Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto (September 10th, 2012) – Modern Times Stage Company is thrilled to announce their upcoming presentation of Ionesco's The Lesson. A fascinating poetic and theatrical piece, the play has often been called “a tragedy of language”, where language drives the action and eventually becomes the tyrant's instrument of power over the weak.
"I’ve had a long history with ‘The Lesson’. I remember reading it for the first time in Farsi in Tehran back in the 70s, shortly before the Revolution. The next time would be in English, in preparation to direct Ionesco’s ‘The Chairs’ in 2001 in Toronto. When I stumbled upon the play again in 2010, I decided that I had to direct it."
~ Modern Times Stage Company Artistic Director, Soheil Parsa
Modern Times Stage Company’s production reunites the critically acclaimed duo of David Ferry & Michelle Monteith, last seen together in the Buddies in Bad Times production of Blasted, which took home 5 Dora Awards in 2011. They are joined by Modern Times' favourite Costa Tovarnisky.
At the helm of the project is Artistic Director Soheil Parsa, leading an incredible team of some of Toronto's best designers: Michelle Ramsay designing lights, Thomas Ryder Payne as sound designer, Anahita Dehbonehie designing the set, and Angela Thomas on costumes.
In true Modern Times form, the non-verbal and physical elements of the piece will be as important and fundamental as the verbal elements. Parsa will reunite with his long-time collaborator and movement coach Thomas Morgan Jones. They last worked together in 2011 on Modern Times’ critically acclaimed Hallaj. Together they will work to discover the concepts and meanings hidden within the universe of the play that cannot be communicated solely through words.
Soheil Parsa’s work at Modern Times has been recognized with five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a Chalmers Fellowship in 2002, and a senior artist creation grant from the Canada Council, as well as a number of international prizes and master class requests. In 2007 and 2010, Parsa was short-listed for the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, the most prestigious award in Canadian theatre.
David Ferry is a highly acclaimed Toronto actor, who received the 2011 Toronto Critics’ Best Actor Award for his role in Blasted, as well as the 2010 Dora Award for his role in Someone to Watch Over Me. Michelle Monteith is a multi-Dora nominated actor whose most recent nomination was for her role in Blasted, and she received an honourable mention for Best Performance in the 2011 SummerWorks awards for her role in Hannah Moscovitch’s Little One. Costa Tovarnisky, originally from Ukraine, moved to Toronto 3 years ago and quickly established himself as a Modern Times’ favourite, having worked with Parsa on Hallaj, and the company’s work-in-progress, Forgiveness.
THE LESSON
Directed by: Soheil Parsa
Featuring: David Ferry, Michelle Monteith & Costa Tovarnisky
Lighting Design: Michelle Ramsay
Sound Design: Thomas Ryder Payne
Set Design: Anahita Dehbonehie
Costume Design: Angela Thomas
Movement Coach: Thomas Morgan Jones
Stage Manager: Nicola Benidickson
Production Manager: Erin Birkenbergs
Produced by: Aislinn Rose
November 10th to December 1st (Opens November 14th) at The Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave.
Previews November 10th, 11th & 13th at 8pm - $18
Weekday evenings Tuesdays through Thursdays at 8pm - $25
Weekend Evenings Friday & Saturday at 8pm - $35
Sunday Matinees at 2:30pm - $25 in advance, or PWYC at the door
For tickets call 416.915.6747 or visit www.lowerossingtontheatre.com
Visit www.modertimesstage.com for more information.
Photo: Michelle Monteith. ©2012 Soheil Homayouni.
2012-10-10
Toronto: Modern Times Stage Company presents Ionesco’s “The Lesson” November 10-December 1