Stage Door News
Stage Door News
A Message from Jennifer Brewin:
This evening The Public Servant will have its world premier at Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC). So far, we’ve played to two sold-out previews and tickets are in such demand that requests have shown up on Kijiji. We are astonished and overwhelmed and holding our breath.
When we began this journey four years ago, many wondered at the idea of collectively creating a play about what seemed a singularly unexciting subject, the public servant. But we creators suspected it would, in fact, be rich terrain for a company dedicated to creating character-driven narratives.
Our material is based on interviews with more then 40 Federal public servants from three distinct eras: Pearson-Trudeau, Mulroney-Chretien, and today. Many of our interviewees were wary. They expected we would mock them, using them simply as a source of humour. But their stories and our interest proved that this was indeed fertile material for meaningful and even heroic tales.
The idea for the play came from a jam session at the Caravan Farm Theatre many years ago. Someone was talking about all the great songs about miners and farmers and civil rights activists. “Why are there no songs about the people who get budgets in on time?” I asked. “What about the people who work behind the scenes, to help us reach decisions that can make everyone happier, smarter, kinder or healthier?” No one knew what I was talking about.
So that’s where it all started.
This company was built on collective creations by a company of artists. We wrote plays like The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine and The Attic, the Pearls & 3 Fine Girls through improvisation, over extended periods of time. Both continue to be performed 20 years after their premieres.
When I became artistic director over five years ago, I set out to lead the creation of a new work and invited three artists I admire greatly to join me. With furrowed brows, Haley McGee, Sarah McVie, Amy Rutherford and I plunged headlong into a most unique process. Collective creations are not for the faint of heart — they are grueling processes built on consensus. Designers Martin Conboy, Anna Treusch and Mike Rinaldi leapt in to build the world where our characters live.
We were buoyed by the support of GCTC Artistic Director Eric Coates, who programmed the play to close the company’s 40th Anniversary season. GCTC is one of Canada’s preeminent centres for producing new and politically charged theatre. It was and is an honour to be part of their community. We have become true partners, and with their fine production staff we all bring this work into public view for what we hope will be a long life.
If you are in Ottawa, come and see us. We run until June 23.
Happy opening everyone — you all brought us here.
Cheers,
Jennifer
Photo: Sarah McVie, Amy Rutherford and Haley McGee. ©2015 Andrew Alexander.
2015-06-04
Ottawa: "The Public Servant" has its world premiere run at the GCTC June 4-21