Soulpepper 2015 January to March.indd

Media Contact:
Katie Saunoris, Publicist
416.203.6264 x.146
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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 [email protected].