Canadian Stage Announces Programming Updates for 2011-2012 Season

Canadian Stage today announced some exciting details about the 2011.2012 season, including casting news for the Canadian premiere of Red, the 2010 Tony Award-winner for best play and a programming change.

Canadian Stage, in co-production with Vancouver Playhouse and Citadel Theatre, is thrilled to announce that the pivotal role of Mark Rothko in the 2011.2012 production of Red will be played by Kevin McNulty, a noted West Coast performer. McNulty is a Jessie-Award winning stage actor who has played principal roles in a number of recent films including Watchmen, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2, Snakes on a Plane, The Tale of Two Sisters and more. He has had recurring roles on Robson Arms, DaVinci's City Hall, X-Files and Stargate SG-1. Casting for the role of Rothko's assistant, Ken, will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

"Kevin is an incredible performer," said Kim Collier, Canadian Stage Associate Artist and director of Red. "I'm very much looking forward to working with him on this production and sharing the intelligence and humanity he'll bring to the role of Mark Rothko with audiences in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton."

Andrew (Andy) Creeggan, of Canadian music trio The Creeggan Brothers and formerly of The Barenaked Ladies, will compose original music for the production. Red will run from November 19 to December 17, 2011 at the Bluma Appel Theatre at Canadian Stage, January 14 to February 4, 2012 at the Vancouver Playhouse and February 11 to March 4, 2012 at the Citadel Theatre.

Canadian Stage has also announced that Dark Matters, a dance piece by innovative and award-winning Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, will be presented in place of Pite's previously announced The You Show, scheduled from February 28 to March 3, 2012 at the Bluma Appel Theatre.

"For me, Dark Matters is the Kidd Pivot production that best fits the 2011.2012 season at Canadian Stage," said Crystal Pite, director, Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM. "When the opportunity arose to make this change, I knew we had to share it in Toronto with Canadian Stage audiences."

Dark Matters, a Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM production, integrates original music, text and rich visual design, combining pure dance and puppetry. The piece features six extraordinary dancers and a stunning original score from long-time collaborator Owen Belton.

"Crystal Pite is a remarkable and imaginative dance creator and we are proud to feature her work in our upcoming season," said Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director of Canadian Stage. "We seized the chance to program Dark Matters when it recently became available following a tour stop in Chicago. It is Crystal's most theatrical dance show and the type of truly unexpected, exciting work that makes for a thrilling audience experience."

Production details including performance dates and time will remain the same. Previously purchased season subscriptions including The You Show will be updated to include Dark Matters. To watch a video of the show, visit www.canadianstage.com/2011-2012/darkmatters.

 

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