Montreal's Leading Independent Theatre Companies Launch 2014-15 Season

The 2014-2015 season launch of some of Montreal's leading independent professional English theatre companies took place Monday afternoon.

Artistic Directors Emma Tibaldo, Lyne Paquette, Micheline Chevrier, Quincy Armorer, Mathieu Perron, Dean Fleming, Paul Hopkins, and Rahul Varma each introduced their upcoming seasons amid cheers, laughs, and joyful mingling.

The wonderful sentiment of unity and support between companies was a testament to the true spirit of theatre making and the vital collaborative nature of it.

Each company presented upcoming shows in response to the recent brush with The Charter of Values, the strength of a diverse society, and the infinite possibilities of language play.

Fabulous musical guest of the evening was Summersett, a Montreal baroque pop band featuring Patricia Summersett and Nick Carpenter, accompanied by Ariane Gruet-Pelchat and Pierre Gaudreault.

Playwrights' Workshop Montreal

Playwrights' Workshop Montre?al is a national new play development centre whose priority is to support the growth and evolution of new work for the stage. Founded over fifty years ago, PWM has been dedicated to offering the creative environment from which stories flourish.

Over the years we have developed hundreds of plays which have been performed for audiences across the country and around the world. We are also committed to developing plays in translation between English and French, and into other languages. One of our core programs is a unique translation residence yearly hosted by Linda Gaboriau called The Glassco Playwrights' Residence in Tadoussac.

"There is great theatre being conceived, developed and produced in this city. PWM is fortunate to celebrate the coming season with theatre companies dedicated to diversity in their theatrical practice."

Talisman Theatre

Talisman Theatre is honoured to present the Canadian English-language premiere of Billy (The Days of Howling); a lucid look at today's society. Written by Que?becois playwright Fabien Cloutier and translated by Nadine Desrochers, Billy (The Days of Howling) will be performed at Theatre La Chapelle from October 14-25. Directed by Emma Tibaldo, the cast features Davide Chiazzese, Susan Glover, and Nadia Verrucci.

With Billy (The Days of Howling), Fabien Cloutier releases a tsunami of anger built entirely on prejudices, stereotypes and our ignorance of others. Three characters, who view each other as lesser or wanting, are confronted by the repercussions of unforgiving judgments. The play makes us reflect on our vision of community and strives to uncover why we are unable to really engage with one another.

Imago Theatre

This coming season, Imago Theatre is proud to offer four public presentations in addition to launching a new program. In October, the season will kick off in Edmonton, as Imago Theatre partners with l'UniThe?a?tre to produce La Corneille, a play by Montreal playwright Lise Vaillancourt, under the direction of Micheline Chevrier. Back in Montreal, Imago will present Have We Forgotten Yet?, a festival of play readings centered on the subject of war to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War. The festival, presented in November 2014, will showcase plays from across the globe dealing with 20th century conflicts. In January 2015, in partnership with PWM, Imago will present a staged reading of La Corneille, this time in its English version, a translation by Maureen Labonte. The 2014-2015 season will culminate with Random, a co-production with Black Theatre Workshop, and starring Lucinda Davis. Finally, Imago is thrilled to be launching Artista, a theatre program aimed at empowering young women and strengthening their artistic voices.

Artistic Director Micheline Chevrier is looking forward to collaborating with so many great theatre artists, from here and from Alberta, under the Imago umbrella. "Nothing excites me more than telling great stories while working with and learning from emerging and established artists, creating alongside other directors, and broadening our dialogue by venturing into a variety of communities."

Black Theatre Workshop

In 2014-2015, Black Theatre Workshop will be presenting two mainstage productions for the first time in over 25 years. First will be the Montreal premiere of Donna-Michelle St. Bernard's Dora Award winning Gas Girls, a beautifully epic story of two young girls on a tumultuous path to self-discovery. Next, for Black History Month, BTW will be a touring a production of The Power of Harriet T by Michael A. Miller, based on the life of Harriet Tubman and produced in association with Carousel Players. Last is the Canadian premiere of Random, by Debbie Tucker Green, a co-production with Imago Theatre starring Lucinda Davis, which follows a Black family dealing with the aftermath of a random act of violence.

Tableau D'Hote

Tableau D'Ho?te Theatre promotes the Canadian voice by presenting the country's seasoned as well as emerging playwrights that have never or rarely appeared on a Montre?al stage. For its ninth season, Tableau D'Ho?te returns with one of Canada's most celebrated auteurs, Michel Tremblay. Forty years since its premiere, Hosanna, directed by Mike Payette, comes home in spring 2015. Set over the course of one night, Hosanna, a Montre?al transvestite, and her partner Cuirette, duel in a heated te?te-a-te?te that forces the Cleopatra impersonator to face her own illusions of identity and the insecurities that envelop her.

"Funny, raw, charming, and true, Tremblay's tour-de-force puts a mirror to those who strive to find a place in the world when they have been forced to feel like they need to be someone else," says Artistic Director Mike Payette, "We are very excited to revisit this internationally celebrated show in the home where it was created. Hosanna remains a uniquely pertinent story to today featuring two beautifully-flawed characters that can only come from Tremblay's pen, and we look forward to sharing it with the next generation of theatre lovers forty years since inception."

Hosanna by Michel Tremblay, translated by John Van Burek and Bill Glassco
Directed by Mike Payette
MainLine Theatre, March 17 to 29, 2015

Geordie Productions

This year, Geordie presents a culturally diverse season that celebrates differences. In response to Quebec's proposed Charter of Values which sought to divide Quebec's multi-cultural society, Geordie wants to start a discussion about racism and intolerance, and what it means to be 'different'. Their five plays feature strong young characters that come face to face with identity politics on their own journeys and spark discussion about the choices made in the face of outside pressures that don't always fit with peoples' own set of rules and values. Their 2014-15 season entitled Inspiring Dialogue, journeys through landscapes that speak about religion, racism, difference, and embracing one's own cultural roots.

"This past year has seen topics raised which are important enough to create an entire season of work around. I wonder what it's like to be a young person today who is constantly being told to be inclusive and to celebrate differences and yet see a conversation happening which limits people on how they are allowed to be different. I believe that the theatre has the power to inspire dialogue and this season I am excited to help that happen."- Artistic Director, Dean Fleming

Repercussion Theatre

History often repeats itself. With barroom brawls and blood-filled battles, Repercussion Theatre's Shakespeare-in-the Park brings the heat with the epic tale of Harry the King, The Famous Victories of Henry V. A young king comes of age in this hero's journey as he pays "the debt he never promised" by uniting a country, inspiring a nation and becoming one of England's greatest military kings. In remembrance of the 100 year anniversary of WWI, Repercussion's own Artistic Director, Paul Hopkins, will merge Shakespeare's Henry IV and V to uncover how a nation reacts in tumultuous times of crisis.

"Once more unto the parks, dear friends, once more."

Teesri Duniya Theatre

Teesri Duniya Theatre proudly announces its 33rd season that weaves diversity of culture, languages and communities through its productions, readings, publications, special events and is our artistic response to the Quebec Charter of Values exploring what it means and how can we live together in Quebec.

For our 2014-2015 season: Corpus: By playwright Darrah Teitel, directed by Liz Valdez. November 13 to November 30, 2014. Presented by Teesri Duniya Theatre and the MAI (Montre?al, arts interculturels).

Megan, a young Canadian scholar, stumbles across the mysterious relationship between a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and the wife of a Nazi officer. Megan is torn between her quest for academic fame and the unexpected charms of her online lover. Corpus is a Holocaust story with a new twist, one in which the third generation must confront the legacy of re-telling the personal stories of survivors.

Corpus is the winner of the 2007 Calgary Peace Prize, and the 2011 In the Beginning Jewish Playwrights contest sponsored by the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company.

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