Theaturtle and Shakespeare in Action Present ALPHONSE

Alphonse, by Canada's most acclaimed contemporary playwright Wajdi Mouawad, will be performed by multi-award winning performers Kaleb Alexander & Alon Nashman in what will be Toronto's first live in-person performance of a play since COVID-19 closed stage doors back in March. The show will be presented in a limited outdoor showing with strict social distancing procedures in place to ensure the health and safety of theatre lovers and viewers. Tickets are available online on a Pay What You Can Afford basis.

The Story: Alphonse is lost, walking along a country road, weaving an intricate web of stories, while everyone is searching for him: parents, friends, teachers, the police. What they find is the thing we often have to give up in order to grow up.

The Theaturtle production of Alphonse has been performed all over the world, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and most recently in 2018 at South Africa's National Arts Festival.

Shakespeare in Action & Theaturtle are thrilled to contribute to the resurgence of the performing arts in Toronto and hope that this safe, live experience will be seen as a sign of hope for theatre companies, as well as ancillary industries. By committing to this partnership, we have been able to create employment opportunities for arts professionals and technical staff in these unprecedented times.

'"This tour of city parks with Wajdi Mouawad's Alphonse is a wonderful way for live theatre to make a return to Toronto, and once again spark the imagination of Torontonians." says Valeriy Kostyuk, Theaturtle Associate Producer.

Alphonse will be performed by two of Toronto's most celebrated actors. This Toronto Park Tour marks the Alphonse debut of one of Now Magazine's Artists To Watch, Kaleb Alexander. Kaleb played Hamlet for Shakespeare in Action and Bertram in All's Well That Ends Well for Canadian Stage. Most recently, Kaleb was awarded the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for his work in the ensemble of Pass Over presented by Obsidian Theatre. Kaleb was set to make his Stratford Festival Debut in the 2020.

Alon Nashman, Artistic Director of Theaturtle, has won awards and accolades for his work across the country and internationally, including the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for THIS at Canadian Stage, and Outstanding Performance for Kafka and Son at the Prague Fringe Festival. He has worked on six of Wajdi Mouawad's plays, including a Dora Nominated performance in Scorched at Tarragon Theatre and, most recently, in Stratford Festival's Birds of a Kind.

Summer Tour Schedule:

August 20th through August 23rd at Memorial-York Park (Little Avenue)

performances at 7 pm

August 27th through August 30th at Dufferin Grove Park

performances at 3 pm and 7 pm

Strict Safety Protocols will be in place that follow Public Health Ontario guidelines, under the supervision of Toronto Public Health. Tickets can only be obtained online at the links above.

Creative Team

Written by: Wajdi Mouawad

Translated by: Shelley Tepperman

Directed by: Alon Nashman

Performed by: Kaleb Alexander & Alon Nashman

Sound by: Verne Good

Set and Costume by: Lindsay Anne Black

Produced by: Shakespeare in Action & Theaturtle