Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Richard Rose, Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre, is pleased to announce the launch of its 46th season with critically acclaimed play, The Watershed (September 20 - October 30, opening September 28), by Montreal documentary playwright Annabel Soutar, produced by Crow’s Theatre and Porte Parole Productions. This extraordinary work of verbatim theatre earned rave reviews when it debuted as a commission of the PANAMANIA Festival in 2015.
The Watershed investigates the forces shaping the future of Canada’s natural resources. Few natural resources are valued as highly to Canadians, and the world, as fresh water. In this documentary play, audiences are given an intimate look inside the conversations Soutar transcribed directly from family conversations, media reports and expert interviews as she sought the truth about a polarizing moment in Canada’s decision-making and its relationship to this precious resource.
This run of The Watershed sees the return of many of the project’s original creative forces, including direction by Chris Abraham, the Siminovitch theatre prize-winning Artistic Director of Crow’s. Abraham previously collaborated with Soutar on docudrama Seeds, a project investigating GMO’s which, like The Watershed, took a politically charged topic and created riveting, informative theatre.
“The Watershed is a thrilling piece of theatre - Annabel did a beautiful job bringing to life an important story about one of Canada’s most vital resources,” notes Richard Rose, Tarragon Theatre’s Artistic Director. “We’re excited to launch Tarragon’s season with such an important, riveting play.”
The cast, comprised of Canadian talents, includes returning performances by Kristen Thomson (Dora, ACTRA and Genie-award winning actor and creator of I, Claudia) in the central role of Annabel, Eric Peterson (Billy Bishop Goes to War), Alex Ivanovici (Seeds, also for Porte Parole and co-founder of Porte Parole), Amelia Sargisson (Seeds, also for Porte Parole), Bruce Dinsmore (Seeds, also for Porte Parole), Ngozi Paul (actor, co-creator and executive producer of Global’s ‘da Kink in my Hair), Tanja Jacobs (Seeds, also for Porte Parole) and Laura Condlln (Toronto Theatre Critics Award winner for Tarragon’s An Enemy of the People).
Following The Watershed’s run at Tarragon Theatre, the play launches a tour starting at Montreal's Centaur Theatre in November, Winnipeg's Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and Calgary's Theatre Junction Grand in March and Richmond's Gateway Theatre in April.
The Watershed
Mainspace
Presented by Tarragon Theatre
Produced by Porte Parole (Montreal) and Crow’s Theatre (Toronto) with support from La Coop Fédérée
by Annabel Soutar
directed by Chris Abraham
featuring Laura Condlln, Bruce Dinsmore, Alex Ivanovici, Tanja Jacobs, Ngozi Paul, Eric Peterson, Amelia Sargisson, and Kristen Thomson
September 20 – October 30, 2016 (Opens September 28, 2016)
Annabel, a Montreal documentary theatre artist, leads her own family on a cross-country journey investigating the forces that are shaping the future of our natural resources. Encountering leading freshwater scientists, government officials, activists and business leaders along the way, The Watershed captures an increasingly polarized Canada in a moment of acute political reflection.
From the creators of the hugely successful play Seeds, Crow’s Theatre (Chris Abraham, Artistic Director) and Porte Parole (Annabel Soutar, Artistic Director), The Watershed follows an artist and a country struggling to chart a sustainable course between economic growth and environmental stewardship.
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Showtimes are Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2:30pm, and select Saturdays at 2:30pm.
Tickets range from $28 - 65 and can be purchased online at www.tarragontheatre.com, or by phone at 416-531-1827. Discounts are available for seniors, students, groups and arts workers.
Tarragon offers the most flexible subscription packages in the city with savings of up to 40%, allowing patrons to choose their productions, change their dates free of charge, and offering many different price points to suit all schedules and budgets. Visit the website or call Patron Services today for more information.
Rush tickets are sold for $20 cash only, in person at the theatre two hours before showtime. This year Tarragon will also be offering online rush tickets at varying discounts, 24h prior to the show. Both Rush ticket options are subject to availability.
For more information on Tarragon’s events and activities, visit www.tarragontheatre.com/calendar.
Tarragon Theatre’s 2016/2017 Season Sponsor is BMO Financial Group. The 2016/17 Season Media Sponsor is NOW Magazine. The Watershed is sponsored by the John McKellar Foundation and the Stavro Family Foundation.
Tarragon Theatre gratefully acknowledges annual operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
Photo: Kristen Thomson.
2016-08-16
Toronto: "The Watershed" opens the Tarragon Theatre's 2016/17 on September 28