Shakespeare in High Park Celebrates 35 Years with KING LEAR and TWELFTH NIGHT

Canada's longest-running outdoor theatre experience Shakespeare in High Park will mark 35 years of staging accessible open-air theatre in Toronto with contemporary takes on two Shakespeare classics: King Lear and Twelfth Night, running in repertory from June 29 to September 3 at the High Park Amphitheatre. A pay-what-you-can event, Shakespeare in High Park is produced by Canadian Stage in collaboration with the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design at York University.

"We are excited to celebrate this 35th anniversary by putting on two of Shakespeare's true masterpieces: King Lear, in its Shakespeare in High Park premiere, and the delightfully heartful and musical comedy Twelfth Night, an enduring favourite staged in a new light," said Canadian Stage Artistic & General Director, Matthew Jocelyn. "Graduating candidates of our MFA in Stage Direction with York University, Alistair Newton and Tanja Jacobs, direct these two iconic works with a theatrical gusto and contemporary socio-political depth. With a multi-talented Acting Company led by the incomparable Diane D'Aquila - a company member of the very first Shakespeare in High Park 35 years ago, it is a fitting way to recognize the past, present and future of Toronto's most popular outdoor theatre tradition."

A feverish woman sits enthroned. She could be your grandmother, your mother, your sister, your spouse, yourself. Set in the final days of Queen Elizabeth I -with a contemporary twist- Artistic Director of Toronto's Ecce Homo Theatre Alistair Newton re-imagines Shakespeare's monumental family saga King Lear from a female perspective, with multiple award-winning stage and screen veteran Diane D'Aquila transforming in to Shakespeare's infamous monarch. As a method of dividing her kingdom in three-parts, Queen Lear demands that her daughters, Goneril,
Regan, and Cordelia compete in declarations of their love for her. Misjudging her children's loyalty, she soon finds herself in the middle of a civil war, stripped of her family, kingdom and crown. In this troublingly familiar world beset by absolute beliefs and corrupted by power, is redemption possible?

Twelfth Night, or What You Will, Shakespeare's timeless comedy of mistaken identity, role reversal and romantic misadventure, makes a return to the High Park Amphitheatre in a 1970s set production from actor-director Tanja Jacobs (Seeds, The Watershed). A young noblewoman, Viola, is separated at sea from her twin brother Sebastian and tossed upon the shores of Illyria, where the love-sick Duke Orsino pines for Countess Olivia and mischievous servants plot foolish pranks at each other's expense. With a nod to the films of Billy Wilder and Wes Anderson, Jacobs sets the action in an island hotel, where some of Shakespeare's most memorable comedic characters play out their hijinks and social fantasies, with painfully hilarious results.

After starring in the first-ever season of Shakespeare in High Park in 1983, Diane D'Aquila makes a highly anticipated return to the outdoor stage, leading a dynamic 12-person repertory cast made up of seasoned High Park alumni and fresh faces, including: Robert Persichini, Jenni Burke, Jason Cadieux, Brett Dahl, Peter Fernandes, Kristiaan Hansen*, Richard Lee, Michael Man, Amelia Sargisson, Hannah Wayne-Phillips* and Naomi Wright (*recent graduates of York University's Acting Conservatory).

Canadian Stage continues its unique collaboration with the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design to integrate York student and alumni talent into the Shakespeare in High Park creative team. Directors Alistair Newton and Tanja Jacobs, helm the shows as their graduate thesis productions under the guidance of Peter Hinton, lead Canadian Stage mentor for the collaborative MFA Program in Stage Direction. Set designer Claire Hill, a candidate in York's MFA Program in Design for Performing Arts, transforms the Amphitheatre stage back to its core multi-level set. Undergraduate theatre students helped build costumes for both productions.

"More than 34, 000 visited the High Park Amphitheatre last summer. As the popularity of our summer repertory season continues to rise year after year, we continue to look for ways to engage our growing audiences while preserving that special something that makes Shakespeare in High Park such a magical and inclusive experience," added Jocelyn.

New this year, Canadian Stage will offer free all-ages pre-show programming and day-long events at the High Park Amphitheatre throughout the summer, anchored by its Canada 150 offering Territorial Tales: a showcase for diverse young writers inviting High Park audiences to experience three new short theatrical works on the theme of displacement, migration and settlement. Staged by three emerging theatre creators, Aaron Jan, Fiona MacAulay and Luke Reece, and performed by an ensemble of youth performers, Territorial Tales runs from August 3 to September 2 (Thursday-Saturday) and is supported by community partners Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), Sketch and Kids Up Front. Additional SiHP+ pre-show activities include Shakespeare Hip-Hop (presented by Shakespeare in Action), backstage tours, Youth Nights, and pre-show chats.

Other special day-long events to take place at the High Park Amphitheatre include a Canadian Citizenship Ceremony, and Global Village: a day of interactive, family-friendly cultural activities and events at the High Park Amphitheatre (August 4, 11am-4pm). Visit canadianstage.com/online/Shakespeare for full details.

A beloved seasonal event, Canadian Stage's Shakespeare in High Park is Canada's largest and longest-running professional outdoor theatre experience. Founded as Dream in High Park in 1983, the series evolved into Shakespeare in High Park in 2013, presenting two alternating productions throughout the summer - one comedy, one tragedy - in innovative takes on Bard classics.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
King Lear runs from June 29 to September 2 with performances on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8 pm. Opening night will be July 13 with previews June 29, July 1, 4, 6, 8 and 11. Twelfth Night runs from June 30 to September 3 with performances on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 8 pm. Opening night will be July 14 with previews June 30, July 2, 5, 7, 9, and 12. Both performances run at the High Park Amphitheatre (1873 Bloor St. W). Gates open at 6 pm.

TICKETS
Each performance is pay-what-you can (suggested $20 contribution) and premium seats can be reserved by donation in advance for $25, online at canadianstage.com or by calling the Canadian Stage box office at 416.368.3110.

CREATIVE TEAM

Director (Twelfth Night) Tanja Jacobs
Director (King Lear) Alistair Newton
Assistant Directors Sadie Epstein-Fine (King Lear), Adam Bromley (Twelfth Night)
Set Designer Claire Hill
Costume Designers Carolyn Smith (King Lear), Victoria Wallace (Twelfth Night)
Lighting Designer Rebecca Picherak
Sound Designer Lyon Smith
Production Stage Manager Elizabeth McDermott
Stage Manager Krista MacIsaac Barclay
Assistant Stage Manager Sandi Becker

CAST
Jenni Burke Countess of Kent (King Lear) / Feste (Twelfth Night)
Jason Cadieux Earl of Gloucester (King Lear) / Sir Toby (Twelfth Night)
Brett Dahl Edmund (King Lear) / Sebastian (Twelfth Night)
Diane D'Aquila Lear (King Lear) / Fabiana (Twelfth Night)
Peter Fernandes Oswald, Duke of Burgundy (King Lear) / Sir Andrew (Twelfth Night)
Kristiaan Hansen Duke of Cornwall (King Lear) / Antonio, Captain (Twelfth Night)
Richard Lee Duke of Albany (King Lear) / Orsino (Twelfth Night)
Michael Man Edgar (King Lear) / Valentine (Twelfth Night)
Robert Persichini The Fool (King Lear) / Malvolio (Twelfth Night)
Amelia Sargisson Cordelia (King Lear) / Viola (Twelfth Night)
Naomi Wright Goneril (King Lear) / Olivia (Twelfth Night)
Hannah Wayne-Phillips Regan (King Lear) / Maria (Twelfth Night)

Shakespeare in High Park is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport through the Celebrate Ontario program. Territorial Tales is made possible by the Community Fund for Canada's 150th, a collaboration between the Toronto Foundation, the Government of Canada, and extraordinary leaders from coast to coast.

Canadian Stage x York University: Unique collaborative artist mentorship
Launched in 2011 as a bridge between emerging and established theatre artists, the landmark collaboration between Canadian Stage and York University's School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) supports the development of next-generation talent. The capstone in this multi-faceted partnership is the York University MFA in Stage Direction - in collaboration with Canadian Stage, a two-year graduate program offering highly specialized, advanced training in large-scale theatre directing that integrates studio work in York's academic setting with creative projects at Canadian Stage. Alongside the MFA, Canadian Stage offers diverse professional development opportunities for York undergraduate and graduate theatre students to share their talents on stage, backstage and on the creative teams for Shakespeare in High Park.

About Canadian Stage - celebrating 30 seasons
Founded in 1987, Canadian Stage is one of the country's leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts companies, sharing new, innovative stage work from Canada and around the world. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn, Canadian Stage produces and presents a new hybrid of multidisciplinary performance that pushes the boundaries of form and style, integrating theatre, dance, music, multimedia and more. Canadian Stage is dedicated to reinforcing the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international cultural dialogue, by acting as a home, incubator and exporter of leading Canadian and global performance. The company stages an annual season at three historic locations: the Bluma Appel Theatre; the Berkeley Street Theatre; and the High Park Amphitheatre, home to Shakespeare in High Park. Offering a range of education, artist training and community outreach programs, Canadian Stage is committed to cultivating tomorrow's artistic innovators and audiences. For more information, visit canadianstage.com.