Canada's Lost Guitar Genius Surfaces at Last at GCTC

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Friday, March 14, 2008

Celebrated Ottawa playwright and performer Pierre Brault is about to premiere his newest solo play at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre produced by the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Sleeping Dog Theatre.  Directed by Brian Quirt, 5 O’Clock Bells, which dives into the life and death of legendary Canadian jazz guitarist Lenny Breau, opens on April 3 (with previews on April 1 & 2) and closes on April 20.  With the production co-partnership of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance and Binks Insurance, this is the fourth play in Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson’s Capital Letters Season, GCTC’s love letter to the National Capital Region, and marks the world premiere of Pierre Brault’s third major solo work for the stage. The creative team also includes Martin Conboy as Lighting Designer, Brian Smith as Set & Costume Designer, and Paul Bourdeau, a local musician and author/teacher regarding the Lenny Breau guitar style, as Studio Guitarist & Musical Consultant. The Stage Manager and Producer for Sleeping Dog Theatre is Judi Pearl. (http://www.gctc.ca/play04.html and http://www.sleepingdog.ca/sdt08/bells.html).

GCTC Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson programmed 5 O'Clock Bells because she believes in Pierre Brault, as an artist. “When Pierre told me the story of Lenny Breau,” says Johnson, “I immediately offered him a commission to write the play. Lenny Breau was a brilliant guitar innovator whose life was entwined with four decades of Canadian and American musical history. In his tragically brief time, he revolutionized the whole approach to the guitar and today his influence is still keenly felt, stretching from country to rock to flamenco and especially jazz. Lenny was found dead in a Los Angeles pool in 1984 and his murder remains unsolved.” (http://www.sleepingdog.ca/sdt08/bells_video.html).

Says playwright and performer Pierre Brault, "I am so delighted that 5 O'Clock Bells can receive its premiere at GCTC, in this, the inaugural season of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre. Over the years this company has nurtured me and allowed me to move my art forward, and with this partnership it has proven both to myself and other theatre professionals that we have indeed reached a theatre renaissance in Ottawa, so much of it thanks to GCTC.”

Multi-award-winning Pierre Brault is best known for writing and performing his two previous solo plays, Portrait of an Unidentified Man, which premiered in 2005 at the National Arts Centre (NAC/Sleeping Dog Theatre co-production) and began touring nationally in 2006 (with international dates in 2009), and Blood on the Moon. Pierre was most recently seen on stage in Macbeth (NAC/Citadel), The Man from the Capital (GCTC), A Night in November (7:30 Productions), Doctor Faustus (Third Wall Theatre), and The Barber of Seville (Opera Lyra Ottawa).Previous acting credits at GCTC include Stones in his Pockets, No Great Mischief, An Acre of Time and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. He has appeared in numerous films and has also worked extensively as a comedian. Pierre was Playwright-in-Residence at GCTC for the 2006-07 Season and was the inaugural recipient of the Capital Critics’ Circle Audrey Ashley Award in 2005 for his body of work and contribution to the Ottawa theatre scene.  

5 O’Clock Bells (also the name of the title song on Breau’s first solo album) was commissioned by the Great Canadian Theatre Company in 2006 and co-developed by GCTC and Sleeping Dog Theatre. This play was developed with the assistance of the 2007 Banff Playwrights Colony — a partnership between the Canada Council for the Arts, The Banff Centre, and Alberta Theatre Projects.

To purchase tickets, call the GCTC Box Office at (613) 236-5196 or buy in person at 1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland Avenue), Ottawa.

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Media Call: Thursday, March 27, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Call (613) 236-5192 ext 229 to confirm attendance or to arrange interviews.

BACKGROUNDER – GCTC AND IRVING GREENBERG THEATRE CENTRE:

Capital Letters 2007-08 Season, sponsored by TELUS http://www.gctc.ca - Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson’s second GCTC season features Ottawa theatre professionals: In 2007, Jennifer Brewin directed The Man from the Capital, October 9 – 28. GCTC’s second show, The Real McCoy, a joint production with Factory Theatre, written and directed by Andrew Moodie, ran November 13 - December 2. Morwyn Brebner’s The Optimists ran January 29 - February 17 to. The fourth show in the season sees playwright and actor Pierre Brault starring in the premiere of his work, 5 O’Clock Bells, co-produced with Sleeping Dog Theatre, April 1 – 20. GCTC’s final play in its 2007-08 Season is Plan B, directed by Lise Ann Johnson, May 27 - June 15.

The Lorraine ‘Fritzi’ Yale Gallery http://www.gctc.ca/facility/gallery.html - Each play in the season will feature an exhibition of original artwork by Ottawa artists. Don Monet of CUBE Gallery has curated an exhibition inspired by 5 O’Clock Bells, featuring the artwork of Jean Jewer and Claudio Salguero. Their artwork is on display in The ‘Fritzi’ from April 1 – May 26, 2008. The Vernissage/Artist’s Reception on Thursday, April 3, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. is open to the public.

Box Office http://www.gctc.ca/boxoffice/ - The Box Office is open during non-GCTC performance weeks: Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 noon – 4 p.m. During GCTC performance weeks, hours are Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon - 4 p.m.

The Local Bar Café by Thyme & Again Encore http://www.gctc.ca/facility/catering.html - The lobby café and wine bar at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre is open Tuesday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lunch and dinner are offered weekdays, and brunch and dinner are offered weekends.

Acoustic Waves http://www.gctc.ca/AcousticWaves.html - The Ottawa Folk Festival in association with GCTC presents an Acoustic Waves’ concert on the second Sunday of each of the mainstage show’s run. These concerts highlight both the celebrated and the rising stars of the Canadian music scene. The third concert in this series features Ron Sexsmith, on Sunday, April 13 and Monday, April 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36.

Media Contacts:

Laurie Murphy
Marketing & Communications Director
Great Canadian Theatre Company - Administration
300 – 1227 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, ON K1Y 0G7
613 236 5192 ext. 229
publicity@gctc.ca
www.gctc.ca

Judi Pearl, Producer
Sleeping Dog Theatre
80 Evelyn Avenue, Ottawa, ON  K1S 0C7
613-565-1689
judi@sleepingdog.ca
www.sleepingdog.ca