Stage Door News
Toronto: Cast announced for “Heroes of the Fourth Turning”
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
The Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre announced today the cast and creative team for the Canadian premiere of Heroes of the Fourth Turning, the Pulitzer Prize finalist play written by Will Arbery and directed by Philip Akin. A co-production by The Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre, Heroes of the Fourth Turning will run from October 3 to 22, 2023 at the Studio Theatre in Streetcar Crowsnest, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, ON. Opening night is October 6, 2023. For tickets and more details, visit howlandcompanytheatre.com.
In keeping with The Howland Company’s history of vibrant, award-winning acting ensembles, the cast of Heroes of the Fourth Turning stars Mac Fyfe as Justin (Soulpepper, Frankie Drake, Saving Hope), Maria Ricossa as Gina (Stratford Festival, The Strain, Blood and Water, Designated Survivor), and Howland Members Ruth Goodwin as Teresa (Entrances and Exits, Wedding Season, Private Eyes), Cameron Laurie as Kevin (Prodigal, The Donnellys: A Trilogy, The Drawer Boy), and Hallie Seline as Emily (Prodigal, The Donnellys: A Trilogy, Fellow Travellers).
Heroes of the Fourth Turning will feature Set & Props Design by Wes Babcock, Lighting Design by Logan Raju Cracknell, Costume Design by Laura Delchiaro and Sound Design by Jacob Lin 林鴻恩, Assistant Directing by 郝邦宇 Steven Hao, Stage Management by Hannah MacMillan, and Production Management by Jeremy Hutton.
“You can't sharpen a knife with cotton batten and you can't sharpen your beliefs in an echo chamber. You have to engage with different ideas to grow your own. Heroes of the Fourth Turning is a play full of ideas that are antithetical to what I deeply believe. So how could I not want to fully investigate and wrestle with it. Not only to bring clarity to their arguments but to find new ways to fettle my own.” - Director Philip Akin
Winner of the 2020 Obie Award for Playwriting, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, the Whiting Award for Drama, and the New York Drama Critics Circle award for Best Play, the riveting and witty Heroes of the Fourth Turning, has been hailed as “a work of singular distinction, for which the word ‘remarkable’ is, if anything, an understatement” by The Wall Street Journal, and “an astonishing new play” by The New York Times.
On a chilly night in the middle of America, one week after the Charlottesville riots in 2017, four alumni gather to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of their conservative catholic college. A daring look at the heart of a country at war with itself, the evening begins innocently enough. As the party stretches late into the night, their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing politics, and stunning revelations as they furiously grapple with their beliefs and sense of personal responsibility.
Playwright and filmmaker Will Arbery has also written Corsicana, Plano, Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, and more; he was a writer and producer on HBO’s hit Succession, and is currently under commission from Audible, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Playwright Horizons.
Actor, director, and founding member of Obsidian Theatre, where he served as artistic director from 2006 to 2020, Philip Akin is the most awarded Black director in Canada, including several Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Toronto Theatre Critics Awards, the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, and the 2019 Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Recent directing credits include Of the Sea (Tapestry Opera and Obsidian Theatre), Gem of the Ocean, Master Harold...and the Boys (Shaw Festival), Passing Strange (The Musical Stage Company and Obsidian Theatre), and Pass Over (Obsidian Theatre).
Tickets for Heroes of the Fourth Turning run from $20 to $70, with pricing options throughout the run for students, arts workers, under-30, seniors, and premium reserved seating add-on, plus limited Pay-What-You-Can tickets available on Sunday matinees. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit howlandcompanytheatre.com or crowstheatre.com.
The Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre present:
HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING
Written by Will Arbery
Directed by Philip Akin
A Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre Co-Production
Starring: Mac Fyfe, Ruth Goodwin, Cameron Laurie, Maria Ricossa, Hallie Seline Set & Props Design by Wes Babcock
Lighting Design by Logan Raju Cracknell
Costume Design by Laura Delchiaro
Sound Design by Jacob Lin 林鴻恩
Stage Management by Hannah MacMillan
Assistant Directing by 郝邦宇 Steven Hao
Production Management by Jeremy Hutton
October 3 - 22, 2023
Previews: October 3-5, 2023
Opening Night: Friday, October 6, 2023, at 8pm
Showtimes:
Evenings at 8pm, Matinees After Opening: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Runtime:
Two hours (no intermission)
Location:
Streetcar Crowsnest - Studio Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, ON
Box Office Information:
Online: howlandcompanytheatre.com or crowstheatre.com.
Crow’s Theatre Box Office:
By phone: 647-341-7390 ext. 1010 - Monday to Friday 12pm to 5pm
In person: In the lobby at 345 Carlaw Avenue - one hour prior to each performance.