Canada’s National Arts Centre English Theatre and the Canadian High Commission present 4Play Canada -- A celebration of the Canadian playwright at the Old Vic Theatre, London, UK
March 04, 2005 -
Ottawa -- The National Arts Centre English Theatre and the Canadian High Commission are excited to be bringing readings of four of the most dynamic, new Canadian plays to UK audiences for the first time, at the prestigious Old Vic Theatre in London, March 15 to March 18, 2005.
Canada is home to some of the most exciting playwrights on the world theatre scene today and, with this in mind, representatives from the Canadian and British Theatre industry have joined forces to select four of the most exciting plays to emerge from Canada in the last five years. This compelling cross-section of innovative work will be brought to The Old Vic Studio in March 2005 for a series of rehearsed readings with the aim of presenting what is currently an untapped seam of creative writing to a wider audience.
In November 2004, the Canadian High Commission in London invited Canada's National Arts Centre to select 13 plays that had been produced to critical acclaim in Canada within the last five years but were, as yet, unknown to British audiences. The Canadian reading panel, comprised of Lise Ann Johnson, Artistic Associate and Literary Manager for the NAC English Theatre; Bob White, Artistic Director, Alberta Theatre Projects; Mary Vingoe, Artistic Director, Magnetic North Theatre Festival; and Richard Rose, Artistic Director, Tarragon Theatre, assembled a list of eleven plays and submitted it to a reading panel made up of dramaturgs from some of the UK's foremost theatres.
The British Reading Panel - consisting of representatives from The Stephen Joseph Theatre; The National Theatre Studio; The Traverse Theatre; The Royal Exchange Theatre; The Tron Theatre; The Old Vic Theatre; Theatre Genedlaethol Cymru; The Royal Court Theatre; and The Royal Shakespeare Company - selected four of these exciting new plays to be given rehearsed readings, directed by four distinguished UK-based directors.
The selected plays are:
The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears
Directed by Irina Brown
4.00pm, Tuesday 15th March and 7.30pm, Wednesday 16th March
Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad (Translated by Linda Gaboriau)
Directed by Braham Murray
7.30pm, Tuesday 15th March and 4.00pm, Wednesday 16th March
Rune Arlidge by Michael Healey
Directed by Lucy Bailey
4.00pm, Thursday 17th March and 7.30pm, Friday 18th March
Unity (1918) by Kevin Kerr
Directed by Robert Chevara
7.30pm, Thursday 17th March and 4.00pm, Friday 18th March
4Play Canada was made possible with support from The Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada. The National Arts Centre Foundation would also like to acknowledge the generous leadership support of a private family in Ottawa, and the support of an anonymous donor in the U.K.
Download the brochure
For further information please contact:
Laura Denker
Publicity and Media Relations Coordinator
NAC English Theatre
(613) 947-7000 ext. 389;
ldenker@nac-cna.ca
