November 15, 2006 -

What do you get when you have a lightbulb, a bowl, a chair and actor Andy Massingham?  Great theatre!  I haven’t seen a better one-man show in many moons.  Go Now Fast!
Jazz 91.1 FM

Ottawa -- Silence is golden, in Rough House, a unique piece of physical theatre entirely without words, created and performed by the hugely talented and physically fearless Andy Massingham.  Indeed, Rough House  is such an extraordinary and entertaining piece of theatre that the National Arts Centre English Theatre has invited Andy Massingham and producer Nightswimming (Toronto) to bring it to Ottawa audiences TWICE!  Rough House will run in an approximately 45 minute version for family audiences, in the NAC Studio, with performances at 19:00 on Friday 17; at 13:00, 15:00 and 19:00 on Saturday 18, and at 11:00 and 15:00 on Sunday 19.  The production will be remounted a few short weeks later for adult audiences, in a slightly longer (approximately 60 minutes) but otherwise unchanged version (so if you miss it with the kids the first time, consider joining us for a matinee during the adult version run.)  The adult version will run in the NAC Studio December 7 to 16, with previews on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 5 and 6.

Tickets for both versions are available through Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111, through the Ticketmaster link at www.nac-cna.ca, or in person at the NAC Box Office.  Prices for the Family version are $12 for adults and children. Subscriptions for the NAC English Theatre Family3 series are still available online or by calling (613) 947 7000 ext. 620.  (A surcharge applies to all purchases made through Ticketmaster.)

A combination of slapstick, dance and shadow play, Rough House is an example of physical theatre—the art of telling a story through body movement. The piece opens with a virtually empty stage: the only props are a chair, a light bulb and a bowl. We also see the translucent walls surrounding the set, and the shadows behind them, and we understand that lighting will play a vital role in the performance.  A supremely elemental kind of theatre (there is only one character, one act, and no dialogue), the play is fascinating, delightful and Andy Massingham’s sheer physical artistry is breathtaking. In the course of the performance, we watch the character confront reality and assert himself. There is recreation and meditation, triumph and humiliation, rest and extreme physical endeavour. The interplay of light and shadow is always there, sometimes mocking the character and sometimes encouraging him.

For his performance in Rough House, Andy Massingham won a Dora Award in 2005 for Best Performer. Lighting designers Rebecca Picherak and Michelle Ramsay also received a Dora for their work on the play.

“When Brian [Quirt] commissioned the piece,” recalls Andy Massingham, “he said, ‘You have carte blanche. I don’t even want to be involved until you want me to be.’” Massingham initially worked solo and then with choreographer Julia Sasso, developing material and videotaping himself. Eventually he created an immense archive of falls, rolls and slapstick pieces. It was then that Quirt entered the process and started putting the ideas in order. “He didn’t ask, ‘What is the story?’ or ‘What’s it about?’” says Massingham. “It was more like, ‘What are the links between this bit and that bit?’”  There was no script, of course, but there were the videotapes, and Massingham had drawn “floor plans” that traced out his movements on the stage.

In keeping with its fluid, improvisational nature, Rough House continued to evolve as it was performed publicly. Initially there were only two props, a chair and a bowl. In November 2003, lighting designer Rebecca Picherak suggested another prop, a light bulb suspended above the stage, which became an important element at the beginning and the end of the show. In January 2005, the translucent walls of the “Rough House” were added, enhancing the possibilities of the shadow play.

Rough House is a production of Nightswimming (Toronto), whose artistic mission  is to explore “challenging theatrical forms and emotionally rich stories with bold visual style.”  The company was founded by Ottawa’s Brian Quirt, a director and dramaturg with extensive experience in choreography, and with whom Ottawa audiences are most recently familiar for his direction of Pierre Brault’s Portrait of an Unidentified Man. Quirt was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Direction for his work on Rough House (2005).  The other company principal is Naomi Campbell (also from Ottawa), an award-winning independent producer of over 45 plays, most of them new Canadian works.

Rough House is created and performed by Andy Massingham and directed by Brian Quirt, with lighting design by Rebecca Picherack and Michelle Ramsay.  This production is stage managed by Judi Pearl.  Lights are operated by Rebecca Picherack or Michelle Ramsay, and the set was sewn by Nina Okens and built by Kevin Steeper.  Rough House is produced by Naomi Campbell.

For more information about Rough House, notes by the artists, production photos, background information and lists of recommended reading, listening and watching, and  audio clips of the artists, visit www.nac-cna.ca/en/theatre and follow the links to Rough House. For more information about Nightswimming,  please visit www.nightswimmingtheatre.com. 

More More More!

• Opening Night Parties:
• Family3 version -  Please join us after the performance on opening night, Friday, November 17 for a post-show party with the cast around the fountain in the Studio foyer.
• Studio4 (adult) version – Please join us after the opening night performance on Thursday, December 7 for a post-show get together with the company at the Metropolitan Brasserie, 700 Sussex.
• Hinterview: Join Peter Hinton and guests Naomi Campbell, Producer and/or Brian Quirt, founding Artistic Director of Nightswimming, on Saturday, December 9 at 13:00 in the Panorama Room. This event is free.
• Talkbacks: in the Studio Wednesday and Thursday December 13 and 14– remain in your seat following the performance to enjoy a question and answer session with the actors or members of the production team.
• Bartoks: post show bars at the NAC with the artists – Friday  December 8 and15 – Miss the crush in the parking lot, enjoy a glass of wine, and get to know members of the company.  Around the fountain outside the Studio.
• Subscriptions to the NAC English Theatre 2006-2007 season: The Artist in Society, are still available – call (613) 947 7000 ext. 620 or visit our website at www.nac-cna.ca/subscribe.
• Don’t forget, the NAC English Theatre Student Club is still taking members! Join the NAC Student Club on Friday nights. If you’re between 16 and 22 years of age, become a club member and enjoy discounted ticket prices to all the productions, and all kinds of behind-the-scene events. Contact Martina Kuska at (613) 947 7000 ext. 522.
• WWW: More background information on all the shows, including design sketches, artists’ notes, study guides, audio clips of the artists, Peter Hinton talking about the plays, and lots more, visit www.nac-cna.ca and follow the links to English Theatre.

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For more information, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Laura Denker, Communications Officer
NAC English Theatre
(613) 947 7000 ext. 389
ldenker@nac-cna.ca

Quick Listings information for Rough House

Tickets for Rough House are available at the NAC Box Office in person or through Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111, and on-line through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC’s web site at www.nac-cna.ca (a service charge applies to all purchases made through Ticketmaster). Ticket prices are $12 for children and adults.

Groups of 10+ save 15% - 20% off of the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances, to reserve your seats call 947-7000 ext. 384 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca

Quick reference listings info.:
FAMILY VERSION – approx. 45 minutes
Running dates:
November 17 at 19:00
November 18 at 13:00, 15:00 and 19:00
November  19 at 11:00 and 15:00

School Matinees:
November 15 at 13:00
November 16 at 10:00 and 12:30
November 17 at 10:00

Tickets:
$7 for schools
$12 children and adults

STUDIO4 (ADULT VERSION) – approx. 60 minutes
Running dates:
December 5 – 16

Opening Night:
Thursday, December 7

Previews:
Tues. and Wed. December 5 and 6

Bartoks:
Fridays December 8 and 15

Hinterview:
Saturday, December 9 at 13:00
Panorama Room

Talkbacks:
Wed. and Thurs. Dec.13 and 14

Tickets:
$25-35