PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS Comes to Coal Mine Theatre
Performances run February 9th – March 2nd.
In February, Toronto’s COAL MINE THEATRE will resume their 10th anniversary season with the Canadian premiere of Duncan MacMillan’s PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS, on stage at the company’s Danforth venue February 9th – March 2nd. (Media night: February 13th)
A quest of recovery that combines dance and virtuosic design and performance, the production stars Louise Lambert in a career-defining role that won Irish stage actor Denise Gough an Olivier Award and global accolades. Lambert (Detroit,Yerma) is joined by Soulpepper veteran Oliver Dennis, making his COAL MINE debut, Farhang Ghajar (The Seagull), Fiona Reid (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hedda Gabler) and Matthew Gouveia (Killer Joe), along with ensemble members Nickeshia Garrick, Sam Grist, Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Kwaku Okyere, and Kaleb Tekeste. COAL MINE Co-Founder and former Artistic Director Diana Bentley (Yerma) directs the illustrious ensemble company, partnering with artistic innovator and choreographer Alyssa Martin (Sex Dalmation/Rock Bottom Movement; Artistic Producer, Creative Action/National Ballet of Canada).
The play tells the story of stage actress Emma, who’s been having the time of her life. Now she's in rehab and her first step is to admit she has a problem. But the problem isn't with Emma, it's with everything else. She needs to tell the truth, but she's smart enough to know that there's no such thing.
“I was lucky enough to catch PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS in 2017 at St. Anne’s Warehouse in New York and it was one of the most brilliant and affecting pieces of theatre I have ever witnessed,” comments Bentley. “I have hounded after the rights ever since. When we finally got them, I was in the middle of working with Louise and knew that the role of Emma was absolutely perfect for her and her astonishing talents. I can’t wait to bring this gut-punch of a play to life with movement director Alyssa Martin (Rock Bottom Movement) and this incredible company of actors and designers.”
"Director Diana Bentley has, since we built our new space, been directly involved in two of our biggest successes ever: Yerma (as director) and Hedda Gabler (playing Hedda). I am thrilled to have her helm this production in the theatre she helped build,” adds Coal Mine Artistic Director and co-founder Ted Dykstra. “I read a lot of plays. And there have been dozens of good ones that have dealt, in some way or another, with addiction - in my opinion this is the best of them. Another Canadian Premiere, it's a huge show for us to do, especially with zero government support, but we believe in it that much and we want Toronto audiences to see it!"
One of the UK’s most acclaimed contemporary playwrights, Duncan MacMillan’s PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS had its World Premiere in the Dorfman space at The National Theatre in 2015 with Denise Gough starring as Emma and directed by Jeremy Herrin. Following public and critical acclaim, the production transferred to the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End in 2016. The show then crossed the pond to St Ann’s Warehouse, an Off-Broadway venue in New York, in 2017 (again led by Gough). That year it also played at Manchester’s HOME, with Lisa Dwyer Hogg taking on the lead role. Herrin’s production was then remounted at London’s Trafalgar Theatre in 2024.
Joining Bentley and Martin on the creative team behind the Canadian premiere production are set designer Steve Lucas, Costume Designer Laura Delchiaro, co-lighting designers Bonnie Beecher and Jeff Pybus, and sound designer Thomas Ryder Payne.
PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS is on stage at the COAL MINE THEATRE February 9th to March 2nd (Media night: February 13th) with performances Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.
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