Intersection Theatre to Stage Story of Unlikely Murderers in 'PEARLS & POISON'

Intersection Theatre presents Pearls & Poison, or The Appropriate Amount of Rouge, a spell-binding story of unlikely murderers. Conceived by producer and director Yolanda Ferrato, the work is inspired by the violence of children's rhymes and the macabre works of artists such as Edward Gorey and Hillaire Belloc. Pearls & Poison premiers at Hub 14 for a limited Toronto engagement from September 16th to September 18th.

Pearls & Poison features three interwoven cautionary tales about otherwise ordinary women who find extreme solutions for problems thousands of others cope with in more peaceful ways. Set in the early 1900s, the ensemble embodies rich story-telling navigated by a precocious young narrator (Karyn Guenther) to create a hauntingly good tale. The ensemble piece features original music and choreography, and the artwork of shadow puppeteer and actor Keshia Palm.

Intersection Theatre, a collective of artists led by Yolanda Ferrato, produces work that explores challenging topics and forms with a focus on contemporary and international work. Intersection Theatre produced the North American premiere of British playwright Sarah Grochala's S-27 to critical and industry acclaim at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

IF YOU GO:

Intersection Theatre presents

Pearls & Poison, or The Appropriate Amount of Rouge

Conceived and Directed by Yolanda Ferrato

Text by Yolanda Ferrato with Karyn Guenther and contributions from Keshia Palm

Featuring Karyn Guenther, Keshia Palm and Yolanda Ferrato

Projection & Shadow Puppetry Design by Keshia Palm

Costume Design by Shalyn McFaul and Yolanda Ferrato

Set and Lighting Design by the Ensemble

Limited Engagement

Friday September 16 and Saturday September 17 at 8pm

Sunday September 18 at 4pm and 8pm

Hub 14, 14 Markham St., Toronto

Tickets: $20 (students and arts workers $15)

Tickets: pearlsandpoison.bpt.me

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

YOLANDA FERRATO is a freelance director, theatre maker and producer. Prior to moving to Toronto, she was based in the UK where she worked in Contemporary Theatre and earned an MFA in Theatre Directing from London's East 15 Acting School and was a participant of the Royal Court's Writer's program.

Credits include: presenting two original works at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, assistant director/dramaturge on the UK premiere of Scorched at the Old Vic Tunnels (Old Vic-Dialogue Productions), and directing the North American premiere of S-27 (Intersection Theatre/Toronto Fringe). As Artistic Associate of the London Quebec Culture Festival, Yolanda was involved in the promotion of Canadian works internationally and directed the UK premiere of Larry Tremblay's The Ventriloquist (Rosemary Branch Theatre) and translated David Paquette's Porcupine. Since 2013, Yolanda has been the Producer at Toronto's multi-award winning Theatre Gargantua. She plays piano and fiddle.

KARYN GUENTHER is an actor, playwright, producer and collaborator currently residing in Toronto. She has recently relocated from Vancouver to Toronto to pursue acting and art making in its many forms. After completing her BFA in Acting Karyn was an Acting Apprentice at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver.

She completed three shows with PT including playing the lead in the world premiere of Lucia Frangione's Leave of Absence. Since moving to Toronto, Karyn has dipped her toes in the film acting world with several short films and commercials. She recently starred as Alice in the web series The Mad Hatter Files. Karyn has completed a lead role in both Pickled Heart in the Springworks Indie Arts Festival, Stratford.

KESHIA PALM is a multi-disciplinary artist from Battleford, Saskatchewan who recently moved to Toronto. Local credits include Persephone (Pencil Kit Productions, Toronto Fringe) and Underneath the Above Show #1 (Bread & Puppet Theatre). Since graduating from UVIC's acting program, she has taken workshops of all sorts on puppetry, movement, and devised theatre, which is currently her jam. Favourite credits from Victoria include Lieutenant Nun (SKAM/Puente/SNAFU Theatre), August: Osage County (Langham Court Theatre), Unity (1918) (UVIC Phoenix Theatre), and GRID (SATCo). Following this run, Keshia will be off to Owen Sound to prep for a tour of Far From the Heart (Sheatre).

Pictured: Yolanda Ferrato, Karyn Guenther and Keshia Palm, photos by Y Ferrato