THE SUPINE COBBLER, THE WALTZ & More Set for The Great Canadian Theatre Company's 2023-24 Season

The Great Canadian Theatre Company has announced a full subscription season with 5 new mainstage productions, through which five Canadian playwrights share their humourous, heartfelt, provocative, and playful visions of how we relate, what we mean to each other, and how much we need to be together. The theatre is also revamping their subscription options, creating a more accessible pricing structure to welcome more people into the live theatre experience.

The 23-24 Subscription Season at a Glance:

• The Supine Cobbler by Jill Connell | September 26 - October 8, 2023

• Benevolence by Fanny Britt, translated by Leanna Brodie | December 5 - 17, 2023

• Women of the Fur Trade by Frances Kon?an | January 17 - 27, 2024 at the NAC*

• The Waltz by Marie Beath Badian | February 13 - 25, 2024

• be careful with each other (so you can be dangerous together) by Daniel Sarah Karasik | April 9 - 21, 2024

"Our 23-24 Season is all about relationships," says GCTC's Artistic Director, Sarah Kitz. "All of our programming this year, mainstage and ancillary, is based around the idea of gathering; to share, strategize, seek guidance, and celebrate - because we are better together."

SHOW DETAILS

The Supine Cobbler - September 26 - October 8, 2023

by Jill Connell

Directed by Emily Pearlman

The Doctor introduces the gang: The Cobbler (Wanted: name redacted), The Lover, The Dancer, and The Kid. A story about falling off the map of decency and becoming an outlaw. A contemporary female Western. A hero myth for girls.

Benevolence - December 5 - 17, 2023

by Fanny Britt
translated by Leanna Brodie
Directed by Eric Coates

This is Gilles Jean. This is his mother. Those are his brothers. That is his friend, and his friend's wife. This is the distance between Gilles and goodness.

What will Gilles do for love?

Women of the Fur Trade - January 17 - 27, 2024 at NAC

by Frances Kon?an

Directed by Renae Morriseau

A co-production with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre & Native Earth Performing Arts

Eighteen hundred and something something. A room in a fort on the banks of a Reddish River. This important history is brought to you by Marie-Angelique (a Métis Taurus), Cecilia (a British Virgo), Eugenia (an Ojibwe Sagittarius), Thomas Scott (an Irish Capricorn), and Louis Riel (a Métis Libra), under the influence of Suri Cruise and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.

The Waltz - February 13 - 25, 2024

by Marie Beath Badian

A Factory Theatre Production

Directed by Nina Lee Aquino

It's the 90s and this is a romcom.

Two Filipino Canadian teenagers - strangers to each other, but with a shared history - spend one evening with a boombox under the big Saskatchewan sky.

be careful with each other (so you can be dangerous together) - April 9 - 21, 2024

a world premiere by Daniel Sarah Karasik

Directed by Sarah Kitz

Father and child.

Aggressor and aggressed.

Conflicted lovers.

A care worker.

As identity, power and desires shift, how can love transform us?

NEW SUBSCRIPTION MODEL

GCTC is introducing a new subscription model this year, designed to further their efforts at becoming a more inclusive and welcoming space. Through the new Community Subscription program, subscribers make monthly contributions to the theatre, receive tickets to all 5 subscription series shows, and help the theatre impact as many people as possible through accessible tickets. The new subscription program creates a predictable, steady income stream year-round which will allow GCTC to offer more single tickets at a reduced rate to those who need them, as well as free education programming, bringing more people into the experience of theatre.

ACCESSIBILITY AT GCTC

GCTC continues to offer a range of accessibility programming, striving to ensure that everyone feels welcome to attend. The first Friday of each run is a reduced capacity performance; shows are sold at 50% capacity and require masking. First Sunday performances are Pay-What-You-Decide; at noon on the day of the show, in person or over the phone, audiences can decide to pay whatever price best fits their needs. Second Tuesdays are for Relaxed Performances, which invite audiences to come as they are; these are sensory-sensitive performances that provide extra details in advance, so the audience knows what to expect. These shows are also sold at 50% capacity and require masking. The second Friday of each run is an American Sign Language performance, with ASL interpreters onstage during the performance.

GCTC also has on-demand access programming, available to anyone coming to the theatre. Content notes (details of what to expect) can be found on the website by opening night, and you can also listen to the audio pre-show note which gives you a full description of the play, the set, and characters. Guests can also request digital access to the script of the play if they require reading the play before coming. Digital show programs can be found on the website, and large print copies are available at the theatre.

For more information about access programming and initiatives visit gctc.ca/accessibility.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING

Complimenting GCTC's five mainstage shows will be a curated selection of limited-engagement programming. Some shows are still in development, and audiences can look forward to shows for all ages, including:

Dragonfly of Chicoutimi - October 17 - 29, 2023

by Larry Tremblay

Directed by Lisa L’Heureux

A Fâcheux Théâtre Production

After years of silence, francophone Gaston Talbot can finally speak again. The only problem is all his words are coming out in the wrong language. Written in French but with English words; a show that questions whether language brings us closer to the truth-or further from it?

A 100 Watt Production - May 1 - 4, 2024

Featuring The Youth Ensemble

Directed by Kristina Watt Villegas

These are teenagers. These are their experiences, their longings, their questions. Theatre of anarchy, theatre of innocence, theatre from the hearts of youth for audiences of all ages.

100 Watt Youth Ensemble member Sophie Dean created artwork to represent their piece, which can be downloaded here.

Tiny Treasures - February 27 to March 3, 2024

By Kevin Dyer

Directed by Hugh Neilson

A play for young audiences and their families.

Here is James, a thirteen year old boy. Here he is feeding his fish. Here he is trying to do his homework. Here he is preparing his younger sister's lunch... and getting her to school. And here he is reminding his mom to take her medication and eat. This is James, a thirteen year old boy. This is James, caring for his family.

Untitled - a new creation

By Mary Ellen MacLean

Mary Ellen's unique style of performance creation bridges physicality, voice, text, environments and objects. From her background in physical theatre, acting and directing, to her prowess on the dance floor, her curiosity, rigour, and love of the craft drive her to create new adventures in storytelling.

ABOUT GCTC

GCTC is celebrating its 49th season in 2023-24. GCTCcontinues to foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of Canadian life and our place in the world. GCTC aims to increase the diversity on its stages and in its creative teams, as well as to make its work inclusive for more audiences and deepen their experience. GCTC also continues to embrace artistic risk and to ensure a wide range of theatrical experiences.

 

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