The Great Depression of the 1930s was a time of desperation for millions of people in North America. In Newfoundland, where a democratic government was replaced by a British-controlled commission, the thousands of people living on the dole had no where to turn. As the situation worsened, a voice arose amongst the poor. Pierce Power, a firebrand leader of unemployed workers in St. John s, led a challenge against Newfoundland s business and political elite. In this play, Power of the Unemployed, the story of a poor underclass rising up during Newfoundland s darkest years is told.