Soulpepper's Lab Series Closes THE CHERRY ORCHARD, 7/10

Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, presents the second offering of the company's Lab Series - Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. Soulpepper's Lab Series provides the company's artists and audience an opportunity to share in the creative process by experiencing together various approaches to theatrical storytelling.

Under the guidance of director Daniel Brooks, the artists of the Soulpepper Academy: Ins Choi, Tatjana Cornij, Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie, Gregory Prest, Karen Rae, Jason Patrick Rothery and Brendan Wall culminate a year-long journey of discovery of one of the seminal texts of the Western Canon.

Brooks and the Academy‚ have constructed a condensed version of The Cherry Orchard to fully explore Chekhov's profoundly rich tapestry of text and create theatre that challenges and entertains. This exploration of The Cherry Orchard is also meant to inspire the Academy and give them techniques and ideas they can apply to the analysis and activation of any text. Brooks chose The Cherry Orchard because of its superb text that demands (and rewards) rigorous exploration and for its timeliness - a family in financial crisis, a mortgage they cannot pay and a way of life under threat.

Following The Cherry Orchard, László Marton will direct the Academy in the last installment of the Lab Series in a new work entitled Window on Toronto, running August 20 - 28. Tickets for all performances in the Lab Series are $22 (including 13% HST).

The Cherry Orchard runs July 1 - 10 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, located at 55 Mill Street, Building 49, in the Distillery Historic District. Tickets are $20 plus HST and are available by visiting www.soulpepper.ca or by calling the Young Centre box office at 416.866.8666.

The Soulpepper Lab Series is supported by the Garland Schultz Artistic Development Fund, with additional 2010 support from the Ontario Cultural Atrractions Fund. Daniel Brooks' residency at Soulpepper is supported by the Charles and Marilyn Baillie Artistic Fellowship Fund. 2010 Soulpepper Lead Sponsors are: Sun Life Financial, Scotiabank Group and TELUS. Soulpepper gratefully acknowledges annual operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.

Soulpepper Theatre Company is an artist-founded, classical repertory theatre company with a three-tiered mandate: to present the world's greatest stories in vital Canadian interpretations; to train a new generation of theatre artists; and to inspire and enrich youth through mentorship and access programs.