Toronto Premiere of THAT FACE Opens Thursday Night, 10/29

A dazzling debut by UK dramatist, Polly Stenham that recently took London’s
West End by storm, That Face is an explosive portrayal of an affluent family in freefall written in 2007 when Ms. Stenham was 19 years old.

The youngest playwright to ever be produced by The Royal Court Theatre, Ms. Stenham
leads the pack of new contemporary voices in British drama today.This world premiere stars Sonja Smits as Martha, best known for her multi-award-winning characters on “The Eleventh Hour”, “Traders” and “Street Legal”.

Nightwood Artistic Director and That Face director Kelly Thornton remarks, “I am thrilled to be tackling this complex and muscular drama. Stenham’s voice is raw and uncensored and for such a young writer her acute dissection of emotional neglect is arresting.”

Ms. Stenham delves into family dysfunction like a seasoned analyst with decades of experience. Her searing portrait of an upper class family exposes an oedipal web between mother and son, examines mental illness, addiction and emotional deprivation and reveals the secrets hidden within the walls of private schools and the jet set crowd.

That Face is also a ferociously dark and comic exploration of children who become parents to their parents. Martha’s daughter Mia is at boarding school. She has access to drugs. They are Martha’s. Henry has dropped out of school. He has access to alcohol. From Martha. Martha controls their lives. Martha is their mother.

That Face stars some of Canada’s finest actors. Joining Ms. Smits are Nigel Bennett (PSI Factor, The Border) as Hugh, Bethany Jillard (My Name is Rachel Corrie, Murdoch Mysteries) as Mia, Athena Karkanis (The Border, Wrecked) as Izzy, Kristopher Turner (In Gabriel's Kitchen, Murdoch Mysteries), as Henry and Teresa Labriola as Alice.

Thornton has assembled an impressive creative team for this Canadian premiere including set and costume designer Teresa Przybylski, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, sound designer Eric Meadows, assistant director Alex Rambusch, stage manager Kinnon Elliott and assistant stage manager Ashley Westlake.

That Face kicks off Nightwood Theatre’s exciting 4x4 Festival: An Off-Road Event of Women Directors. This momentous event will showcase the talents of Kelly Thornton, Weyni Mengesha, Kim Collier and Eda Holmes, four of Canada’s top women directors in four productions running throughout November 2009. The shows, culled from the international repertoire of plays by women, represent some of the finest contemporary voices writing for the world stage today.

That Face Details:
DATES: October 26 to November 21, 2009
OPENING/MEDIA/VIP: Thursday, October 29, 2009
SHOW TIMES: Monday to Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Wednesday 1:30 pm
Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.
TICKETS: Single Tickets: $20 - $45
Mondays: PWYC
Previews: $25
Passholders save over 50% on tickets
LOCATION: Berkeley Street Theatre, downstairs, 26 Berkeley Street
Tickets are available by calling (416) 955-0101