Stag and Doe
"This is our wedding day. You can't have one foot in and one foot out. This is our life, it's not the Hokey Pokey."
About the play
Happily ever after ain't free!
Bonnie and Brad are getting married in a few weeks, and the budget for their big day is out of control. Mandy and Rob's high-class wedding starts in a few hours, but their fancy white tent blew away in last night's storm. Maid-of-Honour Dee is still getting over being left at the altar seven years ago. And Jay just found out his entire catering staff is in jail! It’s all happening at the same time, in the same community hall kitchen, in the same small town.
By turns wildly funny and unexpectedly touching, Stag and Doe offers a laugh-filled look at a rural prenuptial tradition…and shines a light on the nature of love, marriage, and weddings.
Staging Requirements
Cast: Six actors
Two Acts: 1 hour, 45 minutes including interval
One Interior Set
Press
✭✭✭✭✩
Named one of the Best of 2014
"Well written and blissfully funny, Crawford’s play is sure to have a long life throughout Ontario and beyond."
- Stage Door
"Crawford's script is as snappy and crisp as a well-written TV sitcom. The laughs come fast and furiously and often... You don't have to live in the country to relate to this delightful comedy, which reminds us that all is not bliss when thoughts turn to tying the knot."
- Waterloo Record
"There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in Stag and Doe. But the play also pops the big question: Are weddings really about a single day, or a lifetime?"
- The Coast
"A great comedy. We hooted at much of it and laughed at the rest."
- Orangeville Citizen
"Clever comic dialogue and observations about everyday people who learn that you can’t put a price tag on love."
- The Halifax Chronicle Herald
"Stag and Doe is an absolute riot befitting its title."
- Wellington Advertiser
Production History
Stag and Doe premiered at the Blyth Festival Theatre in 2014.
It has been produced across Canada at Neptune Theatre, Port Stanley Festival Theatre, Upper Canada Playhouse, Lighthouse Festival Theatre, County Stage Company, Theatre Orangeville, Capitol Theatre Port Hope, Bluewater Summer Playhouse, Souris Valley Theatre, Central Alberta Theatre, Metro Theatre (Vancouver), and many others.
The Polish translation, Manewry Weselne, premiered in 2019 at Teatr Powszechny w Łodzi and ran as part of the company's repetoire for several seasons. Stag and Doe made its New Zealand premiere at Howick Theatre Company in 2020, and its American premiere at Daytrippers Dinner Theatre in 2022.
Upcoming: Stag and Doe will be produced by Thousand Islands Playhouse in August-September, 2025.
Gallery
Stag and Doe is available for licensing by professional and community theatres.
To inquire about rights, please visit the Contact Page.
Photo credits on this page:
Banner photo by Sam Moffatt: Luke Marty, Rose Napoli, Amir Haidar, and Janelle Hanna at Capitol Theatre Port Hope. About the Play photo by Terry Manzo: Rebecca Auerbach and Greg Gale at Blyth Festival. Staging Requirements photo by Pete Paterson: Caroline Toal, Jeff Hanson, Heidi Lynch, David Reale, Jesse Griffiths, and Karen Knox at Theatre Orangeville. Press photo by Katarzyna Chmura: Cast at Teatr Powszechny Lodz. Production History photo by Timothy Richard: Daniel Gervais and Maria Dinn at Neptune Theatre. Gallery photo 1 by Terry Manzo: Nicole Joy Fraser and Jason Chesworth at Blyth Festival. Gallery photo 2 by Pete Paterson: Karen Knox, David Reale, Jeff Hanson, and Caroline Toal at Theatre Orangeville. Gallery photo 3 by Katarzyna Chmura: Marta Jarczewska and Jakub Kryształ at Teatr Powszechny Lodz. Gallery photo 4 by Melissa McLay: Andrew Fleming, Iain Robert Stewart, and Ferelith Young at Lighthouse Festival Theatre. Gallery photo 5: Katie Lawson and Craig Pike at Festival Players of Prince Edward County.