Photo Flash: First Look at Michelle Polak, Michael Spence & More in Theatre Gargantua's AVARICIOUS

Toronto's acclaimed Theatre Gargantua (TG) opens the world premiere of Avaricious, marking the culmination of the company's eleventh cycle of work.

Written by Michael Spence with the ensemble and contributions from Kat Sandler, Avaricious is a darkly comic exploration of greed, hope, and humanity in the face of environmental disaster.

Conceived and directed by Gargantua's Artistic Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas, this dynamic, adventurous work previews November 4, opens Thursday November 5 and runs through to November 21 at Theatre Passe Muraille's Mainspace. Tickets are available online at theatregargantua.ca or by calling the Arts Box Office at 416.504.7529.

Avaricious combines music, physicality, and innovative designs for an adrenaline-fuelled fable of a society brought to the tipping point by one man's greed.

Avaricious stars Pam Patel, Michelle Polak, and Michael Spence - all seen previously in Theatre Gargantua's staging of the multi-Dora-nominated, award-winning play The Sacrifice Zone - along with TG newcomerPatrick Howarth.

Avaricious is a satirical foray into a world of unbelievable economic disparity. During Gargantua's research for the play, the ensemble discovered Antilia, the world's largest and most expensive house, costing one billion dollars U.S. -a twenty-six double story home situated in Mumbai, overlooking the slums, on land illegally purchased from a former orphanage. Inspired by this incredible, real-life example of gross extravagance in the midst of poverty, the play is set within a monstrous house in the fictional town of Antilla.

While developing the work, Thomas and the company continually came upon research highlighting the shocking disproportion of the world's wealth distribution. When the wealth gap was displayed in graphs, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the billion dollar home overlooking the masses living in the slums - an image echoed throughout the works' design.

Avaricious employs a compelling mix of Theatre Gargantua's trademark highly physical, imagistic style with set design by Michael Spence, lighting and projection design by Laird Macdonald, costume design byMelanie McNeil, sound design by John Gzowski. The stage manager is Erika Morey. The Producer isYolanda Ferrato.

Photo Credit: Michael Cooper

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