As war raged in Europe, Mennonite conscientious objectors faced their own battles at home in Canada.

Playwrights Johnny Wideman and Rebecca Steiner dug through newspaper articles, personal diaries, and interviewed people who stood up for what they believed in during wartime to bring Yellow Bellies to life.

Yellow Bellies is a historical drama that moves from Canada's east to the west, looking at what conscientious objectors faced when they refused to go to war. It's a history that many people may not be fully aware of.

"It's a very unpopular thing to be a pacifist during wartime," Wideman says. Mennonite churches in Ontario were vandalized, and one in Alberta was burned to the ground. "It was a very intense time. I think tensions were high because there was so much on the line with young men dying overseas. There was a lot of resentment from locals, thinking that these Mennonites were getting off easy, while their family and loved ones were dying. It was just a really intense time to be a pacifist."

Actor Kimberlee Walker says the play isn't simply a celebration of Mennonite pacifism. "I appreciate how the play is not black and white. Even though Mennonites are pacifists, the play doesn't just pat them on the back for always doing the 'pacifist right thing.' It actually has them really wrestling with whether that is right or not. It asks very real questions, which I think that anyone who thinks about pacifism needs to ask."

"(This play) really pulls at a lot of things that people hold near and dear to their heart," Wideman says. "Whether it's the military, your religious beliefs, your rights or freedoms, it really just kind of tugs at those things. And we hope that the audience feels that tug as well, and leaves wanting to talk about these issues."

There are a few opportunities to see Yellow Bellies in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba over the next week:

• Oct. 14: at the Gas Station Arts Centre, Winnipeg, at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. (tickets)
• Oct. 15: at Buhler Hall, Gretna, Man., at 7:00 p.m.
• Oct. 20: at Bethel Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, at 7:00 p.m.