GCTC Presents the 2009/2010 Season: Viewpoints

The Great Canadian Theatre Company is pleased to present the 2009/2010 Season: Viewpoints. To celebrate 35 years of expanding horizons, Artistic Director, Lise Ann Johnson has chosen six plays that each present the world from a very different vantage point, “All of these stories are personal ones, filled with humanity and insight, each written from a unique perspective.” Johnson is excited to celebrate GCTC’s 35th Anniversary season and she is looking forward to bringing these stories to the GCTC stage and sharing them with the audience, “I’m thrilled that in our 35th season, we are combining international and Canadian perspectives. I also love the fact that we work with local artists and playwrights as much as possible; in fact, next season we will be staging the world premiere of two plays by Ottawa playwrights from different generations.”

Kicking off the season is The Syringa Tree, by Pamela Gien. Directed by Johnson herself, this one-woman show covers 24 different characters but is mainly told from the viewpoint of Elizabeth, a 6 year-old white child living in apartheid-era South Africa. The story examines the enduring love between two families — one white and one black — and the complex boundaries of race and class. This show has seen stages around the world, and has been applauded by critics, as well as celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell and Mike Nichols. The Syringa Tree runs from September 15 to October 4, 2009.

The second Viewpoint of the season is the world premiere of The Children’s Republic, by Ottawa native, Hannah Moscovitch. This is the heroic tale of Dr. Janusz Korczak, “The King of Children.” Dr. Korczak bravely chose to stay and care for the children living in his orphanage after it was forced into the Warsaw Ghetto by the Nazis. Co-commissioned and co-produced by GCTC and the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama, this story was inspired by Leon Gluzman, an associate of the OSSD and a one-time ward of Dr. Korczak’s. Throughout the development of the play, both child and adult actors have collaborated to bring it to the stage. Directed by Janet Irwin, The Children’s Republic runs from November 3 – 22, 2009. The production partner is Telus.

The new year sees the special presentation of BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera, written and performed by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow. This high-energy musical was inspired by the spike in hate crimes in Alberta during the gay marriage debate of 2005. After meeting and falling in love, Jack and Dillon suffer the effects of a brutal gay-bashing and the consuming revenge that follows. Originally conceived as a satire of the notoriously homophobic hip hop music genre, the story is told entirely through rap, spoken word and poetry. This amazing piece toured the fringe theatre circuit before being produced Off-Broadway in 2008. The music for BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera is by Aaron Macri and it is directed by Ron Jenkins. The play will run January 12 – 31, 2010.

Johnson’s next choice for the Viewpoints season is blood.claat: one oomaan story, written and performed by d’bi.young anitafrika and directed by Weyni Mengesha. Fusing theatre and dub poetry, this is the coming of age story of 15 year-old Mudgu SanKofa, as she comes to terms with the people in her life and her own emerging maturity. anitafrika’s portrayal of Mudgu is performed with wit, charisma and power and earned her two Dora Awards for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding New Play in 2006. blood.claat: one oomaan story plays March 2 – 21, 2010.

The fifth play of GCTC’s 35th Anniversary season is Facts, a co-production with New Theatre of Ottawa and written by former GCTC Artistic Director Arthur Milner. Inspired by the true story of the murder of American archeologist, Dr. Albert Glock, in the West Bank, Milner spins the tale of a Palestinian inspector and an Israeli detective. Under political pressure, the two officials come together to try to solve the mystery so they can close a case in which all sides are suspect. And the two men discover that bias will sometimes make fiction look like truth. In its world premiere, Facts will be directed by Patrick McDonald, another former Artistic Director at GCTC. The play runs April 13 – May 2, 2010.

To close the 2009/2010 season, Johnson returns to directing for the second time this season to helm the hit comedy Heroes, by Gérald Sibleyras and translated by Tom Stoppard. The English translation of the French play, Le Vent des Peupliers, tells the story of three aging veterans in 1959. Despite varying maladies, their friendship bonds while they plan their escape from the veterans’ home. Winner of the 2006 Lawrence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Heroes runs June 8 – 27, 2010.

Showtimes for GCTC performances are Tuesday to Friday at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:30p.m., and Sunday at 2:00pm

Subscriptions to the 2009-2010 season offer savings of up to 20% off single ticket prices. Early bird prices are available until July 2. The box office can be reached at 613-236-5196. Box office hours during non-performance weeks are Monday to Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm; Saturday, 10:00am – 4:00pm; and Sunday, 12:00pm – 4:00pm. For performance weeks, hours are Monday to Saturday, 10:00am – 7:00pm; and Sunday, 12:00pm – 4:00pm. 

For further information, visit www.gctc.ca.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Kevin Falkingham
Marketing & Communications Manager
Great Canadian Theatre Company
T: 613-236-5192 ext 229
E-mail: publicity@gctc.ca