Fringe News
Fringe News
Toronto, ON, June 3 2014 – There's more than one side to every story; this summer, as part of the 2014 Toronto Fringe Festival, Theatre Double Take offers audiences a story with five sides to choose from. Performed in a 10 x 10 shed as part of the Visual Fringe, “My Last -” is a one-woman show about the life and marriage of a 16th-century Italian teenager named Lucia. Claire St-Francois, one of the actors playing Lucia, calls the character, “extraordinarily green”; Grace Gordon, also playing Lucia, adds, “She's thrust into a situation where mistakes are not an option.”
Only 3 people will be brought in for each 10 minute performance; once inside, audience members will be faced with conflicting accounts of what caused the break-down of Lucia's marriage to an elusive Duke. Was it her supposed infidelity – or something more sinister? “This short play so beautifully encapsulates an essence of the struggle women continue to face in sifting through contradictory, often unattainable expectations,”says Polly Phokeev, one of the performers. “There's this world set against Lucia - she's valued most of all as a thing of beauty, desired as a picture of herself rather than a complete person.”
Four performers will be sharing the role of Lucia, each performing on different days: Kari Bell, Grace Gordon, Polly Phokeev, or Claire St-Francois. The script has been workshopped with and for each individual actor, making every performance a completely unique experience.
Added to the talented cast of live performers is TDT General Manager Leete Stetson, whose role will be pre-recorded a voice that provides additional historical information to help audiences piece together the story. “We know history is totally biased, but what are the gaping holes in our collective memory?” says Polly Phokeev. Writer and Director (and TDT Artistic Director) Grace Smith adds, “It'll be interesting to see who audiences inherently trust – do you believe the living girl in front of you, who is obviously distressed? Or the calm, cool, collected voice that sounds so objective?”
“My Last-” is loosely inspired by Robert Browning's poem “My Last Duchess,” though audiences need not be familiar with the work beforehand. Actor Kari Bell says, “I don't think there's anything I would like the audience to know coming in; just have a sit and a listen.”
For full performance schedule, visit www.theatredoubletake.com
ABOUT THEATRE DOUBLE TAKE
Theatre Double Take is a new Toronto theatre company, specializing in inquisitive adaptations that examine problematic or intriguing aspects of classic works and historical events.
Theatre Double Take's last production was the February 2014 success Madeleine Robin Known As Roxane, also written by Grace Smith. Mooney on Theatre called Madeleine Robin's script “eloquent and bright, with plenty of great quips and phrases” and the overall production “clear and entertaining.”
2014-06-08
My Last -