July 26, 2007
Stephen Hair Emerging Actor Award Recipient Announced
Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum has announced that the recipient of the first annual Stephen Hair Emerging Actor Award is JUSTIN MICHAEL-CARRIERE. Click here for more information (PDF download, Adobe Reader required).
July 18, 2007
Theatre Calgary nominated for 15 Betty Mitchell Awards
Theatre Calgary has been nominated for 15 Betty Mitchell Awards, which celebrate the excellence of Calgary's professional theatre community. Highlited nominations include Best Production of a Play nominations for OF MICE AND MEN and THE OVERCOAT. The awards will be presented on Monday, August 27. Click here to see all the nominations.
June 27, 2007
THE WARS company announced
Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum has announced the casting and creative team for the world premiere of The Wars. Click here for more information (PDF download, Adobe Reader required).
March 15, 2007
Theatre Calgary 2007-08 Season Announced
Theatre Calgary has announced its 2007-08 season of plays. Click here for the season lineup!
February 26, 2007
Theatre Calgary and Playhouse Theatre Company
Announce World Premiere Co-Production of
Timothy Findley’s THE WARS
Theatre Calgary and the Playhouse Theatre Company of Vancouver are preparing to make Canadian theatre history. Today, Artistic Directors Dennis Garnhum (Calgary) and Glynis Leyshon (Vancouver) are proud to announce that they will present the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Timothy Findley’s The Wars during their 2007-08 seasons.
This is the first adaptation of the great Canadian novel to the stage, and was written by Dennis Garnhum, who will also direct the production.
“We are enormously proud to be presenting this world premiere staging of Timothy Findley’s renowned novel,” says Garnhum. “Timing on this project is a big component. It is time that Theatre Calgary returns to its tradition of presenting new plays, it is time for this very Canadian story about the effect of war on Canadians to be heard, and it is time to celebrate one of our greatest writers.”
Glynis Leyshon agreed, saying, “The Playhouse and our audiences have a deep and abiding connection to the work of our country’s finest writers. Over the last few years we have delighted in presenting theatre inspired by such great Canadian writers as Margaret Atwood, Alistair MacLeod and Bill Richardson. I couldn’t agree more that this is the perfect time to bring Timothy Findley’s epic story about young people and war to both our communities for reflection and discussion. This potent story, told in an epic manner will inspire the engagement of our entire community in a dialogue of vital importance to us all.”
Written in 1977, The Wars follows the story of Robert Ross, a young Canadian officer who goes to fight in the First World War. There he finds himself in the nightmare world of trench warfare: mud, smoke, and chlorine gas. It is in this world ravaged by the madness of war that Findley weaves the mythic tale of Ross’ desperate attempt to declare his commitment to life amidst the horrors of death. Findley’s novel became a Canadian classic and won the Governor General’s Award for fiction. This stage adaptation will be substantial in both size and scope, including a cast of 16 actors.
The Wars has already been presented at two very successful workshops at both the Dodgers Studio (New York City) in November 2003, and at Theatre Calgary’s Fuse’06, last May. The script is set for one further workshop this May as part of Fuse’07 at Theatre Calgary.
This is the first presentation between Theatre Calgary and Vancouver’s Playhouse Theatre Company in 10 years, but the plans to work together on this project were seeded some time ago. “Glynis has been interested in this project since its early phases,” says Garnhum. “I have a personal love for the Playhouse, admiring the fine work performed on its stages over the years. I received my MFA from the University of British Columbia, and it is with enormous pride that I return to Vancouver and debut this play on its pre-eminent stage.”
There is a personal connection between Garnhum and the late author Findley. “I had the great fortune to work with Mr. Findley directing his last two premieres at the Stratford Festival of Canada,” Garnhum remembers. “He was kind enough to call me a colleague, and gentleman enough to call me a friend. It is his generous spirit that allows us to bring his glorious novel to our stages.”
William Whitehead, partner to Timothy Findley, says that Findley would love The Wars getting a theatrical treatment. “The Wars, his third novel, was perhaps Tiff’s most successful book. Therefore he often imagined the story on the stage.” Whitehead shares in the excitement of this announcement, “The reason I am so delighted is Dennis Garnhum. Dennis did a spectacular production at the Stratford Festival of The Trials of Ezra Pound, and I cannot wait to see what he does with The Wars.”
The Wars will open Theatre Calgary’s 40th season on September 18 and run through October 7, 2007. The opening night gala performance will be September 21, 2007 in Calgary. The production will then move to the Playhouse theatre in Vancouver to open the company’s 44th season. Previews begin October 13, the gala opening will be held on October 18 and the play will run until November 3.
The Playhouse Theatre Company of Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest theatre company dedicated exclusively to producing works of the contemporary repertoire, was founded in 1962 with a mandate to provide the finest possible drama to audiences in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. For more information