Award-Winning Scorched Returns to Toronto's Tarragon Before Playing Dates Across Canada
By Kenneth Jones
14 Aug 2008
Casting has been announced for Tarragon Theatre's remount of Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, to play the Toronto theatre's Mainspace Sept. 2-28. It will play a mini-tour of Canadian resident theatres in fall 2008 and early 2009.
Tarragon's 2007 production of the family drama about a mother's past garnered critical praise winning the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Direction (Richard Rose).
Tarragon artistic director Rose will direct Valerie Buhagiar, Sergio Di Zio, Jerry Franken, Sophie Goulet, Janick Hébert, Nicola Lipman, Alon Nashman, Sarah Orenstein and Alex Poch-Goldin.
The acclaimed cast from the original production returns with the addition of Sarah Orenstein (Nawal) and Jerry Franken (The Man).
"The story centres on twins — a brother Simon (Sergio Di Zio) and sister Janine (Sophie Goulet) — who are summoned to the office of a notary (Alon Nashman) to hear the last will and testament of their mother, Nawal," according to Tarragon. "They are both handed a letter written by their mother; one is to be delivered to their brother and one to their father. And the mystery begins — both thought their father was dead and never knew of a brother. The letters send them on a journey into their mother's past — to a Middle Eastern country engulfed in a civil war where she was a political activist and later became a prisoner of war. The play also follows the life of Nawal (Janick Hébert, Sarah Orenstein, Nicola Lipman) — from her youth and her liberation through education to her final years spent in silence. Through poetic language and startling imagery, the play connects the origins of these three members of a family in startling and unforgettable ways."
When the Tarragon production closes its run in Toronto, it will tour to Centaur Theatre in Montreal (Oct. 7–Nov. 2), Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg (Nov. 12-Nov. 29) and the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton (Jan. 10–Feb. 1, 2009).
The play's translation is by Linda Gaboriau. It was originally commissioned by the National Arts Centre.
The creative team includes set and lighting designer Graeme S. Thomson, costumes designer Teresa Przybylski, sound designer Todd Charlton and stage manager Stéfanie Séguin.
Playwright Wajdi Mouawad has been described as "Lebanese in his childhood, French in his way of thinking and Québécois in his theatre," according to Tarragon. He was born in Beirut, grew up in Paris and attended the National Theatre School in Montreal. One of Québec's leading theatre artists, he is a celebrated playwright, adaptor, translator and director and is currently the artistic director of French Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. He is the recipient the 2000 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama (for Littoral).
Opening is Sept. 3. For more information visit tarragontheatre.com.
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