Crow’s Theatre presents Rogers v. Rogers, a play based on corporate struggles of Rogers Communications, and the family struggles behind it, opening in previews today, December 2. It’s written by Michael Healey, and directed by Chris Abraham. The play stars Tom Rooney (Fifteen Dogs, Uncle Vanya).
But — is a play based on a corporate story really interesting enough to take the stage?
Those who’ve experienced Healey’s previous corporate themed drama, The Master Plan, will know the answer is a resounding yes.
The Background
Ted Rogers built one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies, and when he died in 2008, he was the country’s fifth richest person in terms of net worth. What he left, however, in addition to cell phone service and a media conglomerate, was an acrimonious situation among his children.
That situation came to a head in 2021 when his son Edward attempted a company takeover that embroiled him and his sisters, Melinda Rogers-Hixon, who had become deputy chair in 2018, and Martha Rogers, who had served as chair of the company’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) committee since 2021.
At the same time, Rogers was attempting to buy Shaw Communications, which would give the company a greater presence in Western Canada.
The high drama of corporate machinations and family feud makes fertile material for theatre.
LV spoke to playwright Michael Healey about the show.
Michael Healey: The Interview
“The Rogers family exploding in public a few years ago was kind of a unique event,” Healey comments. “Usually […] we see what they want us to see.”
As he notes, in the social media era, public figures typically lead highly curated lives — at least from the outside. There are communications and image specialists to advise them at every turn.
The play is based — including the title — on author Alexandra Posadzki’s 2024 book Rogers v. Rogers: The Battle for Control of Canada’s Telecom Empire.
“The great thing about Alexandra’s book was how uncareful these people were suddenly being,” he comments. It allows for an unusually candid view of the inner workings of the corporate and familial crisis.
It’s not only the specific details of the situation that are of interest, particularly with today’s headlines.
“It’s a kind of fun gateway into questions about why there’s an oligarchy in the telecom business,” Healey remarks. As he points out, Canadians pay some of the highest rates for cell phone service in the world.
The story, at its heart, boils down to classic sibling rivalry. Ted Rogers’ daughter Melinda was favoured by him over his son Edward when it came to business matters.
“Edward started in the business before Melinda did,” Michael points out. But, it was Melinda who showed a natural gift for leadership. Still, as time wore on, so did her patience with the situation. “Eventually, she got tired of waiting around.” Melinda would go on to start her own company in California’s Silicon Valley. “Edward stuck with it.”
Then, in 2021, he saw his chance to take control.
The Play
In Rogers v. Rogers, one actor (Tom Rooney) plays all the roles.
“There are many different roles,” Healey explains. “Tom Rooney is the actor, and he plays all the parts.”
Combined with family drama, Rogers was attempting to purchase Shaw Communications at the time.
“I thought it was incredibly odd that, when the corporation needed to seem organized […] that Edward would try to take over the organization at that point.”
Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, tried his best to block the merger, which would of course reduce competitiveness in the telecommunications sector even more.
“He failed,” Healey says. “I saw an interesting parallel between his attempt to do a hard thing on the public’s behalf, and Edward’s attempt.”
After years of bickering in court, the Rogers-Shaw merger was finally approved in 2023, albeit with conditions attached. A public statement from Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, outlined his disappointment in the Tribunal’s final ruling.
In the play, Edward and Matthew emerge as duelling protagonists.
“This is another way that I get to get into the other aspects [of the story].” As Michael points out, the merger is a less salacious, but also interesting aspect of the story.
Why is there so little competition in the telecommunications industry in Canada? The play tries to get at the heart of it. “Why that’s true in Canada and what can be done about it.”
Portraying both sides of that story is an interesting challenge for an actor.
“Tom Rooney is an amazing character actor,” Healey says, noting his warmth and accessibility. “It’s a fun game for the audience.”
It’s not the first time that Healey has tackled the intersection of business and social issues in theatrical form.
In 2023, Crow’s Theatre produced The Master Plan, based on Josh O’Kane’s bestselling book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy. It dealt with Sidewalks Lab, an affiliate of Google, a company that tried to take over a Toronto waterfront project. Healey wrote the play based on O’Kane’s book.
“I’ve been writing about public policy, politicians […] for about 20 years now,” Michael says. He’s concerned with the societal fallout that results from corporate shenanigans.
In the case of The Master Plan, the deeper issue, for Healey, was about Canada as a whole.
“Why does Canada have trouble innovating?” he wonders, citing crucial areas like housing and sustainability. “What’s the fault in us that we can’t innovate in this area?”
Part of the problem with the Master Plan scenario was the involvement of Google, and the antipathy so many Canadians feel about the company. “Sure, Google is probably a bad idea, but what is it about us that keeps us from doing big things in these areas?”
In both stories, it’s a public servant who becomes a natural hero figure, a sympathetic character the audience can relate to.
“We need to watch somebody struggle,” he says. “It’s always the hard thing when you try to write something about politics and public policy,” he adds.
“It’s taken me a long time, and I’ve written a lot of plays, to understand what the assignment is,” he notes, “to create something fun and rich. You can’t create something on just a surface level.”
He cites the need for such a play to be relevant, funny, and provocative at the same time, and to present a multi-layered interpretation of the story.
“Part of the game of the evening is to watch Tom Rooney play all these characters,” he says.
The climax of the story is a Zoom meeting between all the parties involved.
“Tom plays all the characters. It’s extraordinary to watch.”
Performances
The show opens in previews today, December 2, with opening night on December 10. Tickets are selling fast.
“This play will be sold out for opening night,” Healey says. In fact, most of the December dates are already sold out, with most others showing limited availability. “They just opened up another week of tickets.”
The run has already been extended to January 17, 2026, and may possibly be extended beyond that if tickets continue to sell at this rate.
- Find show details and tickets for Rogers v. Rogers [HERE].
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