FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -‐ OTTAWA, ONTARIO – February 1, 2012
The Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) will showcase six inventive shows produced by independent theatre companies from across the country. The provocative and entertaining line up of ground-breaking local plays and some of the hottest independent touring shows were assembled by GCTC’s Artistic Associate and Festival Producer Patrick Gauthier for GCTC’s second annual undercurrents : theatre below the mainstream. The Festival runs from February 7 – 19, 2012 in the Studio Theatre in the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre.
3 of 6 new works home grown in Ottawa
Live from the Belly of the Whale kicks off the Festival. Created and performed by Nicolas Di Gaetano and Emily Pearlman , directed by Patrick Gauthier, it tells the story of two siblings – a brother and a sister – who turn the family armoire into a secret world. Stories and songs become relics of a forgotten past and an imagined present; this tale evokes the memories found in blanket forts and secret childhood rituals. A Mi Casa Theatre (Ottawa, ON) production. Winner - Outstanding Overall Production and Outstanding Concept - 2011 Ottawa Fringe Festival.
Blue Box from Nightswimming (Toronto, ON) follows. Written and performed by Carmen Aguirre, it’s a story of romance, terror and abandon that takes you from the dangerous mountain passes of Chile to the perilous roller coaster of Hollywood; from an ardent love affair with a TV star, to a passionate love for a revolution. Performed by the fierce and funny Carmen Aguirre. Directed by Brian Quirt. (Photo: Itai Erdal)
Note: Carmen Aguirre’s book, Something Fierce is a finalist in CBC’s Canada Reads – Non Fiction. The winner will be announced by the CBC during Ms Aguirre’s run at GCTC .
And Then It Happens – Four very different people set out to find true human to human connections through art. Guy is in Paris, Laura is pining for beauty, Sarah can’t show vulnerability and Kiersten is addicted to her smart phone game Angry Birds ™.
The material for the play was collected by the company at the 2011 undercurrents Festival and Wakefest in the form of live interactions with audiences called THE LAB. The resulting play – And Then It Happens - is a theatrical pot-luck to which all are invited. Created and performed by Sarah Conn, Kiersten Hanly, Laura Astwood , Guy Marsan. Directed by Sarah Conn. A Two Little Birds (Ottawa, ON) production.
What if your childhood toy could talk? Falling Open is an unusual show about sexual abuse performed by a living doll in the intimate setting of a bedroom. Part oracle and part storyteller, Doll invites the characters of abuser and abused into her body to find out what happens when they each tell their side of the story. Written and performed by Luna Allison. Co-created by Luna Allison, Lib Spry. Directed by Lib Spry. Emergence Productions (Ottawa, ON).
Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show tells the story of people living at the front lines of the Athabasca oils sands in Fort McMurray. Steve is an Edmonton-born reclamation scientist who rents out a room to Chad, a Newfoundland trucker. In a grocery store, the two meet Mary, who works as a tour guide at the sands, but wants to study dance in Toronto. In this Architect Theatre (Toronto, ON) production, impersonation, improvisations and fiction reveal life at the northern tip of Highway 63. Created by this company of artists with Layne Coleman. Directed by Charlotte Corbeil Coleman.
“…I have seen the future and it is a LOL funny freak show.”
Vancouver Sun
Traveling from Vancouver, BC is WeeTube 5400. The world’s most notorious YouTube videos are the backdrop for this performance. Using each YouTube video’s publicly posted comments and placing them in familiar dramatic settings, they created an engaging, revealing and disturbing dialogue that will make you question your species and LOL. Created and performed by Maiko Bae Yamamoto and James Long. A Theatre Replacement Vancouver, BC) production.
Note: The creators of 2009’s smash hit BIOBOX and Sexual Practices of the Japanese.
GCTC provides mentorship and professional development
GCTC Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson created the festival in 2011 to give independent theatre companies and emerging artists in Canada an opportunity to develop and present their work. Johnson emphasises that “GCTC is committed to promoting Ottawa and national artists not only by presenting their work in our intimate Studio Theatre but also by providing mentorship and professional development in play creation, media relations, dramaturgy and touring.” For example, two years ago, Mi Casa Theatre was invited to be GCTC’s company in residence. Live from the Belly of the Whale was developed in 2011. It was produced as a workshop production at the 2011 Fringe Festival where it won two awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Concept. After fine tuning it this fall, Live from the Belly of Whale premieres at GCTC’s undercurrents.
In addition, undercurrents helps artists create and develop their works. Last year, Three Little Birds created an interactive installation called THE LAB in the theatre’s lobby that resulted in the premiere of And Then It Happens at undercurrents 2012. This year, A Company of Fools will create a performance piece that explores the notion that Shakespeare is still relevant to modern life. Throughout the undercurrents Festival, they will engage audiences in the theatre’s lobby to explore and shape their piece entitled – Romeo and Juliet and You and Everyone.
The Fritzi Gallery located on the second floor of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre (GCTC) offers the public a unique dialogue between two artistic disciplines – theatre and fine art. The work you see on the gallery walls reflects the artist’s impressions and emotional response to a script.
Beginning February 7, the Fritzi Gallery will exhibit paintings by six local artists. Each of the artist’s works was inspired by an undercurrents production:
Beth Levin - And Then It Happens
Peter Monet - WeeTube 5400
Reid McLachlan - Live From the Belly of A Whale
Karina Kraenzle - Blue Box
Mahshid Farhoudi - Falling Open
Marc-André Brzustowski - Highway 63 - The Fort Mac Show
The vernissage will be on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 6:30-9 p.m.
GCTC’s undercurrents: theatre below the mainstream
Show times: Productions run approximately one hour and are presented five times throughout the 10 day festival. Weekday performances - 7:00 and 9:00 PM. Saturday/Sunday - 2:00, 4:00, 7:00 and 9:00
http://www.gctc.ca/plays/undercurrents-0
Tickets: $15.00 for single tickets, $40 for 3-show Flexpass, $60 for 6-show Flexpass
GCTC Box Office - 613-236-5196 - 1233 Wellington Street West, at Holland Avenue
GCTC is celebrating its 37th Anniversary Season in 2011 – 2012.
“To foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of Canadian life
and our place in the world."
GCTC is committed to the production of new Canadian work and artist development. We continue to commission and workshop new plays by emerging and established playwrights. We mentor emerging companies and artists through our undercurrents festival, master classes, and internships.
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Electronic Media Kit available upon request
Media Contact: Sheilagh D’Arcy McGee, GCTC Media Relations
