Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, August 6, 2014 - Criminal Theatre in association with Aluna Theatre
are thrilled to announce that their sold out Fringe hit True, written and
directed by acclaimed playwright Rosa Labordé, will return to the Citizenry
Café for a second run from September 3-13th, 2014.
In a gorgeous and intimate venue True takes you into the storefront lives of
three sisters who are hurled back in time with the unexpected arrival of
their estranged father. Inspired by the café where the play is set, King
Lear, Ikebana flower arranging, memory loss, quantum multi-verse theory and
piano prodigies, the play is a playful, poignant and piercing look into the
nature of memory and how it relates to our present.
True marks the return of award-winning playwright Rosa Labordé (Leo, Hush,
Like Wolves) to the Fringe for the first time since her comedic hit Sugar,
and her first play produced in Toronto since 2012’s Summerworks workshop of
MARINE LIFE. She was last seen as a director on the festival circuit with
her acclaimed production of Sarah Ruhl’s Melancholy Play.
Speaking to the inception of the project, Labordé comments, “This dilemma
of responsibility for an aging parent was something I witnessed my own
parents going through – it’s universal – but it really gets complicated when
that parent never really was one, you know, or by all accounts a ‘bad
parent’, neglectful, abusive – who’s responsibility is it then? Memory loss
is also fascinating to me because memory is so subjective, so how do we know
what was lost if we all carry varying versions of reality within us? And how
we remember events directly relates to our relationship with the present.
From here I made the connection to multi-verse theory – quantum mechanics
and theoretical physics speak to my existential self and as much as we know
about our place on the planet there’s still a huge unanswered question; what
is consciousness? These were some of the things I was thinking about when
writing the show. And it was incredibly rewarding that the play found an
audience at the Fringe – we’re really excited that we have a chance to bring
the show back.”
True stars an exceptional ensemble of actors who were lauded as one of the
strongest ensembles at the Fringe; Layne Coleman (Goodness, The Walls of
Africa, Heaven Above, Heaven Below), Shannon Taylor (The Road To Mecca, The Jones Boy, Pride and Prejudice), Ingrid Doucet (Where’s my Money, Melancholy Play, The Happy Woman), Scott McCord (Jump, Hotel Loopy, Naked Hamilton, The Eleventh Hour) and Sabrina Grdevich (Old Man’s Band, Hamlet, Slings and Arrows, Intelligence) returning to the Toronto stage for the first time in almost 10 years.
Criminal Theatre, which launched with the inaugural Fringe production of
True, is a new development company committed to supporting writers and
creators as they cultivate their original voice. Founded in 2012 by Rosa
Labordé and Scott McCord, the company’s development strategy will always
cater to exactly what the individual artist needs to express his/her vision.
True runs September 3 to 13, 2014. All performances at 8:00pm (Dark Monday
Citizenry, 982 Queen Street West. Tickets are $24.00.
Please note that there is no latecomer seating and at only thirty seats per
show, seating is limited.
For tickets and more information visit www.criminaltheatre.com
Photo: Layne Coleman. ©2014 Criminal Theatre.
2014-08-06
Toronto: Rosa Labordé's Fringe hit "True" gets a remount September 3-13