Alumnae Theatre Kicks Off First Annual FireWorks Series, Now thru Dec 1

The Alumnae Theatre Company is proud to present the first annual FireWorks Series. This is a brand new effort by the Company to showcase its homegrown talent in a further development beyond the very popular New Ideas Festival. Three full-length plays developed in-house will be staged in the Alumnae Studio Theatre from today, November 13 to December 1, 2013, and supporting events will allow audience members to engage with the dramaturgical process and intellectual themes.

Roundtable discussions from actor/instructor M. John Kennedy (on Gloria's Guy), public relations and social media manager Helen Androlia (on Theory), and historian Alanna McKnight (on Measure of the World) occur on Sundays at noon throughout the series, and on the final Sunday a talkback with all three playwrights entitled Playwrights Speak is also available as a free event.

The three shows selected for the inaugural FireWorks series are:

THEORY by Norman Yeung directed by Joanne L. Williams
A young professor of film theory is threatened by an anonymous mystery student.

GLORIA'S GUY by Joan Burrows directed by Anne Harper
How long can a girl hold a grudge? Or can an old flame burn bright? A comedy/drama about forgiveness, redemption and maybe even love!

MEASURE OF THE WORLD by Shirley Barrie directed by Molly Thom
Peru 1736: French scientific ambition meets mestiza cunning and a grand quest is swamped by personal obsessions.

THEORY stars Suzette McCanny as Isabelle; Hanan Younis in the role of Lee; Jamie Johnson will be playing the role of Omar; Chris Whidden will appear as Richard; Janice Yang as Safina, Andre de Carvalho is playing Jorge, and Youness Tahiri will playing the part of Davinder. Theory is written by Norman Yeung; directed by Joanne L. Williams and stage managed by Mikaela Dyke and Lisa Polivka.

GLORIA'S GUY stars RoBert Maynell as Guy; Anna Douglas as Gloria; Liz Best in the role of Jessie, Jennifer Monteith in the part of Peggy; Sangeeta Wylie will playing Leslie; and Erin Jones in the part of Eva. Gloria's Guy was written by Joan Burrows. Director by Anne Harper was assisted in her direction by Stephanie Williams. The show will be stage managed by Edgar Chua.

MEASURE OF THE WORLD stars Jessica Zepeda as Florenza; Jason Thompson in the role of Pierre Bouguer; Michael Vitorovich as Charles De La Condamine; and Paul Cotton will be playing the part of Louis Godin. Measure of the world was written by Shirley Barrie. Director Molly Thom was assisted by Sarah Kohal. The show is staged managed by Adriana Dmitiri, assisted by Rhona Bennett.

The set and light design for all three productions was completed by Ed Rosing. Sound design for Fireworks is by Gabrielle D'Angelo. Costumes for the series were designed by Bec Brownstone.

Roundtable Discussion Bios:

Gloria's Guy - with M. John Kennedy

What makes a play a comedy? How do the various artists involved make you laugh? A professional actor, director and playwright discuss the particulars of creating comedy on stage from their unique, and sometimes disparate, perspectives.

M. John is a professional actor and writer for stage and screen. He is also a faculty member at The Randolph Academy where he teaches Scene Study, Improvisation, Clown and Commedia Dell'arte. He has studied comedy and collective creation extensively with companies such as Bluemouth, NaCL in New York and The Second City.

Measure of the World - with Alanna McKnight
Measure of the World tells the story of three men and their search for greatness. Join historians and the playwright as they discuss the influences at work around the men on their quest, including the role of women and politics in 18th century South America.

Alanna McKnight is an historian, currently pursuing a PhD in Communications and Culture, a joint program between York and Ryerson. She holds undergraduate degrees in Costume Studies from Dalhousie, History at York, and also holds a masters in history from York, and a certificate in Archival Studies from George Brown. She has experience Working Theatre through costuming with the Canadian Opera Company and Stage West. Though her academic career has taken her away from theatre, her heart never left it.

Theory - with Helen Androlia
The internet has provided us with an opportunity to connect with each other and explore new ideas. It has, however, also provided an environment for humanity's baser instincts to flourish unchecked. Social media professional Helen Androlia talks to playwright Norman Yeung about his work 'Theory', and the crossing of lines - the line between beliefs and agendas, online personas and offline lives, and where obsession crosses into to the public light.

Helen Androlia is a social media strategist, digital creative and community manager working for DraftFCB Toronto. With an eclectic background with experience spanning the technology sector to fine arts and culture (and everything in between) Helen creates engaging social media experiences for a number of large brands. A featured speaker at this year's PodCamp, Helen is also a keynote speaker at Mesh Marketing 2013.

The Details - FireWorks Series:

Opening Night & Gala: Wednesday November 13, 2013

Performance Dates: Wednesday November 13 - Sunday December 1, 2013

Schedule: Wednesday - Saturday 8:00pm; Sunday matinee at 2:30pm

Playwrights Speak on Sunday December 1st, at 4:00pm
Roundtables are Sundays at 12:00pm

Tickets: Series Pass (all 3 shows, Roundtables & Playwirghts Speak) $50
Individual Tickets $20; Roundtables free with show ticket or pass

or $10.00 at the door, Playwrights Speak is a free event
PWYC THEORY: Thursday, November 21,2013,
PWYC GLORIA'S GUY: Wednesday, November 27, 2013
PWYC MEASURE OF THE WORLD: Thursday, November 28, 2013

May be purchased online for Thu/Fri (except opening night)/Sat at www.alumnaetheatre.com

Location: Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley Street (SW corner with Adelaide), Toronto.

Box Office: 416-364-4170 (box 1) or e-mail reservations@alumnaetheatre.com.

For cash purchases, Box Office opens one hour prior to each performance.

Please note: Alumnae box office does not accept credit or debit cards.

Alumnae Theatre Company has been producing thought-provoking, challenging and rarely-performed plays since 1918. Find us on Facebook! Read the blog at http://alumnaetheatre.wordpress.com. Follow us on Twitter: @alumnaetheatre.

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