The Optimists Brings Desert Heat to Ottawa's Midwinter

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - Friday, January 18, 2008

Canadian playwright Morwyn Brebner, of Ottawa, is having one of her original plays produced in her hometown for the first time. The Optimists, a quirky comedy set in Las Vegas, about remaining optimistic against the odds, opens on January 31 (with previews January 29 & 30) at the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Irving Greenberg Mainstage Theatre in Ottawa. The show runs through to February 17th. The Optimists was first produced at Theatre Junction, Calgary, in February 2004, and subsequently produced by Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, in September 2005. The Optimists, directed by Charles McFarland, is Artistic Director’s Lise Ann Johnson’s third play in her Capital Letters Season, GCTC’s love letter to the National Capital Region.

Morwyn Brebner’s biography is extensive: Morwyn Brebner’s plays include Music for Contortionist, Liquor Guns Karate; Our Father & Matador Love; the musical Little Mercy’s First Murder (with composers Jay Turvey and Paul Sportelli; winner of 7 Doras including outstanding new musical); The Optimists (nominated for the 2006 Governor General’s Award); and The Pessimist. Translations include Mathilde, Strawberries in January and Love Among the Russians, an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Bear and The Proposal. She has written for television, including The Eleventh Hour, At the Hotel, Moose TV and The Jane Show, and has three projects in development with three major Canadian networks. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School and a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto.

Thrilled to have Ottawa audiences see her work, Brebner says, “I grew up seeing plays at GCTC.  The thing I remember most is the second before the play would start, that moment in the dark, waiting for the lights to come up on Sandinista!, or The Komagata Maru Incident, feeling weirdly safe but viscerally excited.  I would never have become a playwright without GCTC, and being produced here means everything to me.”

McFarland, who as director helped bring critical acclaim to GCTC with receipt of the recent Capital Critics Best Production 2007 Award for A Number, takes the director’s reins once again with The Optimists. The four-hander features Michael Mancini (as Doug), Tony Munch (as Chick), Kristina Watt (as Margie) and, in her first professional role, Colleen Sutton (as Teenie). Mancini is also GCTC’s Artist Blogger and will post entries online at http://greatcanadiantheatrecompany.blogspot.com/. Lighting is designed by Rebecca Miller while the set and costume design for the production is by Brian Smith. The Stage Manager is Kevin Waghorn and the Apprentice Stage Manager is Natalie Lobb.

The Optimists is set in a Las Vegas, a town known for soaring hopes and dashed dreams. A dramatic comedy, the show is a quirky, philosophical take on the obstacles to optimism in contemporary society. Two couples - one on the verge of getting married, the other on the verge of getting divorced - spend an evening taking stock of their lives. Director Charles McFarland sees Morwyn’s play as a Canadian interpretation of “green world” comedy: “Usually, the protagonists quit their own society and travel into the ‘other’ – the woods, the forest or perhaps the enchanted island – in order to find out about the true nature of love and how to live together in marriage. Because this is Morwyn Brebner’s uniquely Canadian voice, we get to journey to Sin City, to experience the temptations of the flesh writ large just so that we can find out how to be good to each other – Canadians in the land of opportunity and optimism learning how to leave our rational fears and inhibitions behind and dive into the unknown, taking a risk on relationships.”

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. Visit online at http://www.gctc.ca/play03.html.

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 Media Call: Wednesday, January 23, 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 a sold-out production of 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, also sold out its November 13 - December 2 run. Morwyn Brebner’s The Optimists runs January 29 - February 17. 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 The Optimists, featuring the artwork of Jennifer Gibbs. Her artwork is on display in The ‘Fritzi’ from January 29 – March 23, 2008. The Vernissage/Artist’s Reception on Thursday, January 31, 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-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 performance weeks, hours are Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon - 4 p.m.

The Local Bar 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. The restaurant is nominated for “CTV Best New Restaurant Award”.  

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 Anne Lindsay and Jason Fowler on Sunday, February 10 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
publicity@gctc.ca
www.gctc.ca