Eclipse Theatre Company Presents Immersive KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN at the Don Jail

Toronto's hottest new musical theatre company, Eclipse Theatre Company (ETC), created by Chilina Kennedy, Evan Tsitsias, and Sara-Jeanne Hosie, proudly presents an innovative and site responsive performance of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, presented at the Don Jail in Toronto, March 6 - 10, 2019. The production will be directed by Evan Tsitsias, and star Tracy Michailidis and Kawa Ada, for 7 performances only, and will be the first theatrical event ever produced at the Don Jail.

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN at the Don Jail is an immersive piece of musical theatre uniting space and story. By letting the narrative unfold in this historic building, the artistic producers are able to highlight a piece of Toronto's history, while presenting a musical theatre classic in a thrilling new way, within the confines of a prison.

Set against the gritty world of Argentina's Dirty War, the musical spins a harrowing tale of persecution while straddling the two worlds of dark reality and colourful fantasy. Fueled by his need to escape the harsh reality of prison life, Molina shares stories of the glamorous actress named Aurora. Through their unlikely union, these two characters are forever changed by each other in unexpected and illuminating ways, as they grapple with politics, masculinity and the power of love over death.

This performance will feature a cast of top Canadian artists. Tracy Michailidis (Aurora) won the 2018 Dora Award for her performance in Life After. She's performed on Broadway, the Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Charlottetown, the US National Tour of Fun Home and was a series regular on the television series Metropia. Award winning actor Kawa Ada (Molina) is an Afghan-Canadian actor, writer and producer, who has had leading roles at Tarragon, Factory, Cahoots, The Grand, The Belfry, Centaur, Canadian Stage, Mirvish, The Shaw Festival, on Broadway and voiced the role of Razaq in the Academy Award nominated animated film, The Breadwinner.

Evan Tsitsias (Director) has worked internationally as a theatre creator. In Canada, he has directed for Angelwalk, Musical Stage Company, Impact Festival, Theatre Aquarius Studio, Summerworks, Fringe, Next Stage, Koogle Theatre and more. His short film Bagged, aired on the CBC, WIFT, DC Shorts and NSI. He is the Artistic Director of Directors Lab North and has spent the past 5 years working at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas.

The production will also feature Jonathan Winsby, who has performed on numerous stages across Canada and the US, and is currently starring as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver. Other credits include: Souzatzka, The Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar,and starring role of Billy Bigelow in Carousel at the Stratford Festival. Eva Tavares is currently playing Christine in the national tour of Phantom of the Opera. Jayne Lewis is currently starring inElf The Musical at Aquarius Theatre in Hamilton, and is known for her roles in Kill Joys, Degrassi,and The Sound Of Music at the Mirvish Theatre. Sheridan College 4th year students will also be participating in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, as part of the educational outreach of ETC.

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN features music by John Kander and Fred Ebb,with a book byTerrence McNally. The original musical is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña. Originally directed by Harold Prince, the musical had runs in the West End (1992), and on Broadway (1993). The show, which ran on Broadway for 904 performances, won a total of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.

ETC's production of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN includes Musical Direction by Chris Barillaro, Choreography by Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Production Design by Nick Blais, Sound Design by Jeremy Mitchell and the Production Manager is Daniel Bennett.

The show will be presented at the Historic Don Jail (Bridgepoint administration building) from March 6 to 10, 2019, every evening at 7:30pm, with 1:30pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The Don Jail is located at 550 Gerrard St E, Toronto. Tickets are on sale at www.eclipsetheatre.ca or call 1-800-656-0713.

The vision of ETC is simple. Innovation, Creation, Education. Firstly, to instigate, investigate, and excavate original stories, in order to bring new Canadian work to life. Secondly, to re-examine and re-configure the classics. And thirdly, to foster and generate artists through education, collaboration, diversity and outreach. Every season ETC will consist of three theatrical experiences- The Lab, A New Canadian Work, and an Eclipse Event.

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