Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's 2012/13 Season continues with the world premiere of a darkly poetic new work by iconic Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor. From the underground nightclubs of Tokyo to the hallowed stages of Noh Theatre, a visiting Canadian author is pulled into a world of obsession, sex, and longing. Arigato, Tokyo is a thoughtful meditation on the many meanings of love and our place in it.
The production is directed by Buddies’ Artistic Director Brendan Healy, with performances by David Storch (In The Next Room, Tarragon; Frost Nixon, Canadian Stage) Cara Gee (The Rez Sisters, Factory Theatre; Stitch, SummerWorks) Tyson James, and Michael Dufays, and designs from the award-winning team behind Blasted and The Maids Kimberly Purtell, Julie Fox, and Richard Feren.
INSPIRED BY PLAYWRIGHT’S TRAVELS IN JAPAN
MacIvor was, himself, a visiting author in Japan when inspired to write Arigato, Tokyo. He had been invited to participate in a local production of his play You Are Here. He had offered to rewrite the play to be set in Japan, but the local company refused. The fact that the play was so deeply rooted in a foreign land was what made the script appealing to the Japanese company. Intrigued by this idea, MacIvor decided to write a play set in Tokyo.
Inspired by The Tale of Genji, one of the oldest novels in the world, Arigato, Tokyo is a fusion of Japan and the west. From a script structured in the style of traditional Japanese Noh Theatre, to set and costumes that combine western and eastern aesthetics, the play is a deeply personal experience of another culture. A story about people struggling to connect across cultural divides while navigating murky waters of desire and passion.
THE BREAK-OUT PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON
One of the most promising highlights of the production is the main stage debut of Tyson James.
Beautifully androgynous and multi-cultural, Tyson elegantly blurs boundaries between genders and races. Trained at the Ryerson Theatre School, Tyson cut his teeth as a drag queen in Toronto's queer nightclubs and was first introduced to Buddies' as a member of the company's youth program in 2010. Tyson plays the starring role of Eta, an ethereal narrator who embodies the clash of genders, desires, and cultures at the heart of the play's narrative. When Brendan Healy first read the script, he knew instantly that there was a person perfectly suited for this role. With Tyson's singular talents and entirely unique presence, it was as if he had walked out of the MacIvor's imagination.
The cast also features two other rising stars of Toronto’s theatre scene. Cara Gee (named a Person to Watch in 2013 by the Toronto Star) and newcomer Michael Dufays play the Japanese siblings who become caught up in a love triangle with a visiting Canadian author, played by veteran actor David Storch.
A GROUNDBREAKING COLLABORATION
This production marks the first collaboration between two of our country’s leading queer theatre creators – Daniel MacIvor and Brendan Healy. During Healy’s tenure, the company has begun exploring the queer cannon of writers, with productions of work by both Jean Genet and Sarah Kane. With this world premiere production, Buddies is thrilled to now contribute to that cannon through our partnership with one of Canada’s most distinct and celebrated queer voices.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents
ARIGATO, TOKYO
by Daniel MacIvor
directed by Brendan Healy
starring Michael Dufays, Cara Gee, Tyson James and David Storch
Previews March 16, 17, 19 & 20 | Opening Night March 21 | Closes April 14
Runs Tues-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm
Tickets PWYC - $37
Box Office 416-975-9130 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Daniel MacIvor and Tyson James. ©2013 Tanja-Tiziana.
2013-02-05
Toronto: Buddies in Bad Times presents the world premiere of Daniel MacIvor’s “Arigato, Tokyo”