Fringe News
Fringe News
Toronto: LONDON. 1939. It’s war! Someone’s leaking Britain’s secrets to the Germans and top agent Richard Hannay is on the case. Pack your bags and join the spy chase from gentleman’s club to pacificist rally, Scottish cliff to French chateau. This is a game of cat and rat, a fast-paced adventure that takes the audience back into the world of WWII espionage. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
“Spychasers” is the brainchild of Alexandra Rambusch. She asked herself, how do you create a play for a multigenerational group with a range of backgrounds and theatrical experience? Her answer: Don’t start with creating the play; Start with designing the creative circumstances in which theatre can be made. For Ms. Rambusch this meant building a company.
She developed the year-long Exploring Voices Project, a program for a group of actors, directors and playwrights at ACT II STUDIO. First, they laid the foundations by exploring common theatrical experiences and ways of working. Then, as they grew into a company, they moved on to adapting a literary work for the stage.
The Exploring Voices Project, which began in October 2011, culminates in the Toronto Fringe 2012 performances of Spychasers, an adaptation of the novel Mr. Standfast, by former Governor General of Canada John Buchan.
All company members belong to ACT II STUDIO, a theatre program and creative drama centre for older adults at the G.Raymond Chang School of Continuing Studies at Ryerson University. ACT II STUDIO has given rise to several project-oriented troupes, as well as original productions translating social science research for the stage. Their previous 2010 Toronto Fringe entry “Leacock Live!” was the Patron’s Pick at Tarragon Mainspace, one of the Toronto Star’s Top 10 What’s Hot at the Fringe, and spotlighted by J. Kelly Nestruck in the Globe and Mail.
ACT II STUDIO
Exploring Voices Project
In association with The Toronto Fringe Festival
presents Spychasers
Written by Alexandra Rambusch, Mairy Beam, Dvora Levinson, Cathy Shilton
Director Alexandra Rambusch
Assistant Director Sandra Burley
Featuring Ann Frances Allen Mairy Beam Donald G. Baker Dave Cormack
Doug Croker Grainne Goodwin Rosemary Graydon Heather Johnston
Christine Kristenbrun Dvora Levinson Ann Robertson Cathy Shilton Rika VanderLaan Joan Willingham
Costume designer Beverley Gray
Stage Manager Linda May
Assistant Stage Manager Kay Randewich
Opens July 6 Runs to July 15
TARRAGON MAINSPACE
30 BRIDGEMAN AVENUE
(North of Dupont, east of Bathurst)
Performances:
Friday July 6 5:15 pm- 6:15 pm
Saturday July 7 1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Sunday July 8 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Monday July 9 10:15 pm- 11:15 pm
Wednesday July 11 11:00 pm – midnight
Saturday July 14 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Sunday July 15 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Toronto Fringe Festival, July 4-15
Fringe Box Office Information: On-line sales www.fringetoronto.com
By phone: 416-966-1062; Ticket cost: $10.00 (at the door); $11.00 (in advance)
2012-06-29
Spychasers