Shaw Fall Magazine 2022

Right Pin Rail, Royal George Theatre. Photo by Mark Callan.

UNDERSTUDIES TAKE STAGE

BY TRAVIS SEETOO & JONATHAN TAN

The Understudy is an established part of theatre, called upon when illness or injury makes it impossible for an actor to go on. In the age of COVID, the need for Understudies has increased to an unprecedented level which is why we thought it would make an interesting topic for Travis Seetoo and Jonathan Tan at a recent Governors Council event. Below are some edited snippets of their presentation.

Travis Seetoo and Jonathan Tan are 2 of 11 Embedded Artists at the Shaw Festival. In 2022, Travis appears Too True to Be Good. Jonathan is as well as Shawground and A Year With Frog and Toad in Concert.

Jonathan Tan

Travis Seetoo in Too True to Be Good

THE UNDERSTUDY EXPERIENCE

T: Jon, why don't you tell us about your most fun understudying?

Oh, wait, I’ve got one. It was for Flush last year. It was a beautiful day. I'm riding my bike. I didn't have my phone on me because my shorts are too small to have pockets. I pulled up at the Festival for my regular COVID testing, when Annie McWhinnie, from Stage Management, stopped me and said, “You’re in for Flush. Jon’s sick.”

That was the first invited audience for Flush and I had never seen it! I’d gone to every rehearsal I could but, with my schedule, this amounted to about 30 minutes. But Flush was such a beautiful show. I really enjoyed doing it.

J: Yeah, that was an unusual occurrence. In a normal situation, we start with an Understudy Line Run, just with the Understudies for the play, where you get a chance to speak the lines. Then an Understudy Blocking Rehearsal, again with just the Understudies, where Stage Management will show everyone where to stand and what business needs to be done. In something like a classic drawing room play, if you get the blocking wrong, it's probably fine. But, if you get the blocking wrong in a musical, it’s a different story.

T: Literally swords can fall from the sky.

J: And sometimes we have giant sets that…

T: Could kill you. Yeah.

J: After the blocking rehearsal, we have what we call Understudy Runs A and B. We have two full runs of the play where it's an interesting mixed configuration, with half original cast and half Understudies. But Travis didn't have the benefit of any of those rehearsals before being called in for Flush. Technically, Travis could have said no you can't really call an actor before having those rehearsals, but sometimes emergencies happen…

T: Yeah, it was fine. I like that kind of stuff. But no one here turns their nose up at understudying. It's not a seniority thing because everyone does it.

J: Understudying is also a great opportunity for younger company members to flex their muscles and tackle roles that they wouldn't

normally be cast in. I know it was a great learning opportunity for me when I started.

T: Yeah, when I started here, I was constantly understudying and huge parts too. Getting my mouth around that dialogue and watching the other actors was a great learning opportunity, for sure.

J: I'm still learning things covering parts now, like Jeff’s [Irving] brash but loveable Christian in Cyrano and Neil’s [Barclay] wickedly wordy Tallboys in Too True to Be Good two friends and colleagues I admire so much and two parts I might not have ordinarily played.

UNDERSTUDIES VS SWINGS

T: A Swing does not normally perform in the musical but knows a lot of the ensemble tracks so that they can slot in when needed. I think we have two Swings per gender this year for Damn Yankees, when normally we only have one male and one female Swing for the musicals.

J: I've only covered a musical being outside of the musical once and that was Ragtime, where I covered two ensemble tracks and just two broke my brain. The Swings for Damn Yankees are doing eight or more tracks. I don't know how they do it. They're geniuses.

T: The rule is, if you are a Swing in a musical, you can do nine tracks, but none of the tracks can have major pieces of dialogue. We also have now in plays what we call Walking Covers essentially a Swing for a play which means you agree to cover multiple tracks. Generally, it’s a negotiation and an actor can be contracted for as many as they want.

J: I find it infinitely harder to cover musicals than plays. You can always work on the lines when you're out on beautiful walks through The Commons, but blocking is relative to other people on stage, so to review that stuff by yourself is tricky. I have the greatest admiration for Swings because those tracks can be the hardest, with big musical numbers.

The Ensemble in Damn Yankees

So much has happened since Travis and I did this presentation. By now (early September), almost every single company member has gone on for someone at some point in the season either in their assigned understudy role, or as an emergency on-book cover because both actor and understudy were out at the same time.

This actually happened with Travis and me: we had I guess you could say overlapping Omicron, so James Daly, having no official duties in Too True (and having only seen the show once) ended up jumping in to play Meek with binder in hand. James later went on to cover Graeme [Kitagawa] as Snail in Frog and Toad, and, after I’d recovered, I also went on for Mike [Nadajewski] as Toad just a small slice of this season’s musical chairs.

While we’re up there taking the credit for saving the day, there are so many unsung heroes of theatre-in-the-age-of-COVID. Our unflappable and incredibly talented wardrobe and wigs teams have been busier than ever, responding in the moment to clothe and wig us when illness and injury occur sometimes with only minutes’ notice. When I went on as Toad, I wanted to do so in my civvies to show that I wasn’t actually the understudy (and so of course did not have an assigned costume). But the wonderful Janet Ellis (Associate Head of Wardrobe) still pulled a handful of costume options on short notice, and when I arrived at the theatre, one of them was so spot-on that I ended up wearing it after all, and went on to do a few performances in it.

The entire company from stage management to front-of-house and everyone in between have been absolute heroes through all our ups and downs.

What’s been most rewarding is hearing from audiences how, from out front, all seems surprisingly “back to normal” a feat made possible only because of how the entire company has come together with seemingly-infinite patience and support for each other (and sometimes nerves of steel) to simply make it all work

THE ‘DOMINO EFFECT’

T: Sometimes, when an Understudy goes on, that triggers other Understudies, like dominos. There's a pretty decent tumble down in our show, Too True. If Neil [Barclay] goes out, Jon goes on for Neil, I go on for Jon and Taurian Teelucksingh comes over from Damn Yankees to fill in for me.

J: Taurian gets pulled out of the musical, and a Swing the talented Adam Sergison takes his place.

T: That’s understudying in the age of COVID it’s kind of like regular understudying, except you are definitely going on, because someone will get sick! Like what happened this year in Cyrano de Bergerac when Kate Hennig had to go on for Kyle Blair…

J: Yes, that was a real medical emergency.

T: Kyle never goes out generally true but something did happen, and Kate went on. She wrote the play, so she knew it, and she was fabulous.

J: Then they got [Kristopher] Bowman to go out the next day on book. He was understudying two other roles in Cyrano (not Kyle's), but I heard he was already off-book by the second day!

T: Whoa. Yeah, he is very quick talk about a guy who's made his bones doing understudying at the Festival. In his first two seasons, he covered every lead in every show there was to cover.

J: And with his background in improv...

T: He can improvise.

J: You'll never know whether he got a line right or wrong he will just convince you.

T: You know, he's someone you can rely on. And I think that's something we all strive to be someone everyone can rely on in these situations.

Embedded Artist Program Supported by

Roe Green

Tim & Frances Price Risk Fund Andy Pringle Creative Reserve

Graeme Kitagawa in A Year With Frog and Toad in Concert

2 Construction on the Festival Theatre

1 Program cover from the first season

2 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with Calvin Rand in the balcony of the Festival Theatre in 1973 (the box that would thereafter be known as “The Queen's Box”)

THE FIRST 60 YEARS: SNAPSHOTS OF SHAW HISTORY THROUGH OUR THEATRES

BEGINNING IN THE COURT HOUSE

Would the town council agree to the Court House being used as a temporary theatre? Well, yes, at least for 1962, but with no prom ises for future seasons (if there were any). Rarely, however, have actors, directors and designers (not to mention audiences) had to cope with such an inadequate performance space. The theatre was to be located in the Assembly Room which was approached in 1962 through the main entrance to the building on Queen Street. On the right as the audience entered was the Lord Mayor’s office;’ on the left was the town jail, used, as Calvin Rand [co-founder of the Festival] recalls “for drunks and other disturbers of the peace.” The Assembly Room itself had a flat floor, with a small platform stage, and the only wing space was a small room on either side, formerly used as judges’ chambers Rudimentary lighting was installed for the first season, blackouts were fixed to the windows, and stacking chairs were borrowed for seats. The kitchen and part of the lobby were used as dressing rooms, separated from the audience at intermission only by a curtain.

OPENING THE FESTIVAL THEATRE

Fourteen months after the sod turning, on June 12, 1973, the opening day of the theatre, new sod was still being laid. But the 800 guests who snacked on liver paté, crabmeat canapés, stuffed mushroom caps, breaded shrimps, Swedish meatballs, and breaded drumsticks washed down by local champagne were oblivious to the last-minute hustle and bustle outside and inside the theatre.

The opening play was Shaw’s You Never Can Tell, but the star and the centre of attention was the theatre, not the play. Among the acco lades was Clive Barnes’s description of it in The New York Times as “the loveliest in North America,” but the most eloquent tribute to what [architect] Ron Thom had achieved came from the Toronto Star:

Beautifully proportioned and superbly detailed, the new Festival Theatre gives its lucky audiences room to admire, room to wander and, most important, room to think. It is an environment which leaves a dimension for the intellect, for words, ideas and reflections.

Many famous people came to the Shaw Festival in the inaugural season of the Festival Theatre. Ontario Premier William Davis of ficially opened the theatre on June 12; Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau escorted Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 20; and Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a special performance of You Never Can Tell on June 28.

All text courtesy of L.W. Conolly from his book, The Shaw Festival: The First Fifty Years. Oxford University Press, 2011.

ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE

The theatre was eventually put on the open market, when the Festival (as the asking price dropped) again became interested. By April 1980 an agreement had been reached, one that cost the Festival about $185,000, including $12,000 for essential safety-related renovations.

Renovations had to wait, but they occurred at regular intervals during the 1980s, as funds were raised. New seats were in stalled in 1982 … renovations for improved seating and for the reinstatement of the theatre balcony and structural repairs, [were] all ready for the 1984 season.

Renovations in 1985 updated sound and lighting systems and in 1988 a small orchestra pit and permanent prosceni um arch were installed. Following additional renovations to the interior of the theatre, designed by Cameron Porteous [Head of Design], the transition of the Royal George Theatre into a miniature Edwardian opera house was celebrated on May 26, 1990, at the opening performance of J.B. Priestley’s When We are Married.

2004 BUILDING THE DONALD AND ELAINE TRIGGS PRODUCTION CENTRE

Immediately after the close of the 2002 season work had begun on a large building project, the biggest since the 1972 73 construction of the Festival Theatre. The objective was to refurbish the Festival Theatre and to build a new Production Centre. Areas of the theatre to be renovated included the lobby, shop, and box office, and the Production Centre was to be built at the south end of the theatre … [and] provided much-needed rehearsal spaces (three), a green room administrative offices, an Academy suite, a recording studio and music rehearsal rooms and an audience reception lounge.

4 Production Centre after completion.

by Ben Rahn

Production Centre under construction. Photo by Paddy Parr

Plays With Cocktails

A dozen years ago, while going through one of the proverbial ‘actor dry spells’ I decided to enroll in the Level One, Wine and Spirits Educational Trust, Sommelier course. I had always had an interest in wine (drinking, tasting and as an amateur winemaker) and loved the idea of learning more about pairing wine with food. I’ve continued that education (stalled in Level Three, due to the pandemic and an abundance of work!) and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the world of spirits and cocktail alchemy. Living in the Niagara region and being in the heart of a burgeoning wine industry and a growing cornucopia of fine dining, has allowed me to continue my education and enjoy much opportunity to indulge this passion.

Being in ‘Fruit Country’ has also encouraged me to experiment with infusing spirits with the local fruit as it comes ripe — yes, the strawberry infused vodka is infusing in my pantry as I write!

To celebrate the Shaw Festival’s 60th Anniversary Season, I thought it might be a fun exercise to pair the shows in the season with a classic cocktail. I’ll give my reasons for choosing the pairing (sometime my logic might be obtuse, but any ex cuse to imbibe while discussing a play seems a fabulous idea!), a little history or significance of the beverage and then a recipe, so you can try it for yourself, before or after the show!

Cheers! Prosit! Slainte!

David Adams

Chitra

Damn Yankees: Old Fashioned

Ingredients: rye or bourbon, sugar, Angostura bitters, orange slice and twist (optional)

Inspired by Cory Sincennes’ fantastic screens of vintage advertisements on the set of Damn Yankees, the Old Fashioned seems to be a perfect choice for Joe Boyd’s cocktail as he watches the hapless Washington Senators blow a lead yet again!

The Old Fashioned is arguably one of the most commonly ordered cocktails. As well as being the cocktail of choice for Don Draper in the hit TV series Mad Men, in the movie

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the boozy pilot lets passenger Buddy Hackett fly the plane causing someone to ask, ’What if something happens?’ The pilot replies, “What could happen to an Old Fashioned?”!

Gaslight: Negroni.

Ingredients: gin, Campari, sweet vermouth

This taut thriller, which has come to mean an insidious form of mental abuse, reminds me of the surreptitious nature of this cocktail. It is sweet — but packs a punch. First mixed in 1919 in a cafe in Florence for General Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni, Orson Welles in a magazine article, says about the Negroni: “The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other!”

The Importance of Being Earnest: Cosmopolitan

Ingredients: citrus vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, cranberry juice

Perhaps you learned about this cocktail during its peak of popularity from Sex and the City on HBO. I’ve always been struck by the sexiness of The Importance of Being Earnest Of course, it’s all well-hidden in Victorian propriety, but lies just beneath the surface for almost all the characters!

With its pink and frothy appearance, it may seem superficial and frivolous, which belies its complexity and efficacy.

Chitra: Mai Tai

Ingredients: rum, lime juice, rock candy syrup, Orgeat almond syrup, Orange Curaçao, mint sprig, and lime rind (optional)

First off, there are a lot of different ways to make this drink, hence the reason why you may see this drink served in all colours of the sunset. In Tahitian, Mai Tai means “the best out of this world!”Chitra is colourful, tropical, exquisite, ethereal, sumptuous, pulchritudinous (love that word!) — all things that can be said of this charming cocktail.

Sanjay Talwar and Alexis Gordon in The Doctor's Dilemma

Gem of the Ocean: Boilermaker

Ingredients: whiskey, beer

For no reason, this cocktail comes to mind in thinking about this incredible play by the master playwright August Wilson. If you want an unfussy drink that knows how to get the job done, go old-school with a Boilermaker. This straightforward whiskey and beer concoction, wherein the whiskey is dropped into the beer, found favour in the 1800s among factory workers —  possibly those who fabricated the boilers of locomotive engines, hence the name. After coming off long, exhausting shifts, they understandably wanted a strong end to their day. That’s a nice origin story — and it may be the advent of the glass-in-a-glass combination — but it’s likely that people have been combining liquor and beer in some fashion ever since the two drinks entered ready circulation. My personal favourite combination is Writers’ Tears Irish Whiskey and locally made red Amber Ale from the Exchange Brewery.

Everybody: Martini

Ingredients: gin, dry white vermouth, olive or lemon peel. Shake the gin & vermouth vigorously over ice. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish.

The choice by lottery of most of the parts for Everybody — a fascinating and profound play — means there are an infinite number of possibilities of combinations of actor and role!

A scary proposition for any actor — but one that might be able to be calmed with a Martini (afterwards of course!). This is the classic cocktail, and it can have an infinite number of iterations and variations depending on the bartender, the tastes of the drinker and special ingredients. Personally, I look forward to seeing as many of the variations of the play as I can, as I know they will all be very different, given the unique talents of each of the wonderful actors. The old joke that a Martini should be mixed with nothing but a rumour of vermouth, is best ignored. A true Martini should be a small drink, served cold in a small glass!

The Doctor’s Dilemma: Penicillin

Ingredients: blended scotch, freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey, ginger syrup, Llagavulin or peaty single malt scotch, garnish with candied ginger.

Shake blended scotch, lemon juice and ginger syrup over ice. Strain into a cocktail glass, float the Islay single malt scotch on top and garnish with candied ginger.

Penicillin was discovered by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming. The cocktail was created quite recently by an Aussie bartender working in New York. It hints at the medicinal properties in the combination of ingredients, similar to a hot toddy. However, that seems as specious as many of the medical pontifications in The Doctor’s Dilemma! I love this cocktail as single malt peaty scotch is one of my favourite drinks — when I can afford it on an actor’s salary!

Just To Get Married: Kir Royale

Ingredients: Chambord or Crème de Cassis, Champagne/ White Wine/Prosecco/Cava

There's a reason this cocktail has a luxurious name — this Champagne-based cocktail is either sweetened (and spiked) with a high-class, French black raspberry liqueur called Chambord or a blackcurrant liqueur called Crème de Cassis. The upper-crust family at the centre of Just To Get Married would be used to champagne, but the heroine of the story brings an element of challenge, impunity and cloudiness to their well-ordered world. Perhaps sipping a Kir Royale would be a civilized way of discussing suffragette philosophy with the archaic denizens of the household.

Too True to Be Good: Sidecar

Ingredients: Cognac/Armangnac, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice, orange peel, and sugar (optional)

Not sure what inspired me to pair this cocktail with this play. Maybe it’s because Too True to Be Good is one of Shaw’s more oblique, eccentric plays and the characters are all a bit off-kilter.

This is the classic sour cocktail, which makes the sugar coating on the rim of the glass all that much more important.

A Year With Frog & Toad – in Concert: Mojito

Ingredients: white rum, simple syrup, club soda, fresh lime juice, mint leaves

It’s green and contains mint leaves, so it sprung to mind when thinking of frogs and toads! Now I know the gentle creatures of this musical would most likely not imbibe, but if they would, this would be a perfect way to while away a few hours in the company of one’s best friend. This is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the books, with origins dating back to 16th century Cuba. Evidently, it was one of Ernest Hemingway's favourite cocktails.

David Adams is

of

Artists at the Shaw

shows in

are Cyrano de Bergerac

Doctor’s

and Just to Get

Cyrano de Bergerac: Moscow Mule

Ingredients: vodka, ginger beer, lime juice garnished with a slice or wedge of lime.

The Moscow Mule is popularly served in a copper mug, which takes on the cold temperature of the liquid. That is my point of connection. In our run of Cyrano we drank ale, wine, etc. from pewter mugs. They are valuable props because you can’t see into them. Hence, we could pretend we were drinking almost anything and one of the common bits of improvisation, was deciding exactly what that was — of course it changed for every performance!

Now you may agree or disagree about my choices of cocktail, and which show I’ve paired them with! As I said, it’s all rather arbitrary, but a fun way to think of the show and maybe to experiment with a new way to enjoy spirits. With the proliferation of cottage distilleries and the profusion of fine-dining spots popping up all over Niagara, I’m sure many new and exciting cocktails will be created this year.

If you were to visit me and want to chat about these choices, food pairing, your favourite wines and of course anything to do with THEATRE, we would most likely imbibe with my favourite 2022 cocktail…

60th Anniversary Season: The Lemon/ Ginger Martini

Ingredients: ¼ oz limoncello, ¼ oz ginger syrup, 1 ½ oz vodka, freshly squeezed lemon wedge.

I would serve this with my favourite appetizer, curried meat puffs. Enjoy The Shaw Festival’s 60th Anniversary Season and your favourite cocktail!

Embedded

Roe Green Tim & Frances Price Risk Fund Andy Pringle Creative Reserve

The Epic Task of Staging MAHABHARATA

By: Marion Rawson

A version of this article was drafted for the 2020 Spring Magazine for Friends and Partners. Like many things in 2020, that magazine was cancelled, along with the entire 2020 Shaw Season. But the plan to bring Mahabharata to a Shaw Festival stage was not. Three years later, this ancient epic — written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes — will finally have its world premiere at the Festival Theatre in February and March 2023. Conceived and created by Toronto’s innovative Why Not Theatre and presented at the Shaw Festival, Mahabharata takes audiences on a journey from the ancient to the contemporary world in what promises to be a visually stunning spectacle.

Workshop Ensemble of Mahabharata

PETER BROOK –IN MEMORIAM

Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival would like to acknowledge the recent passing of Peter Brook, a groundbreaking English theatre director who helped define 21st century theatre practices around the world.

Among a tremendous resumé of work, Peter Brook (alongside writer Jean-Claude Carrière) adapted Mahabharata into a nine-hour epic play in the 80s. His work paved the way for us to develop and produce our own Mahabharata. We are grateful for all that Brook has made possible through his practice—his spirit, ideas, and legacy continue to live on and influence the artistic community at large. Thank you, Peter Brook.

MAHABHARATA has had a remarkable journey onto the Festival stage with the additional delays caused by the pandemic, the story of the creation of this new version of Mahabharata is almost an epic in itself. Bringing this new work to life has involved numerous creative minds from around the world, several years of intensive research, workshops and experimentation, as well as a variety of funders and supporters. The creative minds have used the enforced pause to hone and fine-tune the work. The result will be something truly epic a two-part, six-hour-long event, with an Indian meal combined with storytelling in between.

In 2016, in a strange but serendipitous coincidence, Tim Carroll, then Artistic Director Designate, was interested in a new adaptation of the Mahabharata and contacted Ravi Jain at the same time that Ravi was exploring this idea for his company, Why Not Theatre. By agreeing to support this production, The Shaw is venturing where it has never gone before. This marks the first time that this Festival is presenting a new work in conjunction with another theatre company. For Why Not, this is the largest production the company has ever mounted.

FASCINATING FACTS

→ The original Sanskrit epic is the longest poem ever written. It is three times longer than the Bible, with more than 100,000 verses (rhyming couplets) that shape many of the myths and philosophies of Indian culture.

→ ‘Maha’ in Sanskrit means great, grand, or eminent. It can be combined with other words such as: the title Maharaja or “great ruler”; the name Mahatma (maha + atma) which translates as “great soul”, given to Mahatma Gandhi.

→ ‘Bharata’ can refer to the dynasty of Bharata, who was a great king and the ancestor of the families in the Mahabharata. Together, maha + bharata can be translated roughly as “Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”. It is also an early name for the country of India.

For those who would like to know more about this ambitious production, here is how director, co-writer and co-adaptor Ravi Jain describes Mahabharata:

This is an ancient story: over 4,000 years old. It contains within it a warning about how greed, jealousy, and revenge all part of human nature will lead to the end of civilization if not checked.

It is a meditation on the nature of the soul and it asks us to look deep inside ourselves and to deepen our awareness and connection to the lives of those who have come before us and those that will come after.

The Mahabharata was not originally captured as a written work. Instead, the tale was passed down for centuries through an oral storytelling tradition. So, it’s a journey with many viewpoints, roads, detours, myths, and teachings.

At the heart of our retelling is an emphasis on the Hindu concept of Dharma a complex idea, which we have distilled down to empathy. For us, Dharma is the responsibility of those with the most privilege to take care of those with the least.

MAHABHARATA

Written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes, using poetry from Carole Satyamurti's Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling

Original concept developed with Jenny Koons

A Why Not Theatre Production

In association with Barbican, London Commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival Directed by Ravi Jain

Coming out of the pandemic, the themes of our Mahabharata have a renewed sense of importance and urgency, which apply not only to our everyday actions with other people, but also our relationship to the planet. It is amazing how 4,000 years ago, ancestors laid a road map to help us contemplate questions that we return to over and over again. With this Mahabharata we hope that the story will inspire us and change us for the better.

This is the first time in 35 years that a production of the Mahabharata of this size and scale has been done in the West. More importantly, and uniquely, it is led by a South Asian team and an incredible and international ensemble of artists from the South Asian diaspora, from across Canada, the UK, Malaysia and Australia.

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the world premiere of this new work of contemporary theatre based on one of the oldest stories recorded.

MAHABHARATA PART 1

Karma: The Life We Inherit

King Janamejaya is holding a ritual sacrifice in which he will kill all the snakes in the world to avenge his father’s death. In hopes of ending this cycle of revenge, a storyteller is summoned to tell the King the tale of the Mahabharata. The storyteller tells of the rival Pandava and Kaurava clans, and the choices that lead to their infamous Game of Dice. Through playful narration, shadow play, classical Indian dance, and a live band, the ensemble tells the stories of humans struggling to build a just world in the face of competition, jealousy, and rage. Exploring the themes of storytelling, ecocide, and dharma (empathy), Part 1 begins Mahabharata’s epic journey that asks, “When everyone believes they are right and their opponents wrong, how can one end a spiral of revenge?”

MAHABHARATA INTERLUDE

Khana: Community Meal

Mahabharata is a story that one learns over a lifetime; it needs to be absorbed and digested. To delve deeper into the philosophical riddles of the Pandava family’s thirteen years of exile, the audience gathers to share a traditional Indian meal. Hosted by a charming storyteller, the audience experiences a tale from the Mahabharata as many people have around the dinner table.

MAHABHARATA PART 2

Dharma: The Life We Choose

King Janamejaya is told of the war fought by his ancestors, its devastating destruction of the planet, the mass extinction that followed, and of the survivors left behind to rebuild. In Part 2 (Dharma), the storytelling tools evolve into captivating projections, dynamic digital soundscapes, and poetic stage design. Interrogating the themes of justice and revenge, Part 2 includes a 15-minute Sanskrit opera adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), which is the most sacred and famous chapter of the Mahabharata epic. The Bhagavad Gita tells of a conversation between the God Krishna and the great warrior Arjuna.

In times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? Can we build a new world? King Janamejaya is confronted with the battle of his ancestors, and the battle inside his own heart.

For the full experience of this epic story, we recommend seeing both Parts 1 and 2. You will be able to experience both parts in one day with a meal between each part, or on separate days.

ABOUT WHY NOT THEATRE

At Why Not Theatre, we’re out for better. We shake up the status quo to make the world we want to see a world where everyone can achieve their full potential. We question everything, rethinking how stories are told and who gets to tell them. We push boundaries, build community, and find new ways. Founded in 2007, we are growing rapidly, led by Ravi Jain, Kelly Read, and Miriam Fernandes.

Mahabharata is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.

Mahabharata was developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.

Why Not Theatre acknowledges the support of their Access Partners: The Lindy Green Family Foundation, The Slaight Family Foundation, and the Wuchien Michael Than Foundation. This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.

Corinne

Miriam Fernandes. Photo by Dahlia Katz

MY BIRTHDAY, MY MOM AND I BOOKED

60TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL APPEAL

Setting the Stage for the Next 60 Years is a special appeal to support three key

the

ENSURE AFFORDABLE TICKET PRICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

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PROMOTE CURIOSITY BEYOND-THE-STAGE

There is so much more to theatre than attending a performance! At The Shaw,

and educational experiences to all

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CREATIVE TEAMS THIS SEASON AND FOR THE NEXT 60 SEASONS!

Theatre would not happen without artists. The actors and artists who work

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LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS LEAVE A LEGACY TO THE ARTS

By Kimberley White

OUR STORY BEGINS with three resilient women, connected by friendship, but especially their love for the arts and a philanthropic spirit. Indeed, for Broadway performer and New York socialite Dorothy Strelsin, New York Times feature writer Enid Nemy, and Toronto-based freelance reporter and copywriter Corinne Nemy, their friendship was forged by their love of theatre and the arts.

Born and raised in New York City, Dorothy Dennis (Strelsin) had an impressive career in the performing arts including Broadway productions and was named one of the ‘beautiful young talents’ in the first of Leonard Sillman’s New Faces revues. She was known for her love of laughter and kicking up her heels.

Dorothy later married wealthy industrialist Alfred Strelsin. In the 1960s, the Strelsins established themselves as New York City arts philanthropists. Dorothy was one of the early supporters of The Public Theater, and The American Theater Wing. After her husband’s death, Dorothy sold all her jewelry to establish the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation in 1990, offering financial support to theatre and arts organizations across North America.

The Canadian connection comes with sisters Corinne and Enid Nemy, who both grew up and attended university in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Both sisters’ love of writing incited careers in journalism, spanning decades, with glorious accolades and world-wide travel.

Sharry Flett in The Doctor's Dilemma

“At the top of The Doctor's Dilemma, Shaw gives us a woman Jennifer demanding to enter a male space (Dr. Ridgeon's consulting room), to fight for her husband’s life. A space where (in my version) Dr. Ridgeon's Nobel Prize is being celebrated. The play ends with Dr. Ridgeon entering a female-dominated space the art gallery and leaving speechless. It happens to be Jennifer’s birthday: again, celebration. Jennifer is a woman on the ascent, who has written a book and there will be more. I love the way the structure of the play is bookended by male and female success. It is fitting and delightful that this production was sponsored in the name of successful, powerhouse women like Dorothy, Enid and Corinne.”

Diana Donnelly, director The Doctor’s Dilemma

In 2022, the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation is generously sponsoring The Doctor’s Dilemma

Enid began her career with The Canadian Press and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Her 40-year career as a feature writer, reporter and columnist for The New York Times also included the New Yorkers Etc., the Broadway column for seven years, and writing and editing the Metropolitan Diary.

As highlighted in American Theatre Wing, Enid’s feature subjects included feminism, drugs, senior citizens, sexual harassment and education. She also wrote obituaries for such prominent figures as Lady Bird Johnson, Carol Channing, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and Chanel. She reported from Southeast Asia and accompanied President and Mrs. Reagan abroad, including the 1982 Summit meeting in Europe and their 1984 trip to China. Enid’s awards include honours from the New York Newspaper Women’s Club, the New York Newspaper Guild, Women in Communications, and the prestigious Matrix Award for achievements in Newspaper and Wire Service. Enid is a Board of Trustee Emerita for The American Theater Wing’s Tony Awards. While living in New York City, Enid interviewed and wrote about numerous theatrical personalities.

Corinne Nemy, like her sister, embarked on a writing career that spanned many years in various roles. She worked as a freelance writer for the CBC International and various publications in Toronto. As a copy writer for the Hudson’s Bay Company, Corinne eventually settled into a career in Public Relations, which led her to the prestigious Montreal advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson. It was during this time that Corinne worked on PR for Expo 1967. Corinne’s vast career finally brought her back to Toronto where she worked in Public Affairs for the Ontario Region of Employment and Immigration. In retirement, she volunteered her expertise and services to the Royal Ontario Museum, various Literacy programs, and as a reader for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

As part of her estate, Dorothy entrusted her treasured foundation to Enid and upon Dorothy’s death in 2001, Enid became president

of the Dorothy Strelsin Foundation, appointing Corinne as the Canadian Trustee. The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation primarily funds off-Broadway theatre companies, drama and playwright organizations, and The American Theater Wing, while also supporting important organizations such as Meals-on-Wheels, Lighthouse International, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and Central Park. The Shaw Festival is honoured to have been the recipient of many years of generous support, thanks to Corinne’s involvement in the foundation, including a recent multi-year gift.

Great writing, art and live theatre fill our souls. The Shaw is grateful for the incredible legacy gift from The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation and the three accomplished women who made this possible. Thank you to all who support our inspiring work at The Shaw through your encouragement and your gifts now and into the future as part of The Doherty-Rand Legacy Circle. Finally, a resounding THANK YOU to Dorothy, Enid and Corinne for your philanthropic spirit and love of the arts!

CONTACT KIMBERLEY WHITE TO DISCUSS YOUR LEGACY GIFT: 289-783-1924 or 1-800-657-1106 ext 2397 kwhite@shawfest.com

Enid Nemy

Corinne Nemy

Dorothy Strelsin

A warm welcome to our newest Governors Council members and Corporate Partners!

As

Lynne

Dr

John

Jeffrey

August

ANNOUNCING THE INAUGURAL INTAKE FOR THE BLACK SHOULDERS LEGACY AWARDS

The Black Shoulders Legacy Award is a groundbreaking initiative established by a national group of arts leaders in honour of Philip Akin upon his retirement as Artistic Director from Canada’s leading Black theatre company, Obsidian Theatre. It is the first award of its kind, solely dedicated to the success of Black Canadian theatre artists, ensuring creators are equipped with the skills to be at the top of their professional game.

The Shaw Festival was honoured to announce the inaugural Black Shoulders Legacy Awards at the Opening of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean directed by Philip Akin on Friday August 19.

Gifts to the BSLA are invested by the Shaw Festival Endowment Foundation to support young-in-craft Black Canadian theatre artists through financial support, artistic guidance, and national promotion. Each year, up to five artists are awarded a minimum $5000 prize towards training and opportunities to grow their craft.

Gordon

Announcing a Limited Time Special Offer of a new book David Cooper Body of Work

Each copy includes a limited-edition print signed by David Cooper

David has spent much of the past forty years lugging his camera gear to the Shaw and Stratford Festivals in Ontario, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and performing arts companies large and small in between. In 2020 David was appointed to the Order of Canada.

David has been The Shaw’s company photographer for forty consecutive seasons. His book, Body of Work includes David’s production photography, his poster images and iconic portraits

of treasured artists as well as an essay on David’s theatre photography by Christopher Newton, Artistic Director Emeritus of the Shaw Festival, and so much more.

To see more, or to order your limited edition of Body of Work, go to: fireflybooksstand.com

We remember Victor Rice

The Shaw was deeply saddened by the sudden passing in June of long-time supporter and board member, Victor Rice. Victor was so much more than an extraordinarily generous donor and past member of the Shaw Festival Board. As well as serving on our U.S. Foundation Board, where he was one of the first to join, he served as its current Vice President. Outside of The Shaw, Victor was an international businessman, philanthropist and champion of the arts and education.

Victor, along with his wife Corinne, a current Shaw board member, have been friends and wise advisors over several decades of The Shaw’s leadership, including particularly, the current team of Tim Carroll and Tim Jennings, as well as devoted fans who attended almost every play in every season.

In his remarks at the Opening of The Importance of Being Earnest, Tim Carroll dedicated the performance to Victor, saying,

The Shaw was honoured to be included as one of the charities, along with Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, named by the family for those who would like to make a gift in Victor’s memory. If you wish to make a donation in his memory you can do so in the following ways:

By Mail (Canadian Donors):

Shaw Festival

PO Box 774

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 (Payable to Shaw Festival Theatre)

By Mail (U.S. Donors):

Shaw Festival Foundation PO Box 628

Lewiston, NY 14092-9819 (Payable to Shaw Festival Foundation)

Donate online: shawfest.com/donate

Donate by phone: 289–783–1924

Major Funding Announcement

On a beautiful August morning in The Shaw gardens, Minister Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced a non-repayable investment of over $6 million to support the Shaw Festival’s recovery from the impacts of COVID.

Both Tim Carroll and Tim Jennings were on hand to thank the Minister and FedDev Ontario for this tremendous investment in the Shaw Festival. As Minister Bittle stated: “This investment, through the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative (MFESI), will help the Shaw Festival return to its pre-pandemic scale this season with 13 shows, a new concert series and Fairground and Shawground events. This investment will create a positive ripple effect across the Niagara Region’s tourism and hospitality sectors, strengthen southern Ontario’s position as a tourism destination of choice and position the Shaw Festival for strong growth.”

To learn more: feddevontario.gc.ca

“Victor never missed an Opening in more than 40 years, and I will miss hearing that great infectious laugh of his.”

EXPLORE IT ALL

SEPTEMBER

For Members

Friends Post-Show Chats

Wednesdays & Thursdays through October 6th

Engage in exclusive conversations with the cast or creative teams after the Festival Theatre matinee performances.

Complimentary | For all Friends, Governors Council members and Corporate Partners.

For Members

Backstage Tours for Friends

September 27 | 10am

Every other Tuesday at 10am, from June to September. A guided tour of the Festival Theatre, just for Friends of The Shaw. Complimentary | For all Friends, Governors Council members and Corporate Partners.

Tuesday Q & A

Tuesday Evenings (September 20 & 27) Post-Show

An informal question-and-answer session with actors following Tuesday evening performances in all three theatres. Complimentary

Outdoors @ The Shaw Speakeasy

September 24 | 7 pm

Join us for an evening of Jazz hosted by Associate Music Director Ryan deSouza, featuring members of the Shaw Orchestra and special guests. Sponsored by Critelli’s Fine Furniture, Spirit in Niagara — Small Batch Distillers.

$20

Governors Council Governors Council Directors Project

September 24 | 10 am

Exclusively for Governors Council ($2000+) and Corporate Partners. Experience two short plays directed by our Intern Directors. Book early — space is limited!

Free

Governors Council

Fall Governors Council Weekend

September 24 & 25 | 9:30 am

Governors Council Feature Weekend. Highlights include: Directors Project perfor mances, discussions with Intern Directors and dinner with Ensemble members.

$280 | To book, call 1–800–657–1106 ext 2208

Fall Play by Play

September 28–30

Three days, four plays and sessions with the creative minds who bring our plays to life.

Includes three lunches, presentations, and parking. Cost does not include theatre ticket.

$250 | $225 for Shaw Friends

$150 Online Attendees

OCTOBER

The Art of Ideas

Oct 1 | 10 am

Celebrating Women’s Voices: Then and Now With Marlis Schweitzer, Associate Professor, Theatre and Performance Studies, York University, Toronto and Kimberley Rampersad, Shaw Associate Artistic Director, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Shaw Ensemble Member, and Judith Bowden, Shaw Designer. A two-hour morning program.

$50 | $40 for Shaw Friends

DON’T FORGET…

Coffee Concert

October 2 | 10:30 am

Classical music performed by members of the Shaw Festival Orchestra.

$10

What Comes Next?

Oct 7 | 10 am

NEW! What comes first? Actors read Act One of a play. What comes next? A facilitated discussion about what we think will occur in Act Two. What follows? A rich and engaging two-hour morning experience. Directed and hosted by Marla McLean.

$40 | $30 for Shaw Friends & Online

NOVEMBER

Meet Shaw Directors and Designers

November 9, 19 | 11 am

Intimate conversations with our Directors and Designers who share their visions and work. A Christmas Carol (Nov 9), White Christmas (Nov 19).

$20 | $15 for Shaw Friends & under 30 & Online

For Members

Friends Rehearsal: White Christmas

November 15 | 6 pm

Experience the play as it moves from the rehearsal hall to the stage, incorporating staging elements such as set, lighting and sound.

For Sustaining level and above ($600+) and Corporate Partners.

Complimentary

Learn to Tap Dance

Fridays & Saturdays beginning Nov 18 | 11 am

NEW! A playful intro to the basics of tap dance with one of the actors from White Christmas Fun for all ages (8+) and experience levels.

$20 Adult | $10 Youth

The Art of Ideas

Nov 19 | 10 am

Hidden Histories: Niagara-on-the-Lake, a Victorian Lens. A two-hour morning program.

$50 | $40 for Shaw Friends

The Art of Ideas

Nov 20 | 10 am

Hidden Histories: Niagara-on-the-Lake, a WWII Lens. A two-hour morning program.

$50 | $40 for Shaw Friends

DECEMBER

Musical Sing-along

December 3 | 11am

Join Shaw Music Director Paul Sportelli to learn about — and sing along to — the music of Irving Berlin (White Christmas).

$20 | $15 for Shaw Friends

The Art of Ideas

December 7 | 10 am

Hidden Histories: Niagara-on-the-Lake, a Victorian Lens. A two-hour morning program.

$50 | $40 for Shaw Friends

The Art of Ideas

December 8 | 10 am

Hidden Histories: Niagara-on-the-Lake, a WWII Lens. A two-hour morning program.

$50 | $40 for Shaw Friends

Tuesday Q & A

Tuesday Evenings (December 13 & 20) Post-Show

An informal question-and-answer session with actors following Tuesday evening performances (except Previews & Openings), in all three theatres.

Complimentary

Outdoors @ The Shaw

Fairground until September 28

1922 — in Concert until October 2

Shawground until October 6

Outdoors @ The Shaw is sponsored by

Don't miss our holiday season productions!

A Christmas Carol Nov 9 to Dec 23 Irving Berlin's White Christmas Nov 18 to Dec 23

Julie

FEBRUARY