THE CRACKWALKER, Written & Directed by Judith Thompson, Comes to FACTORY

Renowned Canadian playwright Judith Thompson directs THE CRACKWALKER, the play that launched her career, and remains as vital today as it was when it premiered 35 years ago. Factory's THE CRACKWALKER features Claire Armstrong, Yolanda Bonnell, Waawaate Fobister, Greg Gale and Stephen Joffe.

Set in Kingston, Ontario, THE CRACKWALKER paints a stark portrait of the downcast and downtrodden members of society. Living with mental illness, Theresa and Alan struggle to make a home for their baby, but with tragic results. Sandy and Joe are trapped in a booze-fuelled cycle of violence and meaninglessness with no end in sight. And bearing witness to it all, a mysterious man called the Crackwalker, reflects their despair and hopelessness.

"Naked means freedom, naked means afraid, but working through that fear to a revelation." - Playwright and Director Judith Thompson

THE CRACKWALKER was first produced in 1980 in Toronto by Theatre Passe Muraille and remounted in 1982 as a co-production with Montreal's Centaur Theatre. The CBC described it as "Maybe the most powerful play ever written in Canada..." and the Vancouver Sun said "Judith Thompson's first play is a graphic, harrowing glimpse at life on the edge, at individuals battered by poverty, ignorance and hopelessness."

Judith Thompson is an Officer of the Order of Canada and the recipient of two Governor General Literary Awards for Drama, including her collection of plays The Other Side of the Dark, which features THE CRACKWALKER. Her plays include White Biting Dog, Lion in the Streets, I Am Yours, Such Creatures, The Thrill, and Watching Glory Die. Judith is the recipient of the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts; the Susan Smith Blackburn Award for Women Playwrights; and the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play forPalace of the End, also awarded the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. Thompson has written two feature films, Lost and Delirious and Perfect Pie, as well as multiple television movies and radio dramas.

THE CRACKWALKER features performances by Dora Award-winning actress Claire Armstrong (The Crucible/Theatre Calgary, Arcadia/Citadel Theatre) as Sandy; Yolanda Bonnell (bug/37th Annual Rhubarb Festival, This Side of Heaven/Humber Theatre) as Theresa; multi award-winning playwright, dancer, choreographer and producer, Waawaate Fobister (Agokwe/Buddies in Bad Times, The Rez Sisters/Factory) as Man; Greg Gale (His Greatness/Factory, Trout Stanley/ Persephone) as Joe; and Stephen Joffe (Like A Generation/Coyote Collective, Freda and Jem's Best of the Week/Buddies in Bad Times) as Alan.

Stripped down to the most fundamental and striking elements, the Naked Season pares down theatre to a series of pure encounters between the audience, the actors, and the text. THE CRACKWALKER is presented as part of a seasonette that also includes: SALT-WATER MOON, written by David French, and directed by Ravi Jain, February 23 - March 13 in the Mainspace Theatre; and A LINE IN THE SAND, written by Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef and directed by Nigel Shawn Williams, March 8 - 27 in the Studio Theatre.

IF YOU GO:

FACTORY presents The Naked Season 2015/16

CANADIAN CLASSICS REIMAGINED

THE CRACKWALKER

Written and Directed by Judith Thompson

FACTORY, 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide), Factory Mainspace Theatre

Starring Claire Armstrong, Yolanda Bonnell, Waawaate Fobister, Greg Gale and Stephen Joffe

March 22 to April 10, 2016

Media and Opening Night: Thursday, March 24, 2016

Tuesday - Saturday @ 8pm • Sundays @ 2pm

* New This Year - All Single Tickets $35 - Preview Tickets $25 *

This performance features limited on-stage seating for a more immersive experience.

Tickets and Passes can be purchased online at www.factorytheatre.ca, by phone at 416.504.9971, or in-person at Factory's Box Office, 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide).