Rehearsals Under Way for World Premiere of George F. Walker's THE DAMAGE DONE
By: A.A. Cristi
Canadian Rep Theatre Artistic Director Ken Gass is thrilled to announce the world premiere of The Damage Done by George F. Walker, one of Canada's most prolific and popular playwrights as well as one of Canada's most widely produced dramatists at home and internationally. With rehearsals currently under way, The Damage Done begins previews at The Citadel (304 Parliament St., south of Dundas) on November 19, and officially opens on Tuesday, November 22, running to December 11.
Directed by Ken Gass, this powerful two-hander stars Wes Berger (The Ravine for Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects in Niagara Falls, Dead Metaphor for Hamilton's Theatre Aquarius as Bobby) and Sarah Murphy-Dyson (CrazyLady's Parents Night/The Bigger Issue; her solo The Naked Ballerina for Toronto's Soul-O and Fringe festivals and Hamilton's Pearl Festival) as Tina.
Audiences first met Bobby and Tina in Walker's 1992 play, Tough! (and its sequel, Moss Park) when the hapless couple were 19 and Tina unexpectedly pregnant. The Damage Done flashes forward with an unflinching look at Bobby and Tina's lives 18 years later-long after their brief marriage-where there are now two teenage daughters in the picture whom Tina, a social worker on the brink of total burn-out, has been raising largely on her own. Bobby has never gotten over the fact that it was Tina who left him, and his adolescent career fantasies (becoming a musician or a South Pole explorer) have gone nowhere. A long-since recovered alcoholic, Bobby has decided to try his hand at writing a play, and, in fact, has just written a first draft based on the pathetic, sad, ridiculous entanglements of their lives.
Director Ken Gass says, "My first reading of the play was a surprisingly visceral experience. Just beneath the surface of this East-end Toronto milieu with its familiar iconic park bench, there's a dizzying and terrifying darkness here, even when leavened with Walker's trademark humour, of two erstwhile lovers balancing precariously on a razor-thin edge between hope and self-annihilation." Commissioned by Canadian Rep Theatre, Walker wrote The Damage Done specifically for Sarah Murphy-Dyson and Wes Berger. Gass adds, "It's been a joy to embark on the journey of this intimate tour de force with two such remarkable and authentic performers." George F. Walker is a Governor General, Chalmers and Dora Award-winner and one of Canada's most produced playwrights. Dead Metaphor,which had its Canadian premiere with Canadian Rep Theatre (co-produced with Mirvish Productions) in 2014, has also been successfully produced at the prestigious A.C.T. in San Francisco, Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton and recently at The Firehall in Vancouver. This past summer, Canadian Rep produced an ensemble adaptation of Walker's Tough! as part of its ENSEMBLE Canadian Youth Theatre initiative.
Canadian Rep Theatre presents the World Premiere of
The Damage Done
Starring Wes Berger and Sarah Murphy-Dyson
Designed by Ken Gass. Lighting Design by Joey Condello. Stage Management by Peter Sherk.
The Citadel, 304 Parliament Street (south of Dundas), Toronto
Previews November 19 - 20, Opens November 22 and runs to December 11, 2016
(NOTE - No performance on Dec 1 & Dec 2)
Performance Times: Tues - Sat 8:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
General admission: Tuesday-Friday $26; Saturdays $32; Previews $16.
$5 Discounts for seniors, students & artsworkers (except Previews). Group Rates Available.
Sunday matinees are Pay-What-You-Can at the door ($26 reserved seat in advance).
Tickets are available at www.canadianrep.ca or by phone at 416-946-3065.
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