Stage Door News
Stage Door News
A young man stands before you. Soon, he will go to his school to kill as many people as he can, including himself. But before he commits this act, he is going to tell you why. One of Europe’s most prolific and acclaimed playwrights, Lars Norén, dares us listen to the very things we try to ignore.
The 20th of November is a searing indictment of the complacency of contemporary life and a howl of anger for the outcast and oppressed. With text largely taken from the video diaries and blog of a German school shooter, acclaimed Swedish playwright Lars Norén insists that we bear witness to the rage of a dispossessed and tormented young man. It is a play that questions whether a pattern of seemingly isolated events can represent a broader movement of social revolt. It asks what happens to the truth when a mad man speaks it.
In the vein of such distinct, groundbreaking work as Blasted and PIG, director Brendan Healy once again introduces English Canadian audiences to the vanguard of contemporary European theatre. The 20th of November also marks the end of Healy’s tenure as Artistic Director at Buddies, which saw him direct such critically acclaimed shows as Breakfast, Arigato Tokyo, The Maids, and The Silicone Diaries.
This production also marks the main stage debut of performer Sina Gilani. A student of Humber College and the National Theatre School, Gilani has written and performed in several plays including In Case of Nothing at the 2015 Summerworks Festival. He is also an alumnus of the Buddies’ Young Creators Unit and PrideCab programs. Gilani follows a line of major young talent who have started their careers on the Buddies stage that includes the likes of Waawaate Fobister, Tyson James, Shaista Latif, and Tawiah M’carthy.
The creative team is rounded out by an award-winning team of designers, with set and costumes by Camellia Koo, lighting by Rebecca Picherack, and sound by Richard Feren. The play is presented in a new translation by Toronto-based actor and writer Gord Rand.
UNFILTERED TEXT GIVES VOICE TO THE UNSPEAKABLE
In 2006, an eighteen-year-old German man entered his former high school and shot his fellow students and teachers. At the end of his tirade, he had shot or injured thirty people and killed himself. It was later discovered that he had left extensive blog and video diary entries online explaining the reasons for his actions. In the weeks following this discovery, playwright Lars Norén penned The 20th of November putting these words directly on stage.
The 20th of November presents the unfiltered rage of a lifelong outcast. It is an eruption of hatred and suffering that cannot be easily explained away or forgotten. Delivered as a direct address to the audience, and featuring largely unedited verbatim text, Norén’s work demands we question the origins of such violence. Are we complicit in the making of this monster? Is there truth in his madness? Where does violence begin? How can we end it?
When individuals feel silenced, violence is often the loudest outcry: a despicable yet all too common rally against existing structures of tyrannical normativity. The 20th of November presents a complex vision of darkness within society and will not let its speaker be ignored.
COMPLEX WORK FROM ACCLAIMED SWEDISH PLAYWRIGHT
It is with great pleasure that Buddies in Bad Times presents work from acclaimed playwright Lars Norén. Norén has been one of Europe’s most prolific and controversial writers since rising to international notoriety with his 1982 play Night is the Mother of Day. Known for his unflinching dialogue and vivid portrayals of tyranny, anger, and defiance, the 71-year-old Swedish playwright is widely regarded as being at the vanguard of the theatrical form.
When The 20th of November was first produced in 2007, Norén said: "Those who are rejected to the margins of society don't have a future. They understand very early that their existence counts for very little in the eyes of the wider community. No one gives them any function in society. We look at them as pieces of garbage and they become garbage because they have nothing at all to do. This process can have dramatic outcomes... Young people kill their classmates, their teachers to make some definite mark, to prove that they do exist."
The 20th of November, a major international hit, premiered in France at the Festival de Leige. It has since been presented at multiple festivals and venues across Europe and made its Canadian debut in French at the National Arts Centre and Théâtre La Chapelle in a production directed by Brigitte Haentjens. This Buddies production marks the English language premiere of the play.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents
THE 20TH OF NOVEMBER
by LARS NORÉN
translation by GORD RAND
directed by BRENDAN HEALY
starring SINA GILANI
set + costumes CAMELLIA KOO
lighting REBECCA PICHERACK
sound + composition RICHARD FEREN
Previews: September 12-16
Opening Night: September 17 | Closing Night: October 4
Runs: Tues-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm | All previews at 8pm
Tickets: all performances $25 until September 10 | Regular Price: PWYC - $37
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Sina Gilani. ©2015 Tanja-Tiziana.
2015-08-12
Toronto: Buddies in Bad Times presents the English-language premiere of "The 20th of November"