Fringe News
Fringe News
“So you nurture your ideas and your relationships instead of a kid, so what? It still matters, right?”
Such is the question that both the characters and the audience face as we spend the afternoon at Lena’s baby shower where a group of her longtime friends who don’t have children meet up with her newfound mommy friends.
New playwright Claire Holland (There’s Going To Be Trouble Life Rattle Press) directs this timely piece, informed by interviews with a group of Toronto women, about how women without children grapple with their friendships, their social status and their identity.
Rattled centres around the cracks that are growing in new mom Lena’s friendship with Paige, who’s going through a potential life shift of her own. The two friends find themselves at odds with one another on a growing number of issues and when an argument over kids misbehaving in restaurants erupts, no one emerges unscathed. Cohost of the shower, Michelle, has problems of her own. Single and childless at forty, motherhood now seems beyond reach, but what will she do with herself instead?
Rattled’s all female cast includes incredible performances from Ximena Huizi (A yelen Summerworks Emerging Artist Award) as Lena, a new mom struggling to balance her friendships and her new role; Nessya Dayan ( he Widow Summerworks, Boeing Boeing Scuderia Productions) as Paige, Lena’s straighttalking best friend who’s never wanted kids; Regan Brown (Barenaked Ladies Murdoch Mysteries) as Michelle, Lena’s close friend and colleague whose chance to have kids may have come and gone; Stacey Iseman (This Will Be My Last Transmission Alumnae Theatre, A Dog Dreams InspiraTO) as Donna, a childless artist and Lena’s favourite aunt; Kaya Bucholc (Antigone Alumnae Theatre, Romeo and Juliet Guild Festival Theatre) Lena’s yummy mummy yoga friend with all the answers and killer cupcake skills; Fleur Jacobs (Divine Wrecks Alumnae Theatre, Infested Animal Planet) Lena’s burntout mommy friend with no filter; and Carina Cojeen (Much Ado About Nothing Leroy Street Theatre, Pirates Don't Babysit Fringe Kids) as Grace, levelheaded mommy veteran who can talk Lena down from her midmorning meltdowns. Stagemanager / lighting designer LinMei Lay (A Drop of Water Fringe) rounds out the crew.
Rattled
July 2022 8:00/July 23 2:30 & 8:00 Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue
Happiness™
Fri July 1st - 8:00pm
Sat July 2nd - 11:30pm
Sun July 3rd - 5:45pm
Tue July 5th - 6:15pm
Wed July 6th - 2:15pm
Fri July 8th - 5:45pm
Sat July 9th - 1:45pm
Venue #10: Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace
16 Ryerson Avenue (North of Queen St. West, East of Bathurst Street)
All Fringe shows start on time. Latecomers are never admitted.
Tickets: $12 Advance Sales at http://fringetoronto.com/ and at the door.
Photo: Tony Adams and Cory Thibert. ©2015 Isaac Vallentin.
2016-06-30
Fringe: Rattled