The Coal Mine's 2015-16 Season to Feature THE RIVER, KILLER JOE & More

After rave reviews and a sold-out inaugural season, The Coal Mine Theatre is back and proud to announce its 2015-2016 season of powerful, absorbing, and often darkly humourous adventures in drama. The Coal Mine's Artistic Curator Ted Dykstra, and Artistic Producer Diana Bentley, present:

• THE RIVER written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Ted Dykstra

• THE WINTER'S TALE written by William Shakespeare and directed by Graham Abbey; a Groundling Theatre Company production

• KILLER JOE written by Tracy Letts and directed by Peter Pasyk; presented in association with Surface/Underground

• INSTRUCTIONS (TO ANY FUTURE SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT WISHING TO ABOLISH CHRISTMAS)

written by Michael Mackenzie

English playwright Jez Butterworth's poetically disturbing piece THE RIVER leaves audiences with more questions than answers about the darker side of human nature. The main character, who is simply called "the man" takes his new girlfriend to a remote fishing cabin to introduce her to the joys of night fishing. What initially appears to be a typical tale of new love and romance quickly transforms into something much darker and endlessly mysterious. THE RIVERreceived its world premiere in London in 2012 at the Royal Court Theatre starring Dominic West, and made its Broadway debut late in 2014, starring Hugh Jackman and Laura Donnelly, from the original West End production. Ted Dykstra will direct the Canadian premiere of THE RIVER to run from November 1-22, 2015.

The Coal Mine presents the Groundling Theatre Production of THE WINTER'S TALE by William Shakespeare. Written near the end of his career, and considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces, THE WINTER'S TALE chronicles the descent of the King of Sicilia into a world of jealousy, murder and conspiracy. The vengeful King falsely accuses his queen of infidelity and orders her bastard child to be abandoned on the remote shores of Bohemia. When divine intervention plants the seeds of forgiveness and rebirth, the possibility of faith is reawakened. Featuring an all-star cast of nine Canadian actors, Graham Abbey directs this world premiere adaptation of THE WINTER'S TALE to run from January 28 - February 20, 2016.

Known for his unflinching portrayals of human suffering, American playwright Tracy Letts is not one to embrace the lighter side of things. KILLER JOE is a Southern Gothic story of the Weston family set in Dallas, Texas. Drug debts have left Chris Weston in desperate need of a lot of money so he decides to 'off' his alcoholic mother for the insurance money. What unfolds is a display of dysfunctional characters, and a sordid succession of psychological brutality. Presented in association with Surface/Underground, Peter Pasyk directs the Toronto premiere of KILLER JOE to run from April 3-24, 2016

Set in 2008 against the panic-stricken backdrop of Lehman Brother's collapse, INSTRUCTIONS (TO ANY FUTURE SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT WISHING TO ABOLISH CHRISTMAS) is an electric two-hander examining the shifting and suspect forces that drive the global financial system. Written by Canadian playwright Michael Mackenzie, INSTRUCTIONS was originally commissioned by Crow's Theatre and premiered in Canada at the Centaur Theatre in 2011 directed by Chris Abraham starring Ted Dykstra. INSTRUCTIONS will receive its Toronto premiere at The Coal Mine Theatre, running from May 29 - June 19, 2016.

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