PL AYBILL Idiot’s Delight
Idiot’s Delight Robert E. Sherwood }{
a pproxi m at e ru n ni ng t i m e: 2 hou rs & 25 m i nu t es t her e w ill be one 15 m i nu t e i n t er m ission
ARTIST NOTE: RAQUEL DUFF Y Picture this: you are in a room surrounded by a large group of wonderful people. Some family. Some friends and confidants. Many are beautiful acquaintances and a few you have just met but feel an instant kinship. There are some you have admired for years and you are elated to be sharing the space with them. All are bright, talented, generous souls who make you laugh and are a source of boundless inspiration. This is a typical rehearsal day working on Idiot’s Delight. I confess I’d never heard of this play before. What a surprise to discover such a beautiful work coupled with the opportunity to play with so many creative people. I can’t say enough about the Academy folk: their presence and energy is a vital part of this piece and I’m grateful to share the stage with them in their Soulpepper debut. Most of our days are filled with a good deal of laughs so I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Mr. Chameroy who can put a smile on even the coldest of hearts. What a joy to work with Dan again. Most of all, I’ll share with you a few of the
many gifts of Albert Schultz: his innate sensitivity to the needs of each actor; his ability to tell a story either through a simple gesture or a huge group number; his capacity to illuminate the beauty of this play and in turn, the beauty of humanity amidst the terror of war; his concern and love for each and every person in the room; the love that helps us discover the many riches of this play. As you can see, this picture I’ve described is pretty special - just like the Idiot’s Delight. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.
RAQUEL DUFF Y Irene in Idiot’s Delight
p roduc t ion s p on sor
CREATIVE TEAM
IDIOT’S DELIGHT
CAS T Evan Buliung
Dumpsty
Dan Chameroy
Harry Van
Mikaela Davies *
Mrs. Cherry
Tony DeSantis Pittaluga
Steffi Didomenicantonio
Beulah
Raquel Duffy †
Irene
Peter Fernandes *
2nd Officer/Dumpsty US
Katherine Gauthier *
Bebe
Hailey Gillis *
Edna/Anna
Gordon Hecht *
Mr. Cherry
Richard Lam *
Gregory Prest †
Quillery
Paolo Santalucia †
Captain Locicero
Salvatore Scozzari
1st Officer
Major/Orchestra leader
Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster †
William Webster
Shirley
Doctor Waldersee
Jeff Lillico
Donald Navadel
Diego Matamoros
Achille Weber
Oyin Oladejo *
Elaine
Colin Palangio *
3rd Officer/Auguste
Musicians:
Steve Hunter
Piano
Rick Hyslop
Violin
Lowell Whitty
Drums
Production Albert Schultz Director
Lorenzo Savoini †
Set/Costume Designer
Steven Hawkins
Lighting Designer
Mike Ross †
Musical Director
John Gzowski
Sound Designer
Julia Aplin
Choreographer
Paula Wing
Assistant Director
Diane Pitblado
Janet Gregor
Assistant Stage Manager
Jordana Weiss *
Apprentice Stage Manager
Shannon Lea Doyle *
Dialect Coach
Assistant Set/Costume Designer
Kelly McEvenue
Anahita Dehbonehie *
Alexander Coach
Nancy Dryden
Production Stage Manager
Assistant Set/Costume Designer
Richard Lam *
Assistant to the Musical Director
SOULPEPPER PRODUC T ION Jacqueline Robertson-Cull
Head of Hair & Makeup
Erika Connor
Kaz Maxine
Props Builder
Natalie Swiercz
Trevor McCurdy, Mike Keys, Kassle Minduik, Sean Poole
Lead Wardrobe Coordinator
Dresser/Wardrobe Coordinator
Geoff Hughes, Susan Dicks & Co.
Sewer
Barbara Nowakowski
Lisa Summers, Paul Boddem
Cutters
Ilana Harendorf
First Hand
Scenic Painters
† soulpepper academy graduate
* 2013 – 2015 soulpepper academy artist
i l l u s t r at ion : t h e h e a ds of s tat e
Greg Chambers
Millinery
Carpenters
BACKGROUND NOTES
A
t 6 feet 8 inches tall, playwright Robert Emmet Sherwood quite literally towered over his contemporaries. This Renaissance man was a war veteran, bon vivant, founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, Hollywood screenwriter, and even for a time, a presidential speech writer. His passions and skills converged in 1936 to make him a most unlikely Cassandra. Fully three years before the outbreak of World War II, he wrote Idiot’s Delight, a play that predicts not only the conflict, but the players that would be most involved in it. It received rapturous responses from critics and audiences – ten curtain calls on opening night – along with a Pulitzer Prize. His own opinion was sharper: “The trouble with me is... I start with a big message and end up with nothing but good entertainment.”
his stance, he became involved with the war effort, writing speeches for Roosevelt and working as Director of the Office of War Information. But like Harry Van, the compelling, contradictory character at the heart of Idiot’s Delight, he was never a cynic. His post-script to Idiot’s Delight says it best: “I believe that the world is populated largely by decent people, and decent people don’t want war. Nor do they make war. They fight and die, to be sure but that is because they have been deluded by their exploiters, who are members of the indecent minority"
It’s fair to say that self-assessment is entirely too self-deprecating. In this play he manages, in a feat of nimble wizardry, to create more than 20 fully rounded characters within a clear, complex, and dangerously volatile political situation. There is room in this expansive play for the philosophy of Thomas Mann as well as the machinations of the munitions industry, for the rapture of young love alongside the anguish of people at the mercy of what Sherwood calls “the dictatorial ego.” Cancer research and can-can dancers. Young revolutionaries and seasoned businessmen. Tap dancing and treachery. There is a big message here about war and its senseless costs but Sherwood never misses a chance to make a wry observation, poke a little fun, tell a good joke or celebrate a moment of human connection. What makes this play so enjoyable is that the message and the entertainment are a package deal, you can’t have one without the other.
Aut hor Biograph y
The playwright knew first hand about how war affects people. He was a veteran of World War I and a fervent pacifist until he became aware of the policies and plans of the German National Socialists. He not only reversed
Welcome to our 2014 season. We can’t wait to share this rollicking ride of a play with you.
Robert E. Sherwood was born in 1896 into a comfortably wealthy family. He attended Harvard, though he did more socializing than studying. While serving with the Canadian Army during the First World War he was gassed, an experience that made him a pacifist and provided an enduring theme for his writing. Back stateside he became a staff writer for Vanity Fair and later Life Magazine, reviewing films. Some credit him with being the first serious film critic in the world. His first play, The Road to Rome, launched his career on Broadway and in Hollywood, where he wrote many awardwinning films over the years, some, like Idiot’s Delight, adaptations of his stage plays. In all, he won three Pulitzer Prizes, as well as the Bancroft Prize for Roosevelt and Hopkins, his non-fiction account for working in the government during World War II. He died of a heart attack in 1955.
Background Notes by Paula Wing
THANK YOU FOR AT TENDING!
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Soulpepper Theatre Company is an active member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (pact), the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (tapa) and Theatre Ontario, and engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Scenic Artists and Set Decorators employed by Soulpepper Theatre Company are represented by Local 828 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
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Idiot’s Delight Sponsor since 2000 – www.3macs.com