A communications tycoon built an empire turning airwaves into cash. Now, his son, long dismissed by his father, is fighting for control of the family business. Meanwhile, one shrewd public servant is determined to derail the company’s billion-dollar takeover.
Is this a plot point from season three of Succession? No! It’s a Canadian story… and it’s all true—mostly.
“It seems irrational, and irrational behaviour is where drama lives, it’s where comedy lives. It’s where all the fun is.”
This week on The BetaKit Podcast, we have award-winning playwright Michael Healey, here to discuss Rogers v. Rogers, a Canadian succession story based on the Alexandra Posadzki book of the same name. He tells us about dramatizing one of Canada’s most powerful companies (and families) and why he’s so fascinated by public servants like outgoing Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell.
Mr. Boswell, perhaps best known to the general public as the man who failed to block one of the biggest mergers in Canadian history, figures heavily in the play, and is portrayed by Healey as both a tragic and heroic figure. He also isn’t the only competition ‘friend of the pod’ connected to Rogers v. Rogers. Policy wonk Vass Bednar consulted on Rogers v. Rogers, and also supplied a few questions to me for this podcast.
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Questions like: why is there so little competition in Canada? What do we learn about our country from better understanding the behaviour of one of its most powerful families? And in Rogers v. Rogers, does anyone truly win?
Let’s dig in.
Go here to purchase tickets to see Rogers v. Rogers.
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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by the Solve for X Podcast: Innovations to change the world.
Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.
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Feature Image courtesy Dahlia Katz for Crow’s Theatre.