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For immediate release - March 1, 2017 Canadian Stage celebrates 30 seasons in 17.18; sparks unexpected collaborations between artists, companies and across disciplines. New season features Britta Johnson, Tanya Tagaq + Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Morris Panych + James Rolfe, Kong Kie + Folga Gaang Project, Jordan Tannahill; partnerships with Red Sky Performance, Vancouver Opera, Musical Stage Company, Citadel Theatre, Kidd Pivot + Electric Company Theatre, and more. Toronto, ON___ Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director, today announced Canadian Stage‟s th 17.18 season celebrating the 30 anniversary of the company: a dynamic 16-show line-up featuring nine original Canadian creations (including four world premieres) that connect a sweeping range of artistic expressions. Canadian Stage continues its surge forward as Toronto‟s premiere destination for multidisciplinary performance with a new season that highlights cross-pollination between artists, companies and art forms: “Canadian Stage‟s roots lie in collaboration, going back to its inception from the merger of the Toronto Free Theatre and the Centre Stage Company. We delight in forging surprising connections in live performance,” said Artistic and General Director Matthew Jocelyn. “Building on this legacy, the 17.18 season features a tapestry of storytellers from diverging disciplines - theatre, spoken word, live music, opera, contemporary dance and circus - coming together as we pursue our mission of creating a vital cultural dialogue between our local, national and international artistic communities. We look forward to sharing their visceral, timely and deeply-human stories with our audiences on our 30th anniversary.” th On the company‟s 30 year, audiences will have the opportunity to encounter previous homegrown Canadian Stage artist collaborators including Crystal Pite, Morris Panych, Jordan Tannahill and Marie Chouinard, alongside up-and-coming theatrical voices such as Toronto‟s Britta Johnson, and new partnerships with The Musical Stage Company, Tapestry Opera, Vancouver Opera, The Citadel Theatre, Red Sky Performance and more. “We celebrate 30 with newness, and renewed reminiscences; nods to the past that pay homage to Canadian Stage‟s previous incarnations and serve as the groundwork for exciting new talent,” said Jocelyn. As a tribute to the company‟s past thirty years, Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling‟s internationallyacclaimed theatrical phenomenon The Overcoat will return to Canadian Stage as a world premiere th opera on its 20 anniversary of creation. Panych will direct and pen the libretto based on Gogol‟s th classic 19 century novella, with a musical score by Canadian composer James Rolfe, choreography by Wendy Gorling and Musical Direction by Leslie Dala. Nationally co-produced with Toronto‟s Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera, The Overcoat: an Opera will debut at the Bluma Appel Theatre in March 2018 before traveling to the Vancouver Playhouse - where the show originated in 1997-1998 - as part of the 2018 Vancouver Opera Festival. In this spirit, Canadian Stage Artistic Director Matthew Jocelyn will revisit the work of English playwright Simon Stephens (Harper Regan – 14.15 season, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) with the poetic two-hander Heisenberg; while former Shaw Festival Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, director of the 2014 Dora winner London Road, will return to the company to lead Stephen Karam‟s multiple Tony Award-winning family drama The Humans. Canadian Stage joins forces with Edmonton‟s Citadel Theatre for the first time since 2008 to bring this breakout Broadway hit to Canadian audiences. For immediate release - March 1, 2017 Canadian Stage will give Toronto a last chance to catch Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young‟s landmark dance-theatre masterpiece Betroffenheit , back by popular demand for a third time as part of a major international tour. A Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre production co-commissioned by Canadian Stage and first presented as part of the 2015 Panamania Festival, the work has since gone on to perform across the US and Europe, garnering 5 Star reviews in The Guardian and The Observer. 17.18 will kick off with the new musical Life After by rising Toronto lyricist and composer Britta Johnson (Dora nominated: REFRAMED, Jacob Two-Two), co-produced with The Musical Stage Company (formerly Acting Up Stage) and Yonge Street Theatricals (Come From Away). Expanded and re-worked following an acclaimed debut at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, Life After will be helmed by the original director Robert McQueen with music direction by Reza Jacobs. Music will animate the Berkeley Street throughout the season, continuing with three unique live music experiences showcasing contemporary female voices: Polaris Prize-winning Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq will share the stage with Greenlandic mask dancer and poet Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory in a world-premiere three-night event fusing tour de force vocals with spoken word; Italian duo Musica Nuda, led by virtuosic singer Petra Magoni, perform rock, pop and classical hits in a stripped-down setting; and one of Canada‟s most original vocalists Fides Krucker tackles the great Canadian songbook accompanied by her musical ensemble and local dancers/choreographers: Peggy Baker, Laurence Lemieux and Heidi Strauss. Toronto composer Njo Kong Kie, whose recent works include Infinity (Tarragon) and Mr. Shi and His Lover (SummerWorks), will bring his Macau-based Folga Gaang Project to Toronto with the North American premiere of Picnic in the Cemetery, a hybrid concert-theatre performance blending Njo‟s original piano compositions and an evocative journey about the passage of time. Njo joins leading Canadian Indigenous dance company Red Sky Performance as Canadian Stage‟s two newest Berkeley Street Partner companies for the 17.18 and 18.19 seasons (former partners include Crow‟s Theatre, Necessary Angel and Company Theatre). The two-year residency allows select Toronto-based companies the opportunity to present and develop new work. Led by Artistic Director Sandra Laronde, Red Sky‟s first Canadian Stage outing will be the Toronto premiere of Backbone, an original fusion of indigenous dance, live music and raw athleticism that expresses the power, formation and spirit of our mountainous continents. Following the success of Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom (15.16) and Concord Floral (16.17), Governor General‟s and Dora Award-winning playwright Jordan Tannahill will be showcased for a third season with the world premiere of Declarations. Incorporating a lyrical text and a choreographed score of physical gestures, this deeply personal hybrid creation will see Tannahill returning to the stage as director. Canadian Stage continues to establish itself as a home for internationally-acclaimed contemporary circus and dance with two gravity-defying spectacles that push human bodies to their extremes. After presenting Australia‟s Circa and Québéc‟s Cirque Éloize, the company will welcome Québec‟s Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers) and their dance trilogy for circus artists Triptyque. Featuring three works by invited choreographers Marie Chouinard (Québec), Victor Quijada (Québec) and Marcos Morau (Spain), the triple bill combines acrobatic genius and contemporary dance to explore the myriad languages of the human body. Performed to sold-out houses across Europe, He Who Falls (Celui qui tombe) will feature six performers navigating the forces of an imposing, shifting platform in celebrated acrobat/director Yoann Bourgeois‟ unique dance of survival, onstage at the Bluma Appel in March 2018. For immediate release - March 1, 2017 Building on its landmark collaboration with York University‟s School of Arts Media Performance and Design, the company will mount Caryl Churchill‟s kaleidoscopic play Love and Information, jointly directed by 2017 graduating candidates of the York University/Canadian Stage MFA in Stage Direction Tanja Jacobs and Alistair Newton. But first, Jacobs and Newton will make their Canadian Stage debuts under the stars this summer at Shakespeare in High Park. Jacobs will direct Shakespeare‟s madcap comedy of mistaken identity Twelfth Night while Newton will stage the inaugural High Park production of King Lear, re-imagined th from a female perspective with Diane D‟Aquila as the iconic Lear. The 35 anniversary season of the Toronto outdoor theatre mainstay runs June 29 to September 3. th On Canada‟s 150 anniversary and running in conjunction with Shakespeare in High Park, Canadian Stage announces Territorial Tales: Narratives of Displacement and the Recapturing of Spirit, a new initiative focused on telling stories of indigenous and newcomer youth. In partnership with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), Sketch and Kids Up Front, Canadian Stage will provide a platform for young creators from across the GTA to share their experiences of arrival and settlement in Canada through the development of new stage works to be performed at the High Park Amphitheatre this summer. Canadian Stage continues to engage our community with a series of dynamic ancillary activities, including pre-show chats and post-show talkbacks. After being introduced in 2016, the company will extend relaxed performances for select productions throughout the 17.18 season, beginning with Life After on October 14, 2017. As part of its year-round artist training programs, Canadian Stage announces the three incoming participants of its 2017 RBC Emerging Artist Program: Director Development Residency: Ryan Cunningham, Mikaela Davies and Jonathan Seinen. Each director will receive administrative, production and artistic support from the company to develop and workshop new works for the stage throughout the 2017 season. 17.18 subscriptions are now on sale for renewing subscribers with flexible four-show packages starting from $124.80 and a six-play or more subscription package starting from $175.50 (all +HST). Subscriptions may be purchased by phone at 416.368.3110 or in person at the Berkeley Street th Theatre Box Office (26 Berkeley Street). Single tickets will be on sale April 25, 2017. Special 30 anniversary $30 rush tickets will be available for all 17.18 season performances. Full details on the productions and subscription packages are available online at canadianstage.com. Performances take place at the company‟s three historic venues: the Berkeley Street Theatre, the Bluma Appel Theatre and the High Park Amphitheatre. 17.18 season sponsor Hashtag: #cs1718 | Facebook: Canadian Stage | Twitter/Instagram: @CanadianStage Download 17.18 photography View 17.18 season brochure For more information or interview requests, please contact: Andrea Elalouf, Associate Director of Communications, Canadian Stage, 416. 367.8243 x 250, [email protected] For immediate release - March 1, 2017 17.18 season overview > SHAKESPEARE IN HIGH PARK: KING LEAR + TWELFTH NIGHT By William Shakespeare King Lear directed by Alistair Newton Twelfth Night directed by Tanja Jacobs Featuring Diane D‟Aquila Your destination for decidedly untraditional Shakespeare under the stars, all summer long. Canada‟s th longest-running outdoor theatre event celebrates its 35 year with bold new takes on two Shakespeare classics. Get transported from the enchanted musical shores of Illyria, setting for the madcap comedy of mistaken identity Twelfth Night (or What You Will), to the divided kingdom of King Lear, one of the most monumental works of English drama - re-imagined from a female perspective, and starring award-winning actor Diane D‟Aquila. th 35 Anniversary | June 29 – September 3 | High Park Amphitheatre (Pay-What-You-Can Tickets) A Canadian Stage production in collaboration with the Department of Theatre in the School of the Arts, Media, Production & Design ****** LIFE AFTER Book + Music + Lyrics by Britta Johnson Directed by Robert McQueen Music Direction by Reza Jacobs NNNNN “(An) extraordinary musical” – NOW Magazine “The score‟s best feature: its capacity to make every song a piece of the action, physical or emotional or both. That‟s a Sondheim quality, and we‟re in his territory.” – The National Post Sixteen-year old Alice is left to navigate life after her father, a superstar self-help guru, dies in a car accident. We plunge into Alice‟s overactive inner world as she tries to decipher the events that led to that fateful day. An expanded and reworked production of the 2016 hit Toronto Fringe musical, Life After is a funny and frank story of love, loss and vivid imagination from one of the most exciting new voices in Canadian musical theatre. September 23 – October 22, 2017 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Canadian Stage, The Musical Stage Company & Yonge Street Theatricals production ****** BACKBONE Conceived + directed by Sandra Laronde "The choreography... is raw, masculine, and frequently ferocious." - The Calgary Herald In this sumptuously provocative new dance and live music creation, Red Sky Performance explores the „spine‟ of the continents. Combining Indigenous dance with raw athleticism to express its power, formation and spirit, eight dancers bring to life the electricity and impulses of our rocky mountainous backbone. Toronto Premiere | November 2-12, 2017 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Red Sky Performance Production in Association with Canadian Stage, co-produced and originally commissioned by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity For immediate release - March 1, 2017 IN RESIDENCE 17.18/18.19 > Internationally renowned, Red Sky is one of Canada's leading companies of contemporary Indigenous performance in dance, theatre and music. ****** TRIPTYQUE By Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers) Created + directed by Samuel Tétreault Invited Choreographers: Marie Chouinard, Victor Quijada & Marcos Morau “Captivating…visually arresting” – The Guardian “Triptyque turns dance upside down” – The Montreal Gazette Québec‟s Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers) are one of the world‟s most innovative circus companies. Combining the talents of three internationally-renowned choreographers, Triptyque fuses defying feats of athleticism, the lyricism of contemporary dance and the poetics of the imagination. Marie Chouinard‟s duet Anne et Samuel examines the relationship between gravity and the human body with awe-inspiring effect. Straddling the gap between stillness and movement, Victor Quijada presents the hand-balancing quintet Variations 9.81, while Marcus Morau lures us into the space between wake and sleep with the mesmerizing Nocturnes. November 15-19, 2017 | Bluma Appel Theatre A 7 Doigts de la Main production presented by Canadian Stage ****** HEISENBERG By Simon Stephens Directed by Matthew Jocelyn “Quirky, lovely, funny, powerful and special. As sumptuous an experience as theatre gets” – The Associated Press “Soaring…thrilling. Simon Stephens is an uncannily subtle dramatist.” – The New York Times Amidst the bustle of a London train station, Georgie spots Alex, a much older man, and plants a kiss on his neck. This chance encounter propels these two strangers on a fascinating and life-changing course, in the newest critical hit by Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens (Harper Regan, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). Peeling away the many layers of everyday relationships with subtle humour and quiet poeticism, Heisenberg brings to poignant theatrical life the uncertain and often comical sparring match that is human connection. Canadian Premiere | November 28 – December 17, 2017 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Canadian Stage Production ****** DECLARATIONS Written + directed by Jordan Tannahill From acclaimed playwright-director Jordan Tannahill (Concord Floral; Botticelli in the Fire and Sunday in Sodom), Declarations is an ode to mortality - that of the playwright‟s mother, his own, mankind‟s - a joyful and moving attempt to capture the objects, sensations, and experiences that make up a life. Through a lyrical text and choreographed physical score, five performers chronicle a For immediate release - March 1, 2017 life pulled through time, encountering meteorological phenomena, mythology, political calamity, pop culture, and everyday happenstance along the way. What accumulates is a staggering archive of images, sense memories, and voices asserting that here lived, for a time, a woman. World Premiere | January 23 – February 11, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Canadian Stage production ****** THE HUMANS By Stephen Karam Directed by Jackie Maxwell WINNER - TONY AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY (2016) “Extraordinary…funny, poignant, even chilling” – The Washington Post “Depicts the way we live now with a precision and compassion unmatched by any play.” – The New York Times Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake has brought his family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter‟s lower Manhattan apartment. As darkness falls, tensions reach a boiling point, and the unspoken pressures facing the Blake clan simmer to the surface. Winner of four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best New Play, Stephen Karam‟s breakthrough comedy-drama is a scorchingly funny and frighteningly timely snapshot of a family caught in the wake of a changing nation. Canadian Premiere | February 6 - 25, 2018 | Bluma Appel Theatre A Canadian Stage & Citadel Theatre (Edmonton) production ****** HE WHO FALLS (CELUI QUI TOMBE) Conceived, directed + staged by Yoann Bourgeois “Genius” – Evening Standard (UK) “Yoann Bourgeois creates performances that are exquisite, with an intense poetry, and impossible to forget” Le Figaro Six performers appear to defy the laws of gravity as the ground on which they stand whirls, swings and elevates beneath them. Bodies lean, hang, come together and break apart, responding to the imposing, shifting force with paradoxical strength and beauty. Through a striking union of circus and physical theatre, celebrated acrobat Yoann Bourgeois challenges performers to a perilous dance of survival, set to a spine-tingling soundtrack. North American premiere | March 1 – 4, 2018 | Bluma Appel Theatre A Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois Production presented by Canadian Stage ****** Voices 3 Series MUSICA NUDA: PETRA MAGONI and FERRUCCIO SPINETTI (ITALY) “Outré, punk, and eclectic… audacious originality” – JazzTimes “Musica Nuda strips centuries of song naked and clothes them in new threads” – Charleston City Paper For immediate release - March 1, 2017 Their mission is simple as it is bold: to make music with the bare necessities. Vocalist Petra Magoni and double-bassist Ferruccio Spinetti fuse elements of jazz, rock, punk, and classical to create their own boundary-breaking sound. Harnessing the art of silence and the dramatic power of the lyric, the virtuosic Italian duo deconstructs the meaning of every song with infectious humour and raw emotion, tracing music back to its very core. After hundreds of performances in Italy and across Europe, Musica Nuda makes an exclusive Canadian appearance at the intimate Berkeley Street Theatre. Exclusive Toronto Engagement | February 22-24, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre Presented by Canadian Stage with the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura ****** Voices 3 Series IN THIS BODY Conceived + sung by Fides Krucker Choreographed + danced by Peggy Baker, Laurence Lemieux & Heidi Strauss Music Arranged + Played by Rob Clutton, Tania Gill + Germaine Liu “An evening spent with Fides Krucker is always an extraordinary event” – NOW The wilderness of a woman‟s heart, voiced through Canadian song and danced to the edge. Fides Krucker - one of Canada‟s most original vocalists and her ensemble are joined by three extraordinary dancers: Peggy Baker, Laurence Lemieux and Heidi. Together, they brave the landscape of our country‟s great songbook – from Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morrisette, and k.d. lang, to Lhasa de Sela, Feist, Hawksley Workman, Serena Ryder, and more. An emotional cartographer‟s dream. World premiere | MARCH 14-18, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre Produced by Good Hair Productions, presented by Canadian Stage ****** Voices 3 Series TANYA TAGAQ + LAAKKULUK WILLIAMSON BATHORY “Tanya Tagaq and friend Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory are known for their expressive and unabashedly physical performances, which often delve into the dark side of humanity.” – CBC One is a multi award-winning Inuit throat singer, the other a trailblazing Greenlandic mask dancer. Tanya Tagaq and Iqaluit-based artist Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory fuse their unique performance styles in this concert event combining tour-de-force vocals, kinetic movement and powerful spoken word. At once exquisite and unnerving, these two larger-than-life artists cast their shared experiences and traditional roots in contemporary light, opening a path to reconciliation. World premiere | March 22 – 24, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre Presented by Canadian Stage For immediate release - March 1, 2017 THE OVERCOAT An Opera Libretto + directed by Morris Panych Music by James Rolfe Musical Direction by Leslie Dala, Choreography by Wendy Gorling “Panych and Gorling… have delivered a work that grows richer on each subsequent viewing, a creation that combines laughter with pathos and exhilaration with despair.” – Toronto Star (on 2007‟s The Overcoat) th If clothes make the man, they can undo him. For Canadian Stage‟s 30 , Morris Panych and Wendy th Gorling‟s theatrical phenomenon returns as a world premiere opera on the show‟s 20 anniversary of th creation. With a libretto by award-winning Panych based on Gogol‟s classic 19 century novella, and music by James Rolfe, one of Canada‟s finest composers, the story follows a lowly office worker whose uneventful life is turned upside down when he‟s robbed of his new overcoat. The Overcoat An Opera sparkles with the trademark wit and intricate choreography that propelled the work to international acclaim. World Premiere | March 27 – April 14, 2018 | Bluma Appel Theatre A Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera & Vancouver Opera production, commissioned by Tapestry Opera & Vancouver Opera ****** LOVE AND INFORMATION Written by Caryl Churchill Directed by Tanja Jacobs + Alistair Newton “Thought churning…deeply poignant” – The New York Times “(An) exhilarating theatrical kaleidoscope” – The Guardian Hailed as one of England‟s greatest living playwrights, Caryl Churchill has provoked audiences for over four decades. Told through a theatrically-adventurous medley of short vignettes, Love and Information features an ensemble of actors performing over 100 roles. With an intellectual vigour and dazzling instinct for the absurd, Churchill confronts the data overload that bombards us every day – painting an instantly-recognizable portrait of modern human connection. Graduation showcase – York University MFA Directing Program in Collaboration with Canadian Stage | April 10 – 29, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Canadian Stage production in collaboration with the Department of Theatre in the School of the Arts, Media, Production & Design at York University ****** BETROFFENHEIT Written by Jonathon Young Choreographed + Directed by Crystal Pite ★★★★ (out of 4) “Devastating and powerful” - The Globe and Mail ★★★★★(out of 5) “Raw…riveting drama…virtuosic dance” - The Guardian Some questions are impossible to answer and some experiences too personal to express. Choreographer Crystal Pite and actor/playwright Jonathon Young join forces to examine, with unflinching honesty, what happens to the individual in the wake of a trauma. A rare fusion of comedy For immediate release - March 1, 2017 and drama, poetry and movement, Betroffenheit has enraptured critics and audiences worldwide. After two sold-out runs, this landmark dance-theatre collaboration, co-commissioned by Canadian Stage, returns as part of a major international tour. Return Engagement | April 19 – 22, 2018 | Bluma Appel Theatre A Kidd Pivot & Electric Company Theatre Production presented by Canadian Stage ****** PICNIC IN THE CEMETERY Created by Njo Kong Kie “Touching, endearing and witty” – Three Weeks Edinburgh “(A) euphoric assault on the senses…must experience” - British Theatre Guide In this hybrid musical performance, Njo Kong Kie, long-serving music director of Montreal‟s La La La Human Steps, introduces the Macau-based Folga Gaang Project in their Toronto debut. Picnic in the Cemetery juxtaposes the macabre with the whimsical in an abstract expression of our collective journey through the passage of time. Quirky and evocative, this concert-theatre featuring original compositions for violin, cello and piano is an invitation to muse about dying, but more importantly to reflect on living. IN RESIDENCE 17.18/18.19 > Njo Kong Kie is a Toronto composer of dance, opera and theatre. His compositions have been heard in productions of such companies as Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet National de L'Opera du Rhin, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Singapore Dance Theatre and Ballet BC. His latest works include Infinity (Volcano/Tarragon) and Mr. Shi and His Lover (SummerWorks). North American premiere | April 26 – May 6, 2018 | Berkeley Street Theatre A Music Picnic & Point of View Art production in partnership with Canadian Stage About Canadian Stage: Founded in 1987, Canadian Stage is one of the country‟s leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts companies, sharing new, innovative stage work from Canada and around the world. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn and Managing Director Su Hutchinson, Canadian Stage produces and presents a new hybrid of multidisciplinary performance that pushes the boundaries of form and style, integrating theatre, dance, music, multimedia and more. Canadian Stage is dedicated to reinforcing the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international cultural dialogue, by acting as a home, incubator and exporter of leading Canadian and global performance. The company stages an annual season at three historic locations: the Bluma Appel Theatre; the Berkeley Street Theatre; and the High Park Amphitheatre, home to Shakespeare in High Park. Offering a range of education, artist training and community outreach programs, Canadian Stage is committed to cultivating tomorrow‟s artistic innovators and audiences. For more information, visit www.canadianstage.com. -Proper usage of company name: please ensure to use “Canadian Stage” when referring to company (“CanStage” and “Canadian Stage Company” refer to previous incarnations of the organization)