Following the success of the inaugural 2014 season (Wajdi Mouawad's Pacamambo; Judith Thompson's Watching Glory Die; George F. Walker's Dead Metaphor), Artistic Director Ken Gass today announced three productions that will comprise the Canadian Rep Theatre 2015 Season. The playbill includes recent works by two of Canada's most extraordinary women playwrights - Florence Gibson MacDonald (How Do I Love Thee?) and Colleen Murphy (Armstrong's War) in the winter/spring - and a major revival of a George F. Walker classic (Nothing Sacred) in the fall.
Ken Gass states, "I'm thrilled to have obtained the rights to these remarkable plays for the new Canadian Rep season. These are powerful works, rich in language, theatricality and contemporary social resonance, with great roles to challenge any performer. With the help of our many supporters, we're confident this season will propel Canadian Rep Theatre forward in its goal of establishing a permanent base for the company."
In February, 2015, Canadian Rep Theatre presents the Toronto premiere of Florence Gibson MacDonald's How Do I Love Thee?, directed by Ken Gass, at Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre. Penned by the author of the award-winning Belle and Home is My Road, How Do I Love Thee? is a language-rich exploration of both the euphoric and darker sides of the marriage of Elizabeth Barrett (Browning) and
Robert Browning, poets who enjoyed 'rock star status' at the heights of their careers. The production will preview January 31 - February 4, open February 5 and run until February 22. The production features a stellar cast with
Irene Poole as
Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
Matthew Edison as
Robert Browning,
Nora McLellan as Wilson and
Richard McMillan as
John Kenyon.
In April/May, 2015, Canadian Rep Theatre presents the Toronto premiere of Colleen Murphy's Armstrong's War, directed by Ken Gass, at the intimate 75-seat The Citadel performance space (Parliament & Dundas). Armstrong's War involves an encounter between a 12-year-old girl, Halley - a Pathfinder, wheelchair-bound as a result of an accident - and Michael, a 21-year-old soldier in an Ottawa Rehab Hospital after a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and an unlikely friendship, as well as emotional battleground, that emerges through shared readings of
Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. The production will preview May 16 - 20, open May 21 and run until June 7. Casting will be announced shortly.
In October/November 2015, Canadian Rep Theatre presents a major revival of
George F. Walker's Nothing Sacred, directed by Ken Gass, with set and costume design by Shawn Kerwin and lighting design by Andre du Toit. The venue and exact dates will be confirmed early in 2015. Nothing Sacred premiered at Canadian Stage (then called CentreStage) in 1988 and subsequently became one of the most popular plays in North American regional theatres. Winner of the Governor General's Award, Dora Award and Chalmers Award, Nothing Sacred also had a commercial revival at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto in 1994 and was produced at the Shaw Festival in 2004. Loosely adapted from
Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, Nothing Sacred remains one of the most intriguing and successful works in the
George F. Walker canon.
The Canadian Rep Theatre hit production of Dead Metaphor, written and directed by
George F. Walker and presented last spring as part of the Off-Mirvish season, will play at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, from March 11 - 28, 2015.
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