Harold Pinter's OLD TIMES to Open at Soulpepper Theatre

In August, Soulpepper Theatre invites audiences to take in a simmering theatrical masterpiece, presenting Harold Pinter’s Old Times on stage August 6th through to September 7th.

Directed by Peter Pasyk (Hamlet/Stratford 2023) the production features performers Anita Majumdar (Boys with Cars/YPT), Christopher Morris (The Runner/Human Cargo), and Jenny Young (The Lake/Amazon).  

Pinter’s Old Times is a taut psychosexual thriller exploring memory, power, and desire. When Anna visits her old friend Kate and her husband Deeley after twenty years, conflicting recollections surface, blurring the line between past and present. As a battle for dominance unfolds, memory becomes a weapon—and reality becomes increasingly uncertain.

Minimalist and enigmatic, Old Times invites the audience to question what is real, what is remembered, and what is imagined. A haunting masterpiece that speaks deeply to a time when truth is up for debate.

“Old Timesis one of the great classics of modern drama and an incredibly entertaining and rewarding play,” says Soulpepper Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha. “While challenging the audience to contemplate how reality is in large part, perception, the play unravels like a twisting, sexy thriller.  This production harkens back to Soulpepper’s roots and in Peter’s hands I know it is going to be a captivating and haunting experience for our audiences.”

Old Times was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in June of 1971 at the Aldwych Theatre in London; the play premiered on Broadway later that year. Ranked among the 40 greatest plays ever written by The Independent, it has been described as one of Pinter’s “most haunting and unnerving pieces.” A deeply appealing playground for actors, the play has been performed by such greats as Julie Christie, Anthony Hopkins, Helen McCrory, Clive Owen, and Kristen Scott Thomas.

Peter Pasyk is an acclaimed theatre director who has worked with Canada’s leading theatre companies including Stratford Festival, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper, and Canadian Stage. In 2022, Peter directed an acclaimed production of Hamlet at the Stratford Festival. He has directed several world premieres including Jordan Tannahill’s Late Company (Theatre Centre). Peter’s Dora-nominated productions include The Nether, Killer Joe, Dying City, When the World Was Green and The Jones Boy. Most recently Peter directed The Seafarer starring Paul Gross at Alberta Theatre Projects. Also a filmmaker, he co-wrote one of Poland’s highest grossing feature films: Planeta Singli (Planet Single) and his award-winning short film The Understudy (theunderstudyfilm.com) is currently playing film festivals around the world.

Joining Pasyk on the creative team is lighting designer Imogen Wilson, sound designer Jacob Lin, and set and Costume Designer Snezana Pesic.