Stage Door News
Stage Door News
As they near the end of a second successful season at Streetcar Crowsnest with the opening of Hannah Moscovitch’s What a Young Wife Ought to Know, Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham and Crow’s Managing Director Monica Esteves today announced an ambitious and immediately relevant collection of works for 2018/2019.
This 36th season features an expansive and thought-provoking line-up of theatre that audiences will find entertaining, surprising and inspiring – all hallmarks of Crow’s Theatre. 2018/2019 sees a significant increase in the number of plays presented – making this their largest season to date - as well as deepened relationships with partners, including The Howland Company, Project: Humanity, Porte Parole, Nightwood Theatre, 2b theatre company, and In Association. The season also welcomes new partners including the Stratford Festival, Canadian Stage, Modern Times Stage Company, Obsidian Theatre, and notably the Shaw Festival, bringing their critically acclaimed production of Middletown, directed by Meg Roe, to Toronto with the original cast.
Strong thematic threads weave their way through the work reflecting the revolutionary social movements being driven by young people around the world and examining the resulting paradigm shifts in power and social structures. The season is marked by four documentary theatre pieces - a key pillar of Crow’s artistic mandate - and the company resumes a robust touring schedule.
“It is astounding to bear witness to this moment of action and change in which young people are demanding to be heard and leveraging technology to amplify their message,” said Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham. “And as contemporary artists, it’s our responsibility to reflect and respond. Our upcoming season focuses in on young people coming of age in the 21st century, with all of the self-scrutiny, ambition, and radical visions that inspire them. Unsurprisingly, when one looks at the activism of the young, we find the voices of young women - at the centre, demanding to be protagonists of their own stories. Alongside a host of powerhouse Toronto female writers and directors including Jane Doe, Sarah Kitz, Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster, Ellie Moon, Andrea Donaldson, and Annabel Soutar, we see these themes come together at the beginning of the season with Sarah DeLappe’s extraordinary look at adolescent girls in The Wolves; in Ellie Moon’s astonishing new play about trauma, the truth, and freedom in the internet age, what I call her; in Nightwood Theatre’s documentary/verbatim production of an anonymous account of childhood sexual assault, Grace; and in Andrew Kushnir’s inspiring new work Towards Youth: a play on radical hope, which zooms in on the dreams, fears, and ingenuity of young people around the world. These are large canvas shows, with large ensembles, bursting with energy. We can’t wait for audiences to take these incredible journeys with these artistic teams.”
A centrepiece production of the season is the Toronto debut of Shaw Festival’s Middletown, providing a lyrical and awe-inspiring counterpoint to a season notably peppered with work exploring the ripples of transformational social movements. A sweeping observation of small town life that juxtaposes the existential with the quotidian and travels to outer space and back again, Meg Roe’s luminous production comes to Toronto with many of the original cast including leading festival stars Benedict Campbell, Moya O’Connell, Sara Topham, Gray Powell, and Jeff Meadows. A play about our shared human condition at a moment when we seem to be hurtling away from each other, Middletown introduces Toronto to Roe, who is swiftly becoming one of the country’s leading directors.
“Like many,” says Abraham, “after watching Middletown I left the theatre choked with tears, decimated by Meg Roe’s flawless rendering of Will Eno’s masterpiece. I wanted Toronto audiences to get to know Meg’s stunning work and give this moving production a continued life – we are thrilled to have it grace our stage.”
2018/2019 also sees Crow’s working with frequent collaborators Porte Parole for The Assembly, premiering in the Scotiabank Community Studio this fall. After a year of interviewing Trump supporters during the US election primary season, co-creators Brett Watson, Alex Ivanovici, and Annabel Soutar switched gears and decided they wanted to try and understand the ideological ‘dugouts’ where self-professed liberals and conservatives exist in isolation. Directed by Chris Abraham, The Assembly examines call-out culture, identity politics, free speech and, most provocatively, the possibility that the time for listening to each other is over. The live audience is invited to play a part in creating the first episode of a serialized story about the polarization of public discourse.
Another documentary project in the season takes a more “alien” approach to the art of the real, as Crow’s, Segal Centre and 2b theatre company present Damien Atkins’ We Are Not Alone. A docu-theatre piece that explores mysterious sightings, crop circles, and what they may be trying to tell us, We Are Not Alone invites audiences on a funny and moving theatrical ride into the extraordinary, written and performed by one of Toronto’s most beloved actors.
Turning to the classics, Crow’s welcomes a new partner to Streetcar Crowsnest: Modern Times Stage Company in their presentation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. A play that’s been described as “a theatre poem of the suffering of change,” Modern Times’ production will be directed by co-Artistic Director Soheil Parsa, reinterpreting Chekhov with his characteristically imagistic and minimalist approach and offering a new look into this timeless masterpiece about social upheaval.
Abraham adds, “Soheil’s work has always helped me to see plays, that I thought I knew, with fresh eyes. He’s done this by assembling creative teams that look at classic texts from different theatre traditions and cultural perspectives. His work is deeply humane and always a revelation. I can’t wait for audiences to experience his Cherry Orchard.”
Several new guest companies join Crow’s in 2018/2019. Solo Productions will present a Canadian classic, Mary’s Wedding, written by Stephen Massicotte, directed by Kent Staines and starring Fraser Elsdon and Kate Ross. In the Scotiabank Community Studio, Puzzle Piece presents their production of Richard Lam’s translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince and Obsidian Theatre presents a second series of workshops for their Darktown Initiative.
“We’re trying to build a big tent here at Crow’s Theatre, creating something for everyone. We haven’t been doing this alone. Our partners, guest companies and residency artists have been right there with us, helping us constantly re-imagine what’s possible in our spaces”, says Abraham.
Crow’s on tour
In their first two seasons in Streetcar Crowsnest, Crow’s - which has a thirty-five year history as a touring company – focused on getting settled in their new home. The 2018/2019 season sees Crow’s resuming touring, taking not just one, but three shows on the road. In November 2018, the company will travel their critically acclaimed original production of The Boy in the Moon to The Grand Theatre in London, ON. Based on Ian Brown’s heartbreakingly poignant memoir about raising his son Walker, who was born with a rare genetic disorder, the play draws from Brown’s book as well as original interviews with Brown, his wife Johanna Schneller, and their daughter Hayley. The Crow’s production, directed by Chris Abraham, was selected as one of the Globe and Mail’s Top Ten productions of 2017.
In January 2019, the inaugural production of Streetcar Crowsnest’s first season, Kristen Thomson’s Dora-nominated and sold-out comedy, The Wedding Party, will make its uproarious debut at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, ON. A comedy about two families, a wedding, mistaken identities, and love, love, love – The Wedding Party was a NOW Toronto Top Ten production in 2017.
2018/19 will also see Torquil Campbell’s celebrated True Crime continue to tour across the country. This time, Campbell will reprise his role as con man and felon Clark Rockefeller at the Centaur Theatre (Montreal, QC), at The Arts Club (Vancouver, BC), and at Persephone Theatre in (Saskatoon, SK).
Crow’s brings summer festival theatre to Toronto
In addition to bringing Middletown from Niagara-on-the-lake to Streetcar Crowsnest, Crow’s is thrilled to join Canadian Stage, Groundling Theatre Company and David Versus Goliath Productions in the presentation of the Stratford Festival’s 2017 hit Tartuffe as part of Canadian Stage’s season at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Directed by Crow’s Artistic Director Chris Abraham, Tartuffe is led by a tour-de-force performance from regular collaborator (and star of The Wedding Party) Tom Rooney.
Youth Programming
Crow’s Kids also returns with more programming for the whole family in 2018/2019, including two week-long camps on offer this summer.
Crow’s Kids Summer Medley gives budding performers a taste of all that theatre has to offer with a fun-filled week of acting, improv, movement, voice, stage combat and creation led by accomplished theatre professionals with a final presentation for friends and family.
Crow’s Kids classes will return on Saturday mornings in Fall 2018, jam-packed with weekend fun for kids ages 2-12yrs. Crow’s Kids also includes activities for the whole family: P.D. Days, workshops, and monthly Sunday Family Concerts.
Subscriptions and Single-Tickets
Crow’s re-launches their popular ‘Frequent Flyer’ subscription package, now offering 4-play and 8-play subscription options. Subscribers can choose from 9 shows in the season to create their perfect custom flight of theatre. Frequent Flyers will save 20% on the single ticket price with a 4-Play Flyer and save 30% with an 8-Play Flyer. Additional benefits are offered to subscribers including further discounts on additional tickets as well as access to special offers at Streetcar Crowsnest onsite restaurant Gare de L’Est, as well as at other local restaurants and businesses.
Single tickets for 2018/19 performances range from $20.00 to $55.00 CDN. Subscription and single ticket discounts are available for seniors and students.
Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale as of March 22, 2018.
Get online information and make ticket purchases at crowstheatre.com.
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Crow’s Theatre 2018-2019 Season
In the Guloien Theatre
A Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre production
The Wolves October 8-27, 2018 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Sarah DeLappe
Directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their stretch circle, nine girls navigate and question the world around them with the determination of warriors. This provocative play, nominated for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, captures the profound beauty of adolescence and paints a portrait of complicated, nuanced young women navigating the game, their lives and a growing understanding of the world around them.
A Crow’s Theatre production in partnership with the Shaw Festival
Middletown November 12-December 1, 2018 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Will Eno
Directed by Meg Roe
Set & Costumes by Camellia Koo
Lighting by Kevin Lamotte
Sound & Music by Alessandro Juliani
Starring Karl Ang, Kristopher Bowman, Fiona Byrne, Benedict Campbell, Claire Jullien, Jeff Meadows, Peter Millard, Natasha Mumba, Moya O’Connell, Gray Powell, Sara Topham
As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between. This luminous production features the cast of the original Shaw production, including leading festival stars Benedict Campbell, Moya O’Connell, Sara Topham, Gray Powell, and Jeff Meadows, and is led by one of Vancouver’s leading directors, Meg Roe.
Nightwood Theatre in association with Crow’s Theatre
Grace January 8-26, 2019 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Jane Doe
Directed by Andrea Donaldson
“There was no justice, there was just a legal outcome.” In the wake of a young woman’s disclosure of childhood sexual assault, a family presses charges. But as they put the case together, they must confront a new challenge. Grace is an exquisite and heartbreaking piece of documentary theatre about the pursuit of truth and justice. This new work unflinchingly examines our legal system — its loopholes and its failures — through the lens of a playwright searching for how to share her family's story.
A Project: Humanity and Crow’s Theatre production
Towards Youth: a play on radical hope
February 25- March 16, 2019 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Andrew Kushnir
Co-Directed by Chris Abraham and Andrew Kushnir
Production design by Ken Mackenzie
Sound design by Deanna H. Choi
Starring Aldrin Bundoc, Jessica Greenberg, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Liisa Repo-Martell, Anusree Roy, and Amaka Umeh
From Toronto’s inner-city drama classrooms, to an all-girls school in India seeding a critical feminist revolution, from a youth-theatre in England on the eve of Brexit, to a junior-high theatre club in the midst of Greece’s refugee crisis, Towards Youth travels the world looking for radical hope in the drama classroom. Based on the cutting-edge drama research of Dr. Kathleen Gallagher (U of T) and crafted by Project: Humanity’s award-winning verbatim playwright Andrew Kushnir, Towards Youth offers an unexpected window onto the hopes, fears and dreams of young people coming of age in the 21st century.
Solo Productions presents
Mary’s Wedding January 31- February 17, 2019 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Stephen Massicotte
Directed by Kent Staines
Starring Fraser Elsdon and Kate Ross
A love story set against the backdrop of World War I, Mary's Wedding is an epic, unforgettable story of love, hope, and survival.
When Mary and Charlie unexpectedly find one another sheltering in a barn during a thunderstorm, a tentative love is born. But the year is 1914, and they must surrender their fates to the tumultuous times of the First World War. Their love story extends from the fields of Canada's Prairies to the battlefields of France's Moreuil Wood, as the playwright weaves time, dreams and memory together to remind us that the heart is beautifully resilient. Mary’s Wedding is a moving memorial to both the Great War and great love.
One of the most celebrated of Canadian plays; Mary's Wedding has received more than a hundred productions in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. On the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I, producers Mary Young Leckie (Prom Queen the Musical and the Executive Producer of the award-winning film Maudie) and Derrick Chua are thrilled to present this new production of a Canadian classic.
Modern Times Stage Company In association with Crow’s Theatre
The Cherry Orchard March 25-April 13, 2019 (Guloien Theatre)
Written by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Soheil Parsa
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's final play. It has been described as "a theatre poem of the suffering of change" or a poem about life and death, transition and change. The Cherry Orchard unearths and explores the human comedy in the most tragic conditions. It is a comedy of life, with characters who are simultaneously ridiculous and touching. Modern Times' simple, imagistic and minimalist approach offers a new look into this timeless classical masterpiece. In a production filled with vitality, intimacy, poetry and fluidity, director Soheil Parsa explores the human capacity for self-destruction and self-deception, the mystery of life, loss of values, human loneliness and the inability of people to comprehend the world in which they live.
In the Scotiabank Community Studio
Obsidian Theatre presents
Obsidian Theatre’s Darktown Initiative October 2018 (Scotiabank Community Studio)
Obsidian exists to help develop and provide opportunities for Black theatre artists, and this season they are continuing to dive deeper to make this an even bigger part of what they do. This multi-pronged approach to supporting other Black theatres and providing space for young directors to explore work will all be under the Darktown banner. Obsidian will fund a new exploration by a team of young-in-craft Black theatre artists, to be announced at a later date.
Crow’s Theatre presents Porte Parole’s production
The Assembly: Episode 1 October 25-November 3, 2018 (Scotiabank Community Studio)
Written by Alex Ivanovici, Annabel Soutar, Brett Watson
Directed by Chris Abraham
Lighting by Luc Prairie
Sound by Antoine Bédard
Starring Jimmy Blais, Sean Colby, Alex Ivanovici, Tanja Jacobs, Ngozi Paul and Brett Watson
"There was like food on the counter. With the food and people - It just felt like a cozy environment, kind of like a family dinner. Where you can sit down and like have a good discussion. Like a back and forth discussion, you know what I mean?” – James, 21 years old, conservative
Playwright Annabel Soutar teams up with co-authors Alex Ivanovici and Brett Watson, and director Chris Abraham, to create a thrilling theatrical response to the rise of extremism and tribalism in political discourse today. Since 2017, the play’s creative team has been curating and recording encounters in which four Canadians of wildly different ideological leanings face off and collectively confront the issues that most divide them. This new serialized documentary project premieres in Toronto with Episode 1.
In Association in association with Crow’s Theatre
what I call her November 17-December 8, 2018 (Scotiabank Community Studio)
Written by Ellie Moon
Directed by Sarah Kitz
The estranged mother of 25-year old Kate is on her death bed. Kate drafts a scathing obituary for her that reflects her view that her mother was abusive. Kate might post it on Facebook, once her mother passes, despite the concerned protestations of her loyal partner. A play about gaps in how people perceive and understand the world they live in, female generational rage, and the loneliness of holding onto one’s own truth.
Co-produced by Crow’s Theatre and Segal Centre for Performing Arts
In partnership with 2b theatre company
We Are Not Alone January 7-26, 2019 (Scotiabank Community Studio)
Written by Damien Atkins
Co-Directed by Chris Abraham and Christian Barry
Set & Costumes by Julie Fox
Lighting by Kimberly Purtell
Sound by Thomas Ryder Payne
Starring Damien Atkins
The question is not: are they really here? The real question is: what are they trying to tell us? In a world populated by mysterious sightings, videos of shapes moving in shadows and inexplicable crop circles, a playwright searches for answers. Are these occurrences a sign of otherworldly visitors, or are we being deceived? Multi-award winning performer Damien Atkins invites you to experience a funny and moving theatrical ride into one of the most extraordinary and provocative subjects of our time.
Puzzle Piece presents
The Little Prince: Reimagined March 22-April 13, 2019 (Scotiabank Community Studio)
Starring Richard Lam
Translated and Adapted by Richard Lam
Directed by Jon Lachlan Stewart
Scenic and Lighting design by Anahita Dehbonehie
Management by Crystal Lee
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved masterpiece The Little Prince tells the story of a nameless pilot whose plane crashes in the desert, where he has a life-changing encounter with a mysterious boy who claims to be the Prince of his own small planet. As the pilot learns the Prince’s story, he overcomes his suspicions and rediscovers his long-lost sense of wonder and imagination.
The Little Prince: Reimagined transports the timeless tale into the 21st century with a fresh, modern English adaptation by Richard Lam (Soulpepper Theatre). Come and experience the beauty of The Little Prince brought to life as you’ve never seen it before. Suitable for ages 7+
Touring Productions:
Crow’s Theatre presents The Castleton Massive production
True Crime
Created by Torquil Campbell and Chris Abraham, in collaboration with Julian Brown
Directed by Chris Abraham
Starring Torquil Campbell and Julian Brown
Clark Rockefeller is a real-life conman of the highest order, now serving a near-life sentence in a California State prison, and iconic Canadian ranter and rocker Torquil Campbell wants to try him on for size. What does it mean for an excellent fabulator to embody an excellent fabulator? And in the end, does an intricate con differ that much from a successful work of art? Torquil’s dogged investigation and impersonation challenges us to find the truth in true crime and confronts our cultural addiction to a good story. Entirely scripted or absolutely extemporaneous, True Crime is a mind-twisting encounter with an artist obsessed with how we all fake it, one way or another.
January 8- 27, 2019 Centaur Theatre - Montreal QC
January 31- February 24, 2019 Arts Club - Vancouver, BC
April 2-14, 2019 Persephone Theatre - Saskatoon, SK
NAC English Theatre presentation
A Crow’s Theatre and Talk Is Free Theatre production
The Wedding Party January 30-February 9, 2019 (National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON)
Written by Kristen Thomson
Based on the characters created with Trish Lindström, Tony Nappo, Moya O’Connell, Tom Rooney, and Bahia Watson
Directed by Chris Abraham
Set by Julie Fox
Sound by Thomas Ryder Payne
Lighting by Kimberly Purtell
Costumes by Ming Wong
Starring Jason Cadieux, Virgilia Griffith, Trish Lindström, Moya O’Connell, Tom Rooney, Kristen Thomson
From the award-winning creators of the beloved play I, Claudia, Kristen Thomson and director Chris Abraham comes a new comedy about two families, a wedding, mistaken identities, and love, love, love! With their latest creation, The Wedding Party, they invite the audience to take a seat ringside on the big day, while an astonishing cast of the country’s leading actors hit the dance floor, drink too much, and try to get along.
The Grand Theatre presents
A Crow’s Theatre production
The Boy in the Moon November 21-December 1, 2018 (The Grand Theatre, London, ON)
Written by Emil Sher, Based on the book by Ian Brown
Directed by Chris Abraham
Set and Costumes by Shannon Lea Doyle
Lighting by André du Toit and Kimberly Purtell
Video by Remington North
Sound by Thomas Ryder Payne
Starring Kelly McNamee, Liisa Repo-Martell, David Storch
Based on Globe and Mail journalist Ian Brown's candid and moving memoir of raising his son Walker, The Boy in the Moon captures the journey of a couple raising a child with profound disabilities caused by a rare genetic disorder. The text of the play draws from Brown's book along with original interviews with Ian, Johanna Schneller, and their daughter Hayley.
A Stratford Festival Production presented by Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, Groundling Theatre Company and David Versus Goliath Productions
Tartuffe January 13-27, 2018 (Canadian Stage, Toronto, ON)
Written by Molière, Translated by Ranjit Bolt
Directed by Chris Abraham
Starring Tom Rooney
By taking the homeless and holy-seeming Tartuffe under his roof, the wealthy bourgeois Orgon thinks he is harbouring a pillar of piety. But in fact, Orgon is the one who has been taken in- by a ruthless hypocrite and con artist. With Orgon determined to marry his daughter to Tartuffe- and blind to the latter’s lecherous designs on his wife- it is up to the rest of the household to expose the fraudster. But revealing the truth, it turns out, entails dangers of its own.
Vice becomes virtue in Molière’s hilarious exploration of power and hypocrisy. Falling under the spell of a religious con artist, Orgon risks his wife, his estate and his entire family in this darkly comic classic.
CROW’S KIDS
Made possible by generous support from Scotiabank, Crow’s Kids returns with programming for the whole family, including summer camps in July and August 2018.
Crow’s Kids classes will return in the Fall of 2018 with weekend fun for kids ages 2-9yrs. Through the season, Crow’s Kids will roll out a series of Sunday programming that the whole family can enjoy, including concerts, storytelling and other activities.
Scotiabank aims to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank’s goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success.
Photo: Gray Powell and Moya O’Connell in Middletown. ©2017 David Cooper.
2018-03-22
Toronto: Crow's Theatre announces its 2018/19 season