Coal Mine Theatre Presents Annie Baker's THE ANTIPODES

Coal Mine Theatre, Toronto's acclaimed off-off-Broadway stage, makes its long-awaited return with the Canadian premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker's THE ANTIPODES. Directed by company Co-Chief Engineer Ted Dykstra, the production opens the seventh season for the award-winning company and will run in-person from April 3rd to May 15th (Media Night: April 6th) at its beloved Danforth Theatre.

"A room full of people trying to create a story is perhaps the best metaphor for theatre there is. And Annie Baker, without question one of the best playwrights alive today, examines it with her exceptional powers at their peak," says Dykstra. "She gives us real human beings and great stakes. She gives us humour that shocks and surprises. Keen intellect. Love of storytelling. Pathos. Sadness. Folly. Power dynamics. And she adds a magical realism to it all that is just tantalizingly beyond our grasp."

"This play comes to Toronto at exactly the right time. After two years of pandemic living, it's time to gather and share what humans have been sharing since the first sapiens gathered around the fire - stories."

THE ANTIPODES, Baker's latest theatrical offering, made its world premiere in 2017 - the same year Baker was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the "genius grant." The show unfolds as a group of people sit around a table telling, cataloging, and theorizing stories. Their true purpose is never clear. Part satire, part sacred rite, THE ANTIPODES asks what value stories have for a world in crisis. An exploration of the fundamental human need for storytelling, and against the backdrop of current world events, is more poignant now than it was when it originally premiered.

With direction by Ted Dykstra, co-founder of Coal Mine Theatre, the show demands a strong ensemble. Featuring a cast of nine Coal Mine's productions features a prodigious company including Ari Cohen, Joshua Browne, Murray Furrow, Simon Bracken, Sarah Dodd, Colin A Doyle, Joseph Zita, Nadeem Phillip, and Kelsey Verzotti.

While the company has decided to limit seating to ensure audience safety, it will offer an extended show run. Performances will run Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are now available online, beginning at $35 for previews and arts workers and ranging from $60-72.50 for regular performances.

To post a comment, you must register and login.