What are those NPD writers up to now?
BIG IDEAS 2013
Wednesday May 8 to Sunday May 12, 2013
Seven new Canadian plays in five days at Alumnae Theatre!
| Wed May 8, 8 pm | I Am Marguerite by Shirley Barrie Directed by Molly Thom |
| Thur May 9, 8 pm | Forgiveness by Mairy Beam Directed by Victoria Shepherd |
| Fri May 10, 8 pm | You Have to Earn It by Ramona Baillie Directed by Jane Carnwath |
| Sat May11, 2 pm | In a Time of War by Anne MacMillan Directed by Marianne Fedunkiw |
| Waiting for Katrina by Donna Langevin Directed by Pat McCarthy |
|
| Brockfest by Joan Burrows Directed by Maria Popoff |
|
| Sun May 12, 2 pm | The Year My Father Became a Saint by Linda McCready Directed by Brenda Darling |
BIG IDEAS 2013 Synopses
Wednesday May 8 at 8pm
I Am Marguerite by Shirley Barrie
1542: Marguerite de Roberval is abandoned by her brother on a deserted island in the Strait of Belle Isle for daring to choose love over duty. Two and a half years later, haunted by the phantoms of those who have abandoned her, half-starved and half-mad, she sees a ship anchoring off the island. Rescue is possible, but… is the prospect of returning to France more terrifying than another cold winter alone in the New World?
Director: Molly Thom
Cast: Carys Lewis, Wendy Springate, Dorothy Kelleher, Paul Babiak, Mike Vitorovich, Laura Vincent
Thursday May 9 at 8pm
Forgiveness by Mairy Beam
Lara struggles with a deep-seated anger towards her mother who suffers from schizophrenia. When she returns home, armed with a PhD in Biomedical Science, she disrupts the carefully orchestrated life her sister Chelsea and her mother have built together. The sisters have very different ideas of how best to help their mother, and each other. Their mother has her own ideas. Forgiveness and anger strive for the upper hand.
Director: Victoria Shepherd
Cast: Carol McLennan, Cathy McKim, Andrea Brown, Tina McCulloch, Lionel Boodlal, Jeff Orchard
Friday May 10 at 8pm
You Have to Earn It by Ramona Baillie,
Will Betty ever earn her long overdue promotion? Her reach for the top is frustrated by a philandering boss, a scheming new employee, a wacky mail room clerk and a friend with a hidden agenda — a madcap roller-coaster of a play paying homage to the screwball comedies of the 1930's.
Director/Dramaturge: Jane Carnwath
Cast: Lara Mrkoci, Matt Brioux, Andrea Brown, Laura Vincent, Mike Vitorovich, Seema Lakhani, Derek Perks, Chantale Groulx, Joshua Mott, Jane Carnwath
Sound: Margot Devlin
Saturday May 11 at 2pm
In a Time of War by Anne MacMillan
World War II. The bombing raids up the Clyde have begun. A Glasgow family manages to live their lives after a near hit with a bomb and dreadful loss of life nearby. Amidst the darkness of war, two young girls find much to occupy them, making secret spy plans with Grandpa. The realities of war intrude.
Director: Marianne Fedunkiw
Dramaturge: Molly Thom
Cast: Olivia Reid, Karina Rammell, Marisa Ship, Scott Dermody, Frank Robinow, Tara Wosik
Waiting for Katrina by Donna Langevin
New Orleans August 2005. Hurricane Katrina is gathering strength and threatens to engulf the city. To stay or to go? Charlotte is determined to remain in her home at all costs while Dora, her estranged daughter from Toronto, has a crucial agenda of her own. Time is running out as the battle of wills escalates.
Director: Pat McCarthy
Dramaturge: Molly Thom
Cast: Aileen Taylor-Smith, Elisabeth Feltaous, Kwaku Adu-Poku, Kerri Henman
Brockfest by Joan Burrows
All Kitty wants to do is not be an American anymore! But her July 4th celebration is hampered by a sword- wielding husband dressed as Isaac Brock, her annoying younger brother and his partner who just happen to drop by, and the arrival of her sister, a cloistered nun who has taken a vow of silence. Who knew patriotism could cause such havoc?
Director/Dramaturge: Maria Popoff
Cast: Daryn Dewalt, Liz Best, Chris Irving, Brandon Moore, Mary Joseph
Sunday May 12 at 2pm
The Year My Father Became a Saint by Linda McCready
Bernie is an alcoholic who has embarked on a journey to become a better man. When he opens a butcher shop in the mid-1970s at a time of high inflation, he hires his two teenage children to work in the store. Customers come and sometimes go, as Bernie struggles to connect with his children, make a go of the shop, and slay his own particular demons.
Director: Brenda Darling
Cast: Paul Babiak: Bernie McDuff, Jamieson Child: Daniel McDuff, Marianne Fedunkiw: Mrs. Corruzi/Miss Hutchinson/Mrs. Angela Munroe/Mrs. Mankoff, Roselyn Kelada-Sedra: Suzy McDuff, Michael Sherman: Mr. Sommerset, David Suszek: Little Bulldog/Inspector/Steve Munroe, Scott Clarkson: Ralph/Phil Freeman, Lisa Polivka: Stage Directions.
About the NPD
The NPD is a dedicated group of Alumnae playwrights. The NPD meets monthly to read scripts written by participants and offer feedback through informal discussion led by experienced dramaturges, to talk about playwriting, and to set themselves playwriting challenges to hone their skills.
The Group provides a meeting place for seasoned playwrights of produced works and beginning writers who wish to polish their craft. They present two public events each year:
BIG IDEAS - a spring event that showcases short plays and scenes from full-length scripts that members of the group have in development.
WRITE NOW in October, a 48-hour playwriting challenge, taking place over a weekend and open to all Alumnae members. It culminates in the presentation on the Sunday of rehearsed readings of all the entries.
In addition to the regular public events, there are opportunities to dramaturge and workshop individual scripts-in-progress, including rehearsed readings before an audience.
Several plays, nurtured by NPD, have gone on to major success. Some have received full productions at the Alumnae and elsewhere, and some have won awards and been produced at festivals and competitions all over Canada and the U.S.
Any Alumnae member who has a serious interest in playwriting is welcome to join the NPD.
Recent NPD Events
BIG IDEAS 2012
Wednesday May 2 to Sunday May 6, 2012
Eleven new Canadian plays in five days and nights at Alumnae Theatre!
The award-winning writers of Alumnae Theatre’s New Play Development Group
present tabletop readings, staged readings, mini-productions of short plays,
long plays, and scenes from full-length plays.
| 8 pm Wed May 2 | Ashes To Ashes by Marianne Fedunkiw |
| 8 pm Thur May 3 | Preparing For Passover by Francine Dick |
| 8 pm Fri May 4 | Burying Toni by Catherine Frid The Cape by Ramona Baillie Toward the Unknown Region by Ilene Cummings |
| 2 pm Sat May 5 | The Blunt Widow by Linda McCready |
| 8 pm Sat May 5 | Measure of The World by Shirley Barrie |
| 2 pm Sun May 6 | Sins of The Fathers by Carol Libman The Masqueraders by Diane Forrest We Are Trying by Norma Crawford |
| 6 pm Sun May 6 | Ze Adventures of M. Maurice and His
Bridal Emporium by Anne MacMillan |
The Monologue - A Life In Miniature
Sunday 29 May 2011 at 2 pm in The Studio
A laboratory exercise with 11 new 2-minute monologues
A good Monologue is a sharply lived moment that encompasses a whole life. You’ll have a chance to trace the development of each of these eleven pieces – offered to you first in its raw state with a 'cold' reading by an actor. Questions will be asked, then the playwright and actor will take it away to develop it with a director/dramaturge. You’ll get to see inside the process during the workshop sessions and when the final version is performed and discussed.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Email the theatre at: contactus@alumnaetheatre.com
ALUMNAE THEATRE COMPANY
70 Berkeley Street
Toronto, Ontario • M5A 2W6
Phone: 416-364-4170
Email: contactus@alumnaetheatre.com