Media Contact: Katie Saunoris, Publicist 416.203.6264 x.146 katie@soulpepper.ca MEDIA RELEASE SOULPEPPER’S 2015 SEASON: JANUARY TO MARCH PROGRAMMING Toronto, ON – January 7, 2015: Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, today announced further details on 2015’s January to March programming, including casting for the season’s first three plays, Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, The Dining Room by A. R. Gurney and last year’s hit original musical Spoon River based on Spoon River Antholog y by Edgar Lee Masters, adapted by Mike Ross and Albert Schultz and composed by Mike Ross. Three Soulpepper Concerts also begin this winter, including: A Musical Moveable Maritime Feast; The Nina Project with Jackie Richardson, Shakura S’Aida and Kellylee Evans; and American Pie - A Songbook Investigation; all with musical direction from Slaight Family Director of Music Mike Ross. More music is available on Saturday nights, as Soulpepper’s popular Weekly Cabaret Series resumes on February 28. The company’s new Studio Series featuring Ins Choi and Kenneth Welsh will take place in March. Welsh’s The Gospel According to Mark and Choi’s Subway Stations of the Cross offer two incredibly different and captivating solo performances. Visit soulpepper.ca or call 416.866.8666 for more details. SOULPEPPER’S 2015 SEASON: JANUARY - MARCH MAINSTAGE Accidental Death of an Anarchist Dario Fo. Translated by Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante. Directed by Ravi Jain Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo crafts a biting, satirical farce inspired by the bombing of Milan’s Piazza Fontana in 1969. Arrested for his suspected involvement in the bombing, a known anarchist mysteriously falls from the fourth floor window of the police station, setting in motion this masterpiece of comic absurdity. In Fo’s hands a tragic situation turns into a madcap romp and a powerful act of political theatre. The cast features Ins Choi*, Oliver Dennis, Raquel Duff y*, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Daniel Williston*, with the Soulpepper stage debuts of Kawa Ada and Rick Roberts. Accidental Death of an Anarchist runs from January 29 to February 21. Opening night is February 5. The Dining Room A. R. Gurney Directed by Joseph Ziegler Master dramatist A. R. Gurney’s touching comedy weaves together dozens of lives intertwining multiple generations around an everyday dining room table. Six members of the Soulpepper ensemble seamlessly portray over 50 memorable characters in a virtuoso theatrical experience filled with compassionate humour and abundant humanity. The cast features Derek Boyes, Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster*, Jeff Lillico, Soulpepper Founding Member Diego Matamoros, Brenda Robins and Sarah Wilson*. The Dining Room runs from February 5 to March 7. Opening night is February 12. Media Contact: Katie Saunoris, Publicist 416.203.6264 x.146 katie@soulpepper.ca Spoon River Adapted by Mike Ross and Albert Schultz. Composed by Mike Ross. Based on Spoon River Antholog y by Edgar Lee Masters Directed by Albert Schultz Edgar Lee Masters’ seminal poems of the dead are brought to vibrant life in this celebrated and original musical adaptation. Spoon River’s long-deceased residents narrate their own epitaphs, telling of their lives, loves, losses, and hard-earned truths, in an immersive portrait of early 20th-century rural America. The cast includes Frank Cox-O’Connell**, Mikaela Davies**, Oliver Dennis, Raquel Duff y*, Peter Fernandes**, Katherine Gauthier**, Hailey Gillis**, Gordon Hecht**, Soulpepper Founding Member Stuart Hughes, Richard Lam**, Anthony MacMahon**, Soulpepper Founding Member Diego Matamoros, Miranda Mulholland, Oyin Oladejo**, Colin Palangio**, Andrew Penner, Gregory Prest* and Mike Ross*. “A magical, musical celebration of the power of theatre. [A] once-in-a-lifetime show. See it, hear it, celebrate it.” -Toronto Star Spoon River runs from March 7 to March 28. Opening night is March 10. STUDIO SERIES Subway Stations of the Cross Ins Choi Soulpepper Academy graduate and Resident Artist Ins Choi* (Kim’s Convenience) channels a homeless man with a peculiar message from God. An unpredictable, mashed up meditation on the sacred and the everyday, Subway Stations of the Cross is told through the songs, stories, and poetry of a nameless vagabond. The play, published by House of Anansi Press with illustrations by Guno Park, will be available for purchase this spring. Subway Stations of the Cross runs from March 18 to April 4. Opening night is March 22. The Gospel According to Mark Kenneth Welsh The most seminal work of the English language is the sublime King James version of the Bible (1611). Here, with astonishing vitality, master actor Kenneth Welsh (Under Milk Wood, Leaving Home) gives a remarkable solo performance of The Gospel According to Mark. The Gospel According to Mark runs from March 18 to March 29. Opening performance is March 22. SOULPEPPER CONCERT SERIES The Soulpepper Company, Slaight Family Director of Music Mike Ross and special guests present a series of original musical experiences full of joyous and evocative songs, dance and storytelling. A Moveable Musical Maritime Feast P.E.I.’s Mike Ross and his musical guests celebrate the extraordinary musical life of Eastern Canada. February 15 at 2:30 p.m., February 20 at 7:30 p.m., and February 22 at 3 p.m. The Nina Project Three of Canada’s greatest vocalists – Jackie Richardson, Shakura S’Aida and Kellylee Evans – celebrate the life, legend, reach and relevance of Nina Simone. February 16 at 7:30 p.m. and April 3 to April 7 at 7:30 p.m. (April 5 at 1:30 p.m.). American Pie - A Songbook Investigation An investigation of the meaning and musical references of Don McLean’s folk-rock anthem, from Buddy Holly to Dylan to Joplin to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. February 27 at 8 p.m., March 1 at 7 p.m., and March 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Media Contact: Katie Saunoris, Publicist 416.203.6264 x.146 katie@soulpepper.ca SOULPEPPER’S WEEKLY CABARETS Soulpepper’s series of Weekly Cabarets return to the Young Centre every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. staring on February 28, 2015. Each Cabaret runs for 60-90 minutes and features a different guest artist or ensemble performing in an intimate and conversational setting. Visit soulpepper.ca this February for more details. Tickets to Soulpepper productions at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts are available by calling the Young Centre Box Office at 416.866.8666 or by visiting soulpepper.ca. Located in its multi-venue home the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery Historic District, Soulpepper is Toronto’s largest theatre company. Founded and guided by artists, under the leadership of Artistic Director Albert Schultz and Executive Director Leslie Lester, Soulpepper has an integrated mission which includes: industry-leading youth outreach initiatives; the Soulpepper Academy, Canada’s only multi-year paid professional training program for theatre artists of all disciplines; and a year-round diverse repertory season which is grounded in the classics and committed to the creation of new works, new forms, and innovative practices. Soulpepper gratefully acknowledges annual operating support from the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Support for all Music Programing is provided by the Slaight Family through the Slaight Family Music Program. Mike Ross is the inaugural Slaight Family Director of Music. Lead Support for the Soulpepper Academy is provided by the Michael and Karen Vukets Family Foundation, with additional support from the RBC Foundation and Hal Jackman Foundation and the Canada Arts Training Program at the Department of Canadian Heritage. Soulpepper is grateful for the Major Sponsorship Support of: TELUS – Lead Sponsor Youth Outreach Scotiabank – Lead Sponsor Soulpepper Youth Academy TD Bank – Lead Sponsor Stage Play and Studio Series CIBC – Lead Sponsor Soulpepper Family Festival SunLife – Lead Sponsor Rush Program Support for Soulpepper Productions is provided by: 3Macs: Bedroom Farce Gretchen Ross: The Play’s the Thing Middlefield: A Moveable Musical Maritime Feast; American Pie - A Songbook Investigation; Route 66 - The Heartland Polar Securities: Of Human Bondage Eli & Phil Taylor Diane Blake + Stephen Smith: The Dining Room Richard Rooney: Marat/Sade Tickets for Soulpepper productions range from $89 to $29.50. Tickets for the Soulpepper Concert Series start at $22. Tickets for the Weekly Cabarets and Studio Series start at $30. $24 tickets are available for Arts Workers. $24 tickets for Soulpepper productions are also available for 21-30 year-olds at stageplay.ca. StagePlay is sponsored by TD Bank Group. The $24 Rush Ticket / $5 Youth Rush program is sponsored by Sun Life Financial. Ticket prices include a Young Centre facility fee, service charge and HST. Pricing is subject to change. * indicates a Graduate of the Soulpepper Academy ** indicates a current member of the Soulpepper Academy -30For interviews, images or more information, please contact katie@soulpepper.ca.
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