FireWorks Festival Illuminates New Plays by Women at the Alumnae Theatre, Now thru 11/29

After last year's explosive success, FireWorks is back with two more original, full-length plays developed at Alumnae Theatre: Burying Toni by Catherine Frid and You Have To Earn It by Ramona Baillie and Maria Popoff. A festival of creativity running today, November 13-29, FireWorks will also feature discussion panels, playwright talkbacks, and a Playwrights' Intensive led by Maja Ardal.

Burying Toni explores the complexities within Emma Jung as she grapples with her history, real and imagined, after 50 years of marriage to psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Emma conjures up her husband, Sigmund Freud, and others as she struggles to understand the truth about her past. The play is directed by Ginette Mohr (NOW Magazine's critic pick for Best Director for Tikva's Orchestra) and features actors Natalie Kulesza, Glenda Romano, and Jillian Welsh.

You Have To Earn It is a madcap roller-coaster ride -- joyous homage to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s. A philandering boss, a scheming new employee and a mail room clerk who'd rather be an actor (among others), all with hidden agendas, spur receptionist Betty to outshine the customer service competition in the cutthroat world of corporate cosmetics. Jennifer Radford directs the talented cast featuring: Amy Swift, Kathleen Jackson Allamby, Tim Nussey, Jill Kooymans, Paul Stafford, Kelly-Marie Murtha, Steven Arran, and Alan Yates.

The two plays will be running in rep alternating evenings. Following the Saturday matinee performances on the 15th and 22nd join our three playwrights, Ramona Baillie, Maria Popoff and Catherine Frid, as they compare notes on what inspired them, how their scripts evolved, the peaks and valleys of development from draft to draft, how they sought out feedback - and how they coped with the advice, criticism, praise and encouragement. Sunday matinee shows will feature Roundtable Discussions where audience can take part in a spirited and provocative symposium. Scholars and experts, with experience and expertise in the issues raised by the play, will exchange their thoughts with each other and the audience.

A major attraction we're planning for this year's FireWorks Festival is the Playwrights' Intensive. We're delighted to announce that Maja Ardal, renowned playwright and director, will spearhead the workshop series, to run for the duration of the Festival. Maja Ardal is a playwright, performer, theatre instructor, the former artistic director of Young People's Theatre, and a core member of Contrary Company. She wrote Midnight Sun, produced by Tarragon Theatre and the National Arts Centre, and published by Playwrights Canada Press. Over her thirty-seven-year career she has directed at the Shaw Festival, the Grand Theatre, and Alberta Theatre Projects among others. The intensive will run for 10 hours over 5 sessions and costs $75. Applications are due October 10. Please visit www.alumnaetheatre.com for more information.

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