Stage Door News
Stage Door News
It Could Still Happen is pleased to present the world premiere of The Supine Cobbler, an independent production written and directed by Jill Connell. Connell was recently seen at SummerWorks 2015 where her piece, The Tall Building, won the Contra Guys Award for New Performance Text. The Supine Cobbler is a Western legend about the love and violence between five female outsiders. It opens September 17, 2015 at 35 Strachan Avenue, out by the tracks.
The Supine Cobbler is a contemporary Western about the experience of a clinical abortion procedure. It introduces a legend that is distinctly feminine – a hero myth for women – by staging a physical procedure that is experienced by women (a surgical abortion), and yet, is seen to operate in contradiction to society’s most celebrated version of femininity (motherhood). It is about being an outsider to social norms and following your instincts in a lawless world.
In The Supine Cobbler, Connell and her band of outlaws explore the realities of womanhood and the fact that, though decisions are often made in relation to others, we live our experiences alone. Connell notes, “Many of us have felt as if we’re outsiders to feminine gender norms and live on the borderlands between appreciation for our femininity and the deep desire to subvert its implications. This nuanced and political territory is what we explore through the production.”
No matter how much support a woman has, the physical experience of abortion is a solitary one and can be an event that is rarely discussed. Though abortion has been legal in Canada since 1989, it exists on the margins of what’s considered acceptable feminine behaviour and this is where Connell draws a parallel to a Western aesthetic. The outlaw lives according to outlaw justice and though many may cheer for them, the Western anti-hero must always walk away in the end.
As with previous productions, Connell’s creative style explores the unpredictable nature of live performance and the intersection of movement and text. Of her creative process she explains, “With The Supine Cobbler, I’m aiming toward a crafted script that invites areas of improvisation. I’d like to walk the fine line between the gratification of a pulp genre and the impact of a well-made play.”
Connell has been working with the same ensemble of artists for the past four years in developing The Supine Cobbler, and, alongside choreographer Tedi Tafel and producer Sascha Cole, now has 16 artists aiming toward independent production. Applying their outlaw aesthetic to the event itself, It Could Still Happen is curating a performance experience outside of mainstream theatre offerings.
As with The Tall Building, The Supine Cobbler is centred on an outsider female protagonist and is headed by a creative team led by women.
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Cast & Crew
The Supine Cobbler
A contemporary clinical abortion in the spirit of a Western Written and Directed by Jill Connell
Featuring
Leni Parker as the Doctor Chala Hunter as the Dancer Susanna Fournier as the Lover Jackie Rowland as the Kid Katie Swift as the Cobbler
Movement and Assistance by Tedi Tafel Dramaturgy by Brian Drader
Produced by Sascha Cole and Jill Connell
Set and Lighting by Elizabeth Kantor
Video and Projection by Ishan Davé Composition and Music by Holger Schoorl Stage Management by Angeline St. Amour Costume and Properties by Jenna McCutchen Technical Direction by Justis Danto-Clancy
Location
Out by the tracks at 35 Strachan Avenue, Toronto
Performances
Wednesday, September 16 - 8:00pm (Preview), Thursday, September 17 - 8:00pm (Opening), *Friday, September 18 - 8:00pm (Women), Saturday, September 19 - 2:00pm (PWYC), Saturday, September 19 - 8:00pm
Wednesday, September 23 - 8:00pm Thursday, September 24 - 8:00pm
Friday, September 25 - 8:00pm
Tickets
www.Thesupinecobbler.Brownpapertickets.Com
$10-Preview | $20-Evening Shows | PWYC-Saturday Afternoons 20% Of Tickets Are Reserved For Sale At The Door
Doors / Box Office Opens One Hour Prior To Each Show
Tickets at the door are cash only
Official Synopsis
The Cobbler is an outlaw. A genius, but an outlaw just the same. She meets the Doctor for a procedure at high noon, accompanied by her apprentice (a turncoat), her estranged sister (dead by hanging), and her former best friend (missing, presumed dead). Together they negotiate integrity in a lawless world. A contemporary clinical abortion in the spirit of a Western.
The Supine Cobbler is a contemporary Western about five female outsiders and the experience of abortion, written and directed by Jill Connell.
Friday, September 18 – Women’s Night: on this date we invite those who identify as female, trans and gender non-conforming to attend
About It Could Still Happen
It Could Still Happen is a producing platform run by Artistic Director Jill Connell, where she creates plays alongside the same team of emerging creators (Ishan Davé, Katie Swift, Sascha Cole, Chala Hunter, Susanna Fournier, Philip Nozuka, Jackie Rowland, Elizabeth Kantor, Holger Schoorl). This is Connell’s second directing experience alongside Montréal choreographer Tedi Tafel. Forming her own production company became a necessity in Toronto, whose mainstream venues are not geared toward experimental plays. Working within an alternative creation process that relies on both improvisation and text-based material, Connell aims toward visceral performance experiences that feature both story and movement. It Could Still Happen’s most recent projects—The Tall Building and The Supine Cobbler— concern outsider female protagonists, and are creative teams led by women.
Photo: Cast of The Supine Cobbler. ©2015 It Could Still Happen.
2015-09-14
Toronto: It Could Still Hapens presents the world premiere of "The Supine Cobbler" September 17-26