“When we got to the rooftop and sat down, he ordered a half bottle of white wine, dug into the plastic bag and pulled out a tiny book of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Inside was written Pierre Elliott, 1968. ‘Somebody gave it to me on my first Christmas as Prime Minister. I wrote an inscription in it, so no one would think you’d stolen it…’
For Brooke, for her birthday—And the best of memories, Pierre E.T. 1987”

In 1985, while a student at the National Theatre School of Canada, Brooke Johnson became friends with Pierre Elliott Trudeau. In her solo play, Brooke brings to life the story of this surprising friendship. At once vital and charming, poignant and very funny, Trudeau Stories is about friendship and loss and about who the heck we think we are.

Brooke Johnson has performed in theatres from the Bay of Fundy to the Foothills of the Rockies. Brooke has four Dora Mavor Moore Best Actress nominations for her work in Toronto’s theatres, most recently for playing the title role in Theatre Rusticle’s Wish, directed by Allyson McMackon; for her portrayal of Gwendolyn MacEwan in Claudia Dey’s The Gwendolyn Poems; one for the role of Maria Streuber in Theatre Smith-Gilmour’s The Time and Place; another for Jhana-Gladys Kelly in Tarragon’s original 1987 production of Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod. Johnson lives in Toronto, often on the trawler Mary Mary, which she and her partner Adrian Truss sailed two winters ago from Florida.

Brooke Johnson's profile page

“A lush and intricate script, a remarkable theatre experience.” - The Guardian

“This is a winner…Trudeau Stories is a portrait of a shared friendship, built on love of the outdoors, of poetry, of theatre, and of life itself.” - Toronto Sun

“Trudeau Stories est un petit bijou.” - Le Devoir