Wednesday, March 12, 2014

News: (Montreal) Centaur Theatre Announces 2014-15 season (press release)

CENTAUR THEATRE RAISES THE CURTAIN ON ITS 2014-2015 SEASON
Shocking & Delightful

Montreal – March 12, 2014
Artistic and Executive Director Roy Surette is proud to reveal his captivating and adventurous line-up for Centaur Theatre’s 2014-2015 Season. Consisting of inspiring and timely contemporary works by local, national and international playwrights, the new season promises something for everyone.
“Filled with surprise and intrigue, Centaur’s 46th Season features powerful comedies and dramas, red-hot romance and daring works that will enhance the experience of theatregoers and engage them in new ways. Our subscribers will be pleased and we look forward to introducing new subscribers to our rich theatrical programming,” says Roy Surette.
The season begins with the Quebec English-language premiere of the sexy Broadway hit comedy Venus in Fur by David Ives (October 14 to November 9, 2014). Next up is the Quebec premiere of Social Studies, a scathingly funny look at Canadian values by Winnipeg author Tricia Cooper (November 4 to November 30, 2014).
The Quebec premiere of the haunting and darkly funny Terminus by Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe kicks off the New Year (January 20 to February 15, 2015), followed by the Canadian premiere of The Goodnight Bird by Colleen Murphy, recipient of a Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. Her thought-provoking comedic drama about old love and wild desire will be directed by Roy Surette (February 24 to March 22, 2015).
Completing the mainstage subscription season are two world premieres by award-winning Montreal authors who return to Centaur Theatre to stage their outstanding new works. Set in Old Montreal, Vittorio Rossi’s engaging and funny piece The Envelope satirizes the Canadian film industry (March 24 to April 19, 2015), and Marianne Ackerman’s clever Triplex Nervosa wrestles with art and property in Montreal’s trendy Mile End. Directed by Roy Surette, the play closes the 2014-2015 Season on a comedic high note (April 21 to May 17, 2015).
CENTAUR’S 46th SEASON LINEUP
Quebec English-language Premiere A Canadian Stage Production
VENUS IN FUR By David Ives
Directed by Jennifer Tarver Starring Rick Miller & Carly Street October 14 to November 9, 2014
Funny. Sexy. Delicious. The ultimate showdown between the sexes.
When the outrageous Vanda storms in to audition for the lead in a play based on Leopold von Sacher- Masoch’s Venus in Furs, her interpretation is more than the controlling playwright-director bargained for. A steamy, erotically-charged cat and mouse face-off ensues, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, pleasure and pain. Switching from playful kitten to dominating feline, Vanda wants to prove that she is at the top of her game. The highly acclaimed production of a spicy, laugh- out-loud yet literary comedy that has taken the world by storm.
THIS SHOW CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT
**** (out of four) Sexy, sophisticated and side-splittingly funny – Toronto Star
(Rick) Miller brings it off beautifully... (Carly) Street may be one of the best classical actresses we have
– National Post Nominated for two 2013 Tony Awards including Best Play Nominated for an Outer Circle Award
A sexy slam-dunk - Broadway World
Quebec Premiere
SOCIAL STUDIES By Tricia Cooper
Directed by Paul Van Dyck November 4 to November 30, 2014
The bumpy road to good intentions. Hilarious and irreverent.
A New Age single mother takes in a boarder, a lost boy of Sudan, just as her adult daughter returns home to cocoon after a failed marriage. Her other daughter, a teenager, decides to chronicle the recent immigrant's story as a class project and in the course of learning about his incredible ordeal, develops a schoolgirl crush. Cultural differences and thwarted expectations make this a charming and stingingly truthful story of four people trying to do the right thing.
...engaging new comedy ...an entertaining lesson about a family trying to be good but, amusingly, not always getting it right – Winnipeg Free Press
...it’s hilarious and heart-breaking all at once – The Winnipeg Review
Quebec Premiere
An Outside The March Theatre Production
TERMINUS By Mark O’Rowe
Directed by Mitchell Cushman
Starring Maev Beaty, Ava Jane Markus, & Adam Kenneth Wilson January 20 to February 15, 2015
A bold and daring masterpiece. Destinies intersect on a mystical night.
In this internationally acclaimed Irish drama, three lost souls weave rhythmical monologues of loneliness, violence and urban adventure into a vivid tapestry. Painting an ominous picture of Dublin’s gritty underworld, their mesmerizing tales take us from busy city streets to the top of an industrial crane in the sky, then deep into the murky purgatory of singing serial killers, vengeful angels and lovesick demons. Fantastical, exhilarating and darkly funny.
It made me squirm, but held me firm, so sure as sure I'm gonna gush: See ‘Terminus’, you really must, A ROYAL FLUSH – Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
... by the end I was left breathless and exhilarated by the performance – Mooney on Theatre Cushman’s staging is deliberately minimalist, but oh-so-powerful - The Toronto Star Edinburgh Fringe First Award 2008
Toronto Theatre Critics Awards 2013
Mirvish/Outside The March
Best International Play, Best Production of a Play, Best Director of a Play & Best Design
Canadian Premiere
A Joint Production With Kay Meek Centre In West Vancouver
THE GOODNIGHT BIRD By Colleen Murphy
Directed by Roy Surette February 24 to March 22, 2015
Out of the blue. Into the night. A dark comedy about old love and new courage.
A mysterious vagrant flies off the roof of a condo development and lands on the balcony of a long- married couple. This strange arrival leads to unexpected revelations about their lives, their marriage and their mutual loneliness with each other, sparking a wild desire to go out on a limb and into the night. This thought-provoking comedic drama by Governor General Award-winning, Quebec-born Colleen Murphy ingeniously achieves a satisfying balance of wry humour and melancholy.
Murphy’s script is full of sharp wit and great lines... an enjoyable snapshot of life – British Theatre Guide Colleen Murphy won the 2007 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama
World Premiere
THE ENVELOPE
By Vittorio Rossi
March 24 to April 19, 2015
Reel dilemma. Chasing cinematic success.
While excited actors gather in a local Italian restaurant, two producers jockey for the
film rights to a new play premiering at an Old Montreal theatre. Torn between an
indie L.A. filmmaker and a local producer who dangles a tempting multi- million dollar
envelope from the Federal Film Fund, the playwright confronts ambition over loyalty
and money over art. Made in Canada movie projects generate more red tape than red carpet winners in this satiric and engaging new play about the celluloid dream factory.
Vittorio Rossi is widely considered to be the inaugural Italian-Canadian voice on the English-Canadian stage. – The Canadian Encyclopedia.com
The Envelope is Vittorio Rossi’s tenth play produced at Centaur Theatre.
World Premiere
TRIPLEX NERVOSA Written by Marianne Ackerman Directed by Roy Surette
April 21 to May 17, 2015
Clever and comical. This house of cards is about to collapse.
A young woman has maxed out her credit cards and put a promising music career on hold to buy a triplex in Montreal’s trendy Mile End, only to find that the charming but stubborn Hassidic previous owner and her motley crew of tenants won’t co-operate with her needs. When she and her handy-man conspire to make one particularly difficult tenant’s life less comfortable, things go terribly wrong. A comedy about art, property and the trials and tribulations of nouveau-hipster neighbourhoods. And there’s music!
Marianne loves Montreal and knows how to imbue her characters with truth and humour. What better way to close Season 46 than with this large and audacious comedy! – Roy Surette
BEYOND OUR MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS
Brave New Looks
Persephone Productions Presents
SRING AWAKENING: The Musical
Book & Lyrics by Steven Sater & Music by Duncan Sheik
Directed by Christopher Moore and Gabrielle Soskin
Musical Direction by David Terriault
October 9 - 18, 2014
The Tony Award winning musical adaptation of a 19th Century play about oppressed adolescents trying to find their voices and sense of truth. Based on Wedekind's most famous play written in 1891, the musical version won many awards in New York when it was first produced in 2006. The anguish and searching that teenagers go through as they journey towards their own sense of truth is as relevant today as when the play was first written. Set to contemporary music, the adaptation brings the piece into the 21st century. Highly recommended for school audiences who would gain inspiration and understanding from "the must-see musical of a new generation".
URBAN TALES
December 11 - 20, 2014
GRINCH-APPROVED!
A delectably gritty, witty and sometimes risqué anti-holiday storytelling spectacular. Presented in an intimate cabaret-style setting. Don’t bring the kids. Created in Collaboration with Théâtre Urbi Et Orbi.
18th WILDSIDE THEATRE FESTIVAL
January 7 – 17, 2015
The hottest two weeks in winter!
Untamed, cutting edge theatre by the best and up-and-coming local, national and international indie artists. Includes the winner of the Centaur Best of the Fringe Award.
SATURDAY MORNING CHILDREN’S SERIES
Affordable and fun live theatre for children and families. Performed by some of Montreal’s best theatre artists.
JOIN US AS A SUBSCRIBER!
You’ll receive great benefits and help ensure that Centaur Theatre continues to present first class English- language theatre productions that everyone can enjoy.
FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES
Build your 6, 5 or 4-Play package. The bigger the package, the better the deal! When you subscribe you save up to 30% and enjoy several advantages, including guaranteed seats to sell-out shows, free exchange dates and discounted tickets to all Centaur shows.
STUDENT SUBSCRIPTION Great savings! Less than $12 per show! $78 Six-play package includes a bring-a- friend pass!
CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS have until May 2, 2014 to renew their reserved seats or choose new ones.
CREATE YOUR OWN THEATRE NIGHT Groups of 20 or more benefit from substantial savings on tickets. Centaur Theatre can help you plan a private theatre night, fundraiser or tax-deductible corporate event. Call 514-288-1229 ext. 245
SPECIAL RATES FOR SENIORS AND UNDER 30s!
ABOUT CENTAUR THEATRE COMPANY

At the forefront of Montreal’s cultural vivacity, Centaur Theatre Company with its mainstage series and successful ancillary programs continues to offer a diversified repertoire that ranges from world-class blockbuster commercial theatre to showcasing local up-and-coming, cutting-edge-works.

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