Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Kate Hennig’s The Virgin Trial, the eagerly awaited companion piece to the runaway hit The Last Wife, is now on stage at the Studio Theatre, directed by Alan Dilworth, and featuring Bahia Watson in the lead role of Bess.
In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, the young princess Elizabeth navigates a labyrinth of political and sexual intrigue in the Tudor court that threatens her freedom – and even her life.
In addition to Ms Watson, the exceptional cast features Nigel Bennett as Ted, Laura Condlln as Ashley, Sara Farb returning to the role of Mary, Brad Hodder as Thom, Yanna McIntosh as Eleanor and André Morin as Parry.
The creative team includes Designer Yannik Larivée, Lighting Designer Kimberly Purtell, Sound Designer Alexander MacSween, Dramaturge Bob White, Originating Dramaturge Andy McKim and Fight Director John Stead.
“I find myself marvelling, a second time, at Kate’s achievement of taking history as a starting point and jumping off – kitted out with her razor-sharp mind – to explore pressing questions of our time,” says Mr. Dilworth, who also directed The Last Wife. “In The Virgin Trial we find ourselves excavating bias, prejudice, narcissism, and shame: hallmarks of our highly politicized and social-media-saturated moment. Where The Last Wife was very much a story about a life, The Virgin Trial is a story about stories. Here, the centre of the drama is who has the most narrative agility, thereby controlling the stories, giving them the power to control those around them. This is a world of ‘alternative facts.’ ”
The Virgin Trial kicks off the all-Canadian season at the Studio Theatre to mark Canada 150.
“We have three generations of female Canadian playwrights joining us in this anniversary year,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “Sharon Pollock, one of the country’s great pioneer female playwrights; Colleen Murphy, one of our most accomplished mid-career playwrights; and Kate Hennig, a remarkable emerging writer whom we are thrilled to welcome back to Stratford.
“It’s been very exciting to follow the flourishing life that The Last Wife has had since its première here in 2015, and what a special treat it is to return to this world and share the next chapter in the story. Once again, Kate has concocted a brilliant reimagining of the Tudor queens – bold, clever and, at times, downright spine-tingling.”
The Virgin Trial was commissioned from Ms Hennig through the Stratford Festival’s Laboratory, as was The Last Wife. The Last Wife premièred at the Festival in 2015 and was sold out for its entire run. It has since been produced across Canada and the United States, including Chicago, Victoria, Toronto, Regina and Ottawa, and will soon be on stage in Houston, Calgary and Lenox, Massachusetts. Ms Hennig is currently writing the third play, also commissioned by the Festival, in what she is calling “The Queenmaker Trilogy.”
The Virgin Trial officially opens on Tuesday, June 27, and runs until September 23. To meet demand for tickets, three performances have already been added to the schedule: August 25, September 14 and September 15.
Production support is generously provided by Karon C. Bales & Charles E. Beall, by Sylvia D. Chrominska and by Dr. Robert & Roberta Sokol.
The Virgin Trial is sponsored by The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company.
Support for the 2017 season of the Studio Theatre is generously provided by Sandra & Jim Pitblado.
The Virgin Trial Forum highlights
The Forum is a series of events, such as exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, music and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2017 playbill. Themes related to The Virgin Trial will be explored through several Forum events, including:
Wednesday, June 28
Margaret Jane Kidnie leads a conversation with the Honourable Sheila Copps, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, and others on how the different genders occupy space in the world, and what happens when women cross the line.
• Table Talk: The Virgin Trial
Tuesday, August 15
A delicious buffet meal with a talk on The Virgin Trial by Ted McGee, Professor Emeritus of the English Department of the University of Waterloo.
The Stratford Festival’s 2017 season runs until October 29, featuring Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Guys and Dolls, HMS Pinafore, Treasure Island, The School for Scandal, The Changeling, Bakkhai, Tartuffe, The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Komagata Maru Incident, The Virgin Trial and The Breathing Hole. For tickets and more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
Photo: Bahia Watson. ©2016 Don Dixon.
2017-06-09
Stratford: Previews of Kate Hennig's "The Virgin Trial" have begun