Canada Waites

Normally, in a non-Covid19 World, you’d get to enjoy a Feature Screenplay Live Read with a Talented Group Of Toronto Actors. But in this Covid19, unsafe world, we can only say, that we’ll attempt to perform one or more of these Feature Scripts as a Live Read as one of our Monthly Film Series in 2020/2021.

Friday July 10, 2020 – 11:00 AM

Canada Waites 
Feature Screenplay | 118 pages
Screenwriter: Laurie Brand, Glen Allen, Virginia, USA

Synopsis: The ultimate story of survival and redemption set in the snowy wilderness of the 17^th century colonial frontier.  When Ben Waite’s pregnant wife and daughters are kidnapped by Indians and his village burned, he puts a plan into action to get them back, navigating not only the frozen wilderness of the American frontier, but the politicians, soldiers and corrupt officials who block his every move.

Seventeen were taken, some would not survive, but along the journey they would learn to test their strength, their faith and the new relationship formed with the Natives who were also finding their way through a new world.

Inspiration for the Script: This script is based on the real life story of Benjamin Waite, the “Hero of the Connecticut Valley” and Stephen Jennings, the first New Englanders to ever traverse the wilderness to Canada and back.  The author stumbled across this story while researching her husband’s family tree.  Her husband’s 7^th great grandmother was the sister of one of the captives, Hannah Dickinson Gilette Jennings, the wife of Stephen Jennings.  And, in fact, Benjamin Waite’s daughter also married into the same family tree and is a cousin many generations back.  It’s quite amazing to learn that your own family had the strength and faith to endure such hardship and that many of your one family would not be here today if it had not been for their courage and fortitude.

Keywords: #AmericanIndian #Indigenous #BenjaminWaite #HeroOfTheConnecticutValley #17thCentury #ColonialFrontie

BIO: As a lifelong theatre lover, Laurie Brand spent many years writing and directing in the theatre. At the age of 16, she was already President of her first non-profit theatre company. With a degree from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Wisconsin, opportunities brought her to Richmond, Virginia to work as a Stage Manager.  Some years later she started writing fan fiction and has published several award winning stories on various fan fiction websites.  When a friend asked her if she had ever written a screenplay, she jumped at the opportunity to delve into screenwriting.  She has been a member of the Virginia Screenwriters Forum since 2013.

Website:  www.virginiascreenwritersforum.com