Theatre as we know it started in Manitoba almost a century and a half ago. During that time it has produced some shining moments, some unforgettable characters, and some great stories: how two visionaries, Tom Hendry and John Hirsch, convinced Manitoba to embrace a theatre centre that became a model for the rest of the world, how Prairie Theatre Exchange inspired Manitobans to create their own theatre, how Nellie McClung used theatre to help women get the vote, and how a fire at the first theatre event in Winnipeg almost destroyed the whole town.

From Fire to Flood explores how Manitoba theatre got to where it is today, and why it didn't go somewhere else. It examines Manitoba theatre from its beginnings, placing theatre in its social and historical context. A key question is how our theatrical past can help us complete the final piece of the puzzle: a unified, indigenous theatre that explains us to ourselves and to the rest of the world.