Stage Door News
Stage Door News
[Mississauga ON, March 2012] One of the highlights of Theatre Erindale’s blockbuster “Power of Performance” Anniversary Season – which comes to an end this weekend – was the world première of 1917: The Halifax Explosion. Now the cast has formed an independent company to remount the show they adapted and tour it to the cities where the story took place. Well Fought Theatre Company will present December 1917: The Halifax Explosion at the Alderney Landing Theatre in Halifax-Dartmouth May 9 through May 12, 2012 .
Marcus Haccius and Josh Wiles as one captain and pilot just before the collision
The original Theatre Erindale production set a new company box office record for collective adaptations and garnered rave reviews. “Very moving … this is a MUST SEE play!” wrote the Ontario Arts Review. UTM’sMedium called it “Very powerful indeed … Emotional and dramatic, it’s a true ensemble piece,” and added special praise for its “unexpected creative flourishes” and “the cast’s impressive harmonies.” The Mississauga Newspointed out how daunting a challenge it is to adapt history into theatre, “but Theatre Erindale does it flawlessly…. The docudrama recaptures the historical Canadian event in a new and refreshing way.” Director Meredith Scott and the cast were praised especially for “an impressive job” of presenting “captivating human stories” of “great courage, perseverance, and loss.”
The project originally came about when the third-year class of the Sheridan-UTM Theatre and Drama Studies Program, Artistic Director Patrick Young, and Director Meredith Scott discovered – roughly a year ago now – that their interest in the topic was mutual. A number of personal connections may have helped the project to take root. Young was the first Artistic Director of Dalhousie Theatre Productions. Scott is a former Associate Director of the Atlantic Theatre Festival. And Ali Richardson, the Producer of the Well Fought Theatre remount and a leading member of the class, is a native of Halifax-Dartmouth. Their love for the city and its stories proved to be contagious.
The tale seemed ripe for a new collective adaptation. But to do it, the company needed the permission of Halifax’s Nimbus Publishing, the prime source of current books on the subject. Nimbus’ response was both immediate and generous, and the project received the green light. Over the summer, staff and students dug into the sources, brainstormed on the outline, and prepared the preliminary designs. In September, the writing and rehearsals began in earnest.
The cream of Halifax society at a fundraiser just before disaster strikes
The beautiful new Alderney Landing Theatre is located on the Dartmouth waterfront in the very area that was destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. The company that will perform December 1917 there May 9-12 – together with all of their costumes and props – totals about 25, with every actor playing multiple roles. Travelling thousands of miles to remount a city-sized production in an unfamiliar space is, for this group, just one more daunting challenge to be surmounted. Their fundraising drive is already well underway, and contributions are actively being sought. To help, visit www.indiegogo.com/december1917tour or mail a cheque to “Well Fought Theatre Company”, 3061 Sir John’s Homestead, Unit 14, Mississauga ON, L5L 3H9.
Well Fought Theatre Company
presents
the Theatre Erindale production of
DECEMBER 1917: THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION
adapted by the Company
under the direction of Meredith Scott
from Mary Ann Monnon’s Miracles and Mysteries
and Janet Kitz and Joan Paysant’s December 1917
with the permission of Nimbus Publishing
Music Direction by Anthony Bastianon
and Movement by Marc Richard
ALDERNEY LANDING THEATRE
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
May 9-12, 2012
Photos: ©2011 Jim Smagata.
2012-03-16
Mississauga: Theatre Erindale takes its “December 1917: The Halifax Explosion” to Halifax May 9-12