Sweep and Say Union
This play is a dramatized retelling of the history of Portuguese women cleaners in Toronto, focused on a dramatic strike of 250 office cleaners at First Canadian Place in 1984.
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Scene from the “Sweep and Say Union” play, 2024 Heritage Toronto Public History Award nominee. Image by William Paul.
Office cleaner from the “Sweep and Say Union” play, 2024 Heritage Toronto Public History Award nominee. Image by William Paul.
Office cleaner from the “Sweep and Say Union” play, 2024 Heritage Toronto Public History Award nominee. Image by William Paul.
Theatre Group Coordinator: Holly Kirkconnell
Playwrights: Craig Heron, Aida Jordão, Janet Lewis
Director: Ali Gorgani Dorcheh
Date of Release: November 22, 2023
In 2023, the Toronto Workers’ Theatre Group was inspired by an excellent new book on the history of Portuguese women cleaners in Toronto from the 1970s to the 1990s, Cleaning Up, by Susana Miranda with Franca Iacovetta, based to a great extent on interviews with the women involved. The group decided to dramatize one of the most significant events in that story, namely, a dramatic strike of 250 office cleaners at First Canadian Place in 1984.
Three playwrights contributed to the script: labour historian Craig Heron; the group’s director, Aida Jordão; and an actor/director from community theatre, Janet Lewis. Four new Portuguese-speaking actors were recruited, along with well-known Portuguese Canadian musician Nuno Cristo. Ali Gorgani Dorcheh, an Iranian immigrant in the York University PhD theatre program, became the director.
The production focused on the women who maintained the strike’s picket lines for six weeks. The play revealed the pride in their work that motivated their outrage at their poor wages, the depths of their solidarity with their fellow workers, their creativity in sustaining their strike, and their courage and determination in the face of police violence. To establish the contemporary relevance of those workers’ battles, the play was framed by a flashback and flashforward to highlight the ongoing struggles of present-day cleaners in Toronto offices. The final scene focused on the beautiful mural that was unveiled in west-end Toronto in 2022 to commemorate the women of the Portuguese community.
The play connected with a revival of interest in both the history of working-class experience in Toronto, as evidenced by the large, enthusiastic audiences drawn to the monthly events of the Toronto Workers’ History Project, and the historical experience of the Portuguese community in Toronto.
Additional Project Members:
Props And Costumes Coordinator: Janet Lewis
Stage Managers: Ellie Stone and Hillis Vasillas
Videographer: Glen Richards
Front Of House: Sophia Andrade-Gomes, Jamal André, Jeanine Appleton-Bott, Gabriel Charles, Andy Hanson, Lionel John, David Kidd, Frank Saptel
Cast:
Camila Andrade Sophia, Office Cleaner
Maria Benevides Lina, Cleaning Supervisor / Virginia, Office Cleaner / City Councillor
Noemia Cerqueira Lucia, Office Cleaner and Union Vice-President
Merlin Charles Nan, Office Cleaner / Silvie, Office Cleaner / Secretary
Doug Croker Scab/ Lawyer / Ron, Head Of Building Security/Striker’s Husband
Aviva Gale-Buncel Strike Supporter / Aida, Daughter Of A Striker / Lucia’s Granddaughter
Nadia Geith Nadia, Office Cleaner / Idalina, Retired Cleaner and Former Union Leader
Craig Heron Policeman/Manager /Striker’s Husband
John Humphrey Ted, Building Cleaning Company President
Lev Jaeger Jason, Television Reporter / Striker’s Husband
Aida Jordão Emilia, Office Cleaner and Union President
Holly Kirkconnell Wendy, Union Staff Representative
Janet Lewis Shari, Office Cleaner / Anabela / Claims Consultant /Returning Striker
Mike Phillips Policeman / Malcolm, Building Owner Vice-President / Striker’s Husband
Ester Reiter Margarida, Office Cleaner
Isabel Sales Isabel, Union Staff Representative
Ellie Stone Strike Supporter /Returning Striker /Rosa, Daughter Of A Striker
Marilyn Tate Maria, Office Cleaner
Ginny Thomson Ruthie, Office Cleaner / Inês, Office Cleaner / Scab
Hillis Vasillas, Strike Supporter
Nuno Cristo, Musician