Mitch Krohn

Mennonites have some dark marks in history, and for the most part they don’t like to talk about them, but Patrick Friesen’s play The Shunning brings one of those dark marks to the light. Based on a narrative poem published in 1980, the play was first performed in 1985. While Friesen weaves cultural aspects of Mennonite heritage into the play, it stands as a dark story about one of their harshest punishments.