GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA (GOOD MORNING JULIET) to Open 2/28 at Hart House Theatre

Opening February 28, Hart House Theatre will present one of our country's greatest dramas. Directed by Hart House Theatre alumna Carly Chamberlain and featuring a cast of the city's finest emerging talent, this multi-award-winning show is smart, savvy and wholey Canadian. Winner of the Governor General's Award for Drama and the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) tells the other-worldly, comedic story of Constance Ledbelly, an overlooked academic striving to prove her theory about two of Shakespeare's best-known plays. Through Constance's often hilarious, subconscious journey of self-discovery, Shakespeare's archetypal heroines are shown in a new light as they try to untangle issues of identity, sexuality and self-worth.

Heading up the creative team is Director Carly Chamberlain. Carly is a graduate of the University of Windsor's B.F.A. Acting Program, serves as the outreach coordinator for Driftwood Theatre and is the founding artistic producer for Neoteny Theatre. With experience on stage as well as in the director's seat, Carly brings a wealth of talent and a passion for Canadian theatre to her work.

Dora Award winning Lighting Designer Andre du Toit is a U of T graduate who has extensive experience designing for theatre as well as live music. In additional to working in design, Andre is also the artistic producer of The Lab Cab Festival and the producer of the newly founded Canadian Rep Theatre.

Returning to Hart House Theatre for his sixth production is designer Scott Penner. Scott tackles both set and costume design for this show, bringing a broad range of experience from theatres across Canada. Scott's bold, imaginative work has been seen at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Grand Theatre, the Sudbury Theatre Centre, the Montgomery Theatre, the Globe Theatre, Angelwalk Theatre and the Winnipeg Studio Theatre.

Directed by Carly Chamberlain Set and Costume Design by Scott Penner Lighting Design by Andre du Toit Fight Choreography and Sound Design by Jeremy Hutton.

Nathan Bitton has participated in every show this season! He began on stage as Jamie in our season opener Bone Cage, lent his stage combat expertise to both Twelfth Night and The Wedding Singer and joins us on stage once again in the roles of Romeo, Chorus, Iago and the Ghost.

Cydney Penner, alumna of U of T, makes her debut at Hart House. However, Cydney is no stranger to the Toronto stage, having worked with such companies as Soup Can Theatre, Royal Porcupine Productions and Forward Theatre. In Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Cydney plays Desdemona, Ramona, Mercutio and the Servant.

Nicholas Porteous plays the Professor, Othello, Tybalt and the Nurse as he makes his debut on our stage. Nicholas is a Toronto-based actor who has been seen in several local stage productions as well as independent film ventures.

Katie Ribout tackles the roles of Juliet, Student and a Soldier. Katie joins the cast after graduating from the University of Windsor's B.F.A. Acting Programme and performing with companies such as Rarely Pure Theatre, The Theatre Elusive and Alumnae Theatre. Katie is also pleased to be starring in Less Than Satisfactory, an original web series set to premiere in the new year.

Returning to Hart House Theatre after her stand-out performances as the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet and Cordelia in King Lear is George Brown graduate, Lesley Robertson. Lesley also holds a B.A.H. from Queen's University and an M.A. from U of T in English Literature. With all of those credentials, she is well-suited to take on the role of the play's academic protagonist, Constance!

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