March 6 to 31, 2018
The Humans by Stephen Karam
#tcThe Humans
T O N Y- N O M I N AT E D B R O A D WAY M U S I C A L
The
Secret Garden Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman Music by Lucy Simon Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett Directed by Stafford Arima Set and Costume Design Cory Sincennes Lighting Design Bonnie Beecher Sound Design Joshua Reid
April 17 to May 19 “A world where beauty and love blossom”
Bring the whole family for as little as $35 a ticket!* #tcSecretGarden theatrecalgary.com 403-294-7447 *Limited quantity. Call for details.
PHOTO BY DAVID COOPER.
Arts Commons Max Bell Theatre
Welcome friends. In 2007, I saw a play by an unknown playwright in a small 62-seat black box Off-Broadway theatre located underneath another Off-Broadway theatre. The play was called Speech & Debate, and it was written by a relatively new playwright named Stephen Karam. Speech & Debate opened in October and immediately sold-out its one-month run. The theatre company announced an eight-week extension and the rest is history – the "rest" being that Stephen Karam went from an unknown playwright in 2007 to an in-demand playwright whose play, The Humans, went on to be a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play. The Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City made a commitment in 2007 to take a risk on new writers, and it took eleven years for that (once) new voice to reach Theatre Calgary. New voices are exciting. They bring with them fresh ideas and innovative ways of interpreting narrative. It’s part of the adventure of theatre-going to experience works of writing that might not be familiar. New plays and musicals have a place in our theatre as well as theatres across Canada. For there will come a time when a relatively unknown Calgarian playwright will debut their work at Theatre Calgary and then, 11-years later, have that work debut on Broadway. How thrilling would that be? I hope you enjoy The Humans. STAFFORD ARIMA Artistic Director
Theatre Calgary would like to acknowledge that this performance is taking place on the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, including the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai, and the Stoney-Nakoda and Tsuu T'ina First Nations. Calgary is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.
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April 7, 2018 the hudson Email lgilley@theatrecalgary.com to secure yours. All net proceeds from The Garden Unlocked will go to support Theatre Calgary
DIRECTOR’S NOTES “What happens onstage should be just as complicated and just as simple as things are in real life. People are sitting at a table having dinner, that's all, but at the same time their happiness is being created, or their lives are being torn apart.” Though these words were written over a hundred years ago by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, they perfectly describe the contemporary American play you are about to see. The Blakes face ordinary challenges: love and heartbreak, parent-child conflict, fear of aging, and of course, money, money, money. They are gathered for Thanksgiving, which is a time to honour the traditions that bind a family together, but can also be a marker of how much things have changed. The people in this play are so recognizable, so relatable. No one is a villain. Each character can be gracious and generous – or petty and selfish – just like any of us. Seen in a certain light, they are also emblematic: they represent the disappearing middle class in North American society, as they struggle to keep up with soaring inequality, rising costs, scant savings, and disappearing job opportunities. As Erik says, “Don’t you think it should cost less to be alive?” The apartment in which they gather is located in New York City’s historic Chinatown. That’s just a few blocks from where the Twin Towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001. The place feels haunted by the griefs and sorrows of previous waves of working people who once lived, loved, and died right where Brigid and Richard have chosen to make a new home. Like a beacon in the night, this family stays together thanks to their sense of humour, their shared history, and unquestioning support for each other through good times and bad. That makes them hugely sympathetic, at least to me. But can they withstand threats from without and within? Will the Blakes survive? Our existences may often seem ordinary, unheroic. This play shows us that life is actually funny, tragic, terrifying and heartbreaking… all in one November afternoon. VANESSA PORTEOUS Director Theatre Calgary gratefully acknowledges the support provided by the City of Calgary through Calgary Arts Development, the Government of Alberta through The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Canada Council, Canadian Heritage, and all corporate and private contributors.
FRONT COVER: PHOTO BY DAVID COOPER.
Theatre Calgary is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, and operates within the jurisdiction of The Canadian Theatre Agreement. Theatre Calgary employs technicians under a collective agreement with the I.A.T.S.E. Theatre Calgary is a resident company of Arts Commons, operating out of Arts Commons Max Bell Theatre.
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Arts Commons Max Bell Theatre
March 6 to 31, 2018
presents
THE HUMANS by Stephen Karam Director VANESSA PORTEOUS Set Design CAMERON PORTEOUS Costume Design JENNIFER LEE ARSENAULT Lighting Design KIMBERLY PURTELL Original Music & Sound Design PETER MOLLER Assistant Director CHRISTOPHER HUNT Voice Coach JANE MACFARLANE TC Mentors program: SKYLAR DESJARDINS – Set SARAH UWADIAE – Lighting The Parting Glass Vocal arrangement by Elinor Holt, assisted by Spider Bishop
the show, a pre-show workshop, and pizza and pop before the show. Membership is open to students in Grade 9-12. Capacity is limited to 50 students.
interACTive Enhance Your Experience
Remaining performance dates for our 50th season are:
MARCH 13 and APRIL 24
EDUCATORS CIRCLE TALK THEATRE THURSDAY MARCH 8 – Assistant Director CHRISTOPHER HUNT – In the Upper Lobby MARCH 15 – Design Mentee SKYLAR DESJARDINS – In the Upper Lobby Get an insider’s perspective on the process of making theatre. Meet an artist from the production’s creative team before the show, in conversation with a member of Theatre Calgary’s artistic staff.
TALKBACK TUESDAY MARCH 13, 20, 27 – In our Theatre Join us for a lively post-show discussion with members of the cast.
SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY MARCH 17 – Development Associate LAUREN GILLEY – In the Main Lobby Come listen to a member of our development team speak to the spirit of giving, philanthropy and Theatre Calgary as a charitable organization.
SENIOR SATURDAY MARCH 24 – Director VANESSA PORTEOUS – In the Upper Lobby Before the performance begins, Senior Saturday patrons are invited to enjoy some snacks followed by an engaging chat with a theatre professional or relevant expert, providing insight into the performance.
THE YOUNG ARTISTS WORKSHOP Are you a student who is interested in the performing arts? Join our Young Artists Workshop! Registration includes: tickets to
Are you an educator? Do you love theatre and need a break from marking or planning? Join our Educators Circle. Benefits include: Tickets to all five mainstage shows*, Ability to exchange tickets to another date and purchase additional tickets at 20% off. All members will be invited for two exclusive backstage tours throughout the year. Visit www.theatrecalgary.com to register today! *some conditions apply
GO BEHIND THE CURTAIN Go beyond being an audience member and see what else we have to explore. Theatre Calgary offers a number of additional theatrical experiences such as Backstage Tours, Skype in Schools, Workshops, Panel Discussions, Industry Nights, and Play Guides.
GET ONLINE Find further details about our programming at www.theatrecalgary.com Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram:
@theatrecalgary #tcInteract
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT We are always looking for ways to engage with all citizens of the City of Calgary and surrounding area. If you have a community event, project or initiative that you think Theatre Calgary could partner with, contact us to start the discussion today!
For all of these programs, and any other learning or community engagement inquiries, please contact: Chris Stockton – Senior Manager of Learning and Engagement (403) 294-7440 ext. 1122 cstockton@theatrecalgary.com
THE CAST (in alphabetical order) Brigid Blake
LILI BEAUDOIN
Momo Blake
BARBARA GORDON
Deirdre Blake
ELINOR HOLT
Richard Saad
SHEKHAR PALEJA
Erik Blake Aimee Blake
RIC REID AYLA STEPHEN
SETTING An apartment in New York City's Chinatown. Present day. Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager
RUBY DAWN EUSTAQUIO CARISSA SAMS
Head of Lighting
CATHARINE CRUMB
Head of Sound
BRONWYN BOWLBY
RF Technician Head Stage Carpenter Head Dresser
CHRIS JACKO SCOTT MORRIS RACHEL MICHELLE SHERIDAN
CAMERAS AND AUDIO/VISUAL RECORDING DEVICES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE THEATRE. VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
THE HUMANS runs one act, with no intermission. The Original Broadway Production of THE HUMANS was produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, Roundabout Theatre Company, Fox Theatricals, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Roy Furman, Daryl Roth, Jon B. Platt, Eli Bush, Scott M. Delman, Sonia Friedman, Amanda Lipitz, Peter May, Stephanie P. McClelland, Lauren Stein, and The Shubert Organization; Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson, executive producers. Commissioned and Originally Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, New York, NY (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director; Sydney Beers, General Manager). THE HUMANS had its world premiere in November 2014 at American Theater Company, Chicago, Illinois (PJ Paparelli, Artistic Director). THE HUMANS is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS By Jenna Turk
A fresh script is like a treasure map, and playwright Stephen Karam has filled his for The Humans with clues, riddles, and signposts leading to a golden bounty of a production. A meticulous and thoughtful artist, Karam has utilized specific punctuation, detailed formatting, and instructive notes in his text – gifts for the artists tasked with bringing it to life. However, these details are more often than not unknown to the audience. Take a look inside his script and explore the complex textual world of The Humans… To begin, The Humans includes three separate quotes as its epigraph: a verse from Federico García Lorca's poem “Dance of Death” written not long after the stock market crash in 1929, an excerpt from Freud's 1919 essay The Uncanny discussing the true meaning of the word, and a listing of man's most basic fears from Napoleon Hills's best-selling self-help book, Think and Grow Rich, first published during the Great Depression. This leaves us looking at what Karam meant in citing these three works, but he believes the audience should decide for themselves, “We live in a culture that wants answers to questions about art, and I think it's really harmful--[it] leads to discussions that lead an audience to believe there is only one correct answer.” Still, director Vanessa Porteous brought them up on the first day of rehearsals, thanking Karam for his guidance. What exactly is the show about? Porteous exclaimed, “We know what it’s about – he’s already told us.” She highlighted Freud’s definition of uncanny and discussed how in life there is always potentially a threat from outside, but the uncanny implies there is perhaps a threat of something inside ourselves as well. This uneasiness plays into the fears listed in Hill’s book that Porteous emphasized as she described the style of the show, “The performances will be realistic with scene work that is rooted and authentic, while the uncanniness will come from sound and lighting.” The disquiet described in all three of Karam’s chosen quotes colour this play not as a simple family drama, but as a kind of supernatural thriller or a chiller. There are three notes included in the script. The first states, “A slash ( / ) means the character with the next line of dialogue begins their speech.” This was first done by innovative British playwright Caryl Churchill in 1982 in her play, Top Girls, but is now commonly used by modern-day playwrights. So, it is fairly standard for Karam to employ. His second note reads, “Dialogue in brackets [ ] is expressed nonverbally.” This is not so standard, and is rather an innovation in itself. Karam has written in seemingly silent moments that are in fact filled with intention and thought. For example, the play opens with Erik, the patriarch, alone onstage where the audience witnesses him in a kind of dumb show responding to the house around him. In fact, each moment of revelation is written out by Karam. When Erik is initially startled, the script reads:
So the first line of the play does not actually belong to daughter Aimee, but the audience simply doesn’t hear it. Karam says, “Actors are smart; if you tell them to roll their eyes they feel locked into something...if you give an actor: ‘[I can't believe you're such an idiot.]’... then maybe they'll roll their eyes or maybe they'll shake their head or do any number of things.” These written silent moments are throughout the script; see if you can spot them. The third note insists that “The Humans takes place in one real-time scene —on a two-level, four-room set—with no blackouts.” This is very specific. Karam continues to detail his use of “UPSTAIRS” and “DOWNSTAIRS” to remind the artists that the stage is meant to have an “exposed ‘dollhouse’ view” at all times. This note directly informs all aspects of the production: how the set is built, how the director stages the show, and how the audience is meant to take it all in. It also helps the actors to remember what all else is happening concurrent to their own actions. Karam’s specificity makes him a very present part of each production – an unusual occurrence with published works, when the playwright is quite often in a different city, country, or time period. Here, the playwright Stephen Karam remains a kind of present absence; ever the collaborator.
Finally, when one looks at the script for The Humans it is impossible to miss Stephen Karam’s affinity for the ellipsis. He uses them to begin sentences, in the middle, and at the end. While an ellipsis generally marks the intentional omission of a word or implies a slight pause, it can also suggest an unfinished thought, ending the sentence in silence. This lends a natural melancholy to the
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text, and in Karam’s hands the ellipsis creates an eerie sense of longing. Kelly Nestruck noted it in his review of the Toronto production for The Globe and Mail, “Everything seems so real in his script that it takes on a surreal character. Everything feels so natural that it begins to feel supernatural. It's like the uncanny valley of theatre.”
The Humans might seem like an “easy” show to produce –no period set pieces, no elaborate costumes, and no complicated dance numbers, but it in fact takes a LOT of work to make it appear as real as it does. Much of that effort belongs to playwright Stephen Karam and his writing style. These intricacies are what make Stephen Karam not simply a gifted writer, but a true technician. [Don't you think?!] If the devil is in the details, Karam’s meticulous script is all the better for it.
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” – Friedrich Nietzsche SOURCES Epigraphs: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill was first published by the Ralston Society in 1937; Penguin, New York, 2005. The Uncanny by Sigmund Freud was first published by Imago, Bd. V., 1919; The Uncanny, Penguin, New York, 2003. “Dance of Death” by Federico García Lorca, published in Poet in New York, Grove Press, New York, 2008. “Feature: 9 things about Churchill” https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/posts/2017/may/feature-9-things-about-churchill Nestruck, Kelly. (2018, February 9). Review: The Humans is a play where everything seems so real that it takes on a surreal character. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/ review-play-the-humans-where-everything-seems-so-real-that-it-takes-on-a-surreal-character/article37927644/ Karam, Stephen. The Humans. New York: Theatre Communications Group Inc., 2015.
SPOTLIGHT ON 50: FROM THE DRAFTING TABLE – REFLECTIONS FROM DESIGNERS by Stephen Hunt Throughout our 50th Anniversary Season, we take a look back at the storied history of bringing plays to our stage. Little did Patricia Flood know it, but the curling play was about to take over her life. That ‘curling play’ was W.O. Mitchell’s comedy The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon, W.O. Mitchell’s 1978 comedy that had its world premiere at Theatre Calgary. Her first task? Design a fake curling rink. That’s what the design team – set, lights, costumes, Michael Ball in The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon. (Photographer unknown) sound, and these days, video projections – of every Theatre Calgary play is there for: to transform the world inside a script into something real, and tangible. “It’s the play expressed visually,” says Flood. “Theatre is not just about the actors reading the lines of the play,” she adds. “It's the whole experience – and design is vital to that, because it communicates on a whole other level to you.” So how does one design a fake curling rink in a theatre – Theatre Calgary’s old home, the QR Centre? “Sheets of masonite,” says Flood. “With many, many layers of paint and varathane over top that were sanded down and painted. “We would spray the bottom of the rocks with silicon” she adds. “We would put them in the water where the characters would water the ice – and it was really slick, so they could slide on it.” It was so slick, Flood had to build a fence at the end of the rink to stop the rocks that misfiring actors rolled right through the circle. “It was wonderful,” she says. Black Bonspiel was also a huge hit. “It became my life work for a while,” Flood says. “We did so many productions of that (particular show). I did one at Theatre New Brunswick. We did it twice at Theatre Calgary, (and eventually) we went all through Alberta (doing the show across the province). The whole thing was amazing.”
That production worked better than a production of an anti-war show called Platoon, which featured radio-controlled blood packs that exploded when triggered by the stage manager, she says. The problem was that the QR Centre was also a radio station, and the transmitter signals set off the blood packs all the time, so the cast members kept bursting into blood at inopportune moments, until they switched to manually fired blood packs. Flood, who was a resident set designer for Theatre Calgary in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, was only one of many, many designers who have worked at Theatre Calgary over the past half century, building and designing sets, creating costumes and underscoring it all with sound and light and – lately video projections that have distinguished Theatre Calgary productions from anyone else’s in Calgary. If the playwright, actors and director speak the emotional language of a play, then the design team reinforces it with a unique visual language – and you can’t have one without the other, says Kevin Lamotte, a longtime lighting designer at The Shaw Festival who has also designed the lights for every Theatre Calgary production of A Christmas Carol since 2000.
Stephen Hair, Karl H. Sine in A Christmas Carol. (Photo by Trudie Lee)
“A lot of lighting cues are those emotional things (moments),” Lamotte says. “They’re either kind of driven by the writer, or sometimes, when a scene works, when you’re in rehearsal, you just get this feeling.” “There will be structural cues I call ‘felt and not seen’,” says Lamotte. “Like (for example), a long lighting cue going here – most people as an audience member wouldn’t be able to say oh, the lighting is changing. It’s just that the lighting is tightening in an emotional scene. And if that emotional scene breaks, often times there will be a long, slow release of that. It’s like following the kind of emotional rhythm of a play, so a lot of time lighting responds to that, too.” “All that,” he says, “to say there’s not a disconnect between design and emotion.” In addition to every A Christmas Carol of the 21st century, Lamotte did the lights for Enron, To Kill a Mockingbird, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and others – because, he says, Theatre Calgary keeps offering him challenging and compelling work. “They’ve (Theatre Calgary) had really really great programming over the years,” Lamotte says. “The thing for designers is, (we ask) what show are you doing? Cuckoos’ Nest? OK – I’ll come. Designers want to be on those things – that’s the kind of material. They’re more than challenging things, they’re just real sort of
the jewels in our (theatrical) canon. They’re the great plays. Every designer wants to be on those.” For Terry Gunvordahl, Calgary’s award–winning set designer, one of the biggest challenges – and greatest design pleasures – was when he switched from designing sets for shows in the QR Centre to shows in the Max Bell Theatre beginning in 1985.
The cast of Enron. (Photo by Trudie Lee)
That meant going from a ‘letter slot’ stage (about 14 feet high, and 40 feet wide), to the Max Bell’s wide and high stage, which afforded Gunvordahl a whole new set of design possibilities. Although Gunvordahl had fun designing shows at the QR Centre, including a production of Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten, in which he built a hillside – and planted grass, only to have the show’s opening postponed.
Edward Atienza and Eric Schneider in A Moon for the Misbegotten. (Photo by George Gammon)
“I think it was an actor problem” Gunvordahl says. “We had to recast. They delayed the actual opening for four or five days. And then, the grass started to grow.” Once the Max Bell Theatre opened – Gunvordahl designed the sets for Twelfth Night, the theatre’s inaugural production – it was a bit like being a kid at Christmas for a set designer with a head full of possibility. “It was wonderful,” he says. “and that first season, we had a lot of money. You just felt constricted in the QR Centre, and there were no restrictions – this (Max Bell) was a blank slate. This was a canvas you could just go crazy – and I did. I went crazy on it.” Nowhere was the possibility presented by the Max Bell stage more illuminated than a production of the alpine drama, K2, which Gunvordahl built sets for. “There was an (onstage) avalanche and I had (to build) this mountain that floated in the middle of the space,” he says. “What we never at the QR Centre was traps
– and I had a floor of traps! So I took them all out and exploited that space.” Since those 1970’s and 1980’s days, the tools of stage design have evolved in stunning ways. Lamotte works now with LED lights and a colour palette that gives him a tremendous selection of colours to work with, rather than the 16 he once was limited to. Set designers now share the stage with projected images, another game changer that has turned some nights in to the theatre into something resembling a night at the movies. And the representation has evolved too – from literal representations of fancy furniture in upscale New John Evans and Michael Kirby in K2. (Photo by Chris Thomas) York city and London homes to something a lot more imaginative, sometimes (think: The Little Prince) expressionistic. 21st century set design has one foot in the theatre world and one foot in the art world – and that’s fine by Gunvordahl. “I never liked literal anyway,” he says. “ I always tried to push the boundaries on that – and sometimes, with the right director, it would work great!” “I do like the way design is going,” he adds, “and that writers are writing (that way as well).” “They understand that the audience doesn’t need literal so much anymore,” he adds. “Our audiences are coming along, so they don’t need step by step, take them by the hand.” Ultimately, creating theatre is a collaborative effort – and for Flood, her fondest memories of working at Theatre Calgary were some of the directors she got the opportunity to let her imagination fly for. “It’s always more fun to have some freedom,” she says. “In those days at Theatre Calgary, I worked with a lot of directors who were really open to whatever I wanted to give to the show. That was a real pleasure, working with Rick McNair, who was the artistic director there for a long time while I was there,” she says. “He used to say, well what can you come up with? Let’s have some fun.”
Theatre Calgary’s Spotlight on 50 is generously supported by BMO Bank of Montreal.
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LEGACY GIVING at Theatre Calgary
SHARE YOUR PASSION WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS by remembering theatre calgary in your will, you can help ensure that future generations enjoy theatre calgary as you do today. Your gift will help Theatre Calgary to achieve our ambitious artistic goals: · To produce the finest theatre imaginable, featuring talented artists from our community and across the country; · To seek out the most compelling stories from around the world stories that stimulate our imaginations, emotions, and conversations; · To give young people a chance to discover theatre through our interactive learning programs; · To nurture the next generation of artists through our emerging artists programs and; · To stand amongst the best theatres globally as a leader in innovative, inspiring, and diverse programming. please consider leaving a lasting legacy for theatre calgary’s future for more information on leaving a legacy gift for theatre calgary, you can visit our website or contact: SHIRLEY YURCHI manager of individual and planned giving 403-294-7440 ext 1002 donations@theatrecalgary.com
the set of
a t h o u sa n d s p l e n d i d s u n s .
photo by kevin berne
Apr.
07 May
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2019
The Theatre Calgary Production of
Billy Elliot the Musical Book and Lyrics by Lee Hall, Music by Elton John Originally directed in London by Stephen Daldry Choreography by Yukichi Hattori Directed by Stafford Arima Set and Projections: Scott Reid, Costumes: Cory Sincennes, Lighting: Alan Brodie, Sound: Joshua D Reid
World Premiere
Honour Beat By Tara Beagan Directed by Michelle Thrush September 2 – 29, 2018 Set and Projections: Andy Moro, Costumes: Jeff Chief, Lighting: Patrick Beagan, Composer and Vocals: Pura Fé
Theatre Calgary, in association with Cyndi and Matt Crandell presents the World Premiere of
Mary and Max A New Musical Music and Lyrics by Bobby Cronin
Book by Crystal Skillman
Based on a film by Adam Elliot Directed by Stafford Arima October 14 – November 10, 2018 Orchestrations and Music Supervisor: Anna Ebbesen, Set and Costumes: Bretta Gereke, Lighting: Kim Purtell, Projections: Sean Nieuwenhuis, Sound: Peter McBoyle
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Kidoons, in association with Theatre Calgary and The 20K Collective, presents the World Premere of
A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens Adapted by Dennis Garnhum November 29 – December 23, 2018
BOOM X Written, Directed, and Performed by Rick Miller January 13 – February 9, 2019 Multimedia Irina Litvinenko, Projection Nicolas Dostie, Lighting Bruno Matte, Composer and Sound Creighton Doane, Set Costumes and Props Virginie Leclerc
The Scarlet Letter By Phyllis Nagy Adapted from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne Directed by Micheline Chevrier February 24 – March 23, 2019 Set and Costumes: Judith Bowden, Lighting: Harry Frehner
Stafford Arima, Artistic Director
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LILI BEAUDOIN
Brigid Blake Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Originally from Vancouver, Lili’s past credits include Gracie (ATP); Sister Judy (Arts Club); The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Comedy of Errors (Bard on the Beach). Offstage, you might hear Lili’s voice on a video game, or on cartoons such as My Little Pony, Beat Bugs, Rainbow Ruby, and Littlest Pet Shop. Thanks to Ryan and Woo for all the support through this process!
BARBARA GORDON Momo Blake For Theatre Calgary: Filthy Rich, The Dining Room, 6 Rms Riv Vu. Elsewhere: Barbara is delighted to be back in Calgary, having most recently performed here in Benefit for Downstage Theatre in 2015. She has performed in many theatres across Canada over the past 45 years, from the Playhouse and the Arts Club in Vancouver to Mulgrave Co-op and 2B Theatre in Nova Scotia. Most recently she appeared in Toronto, in Diane Flacks’ provocative Unholy for Nightwood Theatre. Over the years she’s appeared at most Toronto theatres, where she has been honoured with two Dora awards. Her film career has included such Canadian works as the upcoming indie, Business Ethics, Life, Still Mine, Men With Brooms, Hypercube, Dead Ringers, and Skinwalkers. Canadian television work includes continuing roles in Road to Avonlea, This is Wonderland, Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Best Laid Plans, and many television movies. ELINOR HOLT
Deirdre Blake For Theatre Calgary: Mom’s The Word - For Crying Out Loud, Jake and the Kid, Our Town, A Christmas Carol (2004), Dangerous Corner, Holiday. Elsewhere: Elinor is a working mother of three and is married to musician, Spider Bishop. Together they have raised a family and paid off a mortgage here in Calgary, doing what they love. For almost 30 years Elinor has worked extensively in theatres here in the west and as far east as Hudson, Quebec. After this she will head to Edmonton to perform in Fly Me To The Moon with Shadow Theatre. This summer Elinor will return to The Caravan Farm Theatre to act, sing and perhaps play a little trombone in Law of the Land.
SHEKHAR PALEJA
Richard Saad Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Based in Vancouver, Shekhar grew up in Calgary and is excited to return for this exceptional play. He's appeared in theatres across Canada including: Bard on the Beach, CanStage, Arts Club, Vancouver Playhouse, Touchstone Theatre, Pi Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Globe Theatre, and National Centre of Performing Arts (India). A few Film & TV credits include recurring roles on Arctic Air, Arrow, Battlestar Galactica, Gracepoint, Motive, Sanctuary, Second Chance. Shekhar is also an award winning author. His latest novel An Extraordinary Destiny was published in 2017 by Brindle & Glass. www.paleja.ca
RIC REID Erik Blake For Theatre Calgary: The Philadelphia Story (Shaw Festival production, 2015). Elsewhere: Ric has been a member of the Shaw Festival company for 15 years. While there he has performed in Come Back Little Sheba, Me and My Girl, When the Rain Stops Falling, Magic Fire, Lady from the Sea to name a few. He and his wife, Kelly, Co-founded Lyndesfarne Theatre in the Niagara area and she directed him in Shakespeares Villians, American Buffalo, 39 Steps and many others. Across the country he was Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird and Robert in Proof for both Edmonton and Winnipeg, and Charlie in August: Osage County at the Citadel. His television credits include Suits, Rookie Blue, and The X-Files.
AYLA STEPHEN Aimee Blake Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet), As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Shakespeare Company); oblivion (Third Street Theatre); Scorched (Sage Theatre). Ayla was nominated for a Betty Mitchell Award in 2016 for her performance in Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet). She regularly laces up her Chuck Taylor’s to perform sketch comedy with The Late Late Breakfast Show, and can often be found improvising with The Kinkonauts and at Loose Moose Theatre. She sends much love to her Mum, always.
VANESSA PORTEOUS Director For Theatre Calgary: Timothy Findley’s The Wars (Production Dramaturg). Elsewhere: From 2009-17 – Artistic Director at Alberta Theatre Projects. For ATP: To the Light (world premiere), Gracie (ATP/ Belfry Theatre), Cockroach (world premiere), Charlotte’s Web, The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye), You Will Remember Me (world premiere), Red, The Penelopiad, Heartbreaker (world premiere), Tyland (world premiere), The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan (world premiere & revival - ATP/Magnetic North, revival at ATP), The Syringa Tree (twice), Why Freud Fainted (world premiere), Pinocchio (world premiere - ATP/ Magnetic North, revival at ATP), Plan B, Proof, The Hobbit, Respectable (world premiere), The Gifts of The Magi. Elsewhere (Selected): Christina The Girl King (world premiere - Stratford Festival); The Penelopiad (Arts Club); When That I Was (The Shakespeare Company); Queen Lear (world premiere - Urban Curvz); The Enchanted Child (Calgary Opera). Awards: Two Betty Mitchell Awards for Outstanding Direction. Upcoming: The world premiere of Bronte: The World Without by Jordi Mand (Stratford Festival). For Bruce. @ATPvporteous
“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” – Mother Teresa
CAMERON PORTEOUS
Set Design For Theatre Calgary: The Crucible. Elsewhere: Head of Design for the Shaw Festival from 1980 to 1997. Select Credits for Shaw: Major Barbara, Cavalcade, Caesar and Cleopatra, Cyrano de Bergerac, Saint Joan, and in 2005, Journey’s End. Set and Costume Designs: Harold Green Jewish Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Young Peoples Theatre, Canadian Stage and the Royal Alexandria- Toronto, The Stratford Festival, Grand Theatre – London, National Arts Centre, Citadel Theatre; Theatre Aquarius, Shea’s Theatre - Buffalo, New York, Arts Club, Vancouver Playhouse. Opera Designs: Hamilton, Vancouver, National Arts Centre, Canadian Opera Company. Cameron taught from 2006-13 at the Ryerson University Theatre School. Film/Television: Production Design: Barrymore, Bailey’s Billions, Emmy award-winning Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Composers, Artists Series and Inventors Specials. Exhibitions: St. Petersburg, Russia. Niagara and Toronto - a retrospective “Risking the Void.” Retrospective of designs 2012 Prague Quadrennial. Cameron is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and the Associated Designers of Canada.
JENNIFER LEE ARSENAULT
Costume Design Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Charlotte’s Web, 1979, The Circle (ATP); Madagascar (Storybook); The Drowning Girls (Theatre Northwest); Let the Light of Day Through (Lunchbox); Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet) (The Shakespeare Company/Handsome Alice Theatre/Hit & Myth Productions); NYC vs YYC, Prison Divas (Cowtown Opera); Cowboy vs Samurai (Chromatic Theatre). Assistant Designer – Carousel, She stoops to conquer (Stratford Festival); The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, Butcher (ATP); The Hollow, The Mousetrap (Vertigo); Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (Theatre Junction). Jennifer holds an MFA in theatre design from the University of Calgary, and a BFA in scenography from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. @JennLeeArseno
KIMBERLY PURTELL
Lighting Design For Theatre Calgary: The Drowsy Chaperone. Elsewhere: Kimberly is a Toronto based lighting designer for theatre, opera and dance. Her designs have been critically acclaimed across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Prague, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Moscow and Mongolia. Most recently she designed Life After, Declarations (Canadian Stage), Mamma Mia (Citadel Theatre), Timon of Athens, The Virgin Trial, The Madwoman of Chaillot (Stratford Festival), The Madness of George III, Androcles and the Lion (Shaw Festival), Life Reflected (National Arts Centre Orchestra). She recently toured Canada and the US with Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. Upcoming designs include Snow Child (Arena Stage, Washington DC) and Bronte: The World Without (Stratford Festival). Kimberly has received three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Pauline McGibbon Award and a Montreal English Theatre Award.
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu
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PETER MOLLER Original Music & Sound Design For Theatre Calgary: The Shoplifters, Macbeth, Seven Stories, Sherlock Holmes. Elsewhere: The 39 Steps, Drowning Girls (Vertigo); All The Little Animals I Have Eaten, Fat Jack Falstaff’s Last Hour (One Yellow Rabbit); Butcher, Tyland, The Syringa Tree (ATP); Othello (The Shakespeare Company). Awards: Betty Mitchell Awards for Sound Design – Butcher (ATP); Boy Gets Girl (Theatre Junction); Mesa (Ghost River); Beowulf (Old Trout Puppet Workshop). Sterling Awards (Edmonton) – Mesa (Workshop West). Peter has run Egg Press Co., a graphic and sound design establishment since just after the dawn of time or, as he remembers it, 1976. Lately he’s been exploring the songs of the obscure Danish band “The Sacrificial Leaves” with Calgary expat Mark Bandola. The result, Peter Moller & Mark Bandola Interpret The Songs Of The Sacrificial Leaves, is available as a vinyl record from Concrete Discs. More info available at eggpress.ca CHRISTOPHER HUNT
Assistant Director For Theatre Calgary: 41 productions, including: Twelfth Night, The Audience, The Light In The Piazza, The Great Gatsby, 7 Stories, An Ideal Husband, Glorious, Humble Boy, Hay Fever, Copenhagen, True West, Rough Crossing, Private Lives, Memoir, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Charley’s Aunt, Amadeus, Tartuffe. Elsewhere: Flight Risk (Lunchbox); The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw (Caravan Farm); The Goodnight Bird (Centaur); Much Ado About Nothing (Globe). Awards: Seven of Calgary’s Betty Mitchell awards, most recently for 1979 with ATP. Film/Television: Heartland, Caitlin’s Way, Shanghai Noon, You Know My Name. Christopher lives in Calgary with his family - Elizabeth, Grady, Arden & Charlie the dog.
RUBY DAWN EUSTAQUIO Stage Manager For Theatre Calgary: A Christmas Carol (2007, 2015-17), Much Ado About Nothing, Enron, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical. Ruby Dawn is excited to be playing with TC again. Elsewhere: Nine Dragons, Wait Until Dark, The Big Sleep, Shear Madness, Sweeny Todd (Vertigo); Becky’s New Car, The Highest Step In The World (ATP); Girl Crush, In On It, Scarlet Women (Lunchbox); The Money Shot, Evil Dead the Musical (GZT/Hit & Myth); Crime Does Not Pay (Downstage); A Beautiful View (Sage). She is also a member of the cast and crew of Dirty Laundry, Calgary’s only improvised soap opera. Ruby Dawn thanks Aaron for being super dad, and her sweetest little Mili.
CARISSA SAMS Assistant Stage Manager For Theatre Calgary: Stage Manger – As You Like It, Hamlet (Shakespeare by the Bow), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Park). Assistant Stage Manager – Skylight, The Light in the Piazza, Bad Jews. Apprentice Stage Manager – Dear Johnny Deere, One Man, Two Guvnors, BOOM (High Performance Rodeo). Chaperone – Christmas Carol (2012 -16), Mary Poppins. ELSEWHERE: Assistant Stage Manager – 39 Steps, Our Man in Havana, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight; Apprentice Stage Manager - The Haunting, In the Heat of the Night (Vertigo); The Surrogate (Lunchbox); Stage Manager – The Good Bride (Handsome Alice).
SKYLAR DESJARDINS TC Mentors Program – Set Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Splendour, Mother Courage and Her Children, Inside, Macbeth, Man equals Man (School of Creative and Performing Arts - University of Calgary); IGNITE! Interdisciplinary Series 2017, A Millennial’s Guide to Dating in the 21st Century (Sage); Window (Ghost River); Urinetown: the Musical (Grindstone); Aeschylus: Fragments (Theatre Encounter); Impulse, Totem (PQ 2015); The Exquisite Hour (Lunchbox); Polonious and His Children (Blue Elephant Theatre).
SARAH UWADIAE
TC Mentors Program – Lighting Theatre Calgary debut. Sarah Uwadiae is a Nigerian theatre artist who currently rounded up her MFA Design (Set, Costume and Lighting) at the University of Calgary. Costume design credits in Canada include: Metamorphoses, Splendour (U of C MainStage); Hol/Ō/, 1-7-9-2-4-5, Macbeth, Mother Tongue, (Taking Flight Festival, U of C). Sarah is honoured to be a part of this mentorship program and she looks forward to artistic creations and collaborations with TC in years to come. Love and gratitude go to her family and friends. @sarahuwadiae
“This was the trouble with families. Like invidious doctors, they knew just where it hurt.” – Arundhati Roy
Special Thanks & Acknowledgements Adrienne Wong Stephen Karam
STEPHEN KARAM
Playwright
Stephen Karam’s plays include The Humans (Tony Award, Obie Award for Playwriting, Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and Pulitzer Prize finalist), Sons of the Prophet (Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist), and Speech & Debate. His adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard premiered on Broadway as part of Roundabout’s 2016 season; his film adaptation of The Seagull starring Annette Bening will premiere in 2018. Recent honors include two Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, a Drama League Award, and a Hull-Warriner Award. Stephen is a graduate of Brown University and grew up in Scranton, PA. stephenkaram.com
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) was founded in 1965 and has grown from a small 150-seat theatre in a converted supermarket basement to become one of America’s most significant producers of theatre. This not-for-profit company, with more than 44,000 season subscribers, is committed to producing definitive productions of classic plays and musicals alongside new plays by today’s writers, ensuring that audiences and artists alike have access to high-quality, professional stagings of important works of world literature. With three distinctive homes, the American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54, and the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/Laura Pels Theatre/Black Box Theatre, Roundabout has the unique opportunity to showcase these works in a venue perfectly suited to enhance the production. Since moving to Broadway in 1991, Roundabout productions have received 150 Tony nominations, 135 Drama Desk nominations, and 154 Outer Critics Circle nominations. Production highlights include Anna Christie (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival), She Loves Me (Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Olivier Awards for Best Revival of a Musical), Nine (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival of a Musical), Assassins (Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Revival of a Musical), Intimate Apparel (Outer Critics Circle and Audelco Awards for Best Off-Broadway Play), Twelve Angry men (Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Play), The Pajama Game (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), and Cabaret (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival of a Musical), one of the longest running musical revivals in Broadway history. Since 1995, when Roundabout expanded its repertoire to include premieres of new plays, the company has produced works by such talented writers as Brian Friel, Paula Vogel, Richard Greenberg, Lynn Nottage, Beth Henley, Harold Pinter, and Jon Robin Baitz. The Man Who Came to Dinner, the first production at the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street in 2000, and the star-studded production of The Women in June 2002 have been seen on channel Thirteen/WNET and other PBS stations nationally. Beyond its work on stage, Roundabout is recognized as a national leader in audience development and offers a comprehensive program of initiatives, including the Social Series, the Early Curtain Series, the Wine Series, the Gay and Lesbian Series, HIPTIX (targeting young professionals), and related humanities events and publications. Roundabout launched ACCESS ROUNDABOUT, a program which offered over 22,000 dramatically discounted tickets during the 2007-2008 season. In addition, through arts education programs, Roundabout reaches more than 7,000 New York City public high school students and their teachers each year. With a focus on in-depth programming, these activities range from partnerships with two New Century High Schools (a NYC Department of Education Initiative) and professional development for teachers to in-school year-long residencies and student matinees at its Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Through national tours, live broadcasts, education and outreach programs, and its work on three stages, Roundabout touches the lives of millions of theatergoers, students, and artists across the country.
THEATRE CALGARY STAFF ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE
SCOTT MORRIS, Head Stage Carpenter
KRISTEN DION, Director of Finance & Administration BRENT FALK, Accountant
STEVE PILON & ANDREW RAFUSE, Co-Head Scenic Carpenters
TAMMIE RIZZO, Accountant
RACHEL MICHELLE SHERIDAN, Head Dresser
JOCELYN PHU, Executive Assistant, Government Relations Coordinator
RON SIEGMUND, Head of Wigs
VICTORIA THARAKAN, Office Coordinator ARTISTIC
LEE BOOTH, Front of House Manager, Volunteer & Guest Services Coordinator
STAFFORD ARIMA, Artistic Director
KIRSTIE GALLANT, Bar & Guest Services Coordinator
LESLEY MACMILLAN, General Manager
BARBARA BOOTH, SHIRLEY COSTLEY, NORMA HANSEN, SIENNA HOLDEN, LAURA KWAS, JULIA MEEDER, MITZI METZGER, TAMSIN MILES, KIM SIMMONS, DEBORAH SYDORCHUK
SUSAN MCNAIR REID, Company Manager JENNA TURK, Artistic Associate JANE MACFARLANE, Resident Voice Coach COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING CHRISTOPHER LOACH, Director of Communications LISA MACKAY, Director of Marketing & Audience Development KRISTINE ASTOP, Database & Systems Manager SARAH LAMOUREUX, Digital Communications Manager VIRGINIA REMPEL, Audience Services Supervisor
FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF – MAX BELL THEATRE
BARTENDING STAFF - MAX BELL THEATRE KEVIN BAILEY, ATTRINA BLYTHE, RAYNAH BOURNE, NATALIE BUCKLEY, MARY CHISHOLM, CONNER CHRISTMAS, PAM DOWNEY, ALEXA ELSER, ELIZABETH FERGUSON, DANIELA HEJRALOVA, MANDY KOCH, KELLY MALCOLM, LAUREN MARSHALL, CARLY MCKEE-BERTWISTLE, MATT MOGHADAM, STEPHANIE MORRIS, GRACE OLIVER, DAVID SKLAR, MEGAN STEPHAN, TOM WOOD, JASMIN ZENCHYSON BUILDERS FOR THE HUMANS
JENNIFER KINCH, Database & Systems Administrator
SET
RYAN FRISCHKE, Audience Services Associate
ANDREW RAFUSE, Co-Head Scenic Carpenter
HAYLEY FEIGS, Audience Services Associate
WESTON WOOD, Scenic Carpenter
CECILIA MCKAY, Audience Services Associate ALICIA SZCZGIELSKI, Marketing Intern
STEVE PILON, Co-Head Scenic Carpenter
PROPERTIES LILLIAN MESSER, Head of Props
DEVELOPMENT
CELINA BAHARALLY, Assistant Head of Props
SARAH HUGHES, Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving
PAINTERS
SHIRLEY YURCHI, Manager Individual & Planned Giving
LOUIS BEAUDOIN, Head Scenic Artist WARDROBE
LAUREN GILLEY, Development Associate
MICHELLE LATTA, Head of Wardrobe
RONALD PETERS, Business Development
KATIE KLINGVALL, Wardrobe Coordinator
CIANI MUZA, Development Coordinator ROSEMARIE JOHNSTON, Bingo Volunteer Coordinator LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT CHRIS STOCKTON, Senior Manager of Learning & Engagement JAMIE TYMCHUK, Learning & Engagement Associate PRODUCTION AMELIA MARIE NEWBERT, Production & Operations Manager ADAM SCHRADER, Technical Director GRAHAM KINGSLEY, Assistant Technical Director LOUIS BEAUDOIN, Head Scenic Artist CATHARINE CRUMB, Head of Lighting CHRIS JACKO, Head of Sound MICHELLE LATTA, Head of Wardrobe LILLIAN MESSER, Head of Props
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Leaders in our arts and cultural community BOARD EXECUTIVE MARGO RANDLES, Chair Active Community Volunteer
CRAIG D. SENYK, Vice Chair,
MAGGIE SCHOFIELD Executive Director, Calgary Downtown Association
ALI SHIVJI Managing Director, Optima Living
Director of Portfolio Management, Mawer Investment Management Ltd.
EDITH WENZEL
JOY ALFORD, Corporate Secretary
TRECIA WRIGHT
CATHERINE SAMUEL, Artistic Committee Chair
Business Development Executive – National Accounts, Van Houtte Coffee Services
Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
KELLY BERNAKEVITCH, Audit & Finance Committee Chair Executive Vice President, MNP, LLP
RICHARD S. HANNAH, Development Committee Chair
President, International Results Group
WARD ZIMMER Partner, Deloitte
THEATRE CALGARY ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION
Vice President, Corporate Services, Gibson Energy
BOARD EXECUTIVE
PAUL POLSON, Facility Committee Chair
CHADWICK NEWCOMBE, Chair
Vice President, Stuart Olson Construction
Kahane Law Office
KATHRYN HEATH, Governance & Nominating Committee Chair
ELLEN CHIDLEY, Vice Chair
JAMES READER, Human Resources Committee Chair
WARD ZIMMER, Secretary / Treasurer
Consultant Partner, Deloitte
Managing Director, Corporate Financial Services, ATB Financial
BOARD MEMBERS
CHADWICK NEWCOMBE, Past Chair
IAN BEDDIS
Kahane Law Office
Former Director & Branch Manager (Retired), Scotia McLeod Inc.
BOARD MEMBERS
PETER EDWARDS
MICHELE BEITEL
Vice President, Human Resources and Relations, Canadian Pacific
PETER EDWARDS Vice President, Human Resources and Relations, Canadian Pacific
GORD HARRIS
STEPHEN HAIR
RYAN HOULT
P. Eng., M&A Consultant
Artistic Consultant
CEO, Hatsize Learning
BERNETTE HO
TRICIA LEADBEATER
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Director, Wealth & Management, Richardson GMP
NARMIN ISMAIL-TEJA
DR. NORMAN SCHACHAR, M.D.
Principal, impact@work inc.
TRICIA LEADBEATER Director, Wealth & Management, Richardson GMP
RIAZ MAMDANI CEO, Strategic Group
IAN MCAULEY President, American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP
DOUG PAGE Director of Government Relations, TransCanada
KATE RYDER Senior Legal Counsel, Cenovus Energy Inc.
DR. NORMAN SCHACHAR, M.D. University of Calgary Department of Surgery
University of Calgary Department of Surgery
HERE’S YOUR CUE With Willis & Kathleen Winter How long have you been subscribers and what got you started? We’ve been subscribers since the 70s. Back then we went to a Christmas play that we really enjoyed and we’ve been with Theatre Calgary ever since. As subscribers, some benefits are getting the best ticket prices and having your dates booked in advance. Is that important to you? We definitely like that our dates are pre-set, it makes sure we get out as it’s a nice date night for us and yes, the price is great, we like discounts. But mostly we just enjoy going to the theatre! For many years you have generously included a donation with your subscription renewal. Why do you feel it’s important to do this, and is the timing important? It’s because we realize how much we enjoy the theatre and we wanted to make sure we supported it. As for the why now – well, if we’re already paying for our subscription, why not just add the donation and get it all done at once – the tax deduction is nice too. We realize that the price of our subscription doesn’t cover the cost of the plays and we do recognize that without donors and sponsors you wouldn’t be able to put on the plays that you do.
Willis – retired Electrical Engineer. Kathleen – works contract doing record keeping, mostly oil & gas & accounting
“We realize that the price of our subscription doesn’t cover the cost of the plays.” With support from individuals like yourselves, Theatre Calgary strives to stand amongst the best theatres in the world. Do you think that adds value to our city? It does add value, people are attracted to a city where there is a variety of things to do or see. The attraction of Calgary is that it isn’t just about the hockey or football or the stampede; there are many arts and cultural things to take in as well. Now that we are heading into our 51st season, and Stafford Arima’s first season of programming, how important do you think it is to show support for a new Artistic Director? We think it’s important to have that change and are looking forward to
the idea of a different variety of plays being presented. So yeah, we want to support the new Artistic Director, we believe it keeps things fresh and interesting. Are there any shows you’re looking forward to in the 2018-19 lineup? Well the lineup looks like a really nice variety of plays, but Honour Beat is the show we are most looking forward to. We’re also looking forward to Billy Elliot the Musical and of course BOOM X as we liked the first BOOM. What impact do you think supporters like yourselves have on the plays at Theatre Calgary?
What would you say to others to encourage them to support the theatre? We would remind people that there’s more to life than just what you do as a career or watching TV or being too involved with other electronic devices. Live theatre can expand your horizons – it allows you to see things or experience things that you might not otherwise. Donating helps you feel you have some ownership in what goes on the stage and that you can make a difference somewhere, which could be to the theatre, to the other people watching the show, but most especially to yourself.
It allows you to pick plays that are a bit riskier or more costly to do. It helps expand the limits of what you can present on your stage which makes it more interesting and exciting to see what’s coming next.
Play your part in Theatre Calgary’s second act As Willis and Kathleen said theatre can expand your horizons; it allows you to see things or experience things that you can’t otherwise. Theatre Calgary is helping to make Calgary a vibrant city for people to live, work, and play in, along with helping to build the artistic community. As we launch into our second act, and Stafford’s exciting Season of New Beginnings, we would ask you to join Willis and Kathleen in subscribing to our theatre and making a donation to support our work. You can help us provide inspired creativity to create a strong city. Ticket sales and subscriptions cover approximately 60% of our costs, the generosity of people like you help us to program exciting and challenging productions. Please consider playing your part in our 2018-19 season, join our cast of supporting family by making a donation.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS Applauding 50 years of loyal support. ARTISTIC CHAMPIONS PRODUCER’S CIRCLE ($25,000 +) Joy Alford & Dan Magyar Michelle O’Reilly Foundation Craig D. Senyk, Mawer Investment
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($10,000 +) Frank & Diane Babienko Chadwick & Jillian Newcombe Alex Osten Margo & Brant Randles Rod & Betty Wade Edith & Cal Wenzel Tanya Zumwalt
DESIGNER’S CIRCLE ($5,000 +) Brent Allardyce, Allardyce Bower Consulting Michele & Paul Beitel Dave & Roxanne Dunlop Don & Joan Greenfield Brian & Barbara Howes Chris & Tracy Lee Dennis Nerland & Jennifer Pollock C.A. Siebens Wettstein Family
ACTOR’S CIRCLE ($2,500 +) Anonymous Stafford Arima, in memory of Daisy Arima Christine Armstrong & Irfhan Rawji The Armstrong Family George & Colleen Bezaire Bruce & Mary Comeau Laurel Edwards Peter Edwards & Maxine Leverette Jason W. Hadley Stephen Hair Brian Hook & Kathryn Heath Ryan Hoult & Kate Andrews Laurie & Barry Kenley Tim & Alana Kitchen Tricia Leadbeater Louise Bernette Ho Professional Corporation Riaz & Zai Mamdani Keith & Gwen McMullen, Fireside Property Group Ltd. Geri & Alan Moon Janis & Bruce Morrison Jock & Diana Osler Doug Page & Christine Rogerson
Susan & Jim Reader Vera Ross Catherine Samuel & Todd Pringle Janice & James Sanford Salima & Ali Shivji Darwin Smith & Erica McBeth Roger & Lorna Smith The Tisdall Family Williamson/McAuley Family Trecia & Kim Wright
CORPORATE DRESS CIRCLE ($3,900 +) ARC Financial Corporation Jeff Boyd, Royal Bank of Canada Canadian Natural Resources Limited Canadian Pacific Franklin Templeton Investments Brian French, Where Magazine Terry Gale, Standard General iA Financial Group Ray Limbert & Associates, BMO Nesbitt Burns Mackie Wealth Group/Richardson GMP Stantec Consulting Ltd. Western Management Consultants Trecia Wright, Van Houtte Coffee Services
DRESS CIRCLE ($1,000 +) Anonymous Gary Agnew & Debra Johnstone, Tigerback Resources Ltd. Marguerite & Rene Amirault Bill Armstrong, Norton Rose Fulbright Janet Arnold & Gayle Hayes Diane M. Auld Eric & Diane Axford Maryann Ayim & Jim Mullin Banff Aspen Lodge Robin & Ian Beddis Clare Beers & J. Timothy Buehner James Bergeron & Aileen Delaney Louise Berlin Kelly & Celeste Bernakevitch Dr. Margot Black Blue Sky Services Inc. Dave & Marilyn Bradley Michael Broadhurst Jeanne Bulger Jim & Pat Burns Tom Byttynen & Janet McMaster Christina & Mark Caldwell
A.S.L. & Wendy J. Campbell Lorna Carlson & Lloyd Good Ellen & Bill Chidley Carlene & Bruce Chrumka Lois Cole Steacy Collyer & Bryan Pinney Denis Couturier Frances & Bob Coward DIALOG Kristen & Denis Dion Dr. David & Kris Docherty Patrick & Cheryl Doherty James Doleman & Dori Wood Greg & Tara Draper David Eeles, Norton Rose Fulbright Dr. Reuben & Amy Eng Frances Ferguson, Norton Rose Fulbright Lorie & Mike Flynn John & Audrey Fry S/S James Rob Geremia & Bonnie Kowaliuk Ricardo & Betti Anne Giammarino Gibson Energy Warren & Kristine Gieck Gwyneth Gillette Bruce Graham & Kathy Falla Richard S. Hannah Gord Harris & Nancy Dalton Dean & Trish Harrison Bruce Hartley & Michale Bonn Dick & Lois Haskayne Kevin & Kathy Hildebrand Lynn & Vern Hult Clarke & Adele Hunter, Norton Rose Fulbright Larry & Carolyn Hursh Narmin Ismail-Teja & Mohamed Teja Andrew & Stephanie Johnson Glenna Jones & Michael Sherman Bill & Elspeth Kirk Barb & Yukio Kitagawa John & Vici Kortbeek Sandy & Parnell Kowalski Bob & Mary Lamond Cameron Lang, Carpet Superstores Rick & Val Lautischer, Awin Insurance Dr. Laurie Lemieux & Dr. Wayne Rosen Elaine Lo Ray & Bernice Mack Lisa Mackay & Chris Petrik Bob & Peggy MacLeod Danielle & Jason Maksimow, Norton Rose Fulbright Stephen & Wendy Mason Trish Matheson & Dave Dyer
Dr. Lloyd & Tracy Maybaum Dr. J.E. Mccruden Christopher & Vicki McPhee Mauro & Brenda Meneghetti Rob Mitchell & James Pearson Tony Morris, Norton Rose Fulbright Mortgage Connection Stuart & Catherine Mugford John & Karen Murphy Jana & Lacey Neal Alan & Shelly Norris Barry & Sharon Northfield David & Linda Noruschat Bill O’Kruk & Alison Clift Bob & Rhonda Osness, Osness Insurance Ltd. C. Gordon & Joan Packer Donald & Leslie Park Allan & Allison Pedden Paul Polson, Stuart Olson Construction Aaron Potvin & Naomi Merkley Bonnie Ramsay & Richard Leslie Al & Margaret Rasmuson Sheila & Reno Redenbach Donna Riback George Rogers & Cathy Christensen Bob & Jean-Ann Rooney Susan & Richard Roskey Allan & Denise Ross Kate and Jon Ryder Juli & Paul Sacco Norm & Kathy Schachar Byron & Marnie Schmidt Maggie Schofield Gudrun & Peter Serendynski Kelly R.H. Shannon Jeffrey & Karen Spiers James M. Stanford Dr. M. Steele & Dr. A. Daly Strategic Group Vera Swanson O.C. Lynn Tanner & Margaret Graw Bob Taylor & Madeleine Taylor King Harry & Linda Taylor TransCanada Corporation Michael & Susan Tumback Randal & Pam Van De Mosselaer Gordon & Annie VanderLeek Paul Ventura Jud Virtue, Norton Rose Fulbright Alida Visbach & Paul Corbett Diane Volk Greg & Lori Waslen Rob & Candace Waters Mike & Theresa Watson Shari Wattling & Trevor Rueger Patti Weldon & Kevin Taylor Ken & Stephanie Wilson Ward & Denise Zimmer
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Friends of the Bard
Anonymous John Armstrong & Karyn Leidal Roy & Roberta Barr Sandy & Neill Coad Brian & Yvonne Conway Robert D.D. Cormack Karol Dabbs Darin & Belinda Dunlop Dr. Donald Gladman & Irene Shewchuk Ted Jablonski & Monique Courcelles Louise & Mark Lines Howard & Janet McLean Stuart & Catherine Mugford Alan & Shelly Norris Carolyn S. Phillips Norm & Kathy Schachar Mike Stillwell John & Peggy Van De Pol
($1,000 +) Anonymous Diana & David Ballard Nolan & Carol Blades Stacey & Dale Burstall Cakeworks Stephanie Felesky Barb & Yukio Kitagawa Michael Mezei & Andrea Hopps Alan & Geri Moon Graydon & Dorothy Morrison Fund at the Calgary Foundation Susan O’Brien Osten-Victor Fund, at the Calgary Foundation Bernadette & Thomas Raedler Dr. Douglas Rix & Deborah Ferguson Colleen & William Tobman Wanklin Family Fund at the Calgary Foundation Jody Wood & Quentin Pittman
LEGACY CIRCLE
ASSOCIATE
LEGACY LEADERS
($400 +) Anonymous Baher Family Fund at the Calgary Foundation David & Gwen Baker Larry & Karen Benke Carol Beringer & Phil Boisvert Gary & Tracey Boehm Chris Brooks & Daniel Heng Bruce & Heather Brunette Ian & Gwen Burgess John & Monique Buysschaert Barrie & Joan Cameron Bill & Laurie Clay Robert D.D. Cormack CW4W Afghan, Calgary Chapter Edward & Jean Czaja Gloria J. Davis DLA Piper (Canada) LLP Geremia Charitable Trust G.M. Gillette Ian & Michele Gunn & Family Danelle Hames Brian & Barbara Howes James Hughes
OTHER 2017-18 PLAYS
Martha Cohen Estate Jo-Ann De Repentigny Estate Barbara Peddlesden Estate
LEGACY VISIONARIES Paul & Michele Beitel Denis Couturier Alex Osten Norm & Kathy Schachar Allen & Valerie Swanson
INDIVIDUAL DONORS INVESTOR ($5,000 +) Edmonton Community Foundation The Flanagan Foundation
SUSTAINER ($1,500 +) The David & Janet Bentley Family Fund, at the Edmonton Community Foundation Harry & Martha Cohen Foundation
IBM Canada Employees’ Charitable Fund Cindy Johnson Royer Fund at the Calgary Foundation Bill & Kit Kennedy B & K King Fund at the Calgary Foundation Roy Klassen Lee’s Picture Frame Warehouse Jean Macnab C. Marshall Joan & Robert Martin Leslie & Roger McMechan Brian Mills & Susan Tyrrell Leyton Morris Nancy & Glen Charitable Gift Fund Nexen Energy ULC C. Gordon & Joan Packer Murray & Corlieene Pennell Bill & Erisa Penner Michael & Margaret Perlette Jeff Pivnick & Jayne Thirsk Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. Richard Kennedy P.C. The Schmitz Family Foundation Malcolm Turner & Barbara Black Linda & Gord Vogt Willis Winter Robert Woodrow
FRIEND ($100 +) Anonymous Dinesh & Rajendra Agrawal Sherrill & Robert Allan F. Garfield Anderson David & Bev Andrews Stephen Arsenych Bernice & Ken Baher C. Baker Don & Carol Baker Jane Barlet Hessdorfer Blair & Gail Baxter Jane Baxter The Belangers & The Mix Tom & Bev Benson Allan & Donna Black Gerry Bowland Diane & John Boyd Dave & Marilyn Bradley Brian Brausen Barb & Alex Brough K.R. Brown Mike & Judy Brunner R. Bryant Helga Budwill Judy Burgess Sharon & Royal Burritt Jared & Diana Burwell David & Sebina Butts Richard & Eleanor Byers
Brenda & Gordy Cannady Marlys & Ted Carruthers Cenovus Energy Inc. Marjorie Challand Donna Chapman In honour of Ellen Chidley Jim & Eleanor Chinnick Margaret Churchill J. Clapson CNL Resources Ltd. Maureen Cook Ira Cooper & Erin Storey Greg Coupal Tom & Carol-Ann Cox The Craig Family & The Willis Family D. Christensen Shan Cross M. & C. Crothers A. Cush Thomas & Winifred Day Mike DeNicola Luigi & Joyce De Somma Erisa Didkowsky-Penner Elizabeth Dixon Ric & Lynda Dormer Helga Dressel Denis & Patricia Duke Willa & Don Dumka Gay Dunlop Tricia Durkin
When the arts need our support, we’re there. Norton Rose Fulbright is proud to sponsor Theatre Calgary, as they take to the stage for their 50th season.
Law around the world nortonrosefulbright.com
Jane Ebbern & Kevin Johnston Steve & Shawan Edworthy Robert Elsworthy Len & Fran Esler Dwayne & Rita Ewanchuk F. Ferguson G.J. Filyk B. Flood Sarah & Ethan Flynn Cathie Foote & Art Frank Beverley Fujino Denis E. & Yolande Gagnon Jan Geggie Bob & Carol Gerein Barb & Dan Giba Gordon & Dorcas Giesbrecht John Gilpin Christine & Keith Gingerick Jane & Alan Glover Ronald & Helen Goodman Pauline & Don Gray Dennis & Ardele Gregory Irene & J.G. Grier Kent Haidl Elizabeth Hamel Barbara Hay Catherine Heaton John Heffer Laurie Hillis Brent & Tammy Hironaka Louis & Penny Hogan Aldyth Holder Gillian & John Hopkins Neil & Sue Huckle Carolyn & Henry Huisman John Humphrey & Laura McLeod Carol Jensen Janice & Barrie Johnson Glen & Joan Johnston Edward Juarez Evelyn Keddie Brian & Darlene Kelly Annalise King Phyllis & Larry King John & Maureen Kirby Joyce Kneeland Maryann Kowalsky & Wayne Silvernagle Helle & Juri Kraav Herb & Kathy Kroeker Ruth Kroon George & Suzannah Kurian Lorne & Pat Larson Diana & Roger Leach Robert & Linda Lesoway Larry & Corrie Loomes Frank & Donna Losoncy Barb & Jack Lough Cathy Loughlin Gwen Loveless Al & Sandy Lucas Andrew & Emily Lukacik
Debbie MacDonald & John Sojak Mary & Don MacLeod Karen MacPherson Evelyne & Harvey Martens James & Donna McDonald Marilyn Mcelheran Ron & Sylvia McIntosh Tonya McKechnie Glenda & Douglas McLean Shirley McNamara Medley Family Annette M. Messer Dr. Julian Midgley David & Maureen Mitchell Jean L. Mitchell Margaret Montgomery Barbara Morin Muir Family Forbes & Margaret Newman Todd & Jean Nickel Chuck & Daphne Nicolle Wayne & Marilyn Niddrie John & Dianne O'Rourke The Paddon Hughes Development Co. Ltd. Bev Palko John & Karen Palmer James Parkes & Laura Hobson Mike & Lorie Pesowski Louella & Wayne Pethrick Ross & Robin Phillips William Phillips Ronald & Marjorie Potts James & Gabriella Prette Sue & Wayne Ramsden Del Rath RBC Foundation Wendy & Dan Reid Cindi Reopell & Don Watt Mary & Ernest Rewucki Ian & Cheryl Richmond Gay Robinson Howard & Karen Roppel Dr. Peter Roxburgh Robert & Rosalie Rudolf Doreen Sandercock Christine Sargeant William Scheidt Monty & Yolande Schnieder Ken & Sharon Schoor Jo-Ann Schwartzenberger David Severson Rob & Cheryl Sheppard Barb & Don Sibbald Tim & Doris Sidlick Dr. Wilma Slenders & Victor Didkowsky Monty Slim & Sylvie Monfette Kelly Smith & Dan Fichter Ken & Barb Smith Paulette & Rick Smith Penny Smith
Susan Spratt Barb Squires & Robert Elsworthy Kelly Stacey Ray & Pat Stauffer Elizabeth Stock & Alistair Shepherd-Cross Douglas & Laurie Strother Dave & Darlene Swanson Valerie & Allen Swanson Aliya Tafber James & Roberta Taylor R. & M. Tebo L. & M. Tenzer Kathryn Thomas Mark & Linda Thomas Dianne & Owen Thomson Lynne J. Thornton Helene Tonnisen Bill & Carol Twasiuk John & Elizabeth Varsek Jane Virtue & Sean McMaster Jan & Robert Walsh M. Weerstra Glenda & Keith Wellon Dennis & Sylvia Wheatley Bob & Wendy Whyte Robert V. Whyte Ken Wiens Val & Larry Wolfe George Woodings Lora & Terry Wyman Herrat Zahner Helen & Paul Zeman Doris Zellweger Andy & Mary-Anne Znotins
SENATORS William R. Blain, Q.C. Don Boyes Derek Bridges Joyce Doolittle Kay Grieve David Haigh Harry Hartley Margaret Hess, Q.C. Les Kimber Jan McCaghren Victor Mitchell Barbara Morin Gerry Nichol Fred Scott Lynne J. Thornton Derek Warren Nomi Whalen For more information on donating to Theatre Calgary, contact Shirley Yurchi at 403-294-7440 ext 1002 or donations@theatrecalgary.com.
More than ink on paper. Formerly known as McAra Unicom, CBN Commercial Solutions is about more than ink on paper. We’re about you.
(403) 250.9510
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INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY The Mackie Wealth Group is proud to invest in creating outstanding art with Theatre Calgary Let us help you achieve your dreams www.MackieWealthGroup.com
Richardson GMP Limited, Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS Making outstanding productions possible THE HUMANS MEDIA PARTNERS
PRODUCTION & SEASON SPONSORS
ACCESSIBLE ARTS SPONSOR
SPOTLIGHT SPONSOR
W.O. MITCHELL ROOM SPONSOR
STR ATEGIC
INTERACTIVE LEARNING PROGRAM SPONSORS
DRESS CIRCLE SPONSOR
EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM & SHAKESPEARE BY THE BOW
GALA SPONSORS
STR ATEGIC
OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
SEASON MEDIA PARTNERS
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sarah Hughes, Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving: 403-294-7440 ex. 1056 shughes@theatrecalgary.com
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