Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO, ON (April 2, 2015) Rehearsals are underway for CrazyLady's presentation of A George F. Walker Double Bill which includes the Toronto premiere of Parents Night and the world premiere of The Bigger Issue from one of Canada's most highly acclaimed playwright. These two deeply humane but razor-sharp comedies run as a double bill, April 23 to May 17 (previews from April 21) at Theatre Passe Muraille's Mainspace.
In his new cycle of work, the award-winning George F. Walker turns his incisive eye towards the crumbling education system, and finds a stimulating and important new arena for his ferocious and finely honed wit, and the unique and provocative trademark characters that he is known for.
These are two funny, touching truthful new plays for anyone who's ever been a teacher. Or had a teacher. Or had a parent. Or wanted another kind of parent.
Parents Night is a scathing and hilarious look inside an elementary school classroom while The Bigger Issue examines the fragile ecosystem of a Junior High grade seven classroom. Both are played out in real time.
Parents Night premiered in a CrazyLady/The Pearl Company co-production in Hamilton this past October. The same artistic team recreates their roles for the Toronto premiere. Wes Berger directs Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Matthew Olver and Dana Puddicombe in both plays; newcomer Julia Heximer joins them for the world premiere of The Bigger Issue.
The Bigger Issue - World Premiere
The Bigger Issue stands at the volatile intersection of poverty, violence and mental health. Suzy is a young grade seven teacher struggling to do her best under the watchful eye of her principal Irene, caught between the needs of her students and the demands of an out-of-touch administration. After a troubling incident with a student, both are confronted by his parents, Maggie and Jack, a couple trying to do their best for their son under extreme circumstances. With the family's survival hanging in the balance, The Bigger Issue is complex as well as surprising and intensely funny.
Parents Night - Toronto Premiere
John is Patrick's father. He's a wealthy businessman with domestic issues and a tendency to paranoia. Rosie is Sonya's mother. She's a working class mum with an exotic past and a serious attitude problem. Nicole is Patrick and Sonya's Grade 3 teacher. Her life is even more complicated. At the school's parent's night, secrets are revealed and what's left are three flawed individuals on the brink: a teacher, no longer content to dole out platitudes; a father, trying not to let his anger and pain affect his son; and a mother, hoping that her own mistakes don't spell the fate of her daughter.
"Three powerful performances ... Director Wes Berger paces the attacks here with tension that tightens like a noose pulled taut round your neck. Parents' Night deserves one of those As teachers aren't allowed to put on kids' report cards anymore. It's bold, funny and filled with plenty of wicked observations."
- Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
"At times hysterically funny and at other times beautifully painful, this play is amazing! ... compelling, and thoroughly entertaining performances ... 5 out of 5 stars" - Beverly Horton, View Magazine
George F. Walker wrote his first play, The Prince of Naples, in 1972. He went on to become one of Canada's most prolific and popular playwrights and is still one of Canada's most widely produced dramatists at home and internationally. Walker has written over 30 stage scripts and has written for television, radio and film. Television shows include This is Wonderland, The Line and Living in Your Car. His plays have been translated into French, German, Hebrew, Turkish, Polish, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese Hungarian, Danish, Italian and Czech. Mr. Walker's latest plays have recently made their debuts as follows: Moss Park, the sequel to Tough!, premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto in October 2013; The Ravine premiered at the Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls in March 2014; Dead Metaphor had its world premiere at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco in February 2013 and premiered in Canada at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto in May 2014; and The Burden of Self Awareness premiered at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa in June 2014. He has received nine Chalmers Awards, five Dora Awards, three Governor General's Awards (including a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award) and the Order of Canada.
Wes Berger helmed the premiere of Parents Night in Hamilton as well as The Naked Ballerina for Hamilton's The Pearl Festival, Toronto's Soulo Festival and at Toronto's 2010 Fringe Festival (earning a tap from NOW Magazine for Outstanding Direction). He was assistant director to George F. Walker for the premiere of Walker's play The Ravine for Niagara Falls' Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects (LTP) where he also directed Criminal Genius. In March, Berger performs in Walker's Dead Metaphor for Hamilton's Theatre Aquarius.
Sarah Murphy-Dyson plays the teacher in Parents Night and the principal in The Bigger Issue. Her other theatre credits include The Naked Ballerina for The Pearl Festival, Soulo Festival and 2010 Fringe Festival (Outstanding Performance nod from NOW Magazine). She is a former Royal Winnipeg Ballet soloist who won Gemini Best Performance Award for The Tale of the Magic Flute (Bravo/CBC) and was named one of the Top 12 Performers of 2014 by Gary Smith of The Hamilton Spectator for both Parents Night and The Naked Ballerina ("Dyson's performances were superb"). She also appeared in Walker's Criminal Genius and world premiere of The Ravine for LTP.
Matthew Olver (CrazyLady's Parents Night in Hamilton, The Hound of the Baskervilles for Peterborough's Globus Theatre, TV shows Bomb Girls, This is Wonderland, Murdoch Mysteries) is the father in Parents Night and the husband in The Bigger Issue. Dana Puddicombe (CrazyLady's Parents Night in Hamilton, Gros Morne Theatre Festival, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, The Ravine for LTP, radio and TV includes Afghanada for CBC Radio and Republic of Doyle for CBC TV) is the mother in Parents Night and the wife in The Bigger Issue. Julia Heximer, in her first professional production, is the troubled teacher in The Bigger Issue.
The set and costume design for A George F. Walker Double Bill is by Nancy Anne Perrin with lighting design by Kirsten Watt. The stage manager is Stephen Newman.
CrazyLady is a new Toronto-based theatre company co-founded by theatre artists Wes Berger, Sarah Murphy-Dyson (Co-Artistic Producers) and George F. Walker (Creative Consultant). Parents Night and The Bigger Issue are the first two installments by Mr. Walker of a four- to six-play cycle, renamed "After Class," his first since the iconic "Suburban Motel" series from 1997.
CrazyLady is a company dedicated to producing passionate and relevant contemporary theatre that explores meaningful issues in people's lives. Its goal is to make theatre that is alive, accessible and appealing to people from all walks of life. For more info, visit http://www.crazylady.info
CrazyLady presents
A George F. Walker Double Bill:
Parents Night and The Bigger Issue
- the first two of George F. Walker's new cycle of plays, "After Class"
Written by George F. Walker
Directed by Wes Berger
Set and costume design by Nancy Anne Perrin
Lighting design by Kirsten Watt
Parents Night stars Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Matthew Olver, Dana Puddicombe
The Bigger Issue stars Julia Heximer, Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Matthew Olver, Dana Puddicombe
Thursday, April 23 - Sunday, May 17 (previews from April 21)
Theatre Passe Muraille's Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Avenue
Wednesday-Saturday @ 7:30pm, Sunday @ 2 pm
Regular Tickets: Wednesday-Friday $35, Saturday $42.50,
Sunday Pay-What-You-Can or $17.50 in advance.
Previews: $20; Free for teachers! (limited seating);
Discounted Tickets: $25 for Teachers/Arts workers/Under 30/Seniors (except Saturdays)
Tickets are available by calling the box office at 416-504-7529 or online at http://www.crazylady.info
Follow CrazyLady:
Facbook: CrazyLady; Twitter: @CRAZY_LADY; Instagram: @crazylady_productions
Photo: Matthew Olver, Sarah Murphy-Dyson and Dana Puddicombe. ©2015.
2015-04-02
Toronto: Rehearsals underway for George F. Walker double bill opening April 23