Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Necessary Angel in partnership with Canadian Stage, present All But Gone, a ground-breaking new work from the creators of the critically acclaimed Beckett: Feck It!.
A contemporary musical exploration of the absurd and evocative imagery of Samuel Beckett, All But Gone is an evolution of the idea behind the sold-out hit Beckett: Feck It!, hailed as "entirely engrossing" by The Globe and Mail. Renowned Canadian director Jennifer Tarver (Venus in Fur) reunites with musical director Dáirine Ní Mheadhra for an elegiac and provocative evening of theatre and song featuring performer Jonathon Young (Betroffenheit), Paul Fauteux, and Canadian opera stars Shannon Mercer and Krisztina Szabó.
“All But Gone is an exploration into uncharted territory; an examination of the character psyches of Vladimir and Estragon in a post Godot world,” says Necessary Angel Artistic Director, Jennifer Tarver.
In 2012, Queen of Puddings Co-Artistic Director Dáirine Ní Mheadhra approached Tarver with the original concept of Beckett: Feck It!, to juxtapose the sublime minimalism of Beckett with the extroverted world of contemporary Irish opera – a marriage that Tarver found extremely rewarding. Tarver’s relationship with Beckett dates back to 2006 when she directed her first major Beckett production, That Time: 5 Beckett Shorts, which garnered four Dora Awards and eight nominations. Since that time she has returned to Beckett on numerous occasions, including directing immensely successful and definitive productions of Krapp’s Last Tape which premiered at Stratford and went on to run in Chicago, and Waiting For Godot in 2013, also at Stratford.
“There is something so elemental in Beckett’s work that brings me back time and time again,” says Tarver. “There is so much to explore and to visualize in what is not said –Beckett can be a lifelong occupation. What we discovered with Beckett Feck It! is how the underbelly of Beckett’s most distilled and evocative imagery can be explored through this explosive contemporary vocal music.”
“Beckett Feck It! Was such an innovative piece of work and truly unprecedented,” says Canadian Stage Artistic Director Matthew Jocelyn. “We are thrilled to have Jennifer and Dáirine working together again with us at Canadian Stage on a project that is so definitive of what we want to support artists in doing – pushing the boundaries of dramatic form. They are a powerful partnership made all the more potent with the exceptional talents of Jonathan Young, Paul Fauteux, Shannon Mercer, and Krisztina Szabo bringing their vision to life on stage.
Tarver directed Waiting For Godot at Stratford the year following Beckett: Feck It! and made another significant revelation. She adds, “Godot, for Beckett, became a kind of a study for Act Without Words II, which is just twelve minutes in length and without any spoken dialogue. In re-examining this short play, I was amazed to discover the world of Godot distilled within this its tiny silent framework. All But Gone is a continuation of the conditions and themes of Beckett, Feck It! and Godot.”
Whereas Beckett: Feck It! paired the plays with Irish compositions, all but gone features one piece from Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s rare work From The Grammar of Dreams (1988) the text of which is derived from two books by Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar and fragments of the poem ‘Paralytic’ from the poetry collection Ariel, as well as one piece from Garrett Sholdice’s Organum on Viderunt Omnes.
Tarver and Mheadhra specifically looked to find music for two female voices, seeking to explore the opposition of male and female while also exploring the tension between what is happening on the surface of the Beckett texts and what is humming just underneath.
The plays in all but gone include Act Without Words I and II, Play, and Ohio Impromptu, interspersed with the musical pieces.
All But Gone will be on stage in Toronto from October 11 to November 6, 2016. (Opening night: October 13). 2016.2017 subscriptions and single tickets are currently on sale with 6-show packages starting from $180 and full season 13-show packages starting from $360. Single tickets are available from $30 to $53. Subscriptions and tickets may be purchased by phone at 416.368.3110 or in-person at the Canadian Stage Box Office: Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley St.). Full details on the production, casting and ticket sales are available online at necessaryangel.com or canadianstage.com.
Necessary Angel sponsors: BMO, Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
Twitter:@necessaryangel, @CanadianStage
Hashtag: #ALLBUTGONE
ALL BUT GONE
October 11 – November 6, 2016
Featuring
Paul Fauteux
Jonathan Young
Shannon Mercer
Krisztina Szabo
Creative team
Written by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Jennifer Tarver
Music Direction by Dáirine Ní Mheadhra
Production Design by Patrick Lavender
Set and costume design by Teresa Przybylski
Lighting design by Kimberly Purtell
Vocal Coaches John Hess, Liz Upchurch
Photo: Samuel Beckett.
2016-09-15
Toronto: Necessary Angel and Canadian Stage present "All But Gone" October 11-November 6