Stage Door News
Stage Door News
GCTC is pleased to present Maja Ardal's funny and poignant play, You Fancy Yourself. It is written and performed by Maja Ardal's and directed by Mary Francis Moore. It runs from October 15 to November 3rd at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre.
Maja Ardal was scheduled to perform her hit You Fancy Yourself in January 2011. It’s the high-octane, funny play inspired by Maja’s own immigration story and the universal experiences of juggling the desire to fit in with the hope of true friendship.
The show was cancelled before it opened when Maja was diagnosed with life threatening uterine cancer but it was caught early. She cancelled all performances for tests, surgery and treatment.
Two seasons later, she’s here and ready to perform You Fancy Yourself at GCTC from October 15-November 3rd. “It was very gracious of Eric Coates and GCTC to rebook my show. “
Ardal says her body is now willing and able to perform. She’s been in full training to get ready. In You Fancy Yourself, Maja plays 11 different characters throughout the play but the main character is Elsa who is based on Maja herself.
Ardal says it’s a great gift to be performing the show again. “It’s a chance to relive the memories of me and my mum.” She says her mother was determined to keep the family connected to our homeland, so she told family stories full of mystery, passion, cruelty, scandals and secrets. “I believe it was my mother’s vivid storytelling that inspired me to become a playwright.
“It’s easy to recommend You Fancy Yourself as a play with equal portions of heart and humour, both provided in generous amounts by the talented Maja Ardal.” Toronto Star
“We very much fancy this” Toronto Sun
“Ardal’s wonderfully big-hearted performance is one you won’t want to miss.” Eye Weekly
October 15 – November 3, 2013 - Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre.
Opening night for reviewers: Thursday, October 17, 2013
Tickets on sale now at the GCTC Box Office - 613-236-5196 - 1233 Wellington St. West. www. gctc.ca
Media Day – Tuesday, October 15 at GCTC, 1:30-3:00 pm – Details to follow in a separate release.
Creative Team:
Playwright/Performer: Maja Ardal
Director: Mary Francis Moore
Set and Costume Designer: Julia Tribe
Stage Manager: Chantal Hayman
About the play:
When her family moves from Iceland to Edinburgh, Elsa relies on her gigantic imagination to help her find friends. She soon realizes that imagination alone is not enough to conquer the scrappy politics of the social scene. As Elsa juggles her desire to fit in with the hope of true friendship, she finds herself along the way. Powerhouse actress/playwright Maja Ardal was inspired by her own experiences to create this comedic gem that warms the heart while tugging at its strings.
Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now at the GCTC Box Office - 613-236-5196
1233 Wellington St. West (at Holland) and online. www.gctc.ca
Performances Times:
Performances begin at 8:00 pm Tuesday – Friday. Saturday performances begin at 4:00 pm & 8:30 pm. Sunday matinee performances begin at 2:00 pm.
Student Rush tickets: $13. Valid student ID required. Tickets can be picked up after noon on the day of performance in person from GCTC Box Office.
Special Performances:
Friday, October 18 – 9:30 pm - Friday Night Fights is a lively debate series presented by GCTC and The Hill Times/Embassy following the play. Friday Night Fights bring opposing views to bear on themes from GCTC’s season.
Danger: Quebec Secular Charter Ahead will be moderated by The Hill Times Editor-in-Chief, Jim Creskey, and the panellists will be announced shortly.
Sunday, October 20 - Pay-What-You Can - 2:00 pm Matinee
Friday, October 25 - Talkback – Follows the 8:00 pm performance. Maja Ardal will be participating in a talkback with audience members who would like to find out more about what it takes to bring personal experiences to the stage.
Sunday, October 27 – Fearless Women Series – Topic: A Woman’s Place is Everywhere. Participants in this discussion will talk about their adaptation to a new community and the challenges that come immigrating and fitting in. Conversations will also surround issues of how the skills learned in their home countries helped them in their new home and what improvements could make things better for new arrivals. Moderator: Vanessa Sutton, Consultant.
Panelists:
•Gabriella Lopez, Projects Director, Member of MASC, Citizens Academy and Co-host of Revista Latino Americano
•Betsy Kane & Mabel Kyei, Capelle Kane Immigration Lawyers
•Rumbidzai Vere, Research Assistant at University of Ottawa
•Maha El Bahkiry, Community and women's activist
Sunday, October 27 -The PlayTime Program is a fun and enriching opportunity for children to exercise their creativity, while theatre-going parents get to enjoy a great GCTC matinee at 2:00 pm.
Stages & Pages is a program created by the Ottawa Public Library and the Great Canadian Theatre Company. The library creates a recommended reading list to accompany each play.
OPL’s Readers’ Advisory staff have read the scripts for each of the plays, and recommended resources to further the exploration of their themes. Stages & Pages – You Fancy Yourself
The Fritzi Gallery - GCTC invites you to visit the Lorraine 'Fritzi' Yale Gallery in the Upper Lobby of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre to view the artwork of local artist Andrew King. The exhibition of original paintings opens on Thursday October 17 and runs until November 23 2013
About GCTC: GCTC is celebrating its 39th season in 2013 – 2014.
“To foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of
Canadian life and our place in the world."
GCTC is committed to the production of new Canadian work and artist development. We continue to commission and workshop new plays by emerging and established playwrights. We mentor emerging companies and artists through our undercurrents festival, master classes, and internships.
Photo: Maja Ardal. ©2009 Edinburgh Fringe.
2013-10-07
Ottawa: GCTC welcomes Maja SArdal's return to the stage in "You Gancy Yourself" October 15-November 3