PL AYBILL the dead
the dead anthony macmahon adapted from the dead by james joyce }{
approximate running time: 1 hour 15 minutes. there will be no intermission
ARTIST NOTE: LEAH CHERNIAK Our play takes place on January 6th, in Dublin. It is The Feast of The Epiphany, sometimes known as Twelfth Night, an occasion for yet another seasonal, celebratory feast. In religious terms, this was the day the Three Wise Men found the baby Jesus and his divinity was revealed to the world. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines epiphany as “a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something.” Joyce described an epiphany as being suddenly perceived through a rather ordinary moment. The word epiphany has a Greek origin and implies the idea of a phantom. An appearance. All very provocative beginnings for working on Anthony MacMahon’s adaptation of James Joyce’s The Dead. Soulpepper is hopping right now! There are artists flying from one rehearsal venue to another, making theatre in every corner of the building. It seems particularly full and rich this fall as we enter into different rooms exploring worlds of revolution, wars, family drama; going to France, Russia, Canada and of course Ireland. Some workshop productions of new plays may have a few days or a week, or an intense three weeks before presenting to the public. For The Dead, we spent
short bursts of time together over three months. We have been scratching away at it, trying to shed light on the story, the people and place of our play. It has been a total pleasure working with this cast and creative team, including our young and talented playwright, Anthony. He is very connected to the original short story, to Ireland, to the spirit of James Joyce. He has brought all of us into a moody, evocative world through the words of the play. From our first days of exploration, the piece proved to be an undoubtedly aural experience, with Joyce’s sense of poetry and language and wit. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to search with Anthony for a way to reveal this story. I’m grateful to all the energy of everyone working on it, helping to expose an essential tone and quality. The point of a workshop production is to illuminate the play at this phase of development in hopes that it might carry forth to another presentation in the future, and the audience is essential to this process. Thank you so much for coming.
LEAH CHERNIAK, Director of The Dead
s t u dio s e r i e s s p on sor
CREATIVE TEAM
THE DEAD
CAST
Derek Boyes Brown
Katherine Gauthier Greta
Richard Lam Narrator/Piano player
Mikaela Davies Molly
Hailey Gillis Mary
Colin Palangio Freddie
Peter Fernandes Bartell
Maggie Huculak Aunt Julia
Brendan Wall Gabriel
Anthony MacMahon Adaptor
Anahita Dehbonehie Set & Costume Designer
Kelly McEvenue Alexander Coach
Leah Cherniak Director
Simon Rossiter Lighting Designer
Janet Gregor Stage Manager
Mikaela Davies Assistant Director
Richard Lam Sound Designer
Produc t ion
SOULPEPPER PRODUCTION
Geoff Hughes Cutter
Barbara Nowakowski First Hand
Emma Zulkoskey Sewer
Greg Chambers Props Builder
Due to an error, the artist bio list includes an incorrect bio for Anthony MacMahon. It is corrected below: ANTHONY MACMAHON Soulpepper academy, sOULPEPPER 2015: Actor: Spoon River. Adaptor: The Dead. OTHER THEATRE: Writer: Valkyrie, ...and the aeroplanes fall into the sea, 4 1/2 (ig)noble truths. Creator/Performer: A Wake for Lost Time, there/ G ONE with [elephants] collective. FILM & TELEVISION: Writer: One More Night (Short). Doubt, The Lonesome West, Closer, Beauty. facebook.com/ SoulpepperTheatre
@ soulpepper
youtube.com/ SoulpepperTheatre
soundcloud.com/ SoulpepperTheatre
Soulpepper 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 are represented by Local 828 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
anthony macmahon. photo nathan kelly.