By Gary Smith,
August 20th. 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Ray Rivers is fearless.
The local playwright wrote “Never the 51st State” as a warning. It’s a shoutout to any state or country facing a big bully living just next door.
Peter Anderson in “Never the 51st State.” Photo credit: Gwen Gilhooly
“It’s a warning about the dangers of getting too close to a neighbour who has expansionist designs,” Rivers says. “There is a phrase that best summarizes things. ‘Good fences make better neighbours.’”
Rivers, who wrote and directed the play – also played a bit part.
Originally Rivers’ title was “Bridges to Nationhood,” since bridges feature prominently in the text of his drama. It’s been changed however to emphasize the fact the play is more of a cautionary tale than Rivers ever suspected.
“I started writing this play about a year ago, before the current hostility between Canada and the U.S.A., but the story has become more relevant in today’s context.”
Rivers’ play is about a smaller nation defending itself from the aggression of a larger neighbour. Sound familiar? And as events in America’s economic war on Canada started evolving, Rivers’ play grew even wider in scope.
“Whether we’re talking about Canada, or Ukraine, neighbours can be threatening,” Rivers says.
That’s the truth at the heart of Rivers’ play. And that’s the thing that makes it so frightening.
A new work produced by Hamilton’s Classical Theatre Company, “Never the 51st State” is a double-hinged story.
“The first act is about the War of 1812,” says actor Peter Anderson. “It’s about two soldiers who find themselves intoxicated under the River Canard Bridge in Windsor. They wake to find they have been abandoned by their battalion and are facing several hundred American soldiers coming to occupy the bridge. In their drunken, hungover state they don’t run, or raise a white flag, they pick up their guns and start firing.”
Anderson’s character, John Dean, is one of the two renegades.
“He evolves from being a gritty, snivelling, ruthless fighter, to someone compassionate and caring.”
The two actors play low ranking low-ranking British soldiers who fought in the War of 1812. Peter Anderson on the right and Nicholas Ruddick on the left.
“These two men, low ranking British soldiers, defended the initial invasion by the Americans in the War of 1812-1814,” Rivers adds. “It’s a story of a smaller nation defending itself from the aggression of a larger one. We have researched the circumstances in the story and we have adhered to the facts as we know them. But because it’s a story for an audience, some literary licence exists.”
Act 2 of Rivers’ play takes a sudden leap to today and the war between Russia and Ukraine. How these two stories dovetail with amazing significance is what gives “Never the 51st State” vital dramatic connection.
“The overriding theme is the current American tariff aggression and the state of Canadian-American relations today,” Rivers says.
But there is much more.
“The play deals with humanity, politics, history, social dynamics, love and romance, and the power of believing in yourself and your country,” Anderson adds.
Rivers is quick to say this is not his own personal story.
“It’s not about me. My grandparents were Ukrainian immigrants, and I have distant relatives there. I have visited and taught language and culture in the school system there. But recounting history is best done with personal feelings on the sidelines.”
Anderson is bullish on River’s play.
“People should come see the play to gain a better appreciation of Canada as an independent nation with a rich history of standing up for that independence in the face of American adversity. Today’s tension is based on America looking beyond its borders to see what they want, and what they can take without asking,” Anderson says.
“The current American government,” he continues, “feels that Canada’s rich resources, including minerals and water, are well within their grasp, so it may only be a matter of time before real conflict becomes inevitable. This play highlights the need to take that threat seriously and to stand up for our country and the nation we believe in.”
Mariia Zaichenko, a Ukrainian citizen, is living in Canada. Her husband is serving in the Ukrainian armed forces. She took a break from preparing for the production to visit her husband last week.
It is produced by Anderson and Donald Cudmore and features a strong cast of community theatre players, including Valerie Kay, Julian Nicholson, Emily Bolyea and Nicholas Ruddick. It’s directed by Rivers and will use video projections to create the world of the play. It also features Ukrainian actress Mariia Zaichenko who moved to Canada three years ago.
“My husband has been a volunteer since 2014. When the full-scale invasion began, he joined the territorial defence forces. In 2025 he was called to serve and is now part of the Azov unit. It’s a difficult time, but I’m proud of his courage and dedication,” she says.
Zaichenko talks about the role she plays in Rivers’ drama.
Peter Anderson opposite Mariia Zaichenko
“I play a soldier, a woman who after the full-scale invasion began, made the difficult decision to defend her country. She’s a symbol of strength, sacrifice and the painful choices many Ukrainians have faced, especially women. The play is important for Canadians to see because it brings the human side of the war to life. It’s one thing to read the news, but another to feel someone’s story through theatre. The play is deeply personal to me. It gives me a way to process emotions and connect with others. A play like this one helps me turn pain into purpose. It’s healing in a way. It’s not just a script. It’s part of my lived experience,” Zaichenko says.
How the play encompasses its War of 1812 setting and the horror of the current Russian aggression against Ukraine is something that gives Rivers’ work a timeless sense of universality.
Is Rivers’ play a history lesson? Yes, it certainly is. “But it is also a drama and a love story,” Rivers is quick to add.
“The play encompasses valour and passion, including romance,” Anderson says. “We want to bring Canadian history and culture to the hearts and minds of audience members, to make them feel emotionally connected to this wonderful country we live in. In times like these, with war and neighbouring threats all around us, we need a show that displays our cultural and military history in a powerful way.”
The production opens at the Staircase Theatre on Thursday – runs through to August 24th, and the returns on August 28th and runs to the 30th
Ticket sales are being handled by Eventbrite. Click here to place your order.
The full cast – preparing for their final bow.
Along with being a playwright, a director and an actor, Ray Rivers is a Contributing Editor for the Burlington Gazette
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Kudos Ray, why am I not surprised that you are multi dimensional.
Good for Ray – well deserved.
Playright ??
That’s just playwrong !!
It’s playwrite ??
Please at least spell it correctly in the headline.
Editor’s note: Spelling errors are a curse – we do our best – and we know that our best has to get better.
While we utter an ouch when our errors are pointed out we have to admit to a certain level of delight when the person smaker us is herself wrong.
The correct spelling is playwright. The term refers to a person who writes plays for the theater. “Playwrite” is a misspelling. The word “wright” in “playwright” comes from an old English word meaning “maker” or “builder,” signifying the act of crafting plays.
Tip of the hat, if I was wearing one.