MARJORIE PRIME to Make Toronto Premiere at Coal Mine Theatre

At once conceptually and deeply moving, with a profound exploration of what makes us human, COAL MINE THEATRE is proud to announce its upcoming presentation of Jordan Harrison's Pulitzer Prize-nominated MARJORIE PRIME, directed by Stewart Arnott. The play, making its long-awaited Toronto Premiere, features a remarkable performance by legendary stage actor Martha Henry, alongside Beau Dixon, Sarah Dodd, and Gordon Hecht. Presented at COAL MINE THEATRE, January 26 - February 23, 2020 (Opening night January 29).

What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance? A speculative tale set in the near future, the piece centres on the 85-year-old Marjorie. As her personal memories blend and fade, she meets a new companion who helps her reassemble her life's moments, both big and small, inviting questions of agency and ephemerality. MARJORIE PRIME's big ideas, coupled with Harrison and Arnotts refreshingly minimal direction, consider the extent to which human identity will be aided or replaced by technology.

MARJORIE PRIME has earned numerous accolades since its 2014 premiere, including a 2015 Pulitzer Prize Nomination for Drama, with the committee calling it "a sly and surprising work about technology and Artificial Intelligence told through images and ideas that resonate." In 2016 it earned the Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding New American Play, and it was adapted into a feature film by acclaimed director Michael Almereyda, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Jordan Harrison (Playwright) is an award-winning American playwright and screenwriter, whose credits include Marjorie Prime (2014), Maple and Vine (2011), The Grown-Up (2014), Doris to Darlene (2006), and more. Harrison is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, the Kesselring Prize, the Roe Green Award from Cleveland Play House, and more. Harrison writes for the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black.

Stewart Arnott (Director) is an acclaimed actor, writer, and director. Recent directorial credits include Seminar (Royal MTC and Mirvish Productions); Title and Deed (Nightfall Theatrics/Artspace Youngplace); Tragedy: a tragedy (Summerworks 2014); and Same Time, Next Year (Lighthouse Festival). Recent acting credits for stage and screen include Turkey Shoot (Single Thread Theatre), The Biographer (Videofag), Our Town (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water, and Schitt's Creek.

The sterling cast includes Martha Henry, one of Canada's most iconic performers, who earned a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for her lifetime contribution to Canadian theatre and was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1981, before being promoted to Companion in 1990; multiple Dora award-winning actor Beau Dixon, known for The Father (Coal Mine Theatre), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Soulpepper Theatre), and Hamlet, Next To Normal (Tarragon Theatre); Dora award-winning actor Sarah Dodd, of Private Lives, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Front Page (Stratford Festival); and Gordon Hecht, recent star of Incident at Vichy (Soulpepper Theatre) and CBC's Workin' Moms.

Featuring Set Design and Costumes by Gillian Gallow, Lighting by Nick Blais, Stage Management by Tamara Vuckovic and Sound and Music by Bram Gielen.

ABOUT COAL MINE THEATRE:

The critically acclaimed and award-winning COAL MINE THEATRE, Toronto's Off-Off Broadview Theatre, was founded by Chief Engineers Diana Bentley and Ted Dykstra. Currently in its sixth season, COAL MINE is dedicated to presenting superbly written, richly thoughtful, and fearlessly challenging plays that are produced, directed, and acted at the highest possible level. With only 80 seats a night, COAL MINE THEATRE is inspired by the intimacy and excitement of the Off-Off-Broadway experience.

MARJORIE PRIME is the third of four productions in COAL MINE THEATRE's 2019/20 season. The fourth production will be Martyna Majok's Cost of Living, directed by Ted Dykstra.

MARJORIE PRIME:

When: January 26 - February 23, at 7:30pm (Mondays dark), Sunday matinees at 2pm

Opening Night: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 7:30pm

Closing Day: Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 2pm

Previews: Sunday, January 26 and Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Where: Coal Mine Theatre, 1454 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Price: Regular ticket price $47.50 - $55.50 (plus HST), previews $25 (plus HST). Rush and Arts Worker prices also available (cash only, at the door, 45 minutes before performance starts, subject to availability). To purchase tickets, please visit a??coalminetheatre.com/tickets

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