Canadian Stage continues its 2009-2010 season with the world premiere of Necessary Angel's This Is What Happens Next. The one-man show is the highly anticipated new collaboration from Daniel MacIvor and Daniel Brooks, one of the most potent and influential partnerships in Canadian theatre. Together they have created such legendary solo shows as House (1991), Here Lies Henry (1994), Monster (1998) and Cul-de-sac (2003). Written and performed by MacIvor and directed and dramaturged by Brooks, This Is What Happens Next previews April 12 to 14, opens April 15 and continues to May 8, 2010 at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs, 26 Berkeley Street. For tickets and information, contact 416.368.3110 or canadianstage.com.
This Is What Happens Next is a scary fairytale with a happy ending that MacIvor describes as "A journey deep into the heart of the Kingdom of Kevin with an astrologer, a lawyer, an absent father, the embodiment of our own Will and Me, which takes us through the dark forest of addiction, divorce, Arthur Schopenhauer, The Little Mermaid and the life of John Denver." It is MacIvor's most autobiographical work to date.
Workshops of the play were presented at Toronto's Factory Theatre in December 2008 and at Montreal's Usine C in January 2009. Pat Donnelly, theatre critic for the Montreal Gazette, called the production, "Genius...a high-octane blend of autobiography, anecdote, philosophical musing and fairy-tale fantasy, leavened by mordant wit...riveting" and
Le Devoir said, "Eminently personal and wonderful ... This Is What Happens Next is a delightful and intimate encounter with an important English Canadian theatre artist."
In June 2010, Necessary Angel will tour This Is What Happens Next to the prestigious Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Further Canadian and international engagements are part of Necessary Angel's 2010-2011 season, including stops at the Great Canadian Theatre Company and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa.
Daniel MacIvor and Daniel Brooks' unique collaboration over the past 20 years has produced many celebrated plays that are now firmly cemented in the Canadian theatre cannon. Cul-de-sac (2003), which was nominated for a Governor General's Award, was their last association. According to The Toronto Star, "Plays like House, Here Lies Henry, Monster and Cul-de-Sac have all made impressions on audiences around the world, not just for the wit of MacIvor's writing, but the superb acting he delivered in them and the way his long-time creative partner, Brooks, helped shape the productions." The Globe and Mail said, "So integrated, so holistic is the [MacIvor-Brooks] experience that writing, direction, performance, sound and light design bleed into and redefine each other...you feel that you're privy to a conversation among all the creative partners" and the National Post wrote, "MacIvor's ability to people a stage while standing virtually immobile is phenomenal, and Brooks gives him the cool, atmospheric backup to which he and we are accustomed."
Daniel MacIvor is a prolific writer, director and actor. He has written just over 20 productions in 20 years, and has 15 publications to his name. His plays include See Bob Run, Wild Abandon, The Soldier Dreams, You Are Here, How It Works, His Greatness, and A Beautiful View, and with longtime collaborator Daniel Brooks he created the solo performances House, Here Lies Henry, Monster and Cul-de-sac and most recently This Is What Happens Next. From 1987 to 2007, he was Co-Artistic Director of the international theatre touring company da da kamera. MacIvor's plays have won numerous awards, including most recently, the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre (2008). MacIvor has two Chalmers New Play Awards (for House and Here Lies Henry), and his collection of five plays called I Still Love You won the 2006 Governor General's Award for Drama. His play Marion Bridge received its Off-Broadway premiere in New York in October 2005, and his play Never Swim Alone won the 1998 New York Fringe's Overall Excellence Award. In 2002 he won a GLAAD Award and a Village Voice Obie Award for his play In On It. MacIvor is also a screenwriter and filmmaker (House, Wilby Wonderful, Past Perfect, Whole New Thing and Marion Bridge, which won the CITY TV Best First Feature Award). His acting credits include the feature film The Five Senses and the CBC TV cult hit Twitch City. Upcoming: touring This Is What Happens Next; premiering his play Inside at University of Victoria, working on Arigato, Tokyo a new play commissioned by the Banff Centre for their 75th anniversary; and his screenplay Trigger, directed by Bruce MacDonald, is soon to be released. MacIvor is originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and now lives in Toronto.
Daniel Brooks is the Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company. He is a prolific and versatile artist whose innovation and risk-taking have made him a leader within the Canadian cultural landscape for over 20 years. Based in Toronto, he is an internationally renowned director, writer, actor, producer and educator whose credits include co-founding The Augusta Company. Most recently, he directed a workshop production of Michael Ondaatje's When My Name Was Anna (Necessary Angel) and co-created The Aleph with Diego Matamoros (Soulpepper). Other creations include: The Lorca Play, House, Here Lies Henry, Monster, and Cul-de-sac with Daniel MacIvor (da da kamera); HardSell and Bigger Than Jesus with Rick Miller (Necessary Angel & WYRD Productions); Red Tape and 86; An Autopsy with Don McKellar and Tracy Wright; The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Insomnia with Guillermo Verdecchia; and The Eco Show (Necessary Angel). He has directed a number of other plays, notably John Mighton's Half Life and Possible Worlds (both Canadian Stage presentations of Necessary Angel productions); Goethe's Faust; and Beckett's Endgame. Brooks is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including: the inaugural Siminovitch Prize for Direction (the most prestigious theatre award in Canada); two Chalmers Awards (for The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Here Lies Henry); three Dora Mavor Moore Awards for direction (The Soldier Dreams, The Lorca Play, House) and a Dora for outstanding production (Bigger Than Jesus); the Edinburgh Fringe First Award (Here Lies Henry); the Capital Critics Circle Award for direction (Possible Worlds); and a nomination for a Governor General's Award (The Noam Chomsky Lectures). In February 2009 he was appointed the first recipient of the Baillie Artistic Fellowship by Soulpepper Theatre Company. He has also worked in film, notably with Bruce McDonald.
This Is What Happens Next marks Necessary Angel's second production in Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Project. The initiative partners Canadian Stage with independent theatre companies in Toronto to transform Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre into a dynamic home for contemporary performing arts.
Necessary Angel is dedicated to fully exploring the theatrical arts by creating original work that challenges
assumptions and engages multiple points of view, while seeking to provoke and astonish. Founded in 1978, the
company has been an influential and original presence on the national and international theatre scene for 30 years.
Having produced over 50 productions, including 25 world premieres and 10 North American premieres, Necessary
Angel is considered to be one of English Canada's most important original creation and touring organizations. In the
last three years, the company has travelled to over 20 cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Melbourne, Vancouver,
Florence, Miami, Montreal and Munich.
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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