The Segal Theatre Launches New Year With Production of GEOMETRY IN VENICE

The Segal Theatre is excited to launch the new year with the Montreal English premiere of Geometry in Venice, an intelligent and moving play featuring a stellar director, cast and design team. Performances will be from January 31 to February 14.

Adapted from The Pupil, a novella by Henry James, who himself was inspired by the childhood of painter John Singer Sargent, Geometry in Venice brings us into the lives of the Moreen family, an outwardly aristocratic British family living in Venice towards the end of the nineteenth century. Unlike the novella, award-winning Montreal playwright Michael Mackenzie includes Henry James as one of his characters.

In this poignant and timely story, Pemberton (played by Graham Cuthbertson) is a Canadian Cambridge grad and aspiring writer who is hired by the Moreens to provide their sickly, genius son Morgan (played by Montrealer Eliott Larson) with a classical education. Desperate to keep up appearances, they travel to the fashionable salons of Europe in search of a wealthy suitor to marry their daughter Amy. Henry James becomes the promising Paris suitor in this reading.

"Geometry in Venice is a powerful and timely examination of a family's obsession with wealth and status, raising questions of ethics and morality", says Bryna Wasserman, Artistic Director of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. "In the very capable hands of creative director Chris Abraham, outstanding actor Damien Atkins and other talented cast members, Geometry in Venice promises to provide an exceptional time at the theatre".

Damien Atkins, who has delivered excellent performances at the Segal in the past, says he looks forward to playing the role of Henry James. "I am excited to work again with Chris Abraham, with whom I collaborated on one of the most richly rewarding theatrical experiences of my life, The Glass Menagerie."

The set created by Julie Fox is dramatic, Spartan, and its unique colour palette of whites, sand tones and cool beach hues are meant to reflect the Lido beach in Venice. A grand piano will be played by the young prodigy.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Geometry in Venice. The play was performed in French for 5 years as Le Précepteur and has also been produced in German, Italian and Chinese.

Other cast members include: Allegra Fulton as Mrs. Moreen (Stratford, solo tour-de-force Frida K.); Aiden Devine as Mr. Moreen (Balconville, multi-awards for film and television); and Susanna Fournier as Amy (Segal's The Diary of Anne Frank).

The integral designs are by Julie Fox, set and costume; Luc Prairie, lighting; and Antoine Bédard, sound. Merissa Tordjman is the stage manager and Luciana Burcheri completes the team as assistant stage manager.

Sunday @ the Segal - January 31 at 11am
In keeping with the Segal Centre's objective to enhance the theatregoing experience, we are also pleased to announce that the playwright has accepted to give a lecture about his play. Michael Mackenzie will talk about what inspired him to write Geometry in Venice and describe his process of translating Henry James to the stage.

Run:
January 31-February 14

Previews:
January 31 1:30 pm
February 1, 2, 8:00 pm

Sunday-@-the-Segal:
January 31 11:00 am

Performances:
Monday - Thursday, 8:00 pm
Saturday 8:30 pm
Sunday 7:00 pm

Matinées:

Wednesdays 1:00 pm

Sundays 2:00 pm

Box Office:

(514) 739-7944

Segal Centre for Performing Arts is locaated at 5170 Cote St. Catherine Rd.

Admission (514) 790-1245 www.admission.com

Michael Mackenzie - Playwright
Michael Mackenzie's plays have been produced in Budapest, Prague, Stuttgart, Ottawa and Toronto with other productions in Israel, France, Portugal and the U.K. His work has been performed over 100 times in French in Quebec. His first English production in Montreal, The Baroness and the Pig (Imago Theatre) received the MECCA Best Production and Best Actress awards and the AQCT Award for Best Anglophone Production (2007-2008). He often works with Robert Lepage: in 2009 as translator for Dragon Bleu, and as Showman's Voice in Eonnagata. His dramaturgical work includes the Cirque du Soleil show Ka, currently playing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. His two feature films, The Baroness and the Pig (director/writer, 2002) and Adam's Wall (director/co-writer, 2008) were released in Canadian theatres as well as being accepted for the Toronto International Film Festival, San Francisco IFF, Sundance and festivals in Tokyo, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Zlin (Czech Republic) among others. Michael is a writer-in-residence at Crow's Theatre.

Chris Abraham - Director
Chris Abraham has worked with some of Canada's foremost artists and theatre companies, garnering multiple awards and much critical acclaim. In 1999 he co-founded Go-Chicken-Go, directing award-winning productions including Kaspar by Peter Handke and Lenz by Georg Buchner (which he also adapted). In 2000 he co-founded and was co-artistic director of Bill Glassco's Montreal Young Company. He is presently the artistic director of Crow's Theatre. Chris directed the film adaptation of Kristen Thomson's award winning hit I, Claudia for which he won a Gemini award. A graduate of the National Theatre School's directing program, Chris has since returned to NTS as an instructor and mentor for directing students and was recently appointed Co-Director of the school's Directing Section. Chris is the recipient of the John Hirsch and Ken MacDougall awards for emerging directors as well as the inaugural Elinore and Lou Siminovitch Protégé Award, for directors. This summer, Chris directs Michel Tremblay's For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again at the Stratford Festival.

Damien Atkins - Henry James
Damien Atkins has appeared in several Segal Centre productions: The Glass Menagerie, The Importance of Being Earnest, Cabaret and Amadeus. Other stage appearances include 7 Stories (Canadian Stage/Theatre Calgary); Frost/Nixon (Canadian Stage/Vancouver Playhouse); The Way of the World (Soulpepper/NAC); several seasons at the Stratford Festival and one season at the Shaw Festival. Damien is the recipient of two Dora Mavor Moore Awards and received a Masque Award nomination for his role in The Glass Menagerie. He is a Guest Instructor at the National Theatre School.

Graham Cuthbertson - Pemberton
A graduate of Concordia University's Theatre Department, Graham Cuthbertson is a founding member of the SideMart Theatrical Grocery. He recently appeared onstage in the Segal Centre's production of Inherit the Wind in the role of Tom Davenport. Graham's adaptation of Derek McCormack's novel Haunted Hillbilly, produced by SideMart Theatrical Grocery, ran last December in the Segal Centre Studio. Haunted Hillbilly's workshop production won Graham the Best New Script award at the 2008 Montreal English Critics Circle Awards.

Aidan Devine - Mr. Moreen
A graduate from Dawson College's Dome Theatre School, Aidan Devine worked his way up through Elsa Bolam's Geordie Productions Theatre, Youtheatre and the Centaur Theatre where he appeared in Balconville, Good Night Desdemona, Juno And The Paycock, The Real Thing and Run For Your Wife. Aidan is also a multi-award-winning film and television actor for roles such as Ted Lindsey in CBC's Net Worth and CTV's Avro Arrow.

Susanna Fournier - Amy
Susanna Fournier is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada. Select credits include the Canadian premiere of Brad Fraser's True Love Lies (Factory Theatre); The Diary of Anne Frank (Segal Centre); Marla's Party (Rabiayshna/Summerworks); 7 Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza (NTSC/Crow's Theatre); You Like It (Rabiayshna/Summerworks); and The Cherry Orchard (NTSC). Television credits include The Best Years and The Story of Jen.

Allegra Fulton - Mrs. Moreen
Allegra Fulton is a multi-award winning actress whose career spans film, television and theatre. Last year she impressed critics with her interpretation of Kate in The Taming of the Shrew (A Noise Within, Los Angeles) and appeared in Wadji Mouawad's acclaimed Scorched (Tarragon Theatre, Toronto). Allegra has also been seen in leading roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and countless theatres across North America. Her solo tour-de-force Frida K. has earned international acclaim as well as several awards.

Eliott Larson - Morgan
For a young man of 14 years, Eliott Larson already has several notable film and television credits to his name. He has appeared in CBC's Rumours and Rachel's World, and has taken lead roles in Man of the Family, 18 to Life, Fakers and Montreal Stories 1941. It has just been announced that Eliott will be filling the role of Young Adam in the soon to be produced feature film Upside Down. Geometry in Venice is his first stage appearance.

 

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