Winnipeg, 1919. Smack dab in the centre of North America. The most booming city in the Midwest - giddy with excitement, and apprehension, as the post-war reality sets in....Winnipeg's Giddy.
Jewish and Ukrainian community leaders convince their opposition that co-operation will lead to a better life....the Immigrants' Song.
Stefan Dudar dictates a letter to his illiterate godfather Mike Sokolowski's family....Dearest Anna.
Moishe Almazoff and his sister Rebecca attempt to convince their new neighbour Stefan Dudar that activism is the key to societal change....Nothing Radical.
Feisty Emma, the Ashdown's maid, recounts her employers' reaction to talk of a city-wide general strike....Me Ma'am is Mum.
Minister of Labour, Senator Robertson, lays out his belief that the ruling class must use a strong hand with the working class....the Plight of the Working Class.
Rebecca Almazoff and Mike Sokolowski lament their circumstances. Although they differ in background, they are both immigrant underclass facing social unrest....Fifty Dollars.
Jewish suffragette Rebecca Almazoff, wealthy Susan Ashdown and the conflicted Mike Sokolowski question what it takes to be a "Better Man".
Catholic Stefan has fallen in love with his Jewish neighbour Rebecca. Although such unions are unthinkable in 1919, the two dare to defy society....Love in a Place Like This.
Act One ends in underdog glory as workers mass together to completely shut down the third-largest city in Canada in May, 1919….Strike!.