More than three years ago, Jesse McQueen wrote five pages of prospective play to a friend and asked, “Is this something?” In less than a week, the fully expanded version of that original idea, which grew and developed in New Brunswick, will hit the stage in Toronto. “It’s frankly surreal at this moment,” McQueen said. “It feels like a massive responsibility to share this story in a way that’s accurate and empowering and creates conversation and brings awareness. “I’m feeling the nerves but really excited. So proud of this team.” McQueen is the playwright for “Romeo Pimp,” which follows a high school senior’s first love that gradually transforms into a dangerous relationship. The play seeks to explore the growing problem of sex trafficking in Canada. McQueen said began researching human trafficking after reading a story about a woman who grew up near her home and was trafficked when she was in school. “I couldn’t wrap my head around how this could be possible,” McQueen said. “This brought me to a huge research journey for a few years.” McQueen initially wanted to write a movie about human trafficking, but after talking with Sophie Ann Rooney of The King Black Box theatre company, she started transforming it into a stage play. She wants to shed light on an issue that can often feel distant from normal life. “People think of human trafficking as the movie ‘Taken’ and not something that’s happening in our own communities,” she said. “It’s so underreported. There’s something so powerful about telling something that is narrative. “I really believe from talking with survivors and from my research that education and awareness are the number one thing to protect people. Often people report that they didn’t know what was happening to them.” McQueen and her partner Jack Creaghan, who is also an actor and producer in the show, spend a lot of their time in New Brunswick, particularly in the Burnt Church area. The pair worked extensively on “Romeo Pimp” during their East Coast visits. “As a producer, I was helping with the writing process and giving notes,” Creaghan said. “There are hundreds of pages of drafts of dialogue that didn’t make the play. One of the hardest parts was having to leave out details because you can’t pack everything in. “The breadth of stories is enormous.” McQueen submitted the final draft of the play that is making its debut this month when she was staying in New Brunswick. “After the final draft was completed, I went outside and jumped into the ocean,” she said. Following the play’s debut, McQueen and Creaghan hope to take the show on the road across Canada, including the Maritimes. “Atlantic Canada would be top of our list,” McQueen said. McQueen hopes people who see the play walk away with a greater understanding of human trafficking and the road to recovery for survivors. “Making sure people know there is hope and making space for that in the play,” she said. “Human trafficking is real and so is recovery.” “Romeo Pimp” will run at the King Black Box in Toronto from Sept. 17 to Oct. 4.
