It’s been 25 years since the first Lawyer Play, which Janice Payne, senior partner with Nelligen O’Brien Payne, says was a memorable experience.
“I started to get involved with the play about 13 years ago when they asked me to make a cameo appearance,” she says. “I did that two or three times and after that was over, when the theatre started to talk about the new play, my husband said, ‘Why are you fooling around with cameos? Why don’t you just go out and audition and do it!’”
Payne has done the Lawyer Play every year since.
“I was aware of the first play because I went to it,” says Payne. “It was 12 Angry Jurors that they did. At that time, Frank Iacobucci [former] justice on the Supreme Court of Canada was the jailer! He wandered around rattling his keys—it was the most delightful version of that play. As soon as I saw it, I thought, ‘I’m not ever missing this.’”
Janice Payne and Daniel Hohstein in The Visit from The Lawyer Play 2023.
The Lawyer Play is an annual event hosted at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) in partnership with the Carleton County Law Association. While this is where lawyers and other legal professionals get together to perform a new play each year, it is also a fundraiser for GCTC, plus a different charity partner chosen by the lawyers involved in the performance.
“There is always a charity partner selected by our local Carleton County Law Association to be another beneficiary,” says Payne. “This year, it’s Cornerstone Housing for Women, a well-respected charity.”
Payne says that the purpose of the Lawyer Play has always been to give back to the community, but there’s something in it, too, for the lawyers involved.
“More than anything else, it’s a fundraiser, but it appeals to the lawyers because I think, frankly, it’s not unusual for a lawyer to be a good actor or to like acting,” she laughs. “It’s not unusual—we do it every day whether we’re barristers or solicitors or whatever we are. We’re fighting for our clients, [so] in some ways, it’s natural.”
Payne also mentions that the relationship between the Lawyer Play and the GCTC is a positive for the theatre company and community.
“It appeals to the theatre for the financial support, but they also enjoy us—they support us, they’re proud of us. They make sure we’re well-directed, well-costumed, well-produced,” she says. “We have the support of the Artistic Director every year, and her involvement in the selection of the play.”
On top of the support from the GCTC Artistic Director, there is also a Lawyer Play Committee, which consists of multiple lawyers and legal professionals that act as a subcommittee of the Carleton County Law Association.
This committee stays engaged all year long, going over what happened in the previous year’s performance and figuring out what needs to be changed or improved, as well as managing the fundraising side of the event and planning for next year’s show.
“We’ll report back to that board with what’s going on this year, get their approval on the charity partner, that sort of thing,” says Payne. “It really is a joint effort of the local lawyers association and the GCTC every year.”
This year’s performance is Shakespeare’s As You Like It, following the main character Rosalind, who flees persecution from her uncle’s court, eventually finding safety and love in the Forest of Arden.
Poster for As You Like It – Lawyer Play 2025. Photo provided.
“In this play, the themes continue to resonate today,” says Payne. “They’re about power and life. Some of what the audience will hear in this play, I find anyway, reminds us of the dreadful things going on in the world today.”
The switch from Payne’s lawyer life to her now Shakespearean role isn’t a drastic shift. The challenge, says Payne, comes in the language.
“Learning the lines is more of a challenge than when it’s conversational English that, in a pinch, you can ad lib,” she says. “It’s certainly more challenging to learn the script, but it is kind of fun to see how these themes and ideas still resonate. [As You Like It] is delightful because it’s a comedy, and it is funny—it should be a lot of laughs.”
Not only is the Lawyer Play something that the performers enjoy, plus an important fundraiser for charities across the city each year, but it’s also an event that keeps audiences coming back year after year.
“This isn’t just for lawyers,” says Payne. “This is for anybody who loves theatre and the excitement of seeing a big cast on stage. It’s a good night out for an organization that hugely values the support, and is a significant player in independent theatre in our town. We need to support them.”
The Lawyer Play this year is As You Like It, which will be performed at GCTC from April 30–May 3 at 7:30pm. Tickets can be booked online through the GCTC. If you can’t attend the play, but want to support, you can donate to the event here. For more information about the Lawyer Play, visit the GCTC’s website. For more information on Cornerstone Housing for Women, you can check them out here.
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