Director’s Series 2005 launches this week
This week, McMaster's School of the Arts opens Directors' Series 2005, a festival of unique shows directed by theatre and film students in their final year of study.
Fourteen productions will be presented this year, and will involve the collaboration of more than 100 students in a series featuring powerful works by some of Canada's finest playwrights along with four international plays. Students earn academic credit for their work on the shows.
Admission to all performances is free. Donations are welcome.
Shows will be presented in the Robinson Memorial Theatre, Chester New Hall Building, Rm. 103.
Week one
Unheard Tales, created and directed by theatre & film student Jadranko Jerkovic. This unique multimedia performance portrays three stories of life during a period of civil war. The scenarios, performed with a backdrop of film footage, evoke the powerful emotions of humanity during periods of siege and suffering in a poetic style of performance.
Dates: Jan. 27: 12:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and Jan. 28: 9 p.m.
Bittergirl, by Annabel Griffiths, Alison Lawrence, and Mary Francis Moore, directed by Lyndsy Kelly. Breaking up has never been this hilarious as three women run the gamut from shock to anger to relief and vengeance. Laugh your way to the final moments of the Bittergirl Manifesto. Received rave reviews at Toronto's Second City.
Dates: Jan. 27: 9 p.m.; Jan. 28: 12:30 and 7 p.m.
Week two
Perfect Pie, by Judith Thompson, directed by Emily Sullivan. Written by Canada's Governor General award-winning playwright, this play explores the friendship shared between two childhood friends whose lives were ruptured but whose bonds of friendship hold over a lifetime. The two women appear as children and adults to re-construct the moments which affected their lives forever.
Dates: Feb. 3: 12:30 p.m.; Feb. 4: 7 p.m.; Feb. 5: 9 p.m.
Writing with our Feet by Dave Carley, directed by Shauna Dewar. This beautifully written piece tells the story of Jean-Francois who is an agoraphobic who finds sanctuary in his garage. Haunted by the memory of his dead sister, JF learns to overcome his fears and takes a leap of faith as he struggles to re-enter the world of the living.
Dates: Feb. 3: 7 p.m.; Feb. 4: 9 p.m.; Feb. 5: 12:30 p.m.
Neck Breaking Car Hop by Stewart Lemoine, directed by John Popham. This absurdist comedy shows a day in the life of a dysfunctional family. Littered with unexpected occurrences, the play creates some hilarious situations as car-hop Sandy guides the family along the path of self-destruction and provides the audience with a comedic view of the progressive deterioration of a once normal' family. Outrageous.
Dates: Feb. 3, 9 p.m. Feb. 4, 12:30 p.m., Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
Week three
Female Parts: Waking up, A Woman Alone by Franca Rame & Dario Fo, directed by Mirjana Dzolganovski. Nobel prize-winning playwright Fo is revered as one of the finest and funniest playwrights ever. With his wife, the renowned actress Franca Rame, they create stories of every woman's struggle in her work life and home life. One woman's break from captivity illuminates the absent female voice on stage, recounting the rejection of women's transparency in a phallocratic society.
Dates: Feb. 10: 12:30 p.m., Feb. 11: 7 p.m; Feb. 12: 9 p.m.
Riches by Lee Blessing, directed by Marisa Cavataio. American playwright Blessing has received numerous awards for his sharp, realistic dialogue. A searing, bitingly comic, shattering dissection of a marriage wracked by tensions, Riches depicts and explores the apparently solid marriage of the Roses, with a comic pen. A beautiful duet on stage.
Dates: Feb. 10, 9 p.m., Feb. 11: 12:30 p.m., Feb. 12: 7 p.m.
The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine by Robert Morgan, Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak, directed by Paul Frank. Ernest and Ernestine are the proud embodiment of the perfect couple until their rage and hostility begins to surface and express itself at hilariously inopportune moments. From one outrageously funny scene to the next, they descend from bliss into anger. With the poignancy of clowns, the two sing and battle their way into our hearts sure to resonate with, and delight, couples and singles alike.
Dates: Feb. 10: 7 p.m.; Feb. 11: 9 p.m.; Feb. 12: 12:30 p.m.
Week four
Mounting Sex in the Afternoon Zone by Caroline Russell-King, directed by Valerie Hewitt. Laughter and mayhem abound as a playwright changes his script from a British farce, to a [Canadian] comedy, to a musical, to a Science-Fiction-musical-comedy, in the last two weeks of rehearsal. The leading man is caught between his wife, who is playing the mistress, and vice versa. Wacky and wonderfully [melo]dramatic.
Dates: Feb. 17: 12:30 p.m.; Feb. 18: 7 p.m; Feb. 19: 9 p.m.
Heaven and Earth by Ryon Lee, directed by Tzehao (Kel) Wong. McMaster University is pleased to present the first production of this play outside of Malaysia where it was highly acclaimed. While the physical staging involves martial arts, the language of the play is universal with text in Cantonese and Mandarin and an English interpretation. The play creates parallel stories of the relationship between mother and son: the first is the story of the Lotus Lantern', fondly known as one of the most popular of Chinese folklore, and the other is a contemporary story of a son who treats his mother badly. The play deals with family relationships and codes of honour that speak to all cultures.
Dates: Feb. 17: 7 p.m.; Feb. 18: 9 p.m.; Feb. 19: 12:30 p.m.
The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard directed by Jaclyn Scobie. As one of the best British playwrights, Stoppard is known for his brilliance with language. In this early play, the playwright explores the Murder mystery genre. With an eye to parody, two critics become the focus as the on-stage shenanigans are filtered through the characters of Moon and Birdboot. The Hound has been a popular hit for decades.
Dates: Feb. 17: 9 p.m.; Feb. 18: 12:30 p.m.; Feb. 19: 7 p.m.
Week five
PACT by David Ferber, directed by Randi Gordner. David Ferber is one of Canada's hottest young writers with broadcasts on CBC Radio by the age of 20. In this provocative ensemble piece, Pact, Ferber looks at teenage suicide with a darkly hilarious, disturbing and ultimately hopeful effect. Painfully truthful, PACT dares to expose teenage angst and all its terrifying, frustrating and awkward moments. The play becomes a powerful insight into young minds and relationships.
Dates: March 10: 12:30; March 11: 7 p.m.; March 12: 9 p.m.
CUT! by Lyle Victor Albert directed by Margaret Hancock. Beginning with the idea that characters have escaped their plays, CUT! becomes a romp through various genres from Ancient Greek epics to the absurd and modern musicals. You will find your favorite characters coming together onstage in this entertaining comedy.
Dates: March 10: 9 p.m.; March 11: 12:30; March 12: 7 p.m.
Trifles by Susan Glaspell directed by Daniella Girgenti. This play delves into a real-life crime covered by Glaspell as a reporter almost a century ago. The mysterious murder of a husband by his wife reveals a disturbing motive which exposes the challenges faced by women overpowered by patriarchal society. Examining the journey two women make together, the play ends with a moment of female solidarity, causing audience members to make a personal decision in regard to their ethical boundaries.
Dates: March 10: 7 p.m., March 11: 9 p.m., March 12: 12:30 p.m.
