WESTERN a Play with Music Opens at the NSTF Next Week

Opening January 5, as a part of the Next Stage Theatre Festival, the newly minted Harvey Dunn Campfire is pleased to present a twisted look at a beloved genre, WESTERN, a play with music. Jointly created between acclaimed theatre practitioners Playwright Matthew Gorman, Composer Gordon Bolan and Director Geoffrey Pounsett, and featuring a cast of award-winning talent, WESTERN, a play with music delivers all that we love from the wild west.

Reach wants a home, Nance wants a son, Jenet wants her brother, Dirt wants release and Rabbit just wants to run. A murderer, a vengeful mother, a distracted sister, and a crooked lawman. What's a little boy named Rabbit to do with so many predators? Part myth and part frontier ballad, WESTERN, a play with music is a reckless chase through an imagined western landscape.

Join these acclaimed indie theatre artists 'round the fire for a story about family, blood and claiming what's yours.
WESTERN, a play with music
Text by Matthew Gorman
Music by Gordon Bolan
Directed by Geoffrey Pounsett

Jan. 5-15, 2017
Factory Theatre, Studio | 125 Bathurst Street

Showtimes:
Thurs., Jan .5 / 6:30 pm
Fri., Jan. 6 / 5:15 pm
Sat., Jan. 7 / 7:30 pm
Sun., Jan. 8 / 4:15 pm
Tues., Jan. 10 / 6:30 pm
Thurs., Jan. 12 / 7:15 pm
Fri., Jan. 13 / 8:45 pm
Sat., Jan. 14 / 2:15 pm
Sun., Jan. 15 / 3:30 pm

FEATURING

Mairi Babb as Nance
From Winnipeg, Mairi is a stage and screen actor that has toured internationally creating the movements and character of the horse Joey in the theatrical event, The War Horse. Mairi has also worked with such renown theatre companies as Theatre Orangeville, the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, the Manitoba Theatre Centre and Drayton Entertainment.

Brendan Murray as Dirt
Brendan has been seen on stages throughout Canada, the United States and overseas. Recently Brendan toured the world with the acclaimed production of War Horse in the role of Major Nicholls. Other credits of note include productions with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, The Globe Theatre in Regina, The Charlottetown Festival and several roles on screen. Mr. Murray studied at George Brown Theatre School and the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training at the Stratford Festival.

Caroline Toal as Jenet
Caroline is a Dora award nominated actor and a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School where she studied classical acting. Caroline recently starred in Young People's Theatre's touring, award winning show, Hana's Suitcase and appeared in Salt Garden and You Say Yes as part of the Canadian Film Centre's short dramatic film festival. She can also be seen in the six-part, award winning web series World Away.

Sam Kalilieh as Reach
Sam is a stage and screen actor, known on screen for The Recruit (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) and Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013). His television and film credits also include 12 Monkeys, Saving Hope, Republic of Doyle, Man Vs and a recurring role on The Ron James Show. Sam has performed in numerous stage roles including Facts for the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Stuff Happens for Studio 180 and Passion Play which won a 2014 Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding performance -- ensemble.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Matthew Gorman, Playwright
Originally from Nova Scotia, Matthew has been living and working in Toronto for the last dozen years. he has worked extensively as an actor and director, most recently directed Cart/Horse Theatre's productions of Dalton And Company by Paul Dunn at The Theatre Centre. As a playwright, his work includes Adventure!, a medieval comedy about death and the plague which premiered at the 2013 Toronto Fringe, and Like A Dog, the story of a man who has lived forever and the doctor trying to keep him alive, which starred legendary Canadian actor Peter Wylde.

Gordon Bolan, Composer
Gordon Bolan is a Toronto-based musician and actor. He has performed as a musician in various theatre productions and has been on stage across the country, including The Power of Harriet T (Carousel Players/Black Theatre Workshop), Boblo (Kitchenband) and The Cavalcade of Marvels (Eldritch Theatre) as well as appearances on many film and teleVision Productions including Murdoch Mysteries, Combat Hospital, Cracked and The Sentinel. Gordon is also a singer/songwriter and performs in the local roots/country band Local 164 who play many of the Toronto alt/country venues such as The CameRon House, The Dakota and The Tranzac Club. Local 164 released their debut album in 2013 called Dreams From Belle County.

Geoffrey Pounsett, Director
Geoffrey is a Toronto-based director, actor and educator, and is excited to be returning to the Next Stage Festival for a third time. As part of the inaugural NSTF, his staging of Brendan Gall's A Quiet Place was nominated for 5 Dora Awards, including Outstanding Direction and Production. He returned two years ago to play Sky in Michael Ross Albert's For A Good Time Call Kathy Blanchard. As co-founder of the performance company The Room, he directed the world premiere of Neil Wechsler's award-winning The Brown Bull of Cuailnge, as well as three parts of the seven-play cycle Red Machine. His directing credits also include Kate Hewlett's The Swearing Jar (6AM Tango; Best of Fringe, NOW Magazine Outstanding Direction), Art Is A Cupboard (The Sweat Company; NOW Outstanding Direction), Refuge (Rep 21/Theatre Passe Muraille), The Seagull (Single Threat), and the upcoming production of As You Like It for George Brown Theatre School at The Young Centre in February 2017. As an actor he performs frequently across Canada. He is a graduate of Queen's University and George Brown Theatre School, where he now also teaches.

TICKETS
NSTF Box Office*
$15 each
fringetoronto.com
416.966.1062

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