Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – The Theatre Centre presents two pieces of programming inspired by the work and career of their late friend and long-time collaborator, Tracy Wright. Performed at The Theatre Centre’s new home (1115 Queen St. W.), we are not afraid of the dark (May 14 to 18) is a one-woman, two-ghost show helmed by acclaimed Belgian theatre director Tine Van Aerschot. The Theatre Centre also launches a new program, the Tracy Wright Global Archive (June 4 to 8), an annual project that invites artists – this year they are Denise Fujiwara, Jani Lauzon, Nadia Ross and Marcus Youssef – to create new work inspired by foreign cultures and communities.
“Tracy was a great supporter of The Theatre Centre, and her early work with the Augusta Company, formed with actor Don McKellar and director Daniel Brooks, was presented here,” said General & Artistic Director Franco Boni. “A truly inspiring individual, she fully embraced risk and fearlessness in her work.”
Presented as a monologue, we are not afraid of the dark is an intensely intimate one-woman show. The Theatre Centre’s production features the talents of Wright’s friends and colleagues, starring Valerie Buhagiar and the pre-recorded “ghost” voices of Claire Marshall and Wright’s husband, Don McKellar.
In 2009 Wright was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, at the time she was working with Van Aerschot on Triple Trooper Trevor Trumpet girl. Throughout her illness, Wright and Van Aerschot had conversations about fear, and how it can change over time. we are not afraid of the dark is based on those conversations combined with examples of survival against all odds; the result is a piece about life and love.
"When we were working together, Tracy and I didn't think about how we were going to make our conversations into a piece of theatre," said Van Aerschot. "Still, she stayed very present throughout the process. There are parts that are strongly connected to her, and there are parts that are strongly connected to my experience of being close to Tracy."
Inspired by Wright’s belief that exposure to travel is important for the education of an artist, the Tracy Wright Global Archive offers participants the chance to broaden their artistry by engaging with communities and locations across the globe. In the project’s inaugural year Lauzon, Fujiwara, Youssef and Ross have traveled to the Mojave Desert, Japan, Egypt and India respectively, each seeking answers to questions and inspiring new directions in their work. These artists will share their personal journeys through various forms of presentation taking place in different spaces at The Theatre Centre’s new home.
we are not afraid of the dark will be presented at The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St. W.) May 14 to 18. The performance is approximately 70 minutes long, with no intermission; tickets are from $25 to $30. The findings from the Tracy Wright Global Archive will be presented at The Theatre Centre June 4 to 8; single tickets are $10 or $35 for a Global Archive Pass to all performances. Tickets for both programs are available online at ticketwise.ca or by phone at 416-538-0988. For schedule and details visit: www.theatrecentre.org.
Website: theatrecentre.org
Facebook: The Theatre Centre
Twitter: @TheatreCentre
Hashtag: #NotAfraid; #WrightGlobalArchive
About we are not afraid of the dark:
Venue: The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St. W.)
Dates: May 14 to 18; Opening and media night: Wednesday, May 14, 8 p.m.
Tickets on sale: Tickets $30 ($25 for Artsworkers, Seniors and Students), at ticketwise.ca or 416-538-0988
Presented by The Theatre Centre
Concept, Text & Direction: Tine Van Aerschot
Inspiration: Tracy Wright (1959-2010)
Performed by: Valerie Buhagiar
Claire Marshall Ghost 1 (pre-recorded)
Don McKellar Ghost 2 (pre-recorded)
About Tracy Wright Global Archive:
Venue: The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St. W.)
Dates: June 4 to 8; Opening and media night: TBD
Tickets on sale: Tickets $10; Global Archive Pass $35 at ticketwise.ca or 416-538-0988
Produced and presented by The Theatre Centre
Created and Performed by: Denise Fujiwara
Jani Lauzon
Nadia Ross
Marcus Youssef
About The Theatre Centre:
The Theatre Centre is a nationally recognized live arts incubator that serves as a research and development hub for the cultural sector. The Theatre Centre promotes artistic innovation by encouraging artists to collaborate across genres including theatre, music, dance, visual art and new media, investing in ideas and challenging artists to develop new ways of working. Since its inception in 1979, when a group of like-minded artistic collectives came together to create a shared space where proactive ideas could be seen and heard, The Theatre Centre has incubated, commissioned, produced, and hosted hundreds of artists from Toronto, across the country and around the world. For more information visit theatrecentre.org.
Photo: Tracy Wright. ©2006 Steve Carty.
2014-04-24
Toronto: The late actor Tracy Wright inspires programming at The Theatre Centre