crime being such a huge and in my opinion, slightly disgusting draw, that the murder trial is the least interesting thing happening in the story for me at least maybe other people would find it and feel differently. I'd love for you to share with our audience, like, what is this murder trial? Why has Wesley been beckoned home?
- [20:22]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, that's a good point. Because, like, there is this like high drama that's happening off stage. And I just really, I've always loved that it's not about the trial, like, so for the concept, for people who are unaware of the story. So Wesley is this guy who gets called home to assist with this murder trial. His. One of his old friends is on trial for killing a guy in a senseless fight. And I think the general vibe is like, most of the friends think that this trial is not going to end well for the friend, and so he needs all the help he can get. So Wesley comes back and he's supposed to be like the golden boy who's gonna add a little bit of, you know, boost to the cause for the murder trial. But, you know, we soon find out that he's not really capable of providing that assistance. So for the trial itself, it's something that we hear about. We know where the trial is and how it's going, but we never go into the courtroom in the play. And I always thought of it as kind of like, you know, when you tell like a World War II story and it's like set during the war, it's the war encroaches upon the personal drama that happens within multiple characters, whatever story you're thinking of. And I always thought of the play being like that, where there's this trial that encroaches upon the lives of these characters. But the outcome of that trial or the ups and downs of that trial don't necessarily affect the trajectories of the characters. If anything, it's just kind of like a lot of really, you know, concerning background noise for their pre existing stress. Right. And so their, their journeys were already in motion before this trial happened. And then it occurs and it exacerbates a lot of these pre existing problems that they have.
- [22:24]
Holly Gattery
And most of the play, I think all of the play, and you'll have to excuse me because I read this months ago, but it happens in or outside of the local watering hole. Is that correct?
- [22:36]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
- [22:37]
Holly Gattery
Yeah. So, like you're not. It's a. It's a very. So much is happening. It's so dynamic. There's so much energy. But the actual setting of the play is one place. And I say that I, I needed that refresher because, like, I felt like so much movement in my brain and I'm looking through the book now, I'm like, no, I'm right. It's all at the bar. But it felt like there were, there were so much. The setting had legs when it didn't. But I think that's just because the energy and the emotional energy of the characters makes it feel that way, that it's not. I don't. It didn't feel stagnant, which is obviously credit to you. And because one of my favorite things about this story, with your immaculate grasp and use of dialogue, I would really love for you to read to us from the collection.
- [23:28]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, sure. So I'm going to read just a really short little section here between Wesley and Jen. So again, Wesley's the guy who came home to his hometown and Jen is the manager of the bar and she is dating Nips or Michael, depending on who's saying the name. And yeah, so they. I'll just read a little section between the two of them. Wesley starts by the way. You know, I gotta say, I'm surprised. You and Nips so. I just never would have pictured you with someone like him. Michael is a great guy. I know he is. He is a lot better than most of the guys that have stuck around here. I should get going. Wait. Do I seem different at all? What do you mean? Like since you last saw me, like five minutes ago. Like five years ago. Listen, if you got a haircut or something, it looks good. I've been trying to get my shit together, you know, and be somebody. Oh, that's great. Awesome. It's just hard to gauge your own changes. It's like you can look back and see old photos and wonder what you were thinking, but you never really know because you weren't thinking of anything. Right? Someone's just pointing a camera at you and you're wondering how long you have to keep this stupid smile on your face or whether your pit stains are going to show up. It shouldn't be that difficult to track change in this place. Everything is still exactly the same. Look around. These are vintage stains on the carpet. I think that one's mine. I saw the same fucking storefronts on the cab right up here. The shitty specials at Muyos are exactly the same. The prices have just gone up. I saw two kids throw snowballs at the truck driving in front of me. There's the same shit that I used to pull when I was young. It's actually pretty amazing. How do 80,000 people collectively refuse to change at all? It's mind boggling. Are we really all that boring? Nah, I didn't mean you. Is that why you left? We're too predictable. I didn't leave because of you guys. I left because I was bored with the Sioux. But we are the Sioux. Ah, you say that with such pride. We are the Sioux. Are you on the tourism board or something? Whatever. I'm gonna go. Wait. You never answered my question, which was, am I still the same Jen you remember? And then they have a little. They have a little kiss there.
- [25:46]
Holly Gattery
Thank you for that. I really wanted to hone in on that amazing dialogue. So, you know, dialogue is incredibly difficult for me. I think a lot of people struggle with dialogue. But as I said multiple times on the show, I'm sure I'm a poet first. So dialogue is something I don't really think about too often. Until I have to write prose and dialogue in a play, in art, or, you know, any kind of, you know, a screen, a tv. It's not the way we actually talk. Like you transcribed what I was saying here. Not only would I sign sound absolutely verbally incontinent, but it wouldn't really make for compelling reading or listening. And I'm apologizing to everyone who's listening to me now as I say that. But the writing you have here is, you know, it rings with versimilitude. But of course, it's not exactly how people would talk. It's a reflection, an artistic reflection of how people would talk that so closely resembles actual conversation that we don't question it. But. Because when I read a book, I always look under the hood. I'm trying to see what's making it tick. Usually not on my first read, but second read, I'm trying to see what's making it tick. I'm really interested in how you, you know, you've. You've done plays, you've. You're a filmmaker. What advice do you have for people, let's say, like me, who are looking to make our dialogue in stories or in screenwriting or in playwriting more authentic?
- [27:20]
Sean Minogue
I mean, that. Yeah, great question. I. I'll just say, well, thank you. That was, you know, a lot of kind words for. For the dialogue. I. I wish I had, like, some straightforward tips, but, like, for me, specifically for this play, I mean, I never had a problem generating the volume of dialogue, right? Like, this play was really easy to write in the sense that, like, I knew what the sound of each character was and I just could, like, you know, turn on the faucet and out would come a stream of consciousness from each one. And that's generally how I like to write. I just, like. It's having, like, a really solid perspective from each character where they feel they're so correct in their view of the world that you can just, like, put the spotlight on them and just like, then, blah, blah, blah, blah, there they go. And so that. That part has always been easy for me. It's like the hard part for me was always honing that stream of consciousness down to something that's dramatically relevant for, you know, a given scene and that moves the story forward. Like, that's always going to be a challenge for me that I, you know, I don't know if I have, like, the. The perfect skill set always with that, because I just love to hear characters talk. So for this, you know, I really benefited from a lot of table reads and a dramaturge, Peter Boychuk, that was, you know, really hands on with helping me learn the ropes of playwriting too, because this is my first play. I Had no idea, you know, how to, like, dramatize a conversation in, like, a way that will engage an audience. And I always love the idea of keeping conversations real, keep them the way people actually talk. And I would actually disagree with you when it came to, like, if we saw a transcript of what this, you know, back and forth is like, I feel like that would be amazing. I would. You know, I feel like that's. That's the first draft of something. I don't know what, but I feel like that's. That's a way to get at someone's character is just see the way they actually talk. And the more quirks, the more uhs, Uhs and, like, hims and, huh, like, you know, all the weird noises that we make. I feel like I'm so fascinated with that. And all. All I really need for myself to bring to that kind of idiosyncratic way of speaking is just the perspective, having, like, a solid perspective that you want to convey to your audience.
- [29:47]
Holly Gattery
Well, I've never been so complimented to be disagreed with, so thank you. Thank you. I do want to talk about Greg, and I have, like, a big circle around his name in the cast of characters section. So for our audience, Greg is a sarcastic loudmouth who lives off his parents and has little ambition for traditional ideas of success. Now, here's the part that I love. There's a grain in truth in his constant. There's a grain of truth in his constant complaints. And there is. I felt like sometimes as much as I love Nips because. Because he is so vulnerable, sometimes I just wanted to shake him and be like, stand up for yourself, man. And, you know, but I mean, I love. I love that about him, but it was also a frustrating. I see him being constantly made fun of and hurt, and that's not something that I. That I love. But Greg is like, you know, he's just speaking truth and, like, sometimes he is the only one who is saying what's right and what needs to be said. But, like, he is such a. I mean, I don't remember that he was actually a stoner, but he is such, like, stoner vibes to him that, you know, I think that his lack of taking himself or anything seriously can make it easy for others. Not people watching the player reading, necessarily, but for his friend group, I think his unseriousness about everything makes it easy for them to overlook how actually smart he is sometimes.
- [31:16]
Sean Minogue
Yeah. And, you know, so he's. I mean, like, there's no denying it. Greg is a jerk. He's A total jerk. And he's a loudmouth who's just, like. He just can't recognize the value of respecting someone else's feelings. And also, he desperately, desperately loves everyone around him. He just. He can't show it. He's totally emotionally stunted. Um, and he. Everything has to come out through this sarcastic filter. Uh, he was definitely the most fun character to write. He was the one that would get laughs at the table reads. And like every performance of this play, Greg's lines are the ones that kind of lit up the room first. And, you know, there was. I forget which line it was, but, like, there was always a point early on in the play that I knew if someone. If people in the audience laughed at Greg's first joke, then I had them. You know, I. I was. I felt confident about it. So I'd be, like, waiting. I'd be watching the play off to the side in the dark and kind of like, nervously sweating away to see whether people are going to hate it or whatever. And then Greg has this funny line, something about, you know, there's enough pity sex happening in Sault Ste. Marie to make Darwin rethink his life's work, and something like that. And so that would make people laugh, and then you would engage in the drama. And so I feel like that was. Greg really served a technical purpose from, like, a nerdy writer perspective in that he. He's the one who cracks open the tension to allow you to access the. The, like, the dramatic seriousness of what is lying underneath. Right. Because so he'll. Someone's trying to avoid an issue and he calls that issue out, and then people get really annoyed and have to engage with that and they don't want to. And I feel like at my worst, maybe that's how. That's how I. How I interact with, you know, dramatic situations in social. Social scenarios. But Greg has always dialed that up to 11. And, you know, I really feel like if you saw a production of Prodigals, you're walking away thinking about Jen's choice as a character and Greg's voluminous sarcasm. That would definitely be the other thing that you take away.
- [33:28]
Holly Gattery
Yeah, there's one part fairly early on where Nips is semi defending Benny hold, who is the character on trial for murder. And, you know, Nips being the eternal optimist. And Greg says, nips, the guy is pure evil. They should make after school specials about how to avoid people like Benny. He's freaking Skeletor, all right? And there's no such thing as a sell Saint Marie success story, so you can drop that bullshit. And I can remember laughing like I felt offended on behalf of a suit. But I also, I just, I giggled because it's like he, Yeah, I mean, Benny is. Benny is off stage the whole time. He is talked about, never seen, but he is a very solid character just the same. But his absence is his presence. And you know, the guy's delinquent and, and me not in any kind of pejorative sense. I mean, it is pejorative, but I mean, he just is like, the guy's been in fights all the time. He is violent. He. He beats someone to death, for God's sakes. And it's not just like a one time thing. There's a history of aggressive, violent behavior. And everyone's like, because he's a friend, I'm trying to. Or in some cases a relative of the characters trying to justify it, position it, make sense of it. And Craig is just like, let's just, just, you know, as he says, drop the. And he just calls it like it is. And I mean it, you know, like you said, it really cuts the tension in the story. And it's like, it's like being underwater and getting these. Coming up for these deep lungfuls of air and. But instead of air, you get helium and you start laughing hysterically. And I really enjoyed that. About Greg, I have to have a question. This is just like a personal question. I know only a small demographic of our listenership might benefit from the answer to this question, but are there any plans for Prodigals to be produced again?
- [35:21]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, great question. I get a lot of emails here now and then querying the availability of the play, and nothing is on the books as of yet. But I do hope that there's going to be another production of it because I really would like for people to see it, you know, in this theatrical form. Right. Because it is a feature film as well. But the feature film kind of goes in a different direction and where, like you, you do see the inside of the courtroom in the feature film, there are a lot of differences that happen there. But the play itself, I think if you, you know, want to get the essence of what this story is, I mean, like live theater is. Is a great vehicle for that. Yeah. So my short answer, shorter answer to that is nothing yet. But, you know, stay onto my website, shamanogue.com and I'll put anything up there for any actual plans.
- [36:16]
Holly Gattery
Yeah. And any producers listening, you can contact Sean. You can contact Sean through me. I'll get in touch with him. Whatever, whatever you need to do. Don't be shy about reaching out. My final question for you, Sean, is what are you working on? Now, I know you've just had a book come out, Terminal Solstice with Turnstone Press, and I'm really interested in reading that. You're welcome to speak about that as well, but aside from that, are you working on anything that in its raw form right now?
- [36:44]
Sean Minogue
Yeah, I'm always writing something. It's been quite the banner year for me after like, you know, you have your ups and downs in writing, as everyone listening probably is well aware of. But this year was a strange year to have my. My debut novel, Terminal Solstice, get published by one publisher in July and then for my first play to be published by another publisher a month later and for me to be doing separate promotional activities for both. It's been incredibly busy. However, I still find, you know, my little half hour chunks to write after everyone's gone to bed and I have a little bit of peace and quiet in the house. But fiction seems to be where I'm focusing a lot of my attention lately, just because I feel like I can dictate the time that I spend on doing the project and no one's waiting for it. Like everyone, everyone just can, like, just do their own thing and I'm the generator of progress on that. So I really like being able to control things, especially with, you know, being a parent and having a job and all that stuff. So it's, yeah, definitely friction from here on out, as far as I know.
- [37:51]
Holly Gattery
That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining me today to talk about your really remarkable play, Prodigals, which was published with Latitude 46, which is a publisher in Ontario that prioritizes writers and stories from Northern Ontario. It is available wherever books are bought and borrowed. And Sean is definitely here to entertain queries about production. So, Sean, thank you so much for joining me.
- [38:14]
Sean Minogue
Thank you for having me.