FUSE 08

FUSE 08 is proud to support the development of three new Canadian plays:

SKYDIVE

By KEVIN KERR

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS:
Thursday, May 8th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, May 10th @ 7:30pm

This project began with an impossible dream; two actors — one able bodied and one quadriplegic — transcend the barriers of physical ability and literally fly! Playwright Kevin Kerr and Realwheels will refine the script in preparation for the full production at Theatre Calgary in October 2008.

BEYOND EDEN

By BRUCE RUDDELL

PUBLIC PRESENTATION:
Thursday, May 15th @ 7:30pm

In 1957, a team of anthropologists embarked on a controversial expedition to salvage the mysterious totem poles of Haida Gwaii from their remote and forgotten home. Dennis Garnhum will lead a cross-disciplinary workshop of a bold new musical inspired by their voyage and the deeper question of where the spirit lives.

JAKE AND THE KID

Adapted by CONNI MASSING
from the book by W.O. MITCHELL

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS:
Tuesday, May 20th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, May 24th @ 7:30pm

W.O. Mitchell holds a special place in the history of Theatre Calgary and the hearts of Canadians. FUSE 08 welcomes award-winning Alberta playwright Conni Massing for a second year to further investigate bringing the much beloved adventures of Jake and the Kid to life for the stage.
 
FUSE 08 public showings take place in May at Theatre Calgary’s Rehearsal Hall. For further details, please visit our website at theatrecalgary.com, or call 403-294-7440, ext 1062.

THE HISTORY OF FUSE

FUSE 07 (May 8 - 26, 2007) focused on three main streams:

western canadian focus

New plays rooted in the Western Canadian experience are the focus of this stream. Acclaimed Alberta playwright Conni Massing, in collaboration with Eric Rose, will investigate a new stage adaptation of W.O. Mitchell’s classic series of prairie tales, Jake and the Kid.

new canadian plays on national themes

FUSE 07 will feature the second workshop of Timothy Findley’s seminal novel The Wars. The play follows the story of Robert Ross, a young Canadian officer who goes to fight in World War I. This is your opportunity to see the development of this original adaptation before it makes its world premiere at Theatre Calgary in September 2007.

international reading series

This stream features a dynamic series of play readings from the international repertoire. The plays include Shakespeare’s witty Much Ado About Nothing, Theresa Rebeck’s politically charged Omnium Gatherum and E.M. Forster’s majestic A Passage to India.

 

FUSE 06 (May 5-19, 2006) focused on four main streams:

NEW CANADIAN PLAYS ON NATIONAL THEMES

FUSE 06 began with a workshop of a new stage version of Timothy Findley’s seminal Canadian novel The Wars, adapted by Dennis Garnhum.

INTERNATIONAL READING SERIES

Linked to Theatre Calgary’s new international experience, this stream featured play readings from the drama of one specific country. In FUSE 06 that country was Italy, with readings of plays chosen in consultation with Italian dramaturg Beatrice Basso. The plays included Naked by Luigi Pirandello in a new version by Nicholas Wright, We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo, translated by Ron Jenkins and Saturday, Sunday, Monday by Eduardo De Filippo, translated by Beatrice Basso.

CLASSICAL COMMISSIONING PROJECT

This stream engaged a creative team to adapt classics from the international canon. In FUSE 06, director/designer Vikki Anderson investigated the work of Henrik Ibsen in The Ibsen Project.

ALBERTA FOCUS

New plays rooted in the Western Canadian experience were the focus of this stream. Cowboy Poetry by Ken Brown – the story of two friends and the woman they both love, set on Alberta’s rodeo circuit and featuring a live country music band.