Imprints

CONOR GREEN, KAT SANDLER, AND COSETTE DEROME IN IMPRINTS
Photo: Michael Cooper
Review: IMPRINTS
by LYNN SLOTKIN on NOVEMBER 18, 2011
in THE PASSIONATE PLAYGOER
At the Factory Studio Theatre. Written by Michael Spence. Directed by Jacquie P.A. Thomas. Set by Michael Spence. Costumes by Sheree Tams. Lighting by Laird Macdonald. Starring: Stephanie Belding, Cosette Derome, Conor Green, Ron Kennell, Kat Sandler, and Michael Spence. At the Factory Studio Theatre until November 20, 2011

Produced by Theatre Gargantua in association with Factory Theatre.

Theatre Gargantua is a fascinating company that uses a highly physical performance style to explore thought provoking subjects. They performed one production in which the cast was suspended on ropes. Another explored the murky world of computers, technology and identity in which the whole set seemed to be the inside of a computer.

In their latest production, IMPRINTS, the company delves into the world of ancestry, genetic memory and ghostly inheritance (Imprints) from the point of view of Lily. Lily is sick with a mysterious disease that seems to have been passed down through her family for many generations. She is undertaking an experimental procedure that will leave her body in limbo until a cure can be found. But rather than dreamily existing in that limbo world, she is thrown into a fantastical Alice in Wonderland World. There she is bedeviled by swooping black bird-like spirits; the ghost of her father; and the raging apparition of a man who has been seeking revenge on Lily’s family for what seems centuries. Some distant ancestor of Lily’s family was responsible for the death of this vengeful man’s children and he has been troubling Lily’s various ancestors ever since.

The idea of inheriting through our genes, not only our physical traits from previous generations, but also responsibility for previous generations’ wrong-doing, for example, is a fascinating notion. And it’s typical of the depth of thought that suffuses the work of Theatre Gargantua and its resident playwright, Michael Spence.

Also typical is the arresting physicality of its productions. Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas has such a clear eye for the startling image. As Lily stands in this murky limbo world, wondering where she is, she is swooped upon by apparitions in black, arms/wings streaming black strips around her.

In another scene the raging spirit from her ancestor’s days comes in close, growling his anger, frightening her, and us. A great swath of material is billowed up and over her and she tramples on it. The image is arresting.

Later a cascade of sand falls in a shower down from the flies, forming a large mound of sand on the stage. Light shimmers on the stage in front of the sand giving the effect of small waves lapping onto a sandy beach. Breathtaking

As Lily, Stephanie Belding is that wonderful mix of bewildered by what is happening to her, and quietly strong in meeting these demons. As the vengeful spirit, Ron Kennell is compelling, fierce and even moving. The ensemble work is impeccable. The company works on each show methodically and meticulously over a two year period. The result is always a production that is intriguing, thought provoking, poetic and embracing.

IMPRINTS plays at the Factory Studio Theatre, 126 Bathurst St. until November 26.
Factory Studio Box Office: 416-504-9971

Photo by: Michael Cooper
THEATRE REVIEW: Globe and Mail Newspaper
Imprints is a harrowing trip down the rabbit hole
by Paula Citron

Published Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 4:51PM EST

Theatre Gargantua is top-of-the-line when it comes to multidisciplinary works. Every production is filled with dazzling technical wizardry and imaginative physicality, and the subject matter is always provocative.

At the heart of Theatre Gargantua is the talented husband and wife team of director Jacquie P.A. Thomas and playwright/set designer Michael Spence. They spearhead the original productions that are the company’s stock in trade, created with input from both the creative team and acting ensemble.

The new show Imprints is inspired both by genetic coding and Alice in Wonderland, a sort of a DNA trip down the rabbit hole.

Lily (Stephanie Belding) has a life-threatening disease. At the beginning of the play, we see a close-up film shot of a doctor and a nurse bending over Lily from her point of view lying on a gurney. She’s about to be cryogenically frozen until a cure can be found.

The doctor assures Lily that this icy sleep is a state of oblivion, but nothing could be further from the truth. And so we get to the crux of Spence’s play (dramaturgy by Bruce Barton). Being frozen means you meet the ghosts of your ancestors, and it is a harrowing journey.

Spence has certainly come up with an intriguing premise for theatrical exploration. Our DNA is the sum total of every human in our line of descent. When Lily enters her DNA, she meets a bizarre cast of characters from her evolutionary lineage and, in the process, discovers what created her genetic disorder. It is an ugly story involving incest and murder.

There is humour in Spence’s dialogue stemming mostly from Lily’s modern-day reaction, both verbally and intellectually, to these genetic ghosts – a collision of cultures, as it were. Belding portrays Lily’s bewilderment with appropriate fear laced with curiosity.

Ron Kennell is a murderous figure bent on vengeance for past crimes, and he is a strong presence onstage. More benign is Spence as a Mad Hatter/Cheshire Cat genetic guide living in a tree and spouting elliptical poetry.

Then there are Cosette Derome, Conor Green and Kat Sandler as annoying Tweedledum and Tweedledee clones, albeit a trio, who sow mayhem and confusion in Lily’s path. They slyly drop hints of dark tidings to come without giving details, all of which adds to Lily’s anxiety.

One of the glories of Imprints is Cameron Davis’s black and white projections. One stunning image, for example, has videos of the other actors superimposed on Belding’s face, instantaneously changing her persona, yet keeping her individuality intact at the same time.

Laird Macdonald’s precision lighting keeps the black-box stage set intact. He pinpoints what must be seen, while obscuring what shouldn’t be seen. In fact, the way the projections and lights work together is masterful. The use of physical bodies and an a capella soundtrack help to drive Lily’s journey down the DNA highway.

Physical movement is always important in a Theatre Gargantua show. For example, at each new step down the DNA highway, Lily’s body convulses and thrusts forward. The bad-news trio, for lack of a better name, execute intricate entanglement of their bodies.

Director Thomas has also added cunning use of black draperies. At one point, Belding wears a long black cape, which, after clever manipulation by the actors, reveals Green as a male incarnation of Lily, and Belding nowhere in sight.

Also compelling is the live soundtrack devised by Thomas and the acting ensemble that includes rhythmic chanting and a capella singing. Layered under these eerie, otherworldly noises is the atmospheric electronica sound design of Michael Laird and William Fallon.

There is one weakness in the script, but it emanates out of the structure of the story and may be unavoidable. There is too much of Lily saying, “Where am I?”, “What’s happening?”, “I don’t understand.” It takes a trifle too long for Spence to get to explanations.

Nonetheless, there is never a dull moment onstage in a Theatre Gargantua production.

Imprints continues until Nov. 26.

Imprints

Theatre Gargantua
in association with Factory Theatre presents the WORLD PREMIERE of
IMPRINTS
A new play by Michael Spence
Directed by Theatre Gargantua Artistic Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas
Starring Stephanie Belding, Cosette Derome, Conor Green, Ron Kennell, Kat Sandler, Michael Spence
Dramaturgy by Bruce Barton, Designed by Cameron Davis, Laird Macdonald,
Michael Spence, Sheree Tams, Michael Laird and William Fallon
Previews from November 9, Opens November 11 and runs to November 26, 2011
Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street
Preview Performances: Wed Nov. 9 at 6:30pm and 9:30pm; Thurs. Nov. 10 at 8pm
Regular Performances: Thurs – Sat at 8pm; Additional shows Sun Nov. 13 at 2:30pm & Tues Nov. 15 at 8pm
Previews $17; Tues & Thurs $20; Fri & Sat $25 (Discounts available for students, seniors, groups, equity)
For tickets, contact the Factory Theatre box office at 416-504-9971 or visit www.theatregargantua.ca

Theatre Gargantua Presents: IMPRINTS

November 9 to 26, 2011, at Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street
www.factorytheatre.ca or www.theatregargantua.ca

Review: Daughter of the Dust (Robin Sharp and Helen Kotsonis)

Review: Daughter of the Dust (Robin Sharp and Helen Kotsonis)

By Tiffany Budhyanto

Daughter of the Dust is a country musical comedy playing this Sunday and will be the Bread and Circus venue’s last show before it closes down. It features Robin Sharp as Trixie Dixon, a Taylor Swift-esque country singer trying to make it – if Taylor Swift were a drag queen.

Trixie Dixon is a young blonde set to perform at The Shindiggler, the town’s local venue. But getting in the way of her dreams of becoming a real country singer is her promiscuous and loud-mouth mother Tanya, who used to sing with her in an act called “The Dixon Chicks.”

Also adding to the her troubles is the fact that her city-boy boyfriend Brian won’t make love to her – and her back-up guitarist Carson seems more than willing to do it instead.

The venue is a private theatre room at the back of the bar lounge that seats only about 80 people. Because of its small capacity it feels very much like a Fringe Festival show – small, intimate and low budget. But the costumes, set design, makeup, music and acting – heck, everything about this play, basically – makes up for the less-than-great venue.

The thing is, the fact that the stage is so small doesn’t really make a difference. Robin Sharp, who wrote all the music along with Katie Avery, has created a country musical masterpiece. The songs are intelligent, clever, hilarious, and well-composed. Unbelievably catchy, they are also very cheeky – without being cheesy. Some of my favourites included “Never Fall In Love With A Musician,” and “Just The Tip.” They range from fast-paced songs to slow, sad ballads.

The cast of five all really impressed me. Robin Sharp plays a young woman so convincingly, if I had seen him on the street I wouldn’t have looked twice.

Robin wears a blonde wig and is lanky enough to really look like a girl. His ability to not only act, but also sing in a feminine way caught me off guard. He is even able to make his character’s tearful breakdown look truly sweet and innocent.

Claw, played by Scott Moore, is the owner of the Shindiggler who gives Trixie a chance to sing. His Southern drawl and demeanor is believable. His character, along with Brian played by Russel McLeod, offer stability to the play with their down-to-earth characters. Brian is Trixie’s shy boyfriend, who is worried about her cheating ways. His performance is calming, quirky and sweet, and adds a nice steady flow to the play.

Finally, Tanya Dixon, Trixie’s mother, is played by Lynn Filusch. Her character is tempestuous and has a tendency to scream at her daughter, showcasing the very extremes a mother-daughter relationship can have. Even her character, which is loud and obnoxious, is a real dimensional character played with depth and thoughtfulness. Filusch has a powerful voice which she really uses to the play’s advantage.

The musicians playing guitar and double bass are Steve Joseph and Tom McKibben, members of the professional group Slant Six. Katie Avery, who arranged the music, plays the fiddle alongside them. The musical performance and arrangement are superb. It’s not the Keith Urban nu-country – it’s a tribute to the old school country music, like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Dolly Parton and the like, and they seem to know their country music history well. I happen to like this classic country music, but I think anyone would enjoy the music in the play because the lyrics are so funny.

This play really isn’t about the fact that the main character is in drag. It’s truly about the well-written script and music, and the music carries the plot along extremely well (unlike Glee), never slowing the story down or becoming irrelevant to the scene.

The actors are genuine, sweet, and full of acting and musical talent. It borders on raunchy but never enough to make you feel uncomfortable, always staying on the cheeky side instead to keep things lighthearted and fun.

I highly recommend this country musical comedy – it’ll make you laugh, that’s for sure. I do hope that this show has another run after the venue closes down on Sunday, because it deserves to be seen by a lot of people.

Details:

- Directed by Helen Kotsonis, Written by Robin Sharp

- Runs August 25 to 27 at 8 pm, and August 28 at 6 pm

- At Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market

- Advanced Tickets can be purchased online for $12

- Tickets at the door are $15

Daughter of The Dust by Robin Sharp

"The Situationist" by Sky Gilbert wins 2 Dora Mavor Moore Awards!

Outstanding New Play for Writer Sky Gilbert and Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role for Actor Gavin Crawford.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Toronto Youth Theatre

By Sam Mooney



Yesterday I had one of those crappy days where all I wanted to do in the evening was watch a no-brain movie and eat ice-cream. Instead I went to see Toronto Youth Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Definitely the right choice.

Don’t worry if you don’t know the story-line of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The title says it all. It’s a musical about a spelling bee. No angst, a few touching moments, but mostly just funny and entertaining.

If you haven’t been to a Toronto Youth Theatre show prepare to be blown away by the talent. The actors range from 14 to 20 years old and are so talented that I can’t wait to see them when they’re 30 and have some life experience added to the mix. Truly triple threats; they sing, they dance, they act. Very impressive.

The non-actors were impressive too. Four of the initial spellers are volunteers from the audience. Don’t worry, they ask you in the lobby before the show, they don’t spring it on you in the theatre. Last night there were 4 men who were very good sports and got into character and interacted with the cast. The last man standing – as it were – was a good speller; it took 3 words in a row to eliminate him.

Apparently in a spelling bee you can ask for a definition of the word, to hear the word used in a sentence, and/or the etymology of the word. (Look. I can spell. Thank goodness for spell check.) Some of the ‘use in a sentence’ examples were very funny. I kept hoping that the contestants would ask for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. If you’re looking for something a bit different to do with your kids this weekend take them to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Probably not for kids younger than about 12.

Details:

- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing at the Lower Ossington Theatre (100 Ossington)
- It runs until May 28
- Shows are Wednesday through Saturday at 7.30 pm with Saturday matinees at 3.30
- Ticket prices range from $19.50 to $35.00
- Tickets are available online or at the door

"The Situationist" by Sky Gilbert

Photo: David Hawe
http://www.davidhawe.com

Date: April 13 - April 24, 2011

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre proudly welcomes
A Cabaret Company production
The Situationists
Written and Directed by Sky Gilbert
Starring Gavin Crawford, Haley McGee and Gil Garratt
Set Design by Andy Moro
Costumes by Sheree Tams


A male professor and his female student debate about how to create a truly revolutionary act. They are joined by a young male radical who declares that sex is the only way to provoke real societal change. As the threesome attempts to instigate radical situations, they find themselves embroiled in one. Have they succeeded in their cause?

Provocateur extraordinaire, Sky Gilbert, finds inspiration for his latest work in the ideas of the Situationist International, the infamous political and artistic movement which tore France apart in 1950s and 1960s.

Previews April 13
Opens April 14
Runs to April 24
Shows Wed - Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm

The Last 15 Seconds is timeless By JOHN COULBOURN, TORONTO SUN

Rarely does a piece of theatre come along that accomplishes so much.

First off, of course, The Last 15 Seconds represents an hour and more of compelling theatre, exploring as it does the odd parallels in two lives that meet only as they are ending in an act of desperate and futile defiance.

But that is, as they say, merely the tip of the iceberg, for along the way, this production from Kitchener-Waterloo’s MT Space, currently playing on the mainstage of Theatre Passe Muraille, also does a pretty good job of putting paid to the notion that Toronto sits at the very centre of Ontario’s theatrical universe — the spot from which all theatrical light flows. This is a production of which any city could be justifiably proud and, not entirely coincidentally one suspects, a production that even the most rabid critics of taxpayer contributions to the arts would have difficulty marginalizing.

The subject here could be considered controversial in some circles — a fictionalized recounting of a 2005 suicide bombing that took place in Amman, Jordan, in which Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad and his daughter were killed at her wedding when an embittered Iranian youth, one Rawad Jassem Mohammad Abed, detonated the explosives he was wearing. Horrific as it was, the carnage could have been far worse had the explosives Abed had fastened to his young wife, who accompanied him, also been detonated.

Directed by Majdi Bou-Matar and co-created by Trevor Copp, Anne-Marie Donovan, Nada Homsi, Gary Kirkham, Pam Patel and Alan K. Sapp, The Last 15 Seconds traces the lives of both men from their youth, even though it begins at their end.

As played by Sapp, Akkad’s tale begins when he leaves his native Syria and heads for the U.S.A, where he develops an obsession with filmmaking, using the money he makes from his successful Halloween horror franchise to make films about Islam and Middle Eastern history in an attempt to bridge the gap between the Western and Islamic worlds.

For Abed, (played by Copp) life isn’t nearly so simple. Raised by his mother and his doting grandmother, he first runs afoul of dictator Saddam Hussein, and subsequently the forces that topple him, growing increasingly desperate as his world and his options seem to grow ever smaller.

Meanwhile the three women in the cast each do double duty, Donavan playing both Akkad’s wife and Abed’s mother, Hunmsi, Akkad’s mother and Abed’s grandmother and the hauntingly beautiful Patel, Akkad’s daughter and Abed’s young wife.

Though flashbacks and imagined encounters between the two men, they find the common ground in their lives, both of whom, in an odd way, use violence to achieve their dreams and end up as part of a shared and tragic nightmare instead. There is something oddly touching and infinitely chilling in the fictionalized scene where Akkad directs Abed in his suicide tape that underscores the pain and the passion that has driven both men to their ill-fated meeting.

Sheree Tams has created both set and costumes that serve the story with breathtaking simplicity and efficiency, while Rob Ring’s videos, Jennifer Jimenez’s lighting and Nick Storring’s music — a haunting mix of western opera and middle eastern ululation — make major contributions as well.

But in the end, it is the almost ferocious commitment and the skill these five performers bring to the a project that involves every aspect of theatre and movement, masterfully shaped and channelled by Bou-Mater’s confident and assured direction, that impresses.

That they deplore the violence that ends the lives of their protagonists is beyond doubt, but that they have been unstinting in exploring the vulnerability and pain that shaped it is equally clear. In a world where we are quick to demonize, they have taken the time to humanize instead and thereby have moved us closer to understanding, if only by a single step.

And by such small steps, one suspects, great bridges can be built.

john.coulbourn@sunmedia.ca

Transformation and Revelations Exhibit at The Royal Welsh College of Drama and Music

Last 15 Seconds at The Firehall in Vancouver

Sheree Tams Exhibits at the Transformation and Revelations Show

Transformations and Revelations

Transformation and Revelation opens in Cardiff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama on March 18th. The exhibition is the work of The Society of British Theatre Designers and is a preview before it travels in part to represent the UK at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial International Exhibition this summer. A selection of designs will be on display at the V&A from 17th March – 30th September 2012.
Designs on display will range from Antony Gormley’s Sutra with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and the Shaolin Warrior Monks for Sadlers Wells to Es Devlin’s designs and projections for the Lady Gaga Monsterball Tour. The exhibition will include drawings, paintings and photographs, 3D artefacts, scale models, specialist props, costumes and puppets, and there will be interactive exhibits from Lighting, Video and Sound designers, Theatre Consultants and Theatre Architects.
The exhibition also offers the first chance to see inside the new RWCMD building currently under construction which is due to open later this year. The exhibition will take place in a number of spaces including the newly built Richard Burton Theatre.
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, The Castle Grounds, North Rd, Cardiff, CF10 3ER

Monday – Friday 9.30am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday10am to 5pm
Entrance to this exhibition is free to the general public.

The Situationists by Sky Gilbert

THE SITUATIONISTS

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre proudly welcomes
A Cabaret Company production
The Situationists
Written and Directed by Sky Gilbert
Starring Gavin Crawford, Haley McGee and Gil Garratt
Set Design by Andy Moro
Costumes by Sheree Tams

April 13 - 24, 2011

A male professor and his female student debate about how to create a truly revolutionary act. They are joined by a young male radical who declares that sex is the only way to provoke real societal change. As the threesome attempts to instigate radical situations, they find themselves embroiled in one. Have they succeeded in their cause?

Provocateur extraordinaire, Sky Gilbert, finds inspiration for his latest work in the ideas of the Situationist International, the infamous political and artistic movement which tore France apart in 1950s and 1960s.

Previews April 13
Opens April 14
Runs to April 24
Shows Wed - Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm

Last 15 Seconds

The work was formed by various talents: Trevor Copp, Anne-Marie Donovan, Nada Homsi, Gary Kirkham, Pam Patel & Alan K. Sapp.

Music by Nick Storring
Set by: Sheree Tams and Bill Chesney
Costumes by Sheree Tams
Video by Rob Ring

From their site:
“This project explores the topic of terrorism starting with the tragic death of Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad and his daughter Rima during a series of co-ordinated attacks that hit three prominent hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman in 2005. Akkad is the director of two major films both starring Anthony Quinn, The message: the Story of Islam (1976) and Lion of the Desert (1982). Akkad saw these films as a way to bridge the gap between the Western and Islamic world. He was also the producer of the Halloween film series.

The work constructs an imagined physical and verbal dialogue between Mustapha Akkad and Rawad Jassem Mohammad Abed, the suicide bomber who carried the explosion that killed Akkad. The work also looks at the imagined lives and memories of both the victim and his killer at the time of the explosion.”

Tour dates:
March 18 – 20 @ Intrepid Theatre, Victoria
March 23 – April 3, Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver
April 6 – 16, Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto

VIDEO PREVIEW

Last 15 Seconds

The Last 15 Seconds

The Last 15 Seconds April 6 to April 16

Produced by The MT Space (Kitchener-Waterloo) in Association with Theatre Passe Muraille

Co-created by Trevor Copp, Anne-Marie Donovan, Nada Homsi, Gary Kirkham, Pam Patel, and Alan K. Sapp
Co-created and directed by Majdi Bou-Matar

April 6 to April 16, 2011

This is the experience that will have you watching the clock.

TPM is thrilled to host MT Space theatre and to be their home-away-from-Kitchener; as the culmination of their Spring 2011 Canadian tour across the west. The Last 15 Seconds is a meeting of the minds, so to speak, between a suicide bomber and the man who was killed, alongside his family, as a result. Using movement, dance, video, vocals and text, this project explores the topic of terrorism. It starts from the tragic death of Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad and his daughter Rima in a series of coordinated attacks that hit three prominent hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman in 2005. The work constructs an imagined physical and verbal dialogue between Mustapha Akkad and Rawad Jassem Mohammad Abed, the suicide bomber who carried out the explosion. The work also looks at the imagined lives and memories of both the victim and his killer as they revisit each other’s lives after their fatal encounter.

Save Motley

Motley is London's leading independent international one year postgraduate level course in set and costume design which was founded by Margaret 'Percy' Harris in 1966. Currently based in a studio behind the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane the course is led by Alison Chitty, with course tutor Ashley Martin-Davis.

In December, Motley Alumni received a letter outlining the possible closure of the school. The letter can be read at http://motleyalumni.wordpress.com/letter-from-john-simpson/
Please share your thoughts to save Motley!

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