TO A FLAME by Erin Shields to Open Nightwood Theatre's Season

Nightwood Theatre's 47th season will kick off this September with the world premiere of To a Flame. A 1s1 Theatre and Nightwood Theatre co-production, in association with Modern Times Stage Company and Why Not Theatre, To a Flame is written by Governor General's Award-winning playwright Erin Shields, and helmed by internationally-renowned director Josette Bushell-Mingo. Running from September 22 to October 4, the show opens Nightwood's second season at its new home, the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre at 877 Yonge Street. Opening night is September 24.

This new work intertwines American Sign Language and English with movement and live music into a haunting, multi-sensory performance that brings Deaf and hearing audiences into a shared theatrical experience through its bilingual artistic design. The ensemble cast features Deaf performer and cultural leader Dawn Jani Birley, with Nickeshia Garrick, and Juliana Monk, accompanied by cellist Beth Silver.

Three confined women await the conclusion of their stories in the ancestral home of the man they call Father. Secrets burn to be revealed, aches of the past refuse to be suppressed, and the very house itself vibrates with desire for revenge.

The creative team for To a Flame includes: Birgit Schreyer Duarte (dramaturg and associate director); Jung-Hye Kim (set and costume design); Deanna H. Choi (composer and co-sound designer); Jenna Geen (co-sound designer); André du Toit (lighting design); Laura Warren (projection design); Sally Roberts (stage manager); Michelle Soicher (assistant stage manager); Maya Royer (production manager); and Micah Champagne (technical director).