Canadian Stage Announces 2011.2012 Season

Canadian Stage today announced the people and productions being featured in the 2011.2012 theatre season. Under the artistic leadership of Matthew Jocelyn, the upcoming season will continue to build on the company's mandate to present contemporary work from Canada and around the world that pushes boundaries and provides exciting entertainment for audiences. The season will be brought to life by artists with distinct and current voices from across the country and will blend traditional theatre with dance, film, music and visual art.

Featuring 11 Dynamic Productions, the season boasts an impressive list of directors, choreographers and artistic collectives at the helm of each show at Canadian Stage's three venues, the Bluma Appel Theatre, the Berkeley Street Theatre and the High Park Amphitheatre.

"At Canadian Stage, we continue to share essential, universal stories. The real shift is in the daring way these stories are being told," says Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn. "This season, the artists bringing our stories to life onstage truly exemplify Canadian Stage's multi-disciplinary approach to live performance. Film director Atom Egoyan, choreographer Crystal Pite and artistic collectives like Art of Time Ensemble are just some of the thrilling artists shaping our productions in 2011.2012."

On stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre, directors will bring old stories to life with new significance: Academy Award-nominated Canadian film director Atom Egoyan will return to directing for the stage with a production of Martin Crimp's Cruel and Tender starring Arsinée Khanjian. Internationally renowned Québécois choreographer Marie Chouinard tells the familiar myth of Orpheus and Eurydice through modern dance. Canadian Stage's Matthew Jocelyn will direct a new translation of an 18th-century romantic comedy, The Game of Love and Chance, by French playwright Marivaux.
Contemporary stories will be explored as well: Kim Collier, 2010 Siminovitch Prize-winner and Canadian Stage Associate Artist will direct the 2010 Tony Award-winning Best Play, Red. Ross Manson and Liesl Tommy will revisit their Luminato hit, Another Africa: Plays from Volcano Theatre's The Africa Trilogy and dynamic west coast choreographer Crystal Pite will share her latest production, The You Show.

At the Berkeley Street Theatre, the work of exciting artistic collectives and Canadian Stage Berkeley Street Project partner companies will be showcased. Art of Time Ensemble, one of Canada's most innovative and artistically accomplished music ensembles, will stage an exploration of music, text and dance with choreography by James Kudelka in I Send You This Cadmium Red, directed by Daniel Brooks. Queen of Puddings Music Theatre with artistic directors Dáirine Ní Mheadhra and John Hess put their signature twist on classic opera through a production featuring the texts of Samuel Beckett and the music he inspired in Beckett: Feck it!.

Studio 180 Theatre will present the Canadian premiere of Clybourne Park, a satirical look at demographics, history, home and heart inspired by A Raisin in the Sun. The Company Theatre will bring a dark comedy to life in the English-language premiere of The Test, directed by Jason Byrne and starring Eric Peterson, Liisa Repo-Martell and Philip Riccio.
In High Park, renowned outdoor theatre director Estelle Shook, formerly of British Columbia's Caravan Farm Theatre, will re-imagine William Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Winter's Tale for the annual Dream in High Park production.

In addition to the work presented on stage, Canadian Stage continues to support the artistic community through a variety of professional development initiatives and invests in cutting-edge artistic creation. Canadian Stage also offers artistic and learning opportunities for children, youth, educators, young professionals and adults in schools and communities year-round. These programs will be featured in the fifth annual Festival of Ideas & Creation in May 2012, with a focus on music in contemporary performance.

2011 will also mark the first year of the York University MFA Program in Stage Direction in collaboration with Canadian Stage, a two-year program that will allow students to integrate studio work at York with involvement in artistic projects at Canadian Stage, working closely with Canadian Stage Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn and Associate Artist Kim Collier. Canadian Stage's participation is generously sponsored by BMO Financial Group.

Canadian Stage is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit theatre companies. 2011.2012 Subscriptions are available for sale beginning today, February 23, with 6-play packages starting from $125 and 10-play packages starting from $197. Subscriptions may be purchased by phone at 416-368-3110, in-person at Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street East) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley Street) or online at www.canadianstage.com. Single tickets will be available for sale from September 5, 2011.

At the Bluma Appel Theatre

Another Africa: Plays from Volcano Theatre's The Africa Trilogy*
September 26 to October 22, 2011
Shine Your Eye by Binyavanga Wainaina; and
Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God by Roland Schimmelpfennig;
Directed by Ross Manson and Liesl Tommy
Starring Maev Beaty, Lucky Ejim, Kristen Thomson, and Dienye Waboso
A Volcano Theatre production presented by Canadian Stage

International writing at its best and high-tech staging come together in a sharp-witted and entertaining look at the relationship between Africa and the West. Canadian Stage presents two plays from Volcano Theatre's highly acclaimed The Africa Trilogy, hit of the 2010 Luminato Festival.
Says Matthew Jocelyn: "It's too rare in Western Contemporary Theatre that we engage in an authentic discussion about Africa - a continent that is a fundamental part of the world we live in today and manage to do it with such humour and depth."

*Volcano Theatre's The Africa Trilogy was originally commissioned by Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity.

Orpheus and Eurydice
November 1 to November 5, 2011
Choreography and Direction by Marie Chouinard
A Compagnie Marie Chouinard production presented by Canadian Stage
The familiar myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is re-imagined as a powerful dance piece that undulates with humour. Quebecois sensation Marie Chouinard brings her distinct choreography to Canadian Stage following an internationally acclaimed tour.

Jocelyn calls Marie Chouinard a "Quebec sensation, whose work has toured throughout much of the world and who is without question one of our country's most exciting dance-creators."

Red
November 19 to December 17, 2011
By John Logan
Directed by Kim Collier
A Canadian Stage/Vancouver Playhouse/Citadel Theatre co-production
Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant and a threatening generation of new artists, celebrated 20th-century painter Mark Rothko struggles to create a masterpiece in the face of fame, fortune and commercialism. Director and Canadian Stage Associate Artist Kim Collier brings this stark and passionate 2010 Tony Award-winning play to life.
"Kim is a natural choice to direct Red because she has such a profound and vital visual sense, while understanding the true, yet sometimes comic, anguish that feeds the artist's relationship to his work," says Jocelyn. "I can't wait to see what she does with this deeply moving and intelligent script."

Cruel and Tender
January 21 to February 18, 2012
By Martin Crimp
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Starring Arsinée Khanjian, Daniel Kash, Nigel Shawn Williams, Thomas Hauff, Jeff Lillico, Abena Malika, Cara Ricketts, Brenda Robins, Andre Sills and Sarah Wilson
A Canadian Stage production
Amelia eagerly waits for her husband to return from battle, but when he does, she discovers his motives for war are disturbingly personal. Internationally acclaimed director Atom Egoyan and celebrated actress Arsinée Khanjian collaborate for the first time on stage in this provocative and playful drama from one of Britain's foremost contemporary playwrights.

Jocelyn feels that "Atom is an artist that thinks on an epic scale about the issues of our contemporary world. This play is a perfect fit for him to explore his own artistic world view."

The You Show
February 28 to March 3, 2012
By Crystal Pite
A Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM production presented by Canadian Stage
A physical and compelling dance-theatre piece inspired by familiar narratives that move across generations and cultures, and the body's role in providing the shape for those stories. Innovative award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite's work integrates original music, text, rich visual design, and a keen sense of wit and invention.
"The You Show only had one un-booked week all year, and we snagged it," raves Jocelyn.

Game of Love and Chance
April 16 to May 12, 2012
By Marivaux (in a new Canadian translation)
Directed by Matthew Jocelyn
A Canadian Stage/Centaur Theatre co-production
This boy-meets-girl tale is a charming romp about mistaken identity, true love, and the business of marriage. Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn brings a contemporary sensibility to this elegant 18th-century classic from French master dramatist Marivaux.
Of the show he will direct, Jocelyn states "I love dealing with the versatility and instability of the human spirit and the human heart, which is exactly what this play is about."

At the Berkeley Street Theatre

I Send You This Cadmium Red
October 10 to October 22, 2011
Music by Gavin Bryars
Texts by John Berger and John Christie
Directed by Daniel Brooks
Choreography by James Kudelka
An Art of Time Ensemble production in association with Canadian Stage
A two-part stage exploration of I Send You This Cadmium Red (the correspondence between artist John Berger and filmmaker John Christie) and a pas-de-deux by famed Canadian choreographer James Kudelka set to Gavin Bryars' chamber composition Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, called Soudain L'Hiver Dernier. A stunning and engaging piece from innovative music group Art of Time Ensemble.
Jocelyn on the piece: "Art of Time Ensemble's approach to theatre as an artistic collective, matching music, text and dance will result in a stunning production."

The Test
October 31 to November 26, 2011
By Lukas Bärfuss
Translated by Birgit Schreyer Duarte
Directed by Jason Byrne
Starring Eric Peterson, Liisa Repo-Martell and Philip Riccio
A Company Theatre production in co-production with Canadian Stage

An ambiguous dark comedy about politics and paternity, by one of the rising stars of German theatre, starring Eric Peterson. Canadian Stage's newest Berkeley Street Project partner The Company Theatre presents the English premiere of The Test. Starring Eric Peterson.
"We're very much looking forward to working with our newest Berkeley Street Project Partner on The Test," says Jocelyn. "An exciting script and an exceptional cast."

Beckett: Feck it!
February 17 to February 25, 2012
Featuring the plays of Samuel Beckett and the music he has inspired
Music Directors Dáirine Ní Mheadhra and John Hess
Directed by Jennifer Tarver
A Queen of Puddings Music Theatre production in association with Canadian Stage

A wildly provocative show that combines Samuel Beckett's shorter plays with contemporary classical music from outstanding Irish composers inspired by his appreciation for the absurd. Award-winning Queen of Puddings Music Theatre brings their signature contemporary twist to this invigorating evening of music, theatre, and Irish madness.
Jocelyn calls this production "a delightful, impertinent and unusual evening, comprised of music inspired by the most irreverent wit of the 20th century."

Clybourne Park
April 2 to April 28, 2012
By Bruce Norris
Directed by Joel Greenberg
A Studio 180 Theatre production in association with Canadian Stage
A battle over race and real estate rages across two generations in a Chicago neighbourhood in this hilariously unsettling play inspired by A Raisin in the Sun. Studio 180 Theatre presents the Canadian premiere of Clybourne Park, a satirical look at demographics, history, home and heart.
Matthew describes the production as "a brilliantly funny, daring new take on the complexities of racism as it persists in America today."

At the High Park Amphitheatre

The Winter's Tale
June 28 to September 4, 2011
Dream in High Park
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Estelle Shook

The fairytale worlds of Bohemia and Sicilia will come to life under the direction of Estelle Shook, former artistic director of British Columbia's renowned outdoor theatre company Caravan Farm Theatre. One of Shakespeare's classic tales filled with kings and queens, shipwrecks, statues that come to life and a bear in an enchanting, high-energy and celebratory story for the whole family to enjoy. This is the first time The Winter's Tale will be performed at the Dream in High Park.

Festival of Ideas & Creation
May 7 to 19, 2012

The fifth annual Festival of Ideas & Creation is Canadian Stage's flagship event promoting the development of artists and new works. The Festival supports established artists and fosters the next generation of artistic innovators. It also brings together local, national and International Artists to spark new creative projects and encourages cross-pollination between artistic disciplines. The 2012 festival will focus on music in contemporary performance.

About Canadian Stage:
Founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, Canadian Stage is one of Canada's leading not-for-profit Contemporary Theatre companies. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn, Canadian Stage produces and showcases innovative theatre work from Canada and around the world, allowing its audience to encounter daring work guided by a strong directorial vision and a 21st-century aesthetic. The company prides itself on presenting trans-disciplinary work and work in translation that pushes the boundaries of form and style. The company reinforces the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international context through work that mirrors the cultural diversity of Toronto. Canadian Stage has a long-standing commitment to education and enhancement programs for the public and investing in the art form by nurturing and developing theatre professionals while producing thought-provoking theatre and quality entertainment in Toronto, one of North America's largest theatre centres. For more information, refer to canadianstage.com.

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