THE PUBLIC SERVANT Comes to Great Canadian Theatre Company Tonight

Great Canadian Theatre Company is thrilled to unveil the secret life of The Public Servant. This poignant comedy celebrates the often un-sung heroes who work in government, day in and day out, for all Canadians. The Public Servant is directed by Jennifer Brewin of Theatre Columbus. The company commissioned it and Brewin created it with collaborators Haley McGee, Sarah McVie and Amy Rutherford, all of whom star in the production. A shorter version premiered at undercurrents festival and was subsequently co-developed by Toronto's Theatre Columbus and GCTC. It runs from tonight, June 2-21, 2015 at GCTC. Opening night for reviewers is June 4th. Tickets - GCTC's Box Office - 1233 Wellington West at Holland, 613-236-5196 or gctc.ca.

Eric Coates, artistic director of GCTC says, "When I saw the Theatre Columbus premiere of this show at undercurrents in 2013, I knew immediately that we needed to bring it to our mainstage. This is a story about the thousands of people who live and work right here, dedicating their lives to public service. I see this as an opportunity to shine light on the complexity of their work and their enormous contribution to Canada."

Brewin, McGee, McVie and Rutherford together interviewed over 40 federal public servants of varying ages, at all levels and who had worked in governments under Trudeau through to Harper. "We then created the play entirely through improvisation. It's called Collective Creation," says Jennifer Brewin. "We collaborated to tell this thought-provoking, funny story that celebrates the tenacity and flexibility as well as the heartbreak and frustrations experienced of life in the civil service.``

Step inside the halls of power as Madge, a young, idealistic and enthusiastic civil servant, gets ready to write her first official memo. It's an auspicious occasion that brings to light all the inner-workings and absurdities of government bureaucracy.

DETAILS:

THE PUBLIC SERVANT

Written by Jennifer Brewin, Haley McGee, Sarah McVie and Amy Rutherford

Directed by Jennifer Brewin

CAST:

Haley McGee: Madge

Sarah McVie: Lois, Janis

Amy Rutherford: Cynthia, Vik, Irena, Gary, Jackie

CREATIVE TEAM:

Anna Treusch: Set & Costume Designer

Martin Conboy: Lighting Designer

Michael Rinaldi: Sound Designer

Laurie Champagne: Stage Manager

Gabrielle Lazarovitz: Assistant Director

Jingwei Zhang: Assistant Lighting Designer

Hilary Nichol: Apprentice Stage Manager

Kate Walker: Company Manager

For behind-the-scenes rehearsal updates from the cast and creative - check out #GCTCServant. Performances begin at 8:00 pm Tuesday - Friday. Saturday performances begin at 4:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Sunday matinee performances begin at 2:00 pm. Tickets at GCTC Box Office, 1233 Wellington West at Holland, 613-236-5196 or gctc.ca. Student Rush tickets: $15. Valid student ID required. Tickets can be purchased in person from the GCTC Box Office after noon on the day of performance.

Special Performances:

Sunday, June 7 - Pay-What-You Can - 2:00 pm matinee.

Wednesday, June 10 - GCTC and The Hill Times Event - 6:00 pm.

The Hill Times and Great Canadian Theatre Company team-up to present Pragmatism and Idealism in the Public Service. The public service is facing change and pressure from all sides. How can we meet these challenges while staying sane and idealistic? This discussion will present new approaches and innovative ideas from all sides.

Moderator - Bea Vongdouangchanh, The Hill Times online editor

Guests - Playwright/Director, Jennifer Brewin, Regional Executive Vice President of PSAC, Larry Rousseau, and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, the Honourable Paul Dewar.

Friday, June 12 - Talkback - Follows the 8:00 pm performance. This is an informal and always revealing Q & A with the cast.

Stages & Pages is a program created by the Ottawa Public Library and the Great Canadian Theatre Company. The library creates a recommended reading list to accompany each play. OPL's Readers' Advisory staff have read the scripts for each of the plays, and recommended resources to further the exploration of their themes. Click here for some great reads!

The Fritzi Gallery - Curator-in-Residence, Malika Welsh, presents Of Reverie, a duo exhibition from June 1-27 at the Lorraine 'Fritzi' Yale Gallery, 1233 Wellington West. For more information, contact Malika Welsh at Fritzi@gctc.ca. Vernissage - Thursday, June 4 from 6:00-8:00 pm.

Great Canadian Theatre Company is celebrating its 40th season in 2014-2015. Its mission is to foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of Canadian life and our place in the world. GCTC is committed to the production of new Canadian work and artist development. We continue to commission and workshop new plays by emerging and established playwrights. We mentor emerging companies and artists through our master classes, and internships.

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