1979, A New Comedy By Michael Healey, Comes to The Berkeley Street Theatre

The 1979 Group presents 1979, a new comedy by Michael Healey (Proud, The Drawer Boy), directed by Miles Potter (The New Canadian Curling Club / Blyth Festival, The Drawer Boy), for a limited run at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs, January 9-27, 2019.

A naive, honourable, and stubborn statesman, Joe Clark insists on sticking to his principles during the dying days of his new government. Friends, family, and foes all have an opinion about what Joe should do; everything he can to remain in power.

Alberta Theatre Productions (ATP) produced the world premiere of 1979 in April 2017 and received six Betty Mitchell Award nominations, including Performance for all three cast members, as well as Play for Healey, Direction for Potter and Production for ATP. A second production was presented that same summer at both the Shaw Festival, and the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa.

This new Toronto production features the original Calgary cast of three portraying one dozen characters: Christopher Hunt (eight-time Betty Award winner including 1979), Jamie Konchak (2018 Betty Award-winner Miss Caledonia), and Philip Riccio (Jerusalem, John / The Company Theatre) as Joe Clark. 1979 marks Healey's second foray into political satire, following Proud, a play about Stephen Harper, also directed by Miles Potter.

A hilarious play about trust, power, and ambition, 1979 looks at the rapidly changing world of conservative politics in Canada, and around the world, at the end of an era when politicians were still elected to serve all of the people, not just their base.

To purchase tickets online visit canadianstage.com or call 416.368.3110