From Wednesday, June 3 to Sunday, June 21, 2026 – By the Word Productions presents the world premiere of the theatre play American Devotion, by Franca Miraglia. Set at Marilyn Monroe’s home at the height of McCarthyism, this play finds unexpected relevance in the time of Trump. Running at Streetcar Crowsnest Studio Theatre in tandem with the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birthday on June 1.
Exploring McCarthyism in the time of Trump
American Devotion takes audiences back to 1957, to the Connecticut farmhouse shared by Marilyn Monroe and her celebrated playwright husband, Arthur Miller. In this fictional meeting, Norman Mailer (American writer, journalist and filmmaker) has successfully wangled a coveted invitation for cocktails with the reclusive couple shortly after Miller has been called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Adding further strain to an already besieged marriage, Mailer storms into this delicate situation ready to do battle and claim his prize at any cost – but Monroe, who is both stronger and more fragile than imaginable, has plans of her own for the evening’s festivities.
Beyond McCarthyism, American Devotion delves into the ravages of celebrity culture, and the existential clash between brains and brawn. The evening’s debate turns into a battle that pits Miller’s brains against Mailer’s brawn – ending in an epic, “take no prisoners” fight with Monroe as the ultimate prize.
Directed by Mario D’Alimonte, American Devotion stars Holm Bradwell as Arthur Miller, Misha Harding as Marilyn Monroe and Mark Rittinger as Norman Mailer.
Inspired by Miller’s autobiography & Mailer’s Monroe biography
American Devotion was inspired by a passage from Arthur Miller’s 1987 autobiography Timebends: A Life, which refers to Norman Mailer’s 1973 book Marilyn: A Biography.
“Years later, [Marilyn’s] life would be taken up by a writer […] avowedly desperate for money to pay his several alimonies. I had to wonder if her fate at the great author’s hands would have been better had she agreed back in the fifties to my suggestion that we invite him for dinner some evening. I had heard that Norman Mailer had bought a house [near our home] and from what everyone knew of him, he would have rushed to meet her. Reading [Mailer’s] volume, with its grinning vengefulness toward both of us, […] I wondered if it would have existed at all had we fed him one evening and allowed him time to confront her humanity, not merely her publicity.”
About By the Word Productions
By the Word (BTW) Productions is a proudly Canadian theatre collective that has co-produced plays in Toronto with Theatre Passe Muraille (Last Days of Graceland, 2008; Platinum Travel Club, 2005) and at the Toronto Fringe Festival (Life on a Diet, 1998). BTW also represented Canadian works produced in New York City (Platinum Travel Club by New Perspectives Theater, 2005 and Life on a Diet by The Looking Glass Theatre, 2002) and Bloomington, Illinois (Platinum Travel Club by the Bloomington Playwrights Project’s Dark Alley Late Night Series, 2004).
(Photo credits: By the Word Productions. Misha Harding. Photo by Julie Adams Photography.)
Event details
Hosted by: By the Word Productions
Type of event: theatre performance
Written by: Franca Miraglia
Directed by: Mario D’Alimonte
Cast: Holm Bradwell, Misha Harding & Mark Rittinger
Dates: Wednesday, June 3 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
Start times:
- Wednesday – Saturday evenings @ 8:00 PM ET
- Saturday & Sunday matinées @ 2:00 PM ET
Duration: 95 minutes (no intermission)
Cost: Ticket prices do not include fees.
- All tickets (June 3): C$28.25
- General admission (after June 3): C$79.20
- Students, seniors & arts workers (after June 3): C$56.50
Location: Streetcar Crowsnest, Studio Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4M 2T1, Canada
Booking link: Book your tickets here
Contact Details: By the Word Productions; Box office: (647) 341-7390, ext. 1010; boxoffice@crowstheatre.com
Content warning: For audiences 18+. Depictions of drug use.
Accessibility: Streetcar Crowsnest accessibility info here.
Health & safety: While masks are no longer required under Toronto Public Health guidelines, Streetcar Crowsnest fully supports anyone who chooses to wear one. Complementary masks are available at the box office. They kindly ask all patrons to be considerate and respectful of each other’s choices. Their enhanced cleaning procedures remain in place, and their venue continues to be equipped with the high-efficiency V-MAX Air Disinfection system to help ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. More info here.