LYSISTRATA, OUR TOWN and More Set for WINDS' 2015-16 Season

The Woodsworth Innis New Drama Society [WINDS] is tremendously proud to present its 2015­-2016 Mainstage Theatre Season!

Featuring everything from Greek comedy to the classics, a meta­theatrical musical to a devised collective creation, the season touches on issues of sexuality, gender, and human rights, upholding our commitment to inclusive, diverse theatre which simultaneously engages audiences and examines socially relevant issues.

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Lysistrata

By Aristophanes
Directed by Liz McLoughlin
New College Quad: September 18, 7pm, September 19, 2pm & September 20, 2pm
Tickets at Door: PWYC (suggested $10)

This innovative and minimalist rendition of Aristophanes' classic "battle of the sexes" comedy, as directed by Liz McLoughlin, both entertains and provokes discussion about conceptions of gender and sexuality in both the classical and modern age. A WINDS production, it will play this September 18­20th at the New College Quad, University of Toronto [entrance via 20 Wilcocks St.].

Speak Truth To Power

Written by Ariel Dorfman A Chamber Production
Performance Dates: November 6th­7th, 2015

Speak Truth to Power: Voices From Beyond the Dark depicts the courage, strength, and perseverance in the face of injustice of those people from whom the world has turned its back.

The real­life human rights defenders presented in the play-many of whom are ordinary people from around the world-portray their encounters with evil. Their experiences differ: Koigi Wa Wamwere from Kenya had been threatened to be thrown off the roof for his work; Marina Pisklakova had been told that she would be murdered for starting the first domestic violence hotline in Russia; and Hafez Abu Seada courageously went against his country's laws to publish the atrocities his government had been committing, in a newspaper. The human rights defenders present their stories and then- they join together to inspire hope in humanity. This play is meant to provoke contentious thought about how we live our lives. Ariel Dorfman, the playwright, states: 'Knowing this, knowing this. The world does not have to forever be the way it is now.'

Our Town

Written by Thornton Wilder Directed by Stephen Lubin
Performance Dates: December 3rd­5th, 2015

Our Town is a three­act drama written by Thornton Wilder and first mounted in 1938. The play shows snippets of life in a town called Grover's Corner as its residents grow up, get married, and eventually die. Our Town won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in its time and makes use of an engaging meta­theatrical style. Each act of the show has a different feel to it. The first, called Daily Life, is full of dry humor and meta­jokes. The second, called Love and Marriage, has fewer comedic elements and more romance. The third act, called Death and Dying, is poignant, heart­wrenching drama. The show is deeply philosophical without being obtuse. It is immensely satisfying and beautifully written with simple but elegant dialogue. The roles in this show will provide new challenges and opportunities and through double­casting the we're looking to create a strong ensemble cast where everyone gets a good amount of stage time.

Moby Dick! The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Robert Longden and Hereward Kaye
Book by Robert Longden
Directed by Lanndis De Lallo
Performance Dates: January 28th­-30th, 2016

When St. Godley's School for Young Ladies is in financial jeopardy, the Headmistress and her rowdy and raunchy crew of teenage delinquents, plan to bring "America's greatest novel, to lucrative life" with the help of the school's eccentric janitors and guards. "Moby Dick!" explores a plethora of unique characters through many music and dance styles from Fosse to Afro Jazz to Riverdance. Although "Moby" is a satirical, outrageous and hysterical show, it finds a delicate balance between humour and tragedy, building to an epic climax you would need to see to believe. This is show that is not afraid to be itself. It relishes in its eclectic props, costumes, and characters, encouraging cast and audience alike to come aboard the Pequod, for the ride of their lives.

The Underground Railroad Project

A Devised Collective Creation
Directed by Shak Haq
Performance Dates: February 25th­-27th, 2016

This devised collective creation will explore significant figures and events contributing to Black History in Canada. Finding inspiration in historical documents and data from the Canadian archives, the collaborators will tell the stories of this underrepresented population through various modes and media of storytelling. Using Canada's involvement in the Underground

Railroad as a starting point rather than a final destination, the collaborators hope to highlight the many individual narratives of the initial Black Canadians and their collective journey until now. This production is a joint initiative between the African Students Association (ASA), the Black Students Association (BSA) and the Caribbean Students Association (CSA) at the University of Toronto.

A Doll's House

Written by Henrik Ibsen
Directed by Emma Keil­Vine
Performance Dates: March 3rd­-5th, 2016

A classic from the late 19th­Century, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House examines the life of mild­mannered housewife Nora Helmer as her domestic, comfortable world is called into question. Nora has kept secrets from her husband, and as they threaten to come to light, Nora fights to keep her seemingly perfect life from crumbling. Revolutionary when it was first performed, the themes of gender, power struggles, and societal impact found in A Doll's House still ring true today. Now, with a more modern audience, A Doll's House can push the boundaries of roles and expectation while also creating a period set piece.

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About WINDS - The Woodsworth Innis New College Drama Society (WINDS) represents a partnership between the Woodsworth Performing Arts Collective (WolfPAC), New Faces, and Innis College. WINDS aims to provide opportunities in the performing arts for Woodsworth College, Innis College, and New College students in addition to other students at the University of Toronto and the greater UofT Community. WINDS strives to follow the University's tradition of excellence in theatre by staging inclusive, ground­breaking, and engaging productions which are both entertaining and socially relevant. Read more at www.windramasociety.com.

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