Great Canadian Theatre Company to Present World Premiere of BEOWULF IN AFGHANISTAN

Anniversary celebrations continue at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, with the second play of the season, Beowulf in Afghanistan, a world premiere by local playwright Laurie Fyffe, developed with support from GCTC’s Tributary Project .

The play follows Canadian soldier Grant Cleary who is injured in an attack while deployed in Afghanistan.  Knocked out in combat he plunges into a mythological world of warriors and monsters, with his former professor, Louise Flynn, as his guide. With Louise’s help Grant follows the hero’s journey as described in the medieval poem Beowulf to make it out of the combat zone alive. Back in Canada, Grant is haunted by his combat experiences and turns again to this tale of monsters and heroes.  As he looks more closely at the poem, Grant begins to see the truth behind the hero’s mask. 

“Laurie grounds the experience of Canadians at war abroad in a tale of myth, resulting in a timeless and urgent investigation into the stories we tell about heroes, monsters and ourselves," says Artistic Director Sarah Kitz. “The writing is exquisite, the questions are critical, and the production is full of theatrical magic.”

"It has been an honour watching playwright Laurie Fyffe develop this piece over the past few years, and to witness its evolution from storytelling piece to playscript,” says director Kate Smith. “Theatre is the most collaborative art form, and guiding the artistic team in interpreting Laurie's rich text has posed exciting questions about visual storytelling." 

The Tributary Project is a GCTC community development initiative, which selects one local show to bring in-house on a flexible multi-year basis for development, with an eye towards production in a future mainstage season. The call for applications is now live for the next Tributary Project intake, at gctc.ca/tributary-project. 
 

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