JONNO Comes to The 2018 Next Stage Theatre Festival

After a successful world premiere at the 2016 Winnipeg Fringe Festival, JONNO by Alix Sobler receives its Toronto debut at the Next Stage Theatre Festival this January. Inspired by recent events, JONNO tells the story of a beloved Canadian radio personality- a man whose endearing exterior proves to be the disguise of a violent, insecure, and narcissistic sexual predator. Angry, visceral, and disturbingly funny, the play takes an honest look at the violence perpetuated against women, and forces a light onto the men who engage in it. JONNO is directed by Paul Van Dyck and produced by Rabbit in a Hat Productions, and runs from January 3-14th at the Factory Theatre Mainspace as part of The Toronto Fringe's Next Stage Theatre Festival. www.rabbitinahatproductions.com

Jonno is the host of a successful Canadian radio show, a newly published novelist, and a proud feminist. Jonno also violently abuses his sexual partners. As the details of his aggressions threaten to become public knowledge, Jonno desperately tries to rationalize his abusive behaviour to himself via a series of conversation with Mr Donkey Long Ears, a stuffed toy come to life and Jonno's only friend. Meanwhile, four survivors of Jonno's abuse struggle to come to terms with their experience, and find the "correct" response to their assault. Through its whip-smart dialogue and dark, surreal imagery, JONNO asks its audience to frankly confront difficult questions about sex, power, and consent-all while challenging the notion that these questions have a "right" answer at all.

"A smart, challenging, and often harrowing piece that delves deep into current
conversations about everything from victim-blaming to the ways in which women tear each other down for not doing feminism right. Whatever you do, don't miss this show".
- Jen Zoratti, The Winnipeg Free Press

JONNO is written by New York-based playwright Alix Sobler, whose hit play The Secret Annex was produced at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Segal Centre in Montreal, and received a staged reading at the Stratford Festival in 2015. It is directed by Paul Van Dyck, Artistic Director of Rabbit in a Hat Productions and director of Blood Wild, which was produced at the 2016 Next Stage Theatre Festival. Starring: Jason Deline (Star Trek: Discovery, CBS) as Jonno; Glenda Braganza (Saving Hope, CTV/eOne) as Bernadette; Allan Michael Brunet (Bully, Floating Rock Films) as Mr Donkey Long Ears; Alanis Peart (Frankie Drake, CBC/Shaftesbury Films) as Maureen; Parmida Vand (Monsters by Nature, Kindling Collective) as Dana; and Erica Anderson (Romeo & Juliet, Lost & Gone) as Marcy. Other company members include: Costume Designer Christine Urquhart (Rootless, Red Orange Projects), Lighting Designer Steve Vargo (Old Times, Unit 102), and Music & Sound Designer Richard Feren (Daughter, Theatre Centre/QuipTake/Pandemic Theatre).

Rabbit in a Hat Productions was founded in Montreal in 2001 with a mandate to produce new Canadian Independent Theatre. The collective relocated to and has been producing work in Toronto since 2015. Find out more at www.rabbitinahatproductions.com

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JONNO
at the 2018 Next Stage Theatre Festival:

Playwright - Alix Sobler
Director - Paul Van Dyck

Jonno - Jason Deline
Dana - Parmida Vand
Marcy - Erica Anderson
Bernadette - Glenda Braganza
Mr Donkey Long Ears - Allan Michael Brunet
Maureen - Alanis Peart

Producer - Mirka Loiselle
Production Manager - Michael Panich
Costume Designer - Christine Urquhart
Lighting Designer - Steve Vargo
Sound Designer - Richard Feren

Factory Theatre Mainspace
125 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON

Wednesday, January 3 - 7:45pm
Friday, January 5 - 9:45pm
Saturday, January 6 - 4:15pm
Sunday, January 7 - 4:15pm
Monday, January 8 - 9:00pm
Wednesday, January 10 - 6:45pm
Thursday, January 11 - 7:15pm
Saturday, January 13 - 1:45pm
Sunday, January 14 - 7:00pm

Runtime
75 minutes

Content Warning
This show contains strong language, sexual content, graphic violence and depictions of sexual assault.

Tickets
$15 / ticket
Tickets and passes available as of November 27, 2017. Purchase online at www.fringetoronto.com, or by phone at 416-966-1062.
Early Bird savings of 15% can be accessed until December 5, 2017

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