ZADIE'S SHOES AT GCTC

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Wednesday, October 15, 2008

GCTC Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson directs Zadie’s Shoes, previewing October 21 and 22, officially opening on October 23 and closing on November 9, at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre. “I selected Adam Pettle’s witty drama Zadie’s Shoes,” Johnson says, “to represent the second stage of our “Stages” season because the characters comically struggle with all of life’s ups and downs – love, family, health, work and faith. The play examines many different constellations of relationships – friend to friend; sister to sister; boyfriend to girlfriend, father to son. Each character struggles to find and define him/herself in the face of their family legacy, and the play beautifully captures the inherent difficulties of moving into full adulthood.” Zadie’s Shoes, sponsored by production partner TELUS, runs weekdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the GCTC Box Office at (613) 236-5196, or in person at 1233 Wellington Street West, at Holland Avenue.

Adam Pettle is pleased to see his play produced at the Great Canadian Theatre Company and to have it directed by Lise Ann Johnson: “I am so excited that this play, my baby, is being done at GCTC and directed by the very big-brained Lise-Ann Johnson, who taught me at the National Theatre School. The cast is dreamy and the new theatre is gorgeous. What else could a playwright want?” His first play, Therac 25, premiered in Toronto and was nominated for Best New Play at the Toronto theatre awards.  His second play, Zadie’s Shoes, premiered at the Factory Theatre, Toronto in 2000 before transferring to the Winter Garden Theatre by Mirvish Productions, where it enjoyed a nearly sold-out run.  Productions of Zadie’s Shoes have played across Canada and Europe.  Pettle’s play Sunday Father premiered in Toronto and was recently produced at Hampstead Theatre, a co-commission between Canadian Stage Company and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.  Additional productions have taken place in Montreal and Winnipeg.  Adam’s other projects have included Misha for Theatre Direct, Toronto and an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Tragic Role for Soulpepper Theatre.  Adam’s television pilot, Clean, is currently in pre-production with Showcase Television with Producers Ilana Frank and Bill House.  He is also a co-creator/writer on Afghanada, a CBC radio drama series. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Adam has been a member of the Tarragon Theatre’s Playwright’s Unit and the Factory Theatre’s Playwrights’ Lab.  He is currently Playwright-in-Residence at the Canadian Stage Company.

Zadie’s Shoes is set partly at the racetrack and is structured like a horserace where all of the characters are in a race to beat something – the odds, the clock, a disease, the other team, a sibling, their inheritance, an addiction.  “Ironically,” Johnson reveals, “The play suggests that you only win by getting out of the race - by stopping, by taking an honest look at yourself, and by making a human connection. The play reminds us that Lady Luck is fickle, and that faith (in something) is the path to personal salvation.” 

The set and costumes of Zadie’s Shoes are designed by Brian Smith, and the lighting design is by Jock Munro. The original music and sound design of the show is by Cathy Nosaty. Stage management is by Kevin Waghorn, with apprentice stage management by Adrienne McGrath. Johnson has recruited a strong cast with Ottawa connections to star in Zadie’s Shoes, a drama that reaches across generational lines and poses questions regarding family, responsibility, faith, legacy and luck. Starring is Peter Froehlich as “Eli/Jacob,” Anthousa Harris as “Lily,” Kris Joseph as “Sean,” Sarah McVie as “Ruth,” Dylan Roberts as “Bear,” Amy Rutherford as “Beth” and Aaron Willis as  “Benjamin”. Benjamin is a compulsive gambler who’s just lost the money for his girlfriend’s trip to an “alternative” cancer clinic in Mexico. With only 72 hours to win it back, a desperate Benjamin finds himself at synagogue, praying for a miracle… or a winner. In the fast-paced, madcap worlds of horseracing, addictions and championship curling, Zadie’s Shoes provides a dramatic and comedic look at the nature of luck and the power of faith.

Lise Ann Johnson’s programming includes an art gallery exhibition, inspired by the play itself. The artwork of Andrew Hind, with a special installation by textile artist Louise Hayden, is curated by Don Monet of CUBE Gallery. Andrew Hind received his B.A. Honours Arts and Culture from Carleton University here in Ottawa in 2006. His urbane and evocative photographs explore the detritus of human space that defines our modern landscape. Andrew says about this show, “A common thread that links many of us together is our failed attempts to learn from the past.  I am trying to visualize a link that unifies each protagonist’s past, present and future with “our” non-fictional selves.  Watching these images literally decay in from of me, I saw my past, the many paths I’ve walked down time and time again, disregarding any lessons I could have learnt.  My forest became Benjamin’s forest and together we searched for someone to help us find the way out.”  The exhibition opens with a reception, open to everyone, on Thursday, October 23, 6 - 7 p.m., in the Lorraine "Fritzi" Yale Gallery in the Upper Lobby of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre. The exhibition is free to the public and closes on November 20.

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Media Call:
Thursday, October 16, 2:30 p.m., Irving Greenberg Theatre, 1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland). Please confirm attendance and any requests for interviews of company members.

Media Contact(s):

Laurie Murphy
Great Canadian Theatre Company
cell: (613) 816-0660

Jessica Rashotte
Marketing Coordinator
Great Canadian Theatre Company
publicity@gctc.ca
(613) 236-5192 x229