DAISY Remount Marks GCTC's Return To In-Person Theatre

Almost 20 months ago, GCTC opened Sean Devine's Daisy, a play about the creation of the first modern political attack ad. One day later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the theatre to close. Since then, the show has been dark. But the wait is nearly over.

From November 30 through December 17, 2021, Daisy, a co-production with Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Theatre, will return to the GCTC mainstage as GCTC reopens its doors. Daisy is based on true events. It tells the story of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) and their role in the creation of the "Daisy ad," an attack ad that contributed to Lyndon Johnson's landslide victory over Barry Goldwater in the 1964 American presidential election.

Most of the original cast returns for the 2021 production: Marion Day, Brad Long, Geoff McBride, Andrew Moodie, and Paul Rainville. Eric Coates, GCTC's former Artistic Director, directs the show, and will take on the role of Tony Schwartz, the audio engineer whose work inspired the attack ad's creation.

"Even though Daisy deals with an American presidential race from the 1960's, its relevance is still very much felt today, not only in the U.S., but here in Canada as well," says Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Theatre Artistic Director Mary Ellis. "We need look no further than our own recent federal election."

Sean Devine, Daisy's playwright, is no stranger to politics. He ran for public office in Nepean in 2015 and 2021, and he wants his play to spark discussion-and introspection-about the current state of political discourse.

"I didn't write Daisy as history. My concerns are absolutely current: 'those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it'," he says. "There are parallels between the mid-to-late 1960s and our current times."

The play reflects on the intentional use of fear in all aspects of contemporary political life. With the "Daisy" ad (which can be viewed here), the team at DDB used fear of nuclear apocalypse to motivate a country to vote for Johnson. Daisy examines how yesterday's advertisers learned to manipulate emotions, and laid the groundwork for today's fear based media.