ABSTRACT
Wendy Lill's monodrama The Occupation of Heather Rose, premièred in 1986, is a play of rare frankness on the subject of Indian-White encounter in contemporary Canada. It is set in a Northern community, and the subject is explored through the idealism of an inexperienced Southern nurse. Wendy Lill poses provocative and thought-provoking questions about social responsibility: Heather finds it more and more difficult to understand officialdom's handling of the Natives' needs. But The Occupation of Heather Rose is by no means a play with a black-and-white issue. Not only the complacency of non-Native cultural assumptions and the despair of the Native population, but also the demoralization of the white workers, who try to better the situation, are put up for discussion.
