Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Panfish Productions presents Toronto, Mississippi, by Joan MacLeod, from October 20th – November 6th at The Box Toronto Studio and Theatre (89 Niagara Street).
Toronto, Mississippi was the first script written and mounted by MacLeod, one of our nation’s most prolific playwrights. It centres around an unconventional family unit – mother Maddie (a high school English teacher), boarder Bill (a once-published poet), and daughter Jhana (who is 18, working her first job, and has a developmental disability). Each of these characters is profoundly lost; struggling to forge an identity in a world that refuses to see, hear, and accept them. Enter King, a traveling Elvis impersonator and Jhana’s father, whose presence upsets the balance of the household. MacLeod’s four distinct characterizations give voice and a rarely seen fullness to the differently abled, as well as those who are closest to them.
Toronto, Mississippi is the fourth piece to be mounted by Panfish Productions, an independent theatre company with a mandate to produce captivating theatre of socio-political relevance. In order to tell this story with care and sensitivity, plus an up-to-date and detailed understanding of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Panfish is collaborating with Toronto-based social service worker Ashley Groves (Assistant Producer/Clinical Advisor).
Says Groves:
“It's important to change the discussion around what developmental disabilities mean for people who live with them, and for their families. Jhana's developmental disability influences her interaction with the family, but MacLeod has given the audience a chance to see a side of her that is also a complex teenager struggling with many of the same issues as other young people her age. This story does not shy away from the messy and complicated realities surrounding relationships, love, longing, and the need for connection felt by people of all abilities.”
Directed by Kitti Laki, Toronto, Mississippi boasts a fantastic ensemble cast, featuring Yehuda Fisher, Kayla Whelan, Peter Nelson, and Andrea Irwin.
Toronto, Mississippi opens October 20th and runs to November 6th
The Box Toronto Studio and Theatre (89 Niagara Street)
Regular showtimes are 8:00 p.m. Thursday – Saturday, with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sundays
PWYC performances are 8:00 p.m. on Monday October 24th & Monday October 31st
Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 student/senior/artsworker (with ID), and are available through the Panfish website, powered by Brown Paper Tickets www.panfishproductions.ca/tickets
For more information, please visit www.panfishproductions.ca
Photo: Peter Nelson. ©2016 Dahlia Katz.
2016-10-10
Toronto: Panfish Productions presents "Toronto, Mississippi" by Joan MacLeod October 20-November 6