In October 2013, Scott Jones was leaving a bar in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, when he was attacked, stabbed in the back, and left paralyzed from the waist down. In the months following his attack, Scott Jones's story garnered international attention, not only for its brutality, but also for his uncommonly early decision to forgive his attacker. Furiously researching restorative justice practices and success stories, Jones sits down to ask himself the hardest question he's ever had to answer: Does he have it in him to not just forgive his attacker, but to accept his new life as a disabled man?
Based on the incredible true story, I Forgive You explores the complexities of forgiveness, privilege, recovery, and self-love in Scott's own words backed by a live children's choir performing the music of legendary Icelandic band Sigur Rós.
An exploration of the complexities of forgiveness, privilege, recovery, and self-love, I Forgive You uses Scott Jones's own words combined with a live children's choir performing the music of Sigur Rós to tell his incredible story.
"I Forgive You [is] a reminder that forgiveness is a multifaceted and complex concept. Jones' story, and the elegant way in which it was told, was a powerful experience I won't soon forget."
"I Forgive You covers the extensive physical and emotional struggle faced by survivors of assault, and young queer folks especially, who must grow into who they are under the threat of possible harm. The play also shows how the healing process from any trauma is not, and will never be, linear . . . The writing of I Forgive You is truly magical, the process by which it was created makes every scripted word feel authentic."
• First produced by Artistic Fraud at Arts and Culture Centre, St. John's, in August 2022
