For the first time in their respective 45-year history, Greater Sudbury’s preeminent professional theatre companies, Sudbury Theatre Centre (STC) and Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (TNO), are joining forces on a co-production, Gilles Poulin-Denis’ Rearview.
Following on the heels of its French-language run at the TNO last month, the production now moves to STC for its English-language premiere Nov. 3 to 9, which features an on-stage studio-theatre hybrid construction designed to offer the audience a more immersive and intimate experience.
Geneviève Pineault, the TNO’s artistic director, directs the solo performance featuring local actor Ryan Demers. Artists from both companies are involved in the production.
“Since my arrival in Sudbury a little over two years ago, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with Geneviève to talk about the city’s arts scene, shared challenges and theatre in general,” said Caleb Marshall, STC’s artistic executive director.
“We soon discovered we shared creative interests and explored what we could do together to celebrate 45 years of professional theatre in Greater Sudbury. Those discussions led to Rearview.”
Nominated in 2010 for a Governor General Literary Award, Rearview is about a young man fleeing his own life. Twenty-seven-year-old Guy jumps into his car and decides to drive up to Sudbury on Highway 17. As he moves out into the night, he’ll meet a strange, but remarkable person.
“I was blown away by Ryan’s performance in the TNO’s 2014 amateur production, Silence en coulisses!”, said Pineault. “Since then, I’ve been trying to find the right play for him and I did so with Rearview. I’ve been impressed with his work ethic from the very beginning. He’s a very talented and generous actor. I’m looking forward to sharing our work with the audience.”
Demers is a graduate of Thorneloe University’s Theatre Arts Program and of John Turner’s Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance.
He participated in Nowhere du Nord in 2013, a multidisciplinary performance art project directed by Miriam Cusson that involved more than 30 artists. He also took part in Tout est dans le timing, the TNO’s 2012 amateur production.
Poulin-Denis translated his own work with the help of Maureen Labonté, a dramaturge and translator well known in Canadian theatre. A workshop and first reading of the English-language version of Rearview was presented at Greater Sudbury’s Pat the Dog Theatre Creation’s PlaySmelter Festival in October 2015.
Rearview is on stage at the Sudbury Theatre Centre until Nov. 9, Tuesday through Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sundays. The theatre is dark on Monday.
Regular tickets are $36 for adults, $32 for seniors, $22 for those under 30, and $12 for students.
Tickets for the Nov. 4 Opening Night Director’s Circle featuring a pre-show chat with members of the creative team and a post-show reception and on-stage tour of the set with the full company are $45.
Seating in the on-stage studio hybrid configuration is restricted to just 100 seats and several performances are already sold out or have limited availability.
Tickets are available now at the DiBrina Box Office in-person at 170 Shaughnessy Street in Downtown Sudbury, by calling 705-674-8381, or online at sudburytheatre.ca.
Watch out for a review of the production on Sudbury.com.
