POLITICAL COMEDY CONCLUDES GCTC'S CAPITAL LETTERS 08-09 SEASON
OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Friday, May 16, 2008
GCTC’s final play in its Capital Letters 07-08 season, sponsored by TELUS, is Plan B, Michael Healey’s political comedy. Set in Hull, Québec, the play addresses the complexities of intimate relationships between people and it uses the tenuous relationship between Québec and English Canada in the mid-1990s to explore this topic. The set design literally incorporates the language of this 3-act, 2 ½ hour+ long bilingual play with English and French translations presented as sur tiles that run along the back wall of the set. Plan B runs May 27 to June 15, 2008. Previews are on Tuesday, May 27 and Wednesday, May 28, with the official opening on Thursday, May 29. The production partner of Plan B is Pure Advice. (http://www.gctc.ca/play05.html).
Asked how he feels about having his play produced at GCTC in the capital city at this time, playwright Michael Healey says, "I've always felt that this play, because of its national themes and the questions it raises about what qualities we value in our leaders, is an Ottawa play that was raised by foster parents in Toronto. I'm thrilled to see it produced in its de facto home." Plan B premiered at Tarragon Theatre with Shaw Festival in 2002. Johnson’s interest in including this play in her 07-08 season, and in directing it, comes from her personal connection to the debate of Quebec’s place within Canadian confederation.
In 1963, Rene Levesque wrote, “If two partners can’t learn to sleep together, then they must certainly get separate beds.” Johnson says, “In similar fashion, Plan B conflates the personal and the political relationships of our schizophrenic country. Has Michael Healey written a contemporary political satire about the centuries-long, arranged marriage between English Canada and Québec? Or has he used the metaphor of Canadian politics to write a play about the obstacles to true intimacy? The twin metaphors can’t and shouldn’t be separated, because the lessons are the same. A true partnership is not possible in the absence of equality, trust, and self-sacrifice. And without a strong sense of identity, principles and belief, you aren’t a worthy partner. These precepts apply equally to personal and political relationships.”
Johnson has engaged veteran talent for GCTC’s Plan B, and directs four highly-acclaimed professional actors: Todd Duckworth as the Federal Finance Minister; Annick Léger as the Québec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister; Paul Rainville as the Premier of Québec; and, John Koensgen as a Senator from Saskatchewan. “It’s been a great privilege to work with some of Ottawa’s best actors on a play that reflects our city back to us from across the river,” she says. Her design team hails from Ottawa, Montréal and Toronto: Set and Costume Designer Camellia Koo; Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay; Sound Designer Steve Marsh; Stage Manager Kate Macdonnell; and, Assistant Stage Manager Natalie Gisele.
The play takes place in two hotel settings, a bedroom and a boardroom - a private space and a public space and also both of these spaces simultaneously. The set design fills the 30’ x 40’ mainstage venue of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre. Compared to many theatres in Toronto that have architectural limitations, such as balconies and poles, or are oddly-shaped, set and costume designer Koo says working in GCTC’s space is a luxury: “The mainstage space is nicely proportioned and is unobstructed. With this flexibility, you can do so much.”
Because this play contains strong language and mature themes, it is recommended that persons attending the shows should be 16 years of age and older. 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.
- 30 -
Media Call: Thursday, May 22, 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. The fourth show in the season saw 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 Plan B, featuring the artwork of Clare Brennan and Reid McLauchlan. Their artwork is on display in The ‘Fritzi’ from May 27 – June 27, 2008. The Vernissage/Artist’s Reception on Thursday, May 29, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 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 final concert in this series features NdidiOnukwulu, on Sunday, June 8th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Media Contact:
Laurie Murphy
Marketing & Communications Director
Great Canadian Theatre Company - Administration
300 – 1227 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, ON K1Y 0G7
(613) 236-5192 ext. 229
