ROUGH MAGIC Comes to 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival

Air and earth collide in Rough Magic, a new play that follows the innocent beginnings and volatile consequences of a relationship between two unlikely beings: Ariel, an airy sprite; and Caliban, a ground-dwelling mortal. An intricate weaving of theatre, aerial work and music, the show confronts ideas of freedom, otherness, and the search for home through a story inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Theatre Arcturus is owned and operated by LINDSAY BELLAIRE, Artistic Director and PHILLIP PSUTKA, Executive Director. An award-winning theatre company, Arcturus creates visually stunning plays that weave aerial arts into the world of the story. They blend the rigorous training of an aerialist with that of the actor to create a seamless combination. In their world, characters work in harmony with gravity but are not bound by it. They may climb or take flight at any moment. This is aerial theatre, where the boundaries of physicality and truthful storytelling are pushed, and sometimes the world turns upside down.

The development of Rough Magic was generously supported in part by the Ontario Arts Council. After playing at the 2017 Ottawa Fringe Festival, critics called it "Gorgeously Wrought," (Patrick Langston, Artsfile), "Absolutely Brilliant," (Ottawa Tonite), and stated that "theatre like this doesn't come along often" (5 STARS, On Stage Ottawa). Inspired by The Tempest, the play tells the story of Ariel and Caliban, from the moment they meet on the island to the moment of the shipwreck that begins Shakespeare's play. The piece is written almost entirely in verse, continuing the style of heightened language that the play is inspired by. The story of Rough Magic, although completely original, was developed through meticulous scouring of Shakespeare's text and other research materials. It seeks to paint a fuller picture of the two beings that inhabited the island before the arrival of Prospero and Miranda by drawing a story between key events that are mentioned in The Tempest: the banishment and death of Sycorax, Caliban's advances on Miranda, Ariel's 12 year imprisonment, and the enslavement of both Ariel and Caliban by Prospero.

The creative process for Rough Magic employed the same process used for WEIRD, which has toured to theaters and schools across Ontario, winning the Cutting-Edge Award at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, and Best of Fest at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival, where it was shortlisted for Critics' Pick and named #1 show to see by Metro News. Rough Magic is Psutka's second play written in the style of Shakespeare.

Theatre Arcturus, in association with Toronto Fringe, presents Rough Magic
Written by Phillip PsutkaDirected by Kevin HammondFeaturing: Lindsay Bellaire, Phillip Psutka
Fight Director: Phillip PsutkaAerial Choreographer: Lindsay BellaireStage Manager: Lisa Sciannella
Composer: Rachel C LegerCostume Designer: Lisa Magill

Opens Wednesday, July 5th and runs to July 15th.

Location: Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst St, Toronto ON

Performances: July 5th, 10:00pm • July 8th, 12:00pm • July 9th, 8:45pm • July 11th, 1:00pm • July 13th, 12:00pm • July 14th, 5:45pm • July 15th, 8:00pm

Tickets:
Online at www.fringetoronto.com
Call 416-966-1062
In person at the box office during the festival at Scadding Court Community Centre, 707 Dundas St. W.

The development of Rough Magic was generously supported in part by the Ontario Arts Council.
*The show contains some mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all ages.

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