Tactics’ Programming at Arts Court
2015-2016 TACTICS Programming
November 13-21, 2015 (off) Balance by Naomi Tessler
& feelers by Amelia Griffin
January 22-30, 2016 A Little Fire by Megan Piercey Monafu
March 11-19, 2016 Perfect Pie by Judith Thompson
April 22-30, 2016 Woyzeck’s Head, produced by Third Wall Theatre
All events take place at the Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Avenue, K1N 6E2
8pm performances Wednesday to Saturday
2pm matinees on the first Sunday and second Saturday of each run
Panel discussions and other community engagement events are scheduled for the Mondays or Tuesdays during the middle of the production runs.
2015-2016 Season Subscriptions are now on sale on ArtsCourt.ca/TACTICS at $85 for General Admission and $65 for Student/Senior/Artist. Single tickets for each production are on sale for $25 for General Admission and $20 for Student/Senior/Artist.
Theatre Artists’ Co-operative: the Independent Collective Series
Founded by Bronwyn Steinberg, TACTICS programs works that make the most of the liveness of theatre and place emphasis on how the audience experiences theatre. TACTICS embraces works that exceed the production demands of Fringe and other in-repetition festivals. TACTICS is a series of four productions by independent theatre artists, each running for two weeks between November 2015 and April 2016 at Arts Court Theatre.
2015-2016 TACTICS Programming
November 13-21, 2015
(off) Balance and feelers
An interdisciplinary double-bill co-produced by Branch Out Theatre’s Naomi Tessler, contemporary dance artist Amelia Griffin and Counterpoint Players
Runtime: 2 hours (for both shows, with an intermission)
Audiences are invited to join the artists for a talkback following each performance
(off) Balance
Created and performed by Naomi Tessler
Direction and dramaturgy by Bronwyn Steinberg
(off) Balance shares the autobiographical journey of one woman’s struggle with depression that led to spiritual awakening in her first year at university. This play addresses the stereotypes and stigma associated with mental health, poses questions about the line between spirituality and mental illness, and exposes the problematic medical care in our society that all too often leaves people feeling powerless. (off) Balance calls into action the need for nurturing a holistic system of support for those struggling with mental health and awakening to their spiritual path.
Branch Out Theatre believes in the use of popular theatre as a branch towards social change; the use of creative participatory engagement to promote self-expression, community building and trust. Branch Out Theatre was founded in 2010 by Naomi Tessler who dreamed of encouraging people to use theatre to move beyond boundaries and transform any issue or subject into a learning journey that connects and empowers individuals and communities to communicate and transform the world around them.
feelers
CHOREOGRAPHER: Amelia Griffin
DANCERS: Amber Green, Alya Graham, Annabel Boissonneault, Simon ‘Klassic’ Xavier
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT: DJ Memetic
STAGE MANAGER: Marie-Michelle Darveau
DRAMATURG: Bronwyn Steinberg
Dance-theatre piece feelers is a series of physical and sometimes humorous vignettes based on personal reflections of the misunderstandings of non-verbal communication in a world that hyper sexualizes females. We see characters explore unconventional self-defence tactics, a dystopian world where fashion choices aren’t seen as provocations, commentary on the awareness needed to survive and succeed in an unequal society, and physical reflections on animal instincts vs. consent.
Amelia Griffin is an independent contemporary dancer and choreographer in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, dancing professionally since 2006 for companies Tara Luz Danse, Dorsale Danse, and more recently Propeller Dance, Platypus Theatre and Théatre Dérives-Urbaines. In her first full-length work, ‘feelers’, Amelia has hired emerging artists and co-graduates of the local professional contemporary dance training program at The School of Dance. Through her choreographic work in contemporary dance and dance-theatre, Amelia aims to create opportunities for locally-trained dancers to deepen their theatricality and physicality, and reflect the Ottawa-Gatineau region’s ever-growing, and strong voice in contemporary dance.
Founded by Bronwyn Steinberg in 2009, Counterpoint Players stages productions that are particularly interested in pushing traditional theatrical and dramaturgical boundaries to create a direct and embodied experience for the audience. Bronwyn is passionate about creating a theatrical space that brings people together to engage directly in theatrical events that provoke social examination – theatre that challenges both artists and audiences to examine their own connection to humanity, and she is thrilled to be bringing Naomi and Amelia together for this production.
January 22-30, 2016
A Little Fire by Megan Piercey Monafu
Produced by Abalone Productions and Theatre of the Beat
Featuring Johnny Wideman
Runtime: 90 minutes
Aithne is a child prodigy who paints direct messages from God. But at age 16, she suddenly stops having visions, much to the exasperation of her fame-loving father. After years of being upheld as a prophet, Aithne must grapple with life without a guiding voice. Now after a tragic mistake lands her behind bars, she meets Roy, a twenty-something frat boy who is running from adulthood. As they begin to tell stories, things start falling into place.
Abalone Productions is an Ottawa-based production company founded in 2012 around Mabel’s Last Performance (Atlantic Fringe Festival Award for Best Female Performance 2014). Theatre of the Beat is a travelling theatre company that tries its darnedest to create thought-provoking theatre to challenge and inspire the communities they find themselves in. Theatre of the Beat recently enjoyed the warm welcome they received at the Ottawa Fringe Festival where they performed This Prison: Or He Came Through the Floor, and are excited to be back on town.
March 11-19, 2016
Perfect Pie by Judith Thompson
Produced by Cart Before the Horse
Directed by Paul Griffin
Featuring Megan Carty and Erica Anderson
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours plus one intermission
“I will not forget you, you are carved in the palm of my hand.” When Francesca, a successful actress living in Toronto, receives a cassette tape and a homemade rhubarb pie from her childhood best friend, she returns to her small hometown for a visit. Buried memories and secrets slam into the present, and over the course of an afternoon’s reunion, Patsy and Francesca come together to confront the terrifying incident that tore them apart 30 years ago.
Cart Before the Horse is committed to exploring the authentic teenage voice, with the goal of inspiring dialogue amongst young people and exploring how their world has been expressed by playwrights in contemporary theatre. Founded by Ottawa born and based emerging artist, Megan Carty, the company mounted its first production in January 2014 to sold-out houses and rave reviews. Their adaptation of Joan Macleod’s The Shape of a Girl was awarded a Spirit of the Capital Youth award, remounted for anti-bullying month, and went on to tour high schools and universities in the Ottawa and Gatineau area.
April 22-30, 2016
Woyzeck’s Head adapted by James Richardson after Georg Buchner’s Woyzeck
Produced by Third Wall Theatre Company
Directed by James Richardson
Featuring members of the Third Wall Theatre Resident Artist Company
Runtime: Approximately 80 minutes
A woman is brutally stabbed to death! All goes black! We hear a door slam! Woyzeck has committed a heinous act – but why? Now trapped within a cell (is it an institution or his own guilt?) he re-experiences the past; he is taunted by his colleagues and experimented on by his superiors. Through projections, flashbacks and voiceovers, as his entire world is represented by three actors, his delirium builds – what brought him to this place? We see where the jealousy, anger and madness came from. As he tries to escape his captivity he can not. A reinvention of Georg Buchner’s classic Woyzeck about the plight of the common man; this new version asks us – what is our breaking point?
Third Wall Theatre is a pioneer in the resurgence of independent theatre in Ottawa and has been one of the leading theatre companies since its founding in 2001. After a brief semi-hiatus, for founder and Artistic Director James Richardson to complete a Masters of Fine Arts in Directing, the company has recently refreshed and reignited itself. While still following their mandate to "Engage In The Present Through The Classic" the company has shifted its focus on creating their own adaptations of the classics and often in partnership with other companies or organizations. They have won numerous awards. With 100 Watt Productions they operate TWA, Ottawa’s only young company connected to a professional theatre company.
For more information on TACTICS, please contact Marketing and Communications Director Jessica Ruano at 613 806 0398 or by email at ruano.jessica@gmail.com
ArtsCourt.ca/TACTICS
Facebook.com/TACTICSeries
Twitter.com/TACTICSeries @TACTICSeries